Home at Last?After a long day's journey we finally arrived home. Just before we left Paris we walked with Carol to her bridge (actually it is Pont Louis Phillipe which goes from the Marais to Ile St Louis). It was sad to say goodbye to Carol and to Paris. We spent every day together for the last two weeks. Here's a link to a clip on the bridge.
We had an adventure getting to the airport. Thanks to the kindness of several natives we finally made it. Two people were very helpful (without us asking) to direct us. We were on the wrong train, and couldn't find the way to get to the RER. Both people that helped us spoke no English, but somehow we figured out their directions. I'm not so sure we would have received such assistance in New York City...
The plane was delayed an hour, and it was jam packed with people traveling from Mumbai to Newark. We had a woman from Morocco sit next to us who only could speak broken French and I guess Arabic. Keith was very kind in helping her fill out the paperwork to enter the States. I hope she made it to where she was headed.
Once we got into Newark we contacted the place where we parked the car. Unfortunately, I thought we were in terminal C. By the time we figured out where we were they had sent three drivers to come and get us. Must have been jet lag, or something.. The drive home was awful in the pouring rain. By the time we made it to the NY Thruway I was exhausted. Keith took over driving and we arrived home at 11:30. Unfortunately, for us it seemed like 5:30am. That's only 2o hours of travel.
Now the adjustment.... A new time and a new place. The pace is very different here, and the lawn has grown tall with weeds. Work starts tomorrow and soon Paris will be a distant memory. I can't say that I am glad to be home, but I am sure that I will adjust. Traveling is one of my favorite activities. It's hard to return to what often seems routine. If I bring anything home with me it is a lesson to enjoy every day. The French do take the time to smell the roses. It is far too easy to become caught up in the day to day activities and not appreciate the people around you and the beauty in everyday life.
This shot is a tradition that ensures that someday we will return to point zero, in front of Notre Dame. I started the blog with a similar photo from 2004. I guess it really does work.
Lastly, here is a moment that I will treasure from Paris. Each day we walked over to Carol's studio for a new adventure we found her watching out her window. It always made us feel welcome.
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