Tense

Today was more relaxed at the workshop: I woke up later and, by chatting too long with D over breakfast, I didn't get to the Metro in time to travel in for the 10:00 talk. Neither did И, and we arrived in time for the coffee break. However, there were a couple of good talks before lunchtime. By then Y had arrived, and И had left for lunch at Google with a collaborator. I went with Y to an excellent Moroccan restaurant that had been recommended by a Moroccan friend of hers. It was good to catch up and start to plan her PhD application. 

Lunch took longer than expected, so I was late for my on-line meeting with PhD student M, but there were no more interesting talks anyway. At the end of the workshop, there was that moment when you have that last chance to talk to people. One person thanked me for our software that I'd recommend to a colleague yesterday, and had already discovered that it was four times faster than what they had been using previously. I also got to chat with one of Y's current teachers, after she introduced me to him. I then said goodbye to Y until I'm back in Paris at the end of November.

It was another lovely day, but I chose the "wrong" area of Paris for a walk. Police had blocked off routes to the Place de la Concorde, and my diversion passed the Ukraine and US embassies, then the Elysée Palace itself, with even more police - some with machine guns. I was glad to escape past the Petit and Grande Palais, and then over the Pont Alexandre III (pictured), before taking a crowded Metro back to Montreuil. 

Tonight I'll eat out with G, D and И - if she's back in time from visiting another friend in the city.