France Loves Stairs

May 10

Dear Liza,

We’ve visited France a few times, and I’ve come to realize that France just loves stairs. These at the Opera Garnier in Paris are as fancy as the shows!

Maybe it’s that stairs make the buildings tall and graceful. These help get folks into the Louvre.

Certainly, Cathedrals without stairs wouldn’t be nearly as majestic.

Or maybe it’s that stairs allow so many folks to live in a small space, so transportation is easier. Here are the stairs up to our apartment in Lyon. Forty-six in all, and we are only on the second floor. They are cut from stone. And yes, they really have that little dip in them, because they are hundreds of years old.

Some old buildings have retrofitted elevators, but they are not common, and often don’t work. Newer buildings might have elevators, but aren’t usually located in the central part of the city.

So, as well as counting steps and miles, we can start counting “flights of stairs” on the Apple Fit application. The other day, Bridgett got 18… but she’s a powerhouse.

France is keeping us fit, for sure.

Love,

Grandma Judy