Now for today's lesson.
Did you know that when the metric system was first established, sixteen marble meters were fabricated as examples of the standard size of one meter. This meter rule, in a wall across rue Vaugirard from the Palais du Luxembourg, was put in place between 1796 and 1797 and is one of ten remaining examples. And this is my translation of what the bronze plaque next to it says, so I hope it's right.
Today began with heavy rain, sounding almost like hail on the skylight just a few feet above my head. And just to prove that New England's changeable weather has nothing on Paris, the rain alternated with sunshine for several hours. It finally cleared mid-afternoon but stayed cold and breezy.
This is what the clouds looked like out my bedroom window at about 8 pm.