Hi Nik. I’m just really impressed by your description of the galère of commuting from La Défense. The fact that on the first day you found some charm in the strike (which is what American Francophiles typically feel, by the way) made it all the more worse when the weather turned cold the next night and you were forced, after hours on a bus, to pedal a Vélib in the cold, dark night the rest of the way home. I hope the strikes end soon. Your description of the elegant 16th arrondissement brought back memories, as my partner and I stayed there a long time ago on the rue St. Didier in a budget hotel that has since been torn down. There was even a working class cafe with a jukebox down the street. Enjoyed hearing about your birthday too and very much liked the chanson you played at the end of the show.

Fab pod cast Nik - this was really interesting - I have no idea how you are coping with all the strikes!

I hope it’s all over when we visit in December!

I love it when you talk about some of the ordinary things you face, like the strikes. It makes it more real than just hearing about it in the news.

But it’s also great to hear about things going on with you, like your birthday. It’s fun to get to share that with you.

In the news I’ve been hearing about riots in France. Have you been affected by that?

Oh, and thanks for the message on the comment line–I really appreciate it!