Louvre it or Leave it

That's hot.

Often, pre-trip anticipation ranks right up there with the trip itself.  Okay, looking forward to a vacation isn’t as cool as being there, but sometimes it is awfully close.  One thing is for sure, the week before a holiday is always better than the week after.

We are a week and a half out from a weekend in Paris: the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, baguettes with stinky cheese, and, if I’m particularly convincing, Moulin Rouge await.  Who wouldn’t be excited?

Amidst the anticipation, the worst thing happened: I had to go to Paris for an overnight business trip.  I know what you are thinking, shut the front door that is not the worst thing that could happen.  I can understand that, it wasn’t that bad.  It was only the worst thing as it relates to our upcoming trip.

So I decided to fight it.  I would go, yes indeed, my job required it.  But I would not enjoy it. 

Okay, so hear me out.  I would not enjoy it because I wanted to wait.  I wanted the Parisian culture, but only with my wife when I was there on my own time.  So on this trip, I stepped away from it.

I did not indulge in fine French cuisine (I had sushi for dinner).*  I did not try to charm my way into conversations (it’s my blog, and for this post, I am charming).  I tucked my head down and muzzled the three meagre French words in my repertoire (repertoire, I'm afraid, is one of them).  I drank my coffee quickly.  I paid for my Metro and train tickets.  I used a period instead of a comma to indicate cents.  In some ways, I did not acknowledge that I was even in a different country.

I crossed the mid-point to the Chunnel and cursed myself:  in my efforts to shun the culture in front of me, I probably was the most French I will ever be (Sorry Uncle Ray, it’s true)!  In the end, why wait? 

*No snails were harmed in writing this post (the hot garlic butter was also delayed, for another week).