God the money goes by quickly

I never imagined that things would cost so much in Paris. The money just flies out the window especially if you do things like go to soccer games. But hey when in Paris....This weekend was pretty crazy in that all over France and Paris they are celebrating national heritage thus all institutions, museums, and public buildings are open to the public. Apparently President Sarkozy himself was shaking hands at the French equivalent of the White House. I tried to get in line for that but the wait was estimated to be about 6 hours. I did see however the National Assembly and the Senate which in France are separated and not all in one building like it in the US Capital building. I also went to the Invalides where Napoleon among other war heroes is buried. The chapel also included a war museum adjacent which was so detailed that I got tired/bored by the end. I never thought I would say it but after seeing the displays for the two world wars I was not willing to go on and see the medieval armor displays. Luckily all of that was free. Invalides is also where I go to play pick-up games of soccer. Each of the two times that I have been passing the ball around with a friend, big groups of people come and join in. It's fun but they usually kick my ass because here everybody plays since they were young. Oh yeah I am hopefully still going to a warm place for the October holiday, looking into Istanbul with some other people but no final plans yet. Here are pics from the weekend.