We crossed the River Seine in the center of Paris. It was not raining. I have been to France many times. None were very enjoyable visits.

On the way to Cameroon in 1981 I got lost in Charles DeGaulle Airport, missed my flight, and had to spend a night in a cheap hotel somewhere between the airport and the city. Two years later, I chaperoned 20 Canadian high school female students on a March break tour of Paris. We stayed in a student hostel full of raging hormones. My time was spent protecting the girls from slick and sleazy Italian boys. It was rainy and cold the entire time.

In order to get to the former French West Africa, one has to go through Paris, so on every one of my many trips since 1998 to Guinea, I got to know DeGaulle Airport quite well. Once while embracing a statue given to me by the president of Guinea, I fell asleep waiting for my flight. When I awoke, my plane was on the way to New York. I had to pay $300 to board the next flight 12 hours later. Outside it was cold and raining.

Our home in the Rue Cler neighborhood was the Hotel Beaugency. A few years ago, Linda and I flew to London where she rented an apartment with a lady friend for two weeks. I took the Chunnel train to Paris and flew on to Guinea. I returned to Paris, took the Chunnel train back to London and spent a wonderful week with Linda, the Carolina Tea Lady in London. Tea shops, afternoon teas, formal teas, casual teas, topped by Shakespeare plays in the evening. That time on the train, I got to see the French countryside… through the cold rain.

My wonderful wife Linda poopooed my distaste for France, saying, “I spent two of the best years of my life in France when my father was stationed in Verdun. It never rained and I want to go back…”

So, not wanting to stand in the way of my wife’s desires, I agreed and suggested we combine it with a visit with Benedicte, a French Rotary Scholar we hosted in 1995. Linda jumped at the chance and organized the whole

Our flight arrives at the dreaded Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris. 12–day interlude from The

Columbia Star.

Our itinerary called for a flight to the dreaded DeGaulle Airport, a week in Paris and a week in Nancy, Benedicte’s home.

Linda studied Rick Steves’

Paris book and planned our every minute. Benedicte agreed to meet us, take us to Nancy, give us a guided tour of Alsace Lorraine, including Verdun, and return us to DeGaulle.

We left Columbia on August 5. Based on Rick Steves’ recommendation, Linda booked us at the Hotel Beaugency in the heart of the cozy Rue Cler neighborhood, “ a safe, tidy, village–like pedestrain street…lodged between the high–powered government district and the wealthy Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides areas.” And away we went. I took my rain hat and jacket.

Across from our hotel on Rue Cler were many wonderful open air restaurants. (Next week:

Mr. Jefferson’s Paris)
The near–perfect fruits and vegetables at the local markets were irresistible.