October 6, 2004

I went to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport Sunday night at 10:00 PM to pick up friends who were coming in on a flight from Zurich. The plane landed and one of the first passengers who left the transit area was the man who brought down the Soviet Empire. Mikhail Gorbachev just had a hand bag and walked straight to the taxi stand outside the terminal. I asked him whether I could take a picture and he said yes. The first one was out of focus. So we decided to take another one. It was strange to see him all by himself as a normal person. I suspect that most people would not recognize him because obviously he has aged since the 1980s. I also think that Parisians are just too snobbish to acknowledge any celebrity who visits their beautiful city. Anyway, Gorby is fit, alert and very approachable.

Nima Mina

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