A Near-Miss at Kilometre Zero
Paris
Oct. 23, 2005
< < previous
| next > >
"Meet me at kilometre zero, the brass plaque in front of
Notre Dame at 11 am on Sunday," I told Eddie & Pamela, who
were going to be on the second day of a Parisian vacation
on the same day that I arrived for a conference. And they
were there at 11, but I was snoozing under an eye shade in my hotel
room over by l'Opera for the entire hour plus that they
wandered around looking first for the plaque, then for me.
By the time I arrived at 12:45, they had wisely gone back
to their apartment near the Place des Vosges in the Marais
district.
As I wandered around looking for them, unable to reach Eddie's
phone, my mood gradually descended as I looked toward the
prospect of a long sad afternoon guiltily walking around
Paris. Till my phone buzzed! And Eddie gave me directions
over to the apartment. We soon repaired to a corner cafe
while Pam & Ethan tried to sleep, and whiled away the
afternoon and evening, laughing at ourselves and the French
who rightly despise us.
|
|