Some thoughts from bus-rides from Deb: 5-9-15

***Endlessly patient parents of young kids. The parents board the busses burdened with junior soccer balls, scooters, tricycles with poles on the back to control the bike unbeknownst to the peddler, meanwhile keeping track of their young charges who are usually exhilarated at being out. Other people on the busses are tolerant and patient, getting up to give seats to children, and treading carefully to not trip over the aforementioned scooters and trikes. Kids generally well-behaved, murmuring a timid "merci" for the seats, with downcast eyes.


***Parents of even younger kids, out on the sidewalks with their little "drunken sailors" who are reeling down the way, lurching from side to side, chortling with delight at their new skills. Parents trying to keep a wary eye out for all the many street hazards while allowing as much freedom as possible. Passers-by trying to negotiate their ways around the little tottering obstacles.


***Being offered seats on metros and busses by young people. Gosh, I used to be a young person, offering seats. Humbling. And surprising that some of the young people look like young toughs, Goth-gear and multi tattoos, and have such lovely manners.


***Have been enjoying all the art on walls in the city. Some walls near schools are obviously student/teacher projects in colorful graffiti style. We have several in our neighborhood, and have been pleasantly surprised to see them being maintained and freshened. Others are the blank walls at the end of buildings that must have at one time abutted another building. Many of these have been done with trompe l'oeil effects, for example, figures of people rappelling down the wall on garlands of flowers, or a Rapunzel-like character letting down her hair from a fake window to a lover below. Some are painted with themes meaningful to a specific neighborhood. Warren's been getting some good pictures of them as we wander around the city.


***The huge diversity of clothing in our neighborhood. Black women of some African extraction in vibrant colors, head to foot, with flamboyantly arranged head scarves matching - or sometimes contrasting - with their blouses and long skirts. Bold patterns and great colors - red, orange, hot pink, purple. Various Jewish sects, some with men in black fedoras and dark suits and wives with hair covered by knitted caps and muted, modest clothing. Other groups in yarmulkes but no hats. Lots of Muslim women with their hair covered in characteristic opaque scarves, some in dark colors, others in trendy pastels. Middle-eastern men in long tunics over trousers, often in bold stripes but sometimes even muted pin-stripes.


***And on the topic of clothing, our ongoing amazement at the amount of warm clothing people are still wearing. As we sweated in the sunshine at the bus-stop this morning, we watched an ongoing procession of people wearing what look like winter coats to us, complete with mufflers. I had divested of a light sweater as too stifling and yet people were walking by, each with shirt, sweater, muffler and buttoned leather jacket. We have decided that the French learn early on to be stoic about temperature changes and just soldier on with whatever they put on that morning. We probably stand out totally as tourists by shedding layers as we go.