6E9 is a big number (what?)

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A quick note to let everyone know we made it to Paris and had a great time seeing the sights.  We really enjoyed Paris.  We are taking the train with our bikes) to Annecy in the French Alps this afternoon.

Also, a wee bit more information on how we are all coping.  Basically, we are all always together.  This has forced us to get along.  Of course, we always got along fqirly well, but it is one thing to be able to do this when you have a private place to go now and then, and quite another when you are all sleeping together in a four man tent.  One of the big issues is that there are no personal conversations.  For example, while in Paris I was watching the mind boggling numbers of people rush past us and I commented to September that 6 Billion (as in the number of people on the planet) is a really big number and immediately came the chorus of "What!? What are you guys talking about!?"  This chorus comes regardless of the subject.

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So, when we visited the Eiffel Tower, after paying for the privilege of climbing 668 steps to get about 1/3 the way up, we found that to really get to the top, you need to pay,yet again, 10 euros per adult and 3 per child to take an elevator.  So, we just sent the kids up by themselves and enjoyed an hour long conversation without once having to explain what we were talking about.  Too bad they don't have rooms rent on the Eiffel Tower.