Craving Paris

I don’t know if it’s possible to crave a city... but today I am most certainly craving Paris! Every now & then I get this feeling that I just need to be there. I remember my “Paris Walks” class- of course my favorite- taking on a new area of the city, walking, wandering, tasting, learning, and soaking it all in! Paris is certainly a fun place to visit, but it is even more fun to just BE there. To absorb the city without a set agenda and just let your curiosity/interest guide you from one place to the next. It’s beautiful and charming, and old and unique. The art and architecture and design are amazing and the history makes it even more rich and thought provoking. Sure the sights are amazing and awe- inspiring, but the quaint streets and the people just living their way of life somehow feels like home. I smile when I hear the language gliding through my ears. Everything tastes wonderful and every shop gleams with elegance. The scent of fresh bakeries and the sweetness in the air surrounding each crepe stand, it’s simply heaven. Of course Paris has its share of crazy people and European body odors, but it couldn't be Paris without a little of that to bring you back down to Earth every once in a while. It’s not just Paris, I crave France too- the small villages and Châteaux, the markets and smell of lavender sachets. The proximity to other countries and opportunities for adventure within arms reach in every direction. Oh please, take me there and leave me. Permettez-moi dormir et rever de Paris...

A Biscuit

Some memories really stand out and I thought of this one today as I ate a little “biscuit”...

The sun was shining, the air was humid and salty and it was the most crowded beach I had ever seen, the towels and blankets and chairs were all side by side as though everyone in the whole town was set up to watch a movie at the drive-in all the way down the beach as far as I could see. The people sounded different, we were in Spain but there were so many languages and sounds that I had never heard. The people were different too, quite a variety of colors and styles and so many of the moms forgot to wear their swim tops, and some of the grandma’s too, it looked strange and made me a little uncomfortable looking around, it was odd how none of them were even embarrassed about it. And the men all wore tight little swim trunks. Most of the people were skinny and let their hair go frizzy and unkept. We had our blanket and straw mats set out. I was playing in the sand and waves and pretty soon I made a friend. Kids make friends so easily but when everybody is speaking different languages it can be a little confusing but she spoke English too. But her English sounded a little funny- the kind you hear in movies or how my mom sounded when we told her to read the book “British style.” She asked if I wanted to play with her so she must have heard me speaking English with my brothers and sisters, she was a few years younger than me and I remember a perfectly cut brown bob of hair and really blue eyes although I can’t remember her name. Then I remember her mother asked if I was on “Holiday” and that confused me because it was summer time and the only holiday I could think of had already passed on the Fourth of July, so I told her we were on vacation and that seemed to suffice. Then she asked if we “would like a biscuit?” My mind conjured up the image of a flaky white dry roll, the kind served with gravy or that come with your order at KFC, it seemed too hot and salty so I declined and politely said “no thank you.” But of course my friend said yes and then came my surprise when her mother pulled out a delicious looking cookie; it looked like a thick round graham cracker with chocolate on the bottom. Oh how I had wished I said yes as I watched her eat it in front of me. I didn’t know how to explain that I been confused about what “biscuit” meant so I watched quietly wanting...