Nicci Paris, Travel

Paris, The Louvre, and The Code of Hammurabi

A recent discussion in the blogosphere about contracts reminded me of a real highlight at The Louvre: The Code of Hammurabi. We walked our legs off, following the nearly incomprehensible map of the Louvre and tromping for what felt like miles through rooms of antiquities so complete it was like walking through slices of history. (More later on those rooms!)

Ah, but The Code of Hammurabi, standing supreme in its room, is well worth the effort.

The Code of Hammurabi
The Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi is one of the earliest written laws, dating back to the Old Babylonian period. According to Wikipedia:

…dating back to about 1772 BC. It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world.  … Nearly one-half of the Code deals with matters of contract, establishing, for example, the wages to be paid to an ox driver or a surgeon. 

Of course, its translation at the museum is into French. I did try to read it, but my French is very weak and I didn’t pick up on how much was devoted to contract law.

Code of Hammurabi translation to French

There are a lot of things wrong with my society. Probably there always will be. Hopefully different things because hopefully we will continue to evolve into an enlightened society. Seriously, can we get there already? But this relic made me stop and appreciate living in a society governed by law. Even if some of the laws seem about as outdated to me as the ones chiseled on this stone, and other laws we need don’t yet exist, we all basically agree there is law and, for the most part, we all follow the law. A civil society order affords the freedom to live, have property, not to be property, and to know what to expect. And this big rock did the same thing for the Babylonians. There in the center of town for all to see, it listed the rules and the punishments for breaking those rules.

The institutions of law compose a fundamental basis for a fair society. And a fair society is one that thrives.

Code of Hammurabi detail

(Wikipedia is worth checking out on this topic. There’s an earlier set of laws, for example, called The Code of Ur-Nammu, from a city-state called Ur in Mesopotamia. I just love all the words. Ur. Mesopotamia. Ur’s patron deity was Nanna (god of the moon). I want to write a story about Nanna and the king of Ur.)

Nicci Local, Travel

Capitola and The Wharf Restaurant

In Capitola, you can park up on a bluff above the town at meters. These were filled so we parked on a side street beyond the meters then enjoyed the long walk down to the beach, the wharf, and the restaurant.

The light quality differs between the first photo and the rest. That’s because I white balanced and color enhanced the first one only. The others are as-is, straight off my Android phone camera.

The approach:

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The restaurant:

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The departure:

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Nicci Local, Travel

Birthday dinner in San Francisco, restaurant review

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Shot from the Embarcadero, reached via 280, which now takes you onto King Street at the beginning of the waterfront roadway (Embarcadero). Very convenient. Slow going to make your way up the Embarcadero to Battery Street, though. Stop light after stop light. But scenic, with people in suits waiting at light-rail stops, pedestrians and joggers using the wide sidewalk by the water, a fire department on the water with fire-fighting ships docked in front, palm trees lining the meridian, piers with interesting stores and restaurants in them, small, grassy parks, the Exploritorium museum.
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The Bay Bridge

Dinner at Piperade on Battery Street (which is near the foot of the amazing Telegraph Hill, in Levi Plaza):

Calamari in red pepper sauce. Fragrance of lemons, strong lemon flavor mixed with red (bell, not hot) pepper and tender calamari. Very good.
Calamari in red pepper sauce. Fragrance of lemons, strong lemon flavor mixed with red (bell, not hot) pepper and tender calamari. Very good.
Braised seafood, fish and shellfish. Very tasty. Couldn't eat it all -- strategy: eat the shell fish, take the regular fish home in a box.
Braised seafood, fish and shellfish. Very tasty. Couldn’t eat it all — strategy: eat the shell fish, take the regular fish home in a box.
There's always room for dessert though. Yogurt "cake" more like a custard. Sweet and tart. Apricots very intense, also sweet and tart and a smooth cream to balance the tartness. Excellent.
There’s always room for dessert though. Yogurt “cake” more like a custard. Sweet and tart. Apricots very intense, also sweet and tart and a smooth cream to balance the tartness. Excellent.
A beautiful chandelier made with wine bottles.
A beautiful chandelier made with wine bottles.

My only complaint was cost/value ratio. We paid as much as we did in Paris at L’Opera Garnier and that was with a TravelZoo voucher we had purchased.

I had a really nice time, but next time, I’ll pack a picnic and spread a blanket out on the Marina Green.