Reflections on being back home

How does the time go so quickly? Here we are back home again in lovely Concord. But I miss my view of St. Sulpice and my morning croissant. I loved getting to know another Paris neighborhood and learning my way around the 6th arrondissement. Apartment living is definitely the way to go if you're staying in Paris more than a few days. We had a fabulous two-bedroom in the Marais last fall, on a busy pedestrian street that kept us always entertained as people walked back and forth all afternoon and evening and into the night (but it was pretty quiet in the early morning-definitely not an early rising crowd). Then this time a one-bedroom in the St. Germain area, just behind the beautiful St. Sulpice church. Better window views, but less interesting pedestrian traffic. Lots of great restaurants within a few blocks, as well as a market around the corner if we wanted to buy food. The option of eating at home when we wanted to was great, and the convenience of having room to spread out was also important. Our table switched back and forth from dining table to office several times a day. We also had the flexibility to have guests, which we enjoyed.

We also really loved the ability to walk to all sorts of places-restaurants, bakeries, museums, monuments, train stations, etc. Life without a car is really wonderful in a place like Paris, and being in the center you have the option of walking to so many places (and catching those great views along the way). And walking off the pain au chocolat you had for breakfast.

This trip seemed so easy and straightforward compared to others I have taken. We flew non-stop from Boston to Paris, something I have done only rarely in the past. And once in Paris, we went straight to the apartment and stayed there the whole time. No unpacking and repacking, no dragging bags all over the place. A settled lifestyle in a vibrant city. We did some day trips from Paris (Versailles, Chartres, and Giverny) but basically just lived in Paris the whole time and enjoyed every minute. Fortunately, we still have lots more work to do on paristravelplanner.com, so we'll just have to keep going back. And then we'll expand to francetravelplanner.com and go to other parts of the country. I feel lucky to have this opportunity. And I have lots more web pages to write based on this trip, so I'd better get to work!