Talk of sodomized nuns touched a nerve with at least one reader. A. Bourguilleau writes to say:



"Yes Michael, these kind of things happen in France. some nuns get sodomised on cathedrals (and sometimes in cathedrals, but that's another story). You might be interrested to hear that a lot of obscene scuptures and painting used to decorate holy places in Western Europe during the Middle Ages, not to mention the famous "danse macabre", showing skeletons, demons and (usually) nude women dancing altogether in some very interesting postures sometimes.... Lots of these paintings were destroyed by the Renaissance clergy who found them very unholy (the poor idiots! now their churches are empty and they keep on wondering why!).



So if you want to settle in a country where the religion and the state are separated (there is no 'In God We Trust' on our banknotes nor in our constitution, we're grown persons, remember!) and where nuns have some earthly delights, feel free, but beware. You might become [viscerally opposed to the Bush Adminstration] in a few months. French people are contagious, specially if you drink with them."



To which I say: if loving jazz and eating well and a history of innovation in the field of kissing are contagious, I don't wanna be well. If I could just figure out how to say, "The slightest bit of butter, cheese, cream or any other milky substance makes me violently ill," Kate would put us on a plane vite vite.