A few months ago, I had a dream that I was in Paris but found myself wandering the streets without my camera. I can still remember how frustrated and how lost I felt without my camera. I’ve had a few similar dreams since then, where I forgot my passport or didn’t have any money…or I didn’t have a place to stay. And now, on the day that I’m actually leaving to return to Paris, I’m feeling—for the first time ever—a little apprehensive about my trip.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been sick for over three weeks. When my cough first developed on October 28th, my first concern was that I had to be well for my flight over to Paris. When the full-blown bronchitis developed, I went to my doctor. She put me on every drug imaginable: an Advair inhaler, prednisone, antibiotics. The steroids made me feel even worse, and I’m still not convinced that they helped.
I finally decided to give acupuncture a try, and after three (very expensive) sessions, and after a few days of being on Chinese herbs, I feel hopeful that my flight will be painless (for me and my fellow passengers). Yes, I still have a little bit of a cough … and I’m nasal enough to sound like Fran Drescher … but I can breathe and I feel good.
I have my emergency pack for the airplane: nasal spray, ointment for my nostrils, Benedryl, disinfectant, Airborne, pillow case, tissues, earplugs and all sorts of cough drops and lozenges. But something is still making me feel apprehensive—like I’m totally unprepared for the trip.
I typically start packing a few days ahead of time. It helps me strategize what to bring and what will fit in the suitcase. I start thinking about who I have to see and when I’ll see them a week or two ahead of time. And my official countdown to takeoff begins a week out.
Not this time.
I didn’t even open my suitcase until last night, which means I didn’t start trying on my cold weather clothes until shortly afterwards. If it still fits, it got tossed in. I pulled out my “Paris Pouch”—a gold makeup bag that holds my passport, whatever Euros I carried over from my last jaunt, adapter plugs, my Paris cellphone and my maps. I pulled it all together, but now, just a few hours before I leave for the airport, I’m feeling wholly unprepared.
Maybe it’s that I didn’t get my standard pre-trip mani-pedi.
That’s gotta be it.
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Oh Linda,
Bless your heart. Bronchitis is soooo hard to shake. I hope you have a good trip over and just think, if you feel a tad under the weather, maybe La Mom will share her fine doctor’s name with you!:) And a trip to the doctor in Paris won’t break your bank. They even make house/hotel calls you know.
Best wishes for a fabulous time in our favorite city. The nightmare of forgetting your camera won’t come true I hope. I”m counting on more of your gorgeous photographs to appear here soon. Give Meredith and Richard my best. I hope to zip over for a bit in janvier and hope to see both of them as well.
Bon voyage!
V
Oy, bronchitis…and I’m fighting something similar. I am in the planning stages for my trip to Paris, in the dead if winter. I won a trip, well just the airfare and am having problems finding a good place to stay without breaking my budget.
Yes, there seems to be a bronchitis epidemic this winter. There are a few places you can try in Paris that are budget friendly. Try the Hotel Valadon, a cheap chic hotel in the 7th (right behind the rue Cler), where rooms go for around 115 euros/night (www.hotelvaladon.com). You can also try Mama Shelter, a really funky boutique hotel in the 20th that sometimes has dirt cheap specials. Also check out last-minute apartment specials with Haven in Paris (www.haveninparis) and Paris Perfect (www.parisperfect.com), where you can get a studio apartment at low prices.