Vive Vida....

Live Life! 

  It seems to me that the French, for all their inane rules and sometimes arrogant attitude, know how to live life. I was just sitting out on the town square on a cobblestone street last night enjoying simple food; cheeses, some meats, arugula and a glass of Rosé'. Looking around and seeing tables of friends; guys, girls, families, liaisons; eating and drinking simply. This is life! Never mind that the ticket agent at CDG didn't want to bother selling me more than a single ticket for my next destination and not beyond. Never mind that the same happened at Bordeaux station for tomorrow's train most of the way to San Sebastián and I'll have to buy another in Hendye to San Sebastián. It's not a mistake that the French invented a word called bureaucracy.  The French know how to live....

  Sometimes I have to remind myself to look around and not try to make too many plans in order to allow life to just happen. Because of having to buy another ticket in Bordeaux, I got to meet the Italian couple that are on their way to start the Camino. Why does it seem like some cultures have it figured out? The Mexican culture that value families and move simply through life. I volunteer to lead a men's group on Mondays and this week, Jesus was teaching me Spanish as we were talking about his situation of being undocumented, homeless and looking for an apartment for his family. He is so hopeful and so dedicated to making life better. This week I told him that I was going on vacation to France. He told me Vive Vida! Live Life!

Buen Camino

Dave 

Lost & Found....

I arrived at CDG this morning and went to pick up my bag. Why is it that you always have anxious moments when you are at baggage claim, holding your breath that the next bag that rolls off will be yours. What happens if it doesn't? 

Mine didn't. Thoughts start racing; what about the train I was supposed to catch, what about the hotel reservation I made just last night? Do I have any clothes, do I stay a unplanned day in Paris. I went to the baggage claim line and found good company of about 20 others in front of me. Someone who had just left the desk said that they left a container behind in NYC. I called a cute B&B I stayed in in Paris last year and got a room. When I got to the front of the line, the agent started to take my info and then announced the bag was here! She found it and I was back heading to the train station to go to Bordeaux.

I was here about a year ago on my way to start the Camino. When I got to Bordeaux, I was in line to buy my ticket to go to San Sebastian Spain tomorrow and  I met an Italian couple traveling to start the Camino... Sometimes it seems like life comes full circle. 

Dave

...

Ahh...international travel!

Remember the good old days of travel?

I don't either. You somehow hope for that 1950's Pan-Am clipper class service especially when traveling to Paris. I'm sure it would cost a small fortune in today's dollars to have that experience, but hope springs every time I go. Kind of like hoping for that Ozzie and Harriet family experience at Thanksgiving. You know it's not going to happen, but that doesn't keep you from trying. 

It was late when I finally finished packing my bag at the last minute last night. Not knowing where I'm going or what I am doing complicated the effort, but allowing for spontaneous life to happen; to have some sort of the amazing and unexpected experience I had on the Camino, I delayed even marking a single hotel reservation until 11pm last night. I decided to go straight from Charles de Gaulle airport down to Boudreaux after I land on my way to San Sebastián in Spain. I have my first plan, which if lucky, will have something unexpected for me. 

 

Thanks for all the good wishes I got in reply to my blog email, especially the one from Paul who thought my blog looked like i had a chip on my shoulder ;-)

Buen Camino

Dàvē