Greetings and Farewell to London! And an adieu to Paris...

I know, it's been a while since we last conversed. I apologize for the gap time. With the holidays in full gear and me being in London with the Davester, it was a bit difficult to check in with the blog. But, alas, I am here now!

London with Dave was simply phenomenal. I could not ask for a better Rosh Hashanah abroad. It was, however, very sad to leave Paris. The morning I left, it was dark and rainy in the city, much like the weather that Amalea and I experienced when we were lugging our oversized bags up hill to get to our apartment by the square. The parallel weather, though clearly cooincidental, resonated with me and (it being dark, rainy, and 7am) made me a bit nostalgic.

Luckily, as soon as I touched down in London, the skies were gorgeous and the sun was shining (odd, usually it's Paris that's the sunny sort and London the more foggy and gray). To see the powerful, free-roaming, and expansive greens of the United Kingdom was a much needed breath of fresh air from the Parisian controlled gardens and manicured shrubs. I was in serious need of grass suited for multipurpose use.

Dave and I were fortunate enough to spend the holidays with a wonderful community in North London. I have a few stories to tell when I get the chance as there were an inordinate amount of characters in residence. But, I'm in Dave's office at the moment and while it is a lovely office with lovely people, I feel it has placed a block on the creative parts of my brain that are quite mandatory for such tales. Cubicles and work spaces just don't give me the kind of inspiration that my Parisian square provided.

I know that in the coming days, I will not be able to write as often. Amalea and I begin our European excursion tonight. I reach Paris in the evening and we officially leave our apartment soon after that to board a train, likely to Germany.

I have been trying to make sense of my Paris experience; in a way, I would like to send a farewell to the city. But it's hard, real hard in fact. It's difficult to sum up a world that you carved for five weeks; a world that took me on as much as I took it on; a set of experiences that will set the tone for the months upcoming and perhaps, who knows, beyond.

One thing I know that I can say is thank you. It's odd, perhaps, to say thank you to an entire city, but I want to do just that, and perhaps that alone. Thanks Paris. Thanks for the shrubbery, the silly, the language, the facially challenged animals, the wine & pastry and, of course, the superb homemade cheese sandwiches.

Best!