Retour à Paris

February 28, 2023 to March 1, 2023

February 28

I’d been packed for a few days, seemingly ready for my return to Paris and the start of more cycling adventures. But anticipation and excitement has been dampened by a few lingering issues here in North Carolina that cannot not be resolved before leaving town. Foremost is concern for my sister Jeanie who’s been suffering the effects of a concussion following a bike accident in mid-January. I’ve really enjoyed helping out with the little tasks that make life a bit easier for her and her husband, and will miss being around as she continues to make good progress in her recovery.

My flight to Paris connected through Miami, a fortuitous choice made last August when I had no premonition of the severe winter weather predicted for today in much of the Northeast. Unlike New York or Philadelphia, it was sunny and warm when we landed in Miami, deplaning through an outdoor covered walkway lined with tropical plants. In fact, the whole vibe in the Miami airport was a tropical – from the fish and underwater plants that decorated the terminal walkways to the stands of Cuban coffee, cigars, and ceviche.

The flight to Paris was uneventful, save for the one hour delay in leaving Miami. I got a solid three hours of deep sleep, short but the best I can remember on a plane - no doubt the Benadryl I took after dinner helped a bit.

Walking among the sea life in Terminal D

March 1

After arriving at the recently renovated Terminal 2B, I breezed through customs, retrieved Vivien George, hopped in a cab and was back “home” in central Paris less than 90 minutes after we landed. I got two sets of keys from the concierge, Mme Lourdes, and did a quick bit of unpacking before meeting my friend Alex for lunch of Boeuf Bourguignon at a neighborhood cafe.

It was a chilly but sunny afternoon in Paris, a perfect afternoon for a visit to my neighborhood park, Square Saint-Lambert. We swung by the apartment to pick up my camera but discovered that I had an incomplete set of keys. Many, if not most, French apartments have an exterior door than can be opened from the street using a coded keypad or a fob, allowing access to post boxes and the intercom system. A second, interior door requires either a fob, or being buzzed in by one of the residents. And then a final key is needed to open an individual unit. The set of keys I’d grabbed as I headed out the door were missing the fob. I knew the code but was blocked from opening the interior door – I’d been in town just two hours and I’d already locked myself out!! Fortunately it took only a couple of phone calls to get into the apartment and retrieve both my camera and the proper set of keys.

Square Saint-Lambert was fairly quiet on this early spring afternoon - an assortment of bench sitters basking in the afternoon sun and a handful of children playing in the empty fountain or the small playground. There was, however, a very large construction-type vehicle sporting wide treads and an ominous looking drill bit. Alex initially thought they might be planting trees, but later we found the drill poised over a sizable tree stump in the children’s playground. A couple of orange-clad workers quickly set up a make-shift barrier and the excitement began, attracting a small group of onlookers mesmerized by the sights and sounds of stump pulverization. The large drill whirred round and round, the wood creaked and groaned, and the once solid stump was reduced to mulch. Just another of the unexpected delights of my life in Paris.

Square Saint-Lambert on a chilly afternoon in early spring

The near universal fascination of small boys with large machines

And the fascination seems to continue as the boys become men

I have two days more days in Paris before leaving for Marrekesh on Saturday. The reports of Racpat have heightened my excitement at cycling in Morocco, and though chances look slim at present, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I might meet up with them somewhere in the Atlas Mountains.

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Suzanne GibsonWelcome back! I can't believe you are already here on European soil!
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1 year ago

Rachael AndersonGlad to hear you made it!
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1 year ago