Notes

I'll be doing some traveling in a few weeks, first to Frankfurt and Berlin to visit family, and then a stop in Paris to visit friends and see the city. I am quite excited! I was in Paris once as a seven year-old, but the only thing I remember was seeing a butcher shop window with a dish of fresh (cow? sheep? goat? I have no idea) brains on display -gak- and then going to the top of the Eiffel tower and feeling it . . . sway? It was all a little horrifying and I've been wanting to get back there ever since.

One of my favorite books as a child was The Red Balloon with all those cool images of everyday Paris. Everything was so beautiful and old and antique and yet so normal. I loved that.

Speaking of books, since I don't have an e-reader -don't even really want one, although I can see it would be handy for traveling, alas- this will be a great opportunity to clear out some of the thinner volumes from my TBR shelf. I can stash them better, spread out the weight and all that. I was thinking along the lines of The Great Gatsby, Cranford, Revolutionary Road, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and Year of Wonders. Although, who knows, I might not get much reading done at all, or I might tear through them all in the first few days. Hard to say.

And eating. I'll be doing some serious eating when I am in Europe, because they, of all people, have food down to an art. I plan to consume large amounts of sausage, potatoes, gummi bears, and chocolate when I'm in Germany; and I plan to feast on great quantities of crusty bread, cheese, pastries and wine when I am in Paris. Don't count on anything less than a ten pound weight gain upon my return.