The Awakening

Nearly two years ago (June 3, 2009) to be exact, I wrote my first blog post and Paris Where You Are was born. Its purpose was to keep me (and others) in touch with our inner Paris.

Then a few weeks later, after a nostalgic trip to Kansas City where I did most of my undergraduate work, I sent a "friend request" to Bill Canavan. Calling him my "college sweetheart" is a polite way (Bill would call it a "vanilla" way) of describing our relationship. Also being new to Facebook, it took him more than a month to respond, but when he did . . . oo la la! So there has been a "do not disturb" sign on my hotel doorknob since . . . well, since August of 2009.

This morning, I've awakened from my languid and lazy slumber! My other beloved (the Weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal) awakened me with a review of two new books about Paris. One is about daytrips by train from Paris (Paris to the Past: Traveling through French History by Train) and the other is a collection of short stories centering on Paris Metro stations (Paris Metro Tales), which I will buy today!

As many of you know, on my first trip to Paris, I was robbed at the Arc de Triomph metro station and was only able to return to the US because a hotel clerk loaned me 100 euros. That incident (and Nora Ephron's "I Feel Bad about My Neck") inspired one of the most satisfying writing experiences I've ever had. Call me sick, the worse Paris treats me the more I love it.