Arrival (or, "How to Avoid Calamity Next Time")

Imagine: You're planning a trip overseas, for a long period of time. Think of all the things you have to do:

*Find a place to live (this changed three times for me).
*Buy sufficient bags for the trip (went to over fifteen different stores, bought and returned seven different luggages before finding the "right" one, and the damn handle still broke on my bag).
*Decide on departure and arrival dates
*Figure out how to get there (plane, yes, but also carpool, taxi, metro, train, and foot).
*Notify banks about your trip (note to self: never leave bank card in the ATM again. Especially not just before going to the airport, and if so, try to realize what you've done more than a half hour before the plane takes off).
*Move out of your apartment (and try to do only one move the weekend before the trip; two moves is far too much, really).
*Sell or loan your car to someone (preferably before it completely breaks down, so that you don't have to have it towed the day of your departure; not too sexy to say goodbye to boyfriend and hop into the tow truck).

A few things that you definitely should do:
*Definitely take a break when you first arrive. One night in Paris is always a good idea, especially if you're staying in a beautiful apartment with a wonderful friend, who shows you where to get the most delicious vegetarian sushi in all of Paris, and who mercifully helps you get your bag through the Metro and onto a train). M's gorgeous apartment here (this is NOT my apartment, this is my friend's apartment in Paris; and she even has a bedroom... not pictured, because it isn't part of the den; rare in Paris!):

*Definitely share a bottle of wine with a dear, fiery, socially engaged friend ("A") the first night. Then take the Metro home. (I would, however, avoid being witness to a banana theft, but it was nonetheless entertaining and harmless to watch a group of men gather in front of the market and yell "dégage, voleur!" to a poor f*** at 1 a.m.).

*Definitely offer (and I think this might be the most genius thing I did on this whole trip, which in comparison with the rest isn't really saying much) to buy your friend all the goods she wants from the U.S. and the duty-free store (although it really helps to actually have a bank card when you go to pay at the duty-free) so that she can reimburse you in euros when you arrive. This, my friends, has supplied me with a fair amount of cash, exchange fee-free.

All this said, I am delighted to be here (although I am missing people, and a certain person, very very very much). Only in France can you arrive at your place of lodging, sign a couple of papers which basically state all the things THEY are planning to do to help YOU, and get a fantastic room, internet-equipped, for nothing. I repeat, nothing, because I don't have to pay a dime until October 15th. What a grand country. And, friends, this is the view from my room:

Yes, I think I'm going to like it here. :)