2013 Paris

New Year's Day 2013. Our trip to Paris for TWO months is NEXT month. In 2007 I imagined this trip and talked with my friend Eugene about it. I can see it on the calendar just ahead in 43 days but it has been so far away for so long it's hard to imagine it being close! Donna seems to think it a bit strange that I've been planning for several months our NEXT trip in September but the Paris logistics are set. Donna and I land on Valentine's morning... January 3, 2013. Sitting here this evening with my son Trevor and his wife Eleanor. Trevor lives in Poland and this is the first time I have seen him since last Christmas but this year is different because we will be getting together in March in Paris! Our apartment has a great location for getting around. We are exactly halfway between Gare du Nord and Gare du Est - the two great train stations in Paris - and directly across the street from the La Chapelle Metro (which appears to be connected via underground walkway to Gare du Nord which is the first stop coming in from CDG airport on the express train and which appears to be the last stop on the express train via the Chunnel to downtown London 2 hours away). Our building is only 10 feet or so from a supermarket! We have just over a month until we leave and, after all of this time, it seems surreal. It is great to see Trev and Elle now and know that I will see them again in a short time. They are individually wonderful people and fabulous as a couple. I hope we even get to see them again as we pass Warsaw, west to east south of them, south to north east of them, east to west north of them, and west to east north of them in September! January 12, 2013 One month from tomorrow! It is astounding to think that this 5 year plan is about to come true!! We are about to buy some Euros to take (the wonderful US Congress seems intent on defaulting on our nation's financial obligations one day after we arrive so we are going to bring some cash to tide us over). I have packed my bag to see if there is room for everything of mine and some of Donna's - there is. I decided (ok, Donna decided ;)) that I should not take my cowboy hat to Paris to keep the rain out of my face: she said "Take an umbrella!". We had a laugh about that one. I think that the best part of this trip is simply being with Donna. What a great lady she is!!! Here's a couple of photos of where our apartment is located. The first is a zoom in and the second shows where it is from the very center of Paris - looks like about 2 miles away.

More soon.