Billy Stewart - Summertime

Though I still prefer the Zombies version a year earlier Billy Stewart's version is lots of fun.

Our plans to escape the heat yesterday never materialized, as the trains were all booked solid. At one point there were more than 600 kilometers of traffic jams in France due to summer travel, so everyone and their mother was on the road or rail. Instead, we melted a bit and eventually rounded up enough energy in the late afternoon to head across town to find some gardening stuff and then a gelato. It was simply too hot to muster up any more energy. The forecast for today is again 100F.

One of the worst parts of returning from summer vacation (besides not being on vacation) is realizing just how flavorless fruits and vegetables can be in the city. Though we have had some decent apricots and nectarines in town this year, figs, peppers, tomatoes don't even come close. My simple summer salad that includes red peppers and figs is still OK in Paris, but it was fantastic with the local food in the south.

I'm also missing local, fresh garlic that is everywhere in the south. The taste is much, much better than what is typically available in Paris. Oh well, there has to be a long weekend sometime soon when I can get back into the country.