Europe

My semester is over (finally!), my bags are packed, and the “Amelie” soundtrack is playing right now on iTunes. I sit here at 1 am and realize that in 24 hours my plane will be touching down in the City of Light. I’ve printed all your comments and e-mail suggestions; I went, as someone advised, to the back of “Barefoot in Paris” and copied down all of Ina’s favorites. I’m equipped with lots of great advice and I’m brimming with excitement and enthusiasm. Is this what the French call joie de vivre?

I’ve double checked and my hotel (which, I’ve now learned, is in the 17th arron.) has “modem connections” in every room so I’m really hoping I can blog while I’m there. Here’s how you can tell if I’m blogging while I’m there: if you load up this site and you still see this message, it ain’t happening! But fear not. In that very worse case scenario, I’ll come back loaded with stories, pictures and videos (yes, I’m bringing my video camera) to share until you scream “sacre bleau!”

Now I must rest. Big travel day ahead. Let’s pretend I’m Pee-Wee Herman and you’re Simone in “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.” Remember the scene where Pee-Wee pulls away on the train? Simone (that’s you) yells, “Au revoir, Pee-Wee!”

Then Pee-Wee (that’s me) yells back: “Au revoir, Simone!” And a great adventure lies ahead.