July 29, 2011 -- Paris

 I feel refreshed this morning after a good night's sleep and a cold shower. (The hot water facet runs cold in this youth hostel.)

The weather is about to turn very hot in Paris. How do I know? No, not the weather forecast. It continues to predict lousy, chilly weather. However, I finally got tired of shivering in the July Paris temperatures and bought a sweatshirt today. I'm sure that now that I am prepared for the cold, it will turn warm and the only result of my purchase will be that I'll have one more item to lug around in my backpack.

The clothing strategy also worked on the rain today. I took along my rain poncho when I went out, and of course it was not only dry, the sun occasionally peeked through the clouds, and the temperature climbed to almost 70 degrees Fahrenheit. However, as soon as I returned to the hostel in the afternoon, the rain started again, although it remained warm enough outside that one could comfortably be outside in a short-sleeved shirt.

As shown in the picture, on one of the pedestrian bridges across part of the Seine River, couples have locked padlocks with their names engraved or written in indelible ink on them and thrown away the keys or combinations. I believe they are to symbolize that the couple will be locked in a faithful relationship all of their lives. There must be hundreds of thousands of these padlocks on the fencing below the handrails on both sides of the bridge. I think that there should be a law requiring them to return with bolt cutters when they separate or get divorced and cut off the lock. I also wonder if Dominique Strauss Kahn and his current wife or any of his exes have a lock there.

I managed to take it easier on my leg yesterday, but it doesn't feel any better. It was doing a lot better before I stupidly reinjured it! I spent part of yesterday sitting on a bench on the footbridge in the picture reading and admiring the padlocks.