Bonjour!

Now, I'm in Paris. It feels so good to be back here. The buildings are beautiful. I'd gotten so used to that when I was here last. But now it really stands out again. And I still remember where things are. I keep checking maps to make sure I'm not lost, but they always point to the direction I'm thinking of going.

It's Christmas time in Paris. Christmas trees are everywhere. There's a big one in front of Notre Dame that won't be removed until the Annunciation? Something in February. There are Christmas markets all over town. Each and every one of them has a puzzle stand. There's this kind of puzzle where a wine bottle is trapped in a wooden case. The case is held closed by strings with wooden pieces attached in a clever way. If you solve the wood and string puzzle, you get the wine. We were at a market today where a lady gave us a foie gras sample which melted in your mouth. We hung around there, and so she started giving us samples of the wines flavored with cherry and chocolate and berries . . . The sangria had five fruits in it, four she could tell us, the fifth was a secret. You shouldn't go around telling everything, now should you?

This time in Paris, I'll finally allow myself to buy one of the little tartes or cakes they have at the patisseries. I've always been here on a budget, but now I'm a rich grad student, so I can afford the luxury. Because it really is such a luxury. We went to a boulangerie today. C-- got a pain au chocolat. You take a bite. First the layers of buttery pastry melt on your tongue one by one. Melted away, they reveal warm chocolate that bursts onto the roof of your mouth.

Mmmm . . . Paris.