The Neutral Zone

Hannah and I spent five days in London after our trip in Scotland. We were working for most of that time, so it's not like we were whiling away the hours at the Tate or Saint Paul's. Hannah spent her time walking across London from one client meeting to another, so she took in more of the city than I did (I used the tube to commute around), but nonetheless, I think we can keep this pretty short. Also, we've visited and commented on London before (see here , here ). Pedestrian Cross Walks Throughout the UK, and particularly in London, most crosswalks include an advisory painted into the street urging pedestrians to check for traffic by looking either to the left or right (always the direction you are unaccustomed to checking as an American). This is - I think - one of the strongest indicators that people in Britain are perhaps driving on the wrong side of the road. In effect, the British government feels that in order to keep some meaningful number of pedestrians alive a lit...

Paris, France - Dear reader, I am filing this report two weeks late. Please forgive my tardiness. H and I were in Paris the weekend of March 7. Before you scold us too harshly for travelling in the midst of coronavirus, keep in mind that the pandemic was not in full blossom at that time. H had traveled to NYC a week prior for work and, months ago, we decided that it would be more fun (and cheaper) if she flew from NYC to Paris, where we could spend the weekend traipsing in the City of Light. In any case, we seem to have avoided contracting coronavirus during these travels. The Flood In keeping with the general zeitgeist of catastrophe, the Siene was flooding while we there, though this was clearly not the most pressing crisis the government was dealing with at the time. The river had flooded over a lower roadway that runs along the bank and forced its closure, though it had fortunately not risen to the level of the upper bank and started flooding the city proper. Seine river. ...