Soap Box

*NOTE* Charlie & Hazel are returning from Europe, Charlie's soapbox today is about his thoughts on their recent time in Paris earlier in the week. -TeamCDB

I had wondered what affect the recent Charlie Hebdo & subsequent kosher grocery terrorist attacks would have on the attitude and morale of the Parisian people.

Would they be afraid, would they be cynical, would they be withdrawn into that shell of morose indifference the French do better than anybody else?

Would the carefree spirit of this unique city be sullied by what a bunch of Islamic crazies had done to their people, their city?

It is definitely a perilous time in their history. After all, a million of them had been in the streets a few weeks ago showing a kind of solidarity you seldom see in France, a march that was attended by leaders from around the world but conspicuously absent any high level American participation.

Would there be resentment?

Well any fears I might have had were unfounded or at least not evident as the light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek, �We've got a joke that we'll never let you in on,� attitude is very much alive and well in Paris.

The Eiffel Tower is still standing tall, the wine is still flowing and the lines at the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa are as long as ever, the traffic still buzzes around the plazas like it was the Daytona Five Hundred, the sidewalks are still crowded with shoppers and the impression of a never ending party are still very much in place.

Paris is the home of, at least in my opinion, the two greatest art museums in the world, the Louvre and Mus�e d�Orsay, both of which boast thousands of pieces of art with names like, the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Manets, Monets, da Vincis, and the list goes on and on until after a few hours of walking through the galleries you realize you are experiencing sensory overload, staring at a priceless piece of art as if it was a cartoon in the Sunday newspaper.

The buildings themselves are pieces of art on their own, the Louvre was once a royal palace and the Mus�e d�Orsay was a huge and ornate train station that has been preserved and lavishly restored into a spacious, comfortable venue, home of the largest collection of impressionist art in the world

The Palace of Versailles is only a short distance out of the city, the showplace of Louis the XIV � who relocated there from Paris - where the grounds surrounding the palace are as much a part of the beauty as the rambling interior.

Or if your taste runs somewhat to the more macabre, you can visit the Catacombs de Paris, the underground cemetery of Paris where the skulls and body bones of over six million people are placed in neat stacks on both sides of a narrow corridor that runs for miles underneath the streets of Paris.

You could eat at a different restaurant in Paris for a couple of years and never have a bad meal if you knew your way around. Some, like Maxim�s are famous and very expensive but there's good French food to be had at little holes in the wall all over the city and doesn't have to carry the hefty price tags of the better-known places.

It seems in France that when you sit down at a table for dinner, bread, butter and a wine list arrive almost simultaneously and if you have problems deciphering the menus with a little mutual cooperation, even the most grammatically challenged waiter can get you through enough to understand what you're ordering. 

Like so many of the major European cities, Paris is a mixture of the ancient and the modern, broad boulevards and plazas with fountains and statuary are intersected with narrow streets that were built for nothing wider than a horse and buggy.

You could spend the whole day touring Notre Dame with its intricate stained glass, ancient artifacts and intimidating gargoyles, or at any of the museums or just strolling down the Champs-�lys�es watching people from all over the world marvel at the glory of the city of lights.

I love visiting there, but after a couple of days I'm always ready to move on, working my way back toward my beloved Volunteer State.

The great cities of Europe are older, grander, more historical and extremely fascinating but when I think of home I've only got one thing to say�

Ain't it good to be alive and be in Tennessee!

What do you think?

Pray for our troops and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels

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