Oh, Champs-Élysées…
It’s hard to believe that a whole week has gone by…just one week ago I was in Switzerland. Gstaad, Switzerland, a tiny, picturesque town nestled in the Alps. Just before that, though, I was in Montclair, New Jersey, for the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English conference, where I was honored to be their keynote speaker. How incredible was it to be in a room full of English teachers who care so much about books and reading. They were an amazing audience, and I so enjoyed meeting everyone there. Moreover, I got to meet Tamora Pierce, one of the coolest writers--people--I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. The afternoon was truly an inspiration.
And, then I was off to Switzerland. Liel and I were invited to Gstaad for a wedding, and after a plane ride and four trains, I arrived feeling like I’d made an odyssey. But the travels were not over. There was a long, long cable car ride up and down a mountain and then another train to Paris. Paris, city that I love. I am proud to report that I didn’t do anything in Paris. I sat in cafes and brasseries and next to the River Seine and ate pain au chocolat, bread and cheese and sausage, drank delicious coffee, and, oh it was such a delight. We walked and walked. All we did was walk and sit, read and do some writing. We bought sketchbooks and colored pencils in blues and grays and greens and drew pictures of people and animals that we know. All of this doing not too much made the days stretch out and feel nice and long. We were only in Paris for two days and a bit of a third. Yet, when I came home, although I was only gone for four days, it felt like it had been weeks, and that was a gift. Now I have the hunger again, the hunger to go away, to travel and see other cities. For now, though, I’ll content myself with New York City and the cafes and rivers that we have here.
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lisaannsandell) wrote,
