We had the great pleasure to introduce an old friend to Paris a couple weeks ago. When Laurie and I were in Coronado, across the bay from San Diego (in my Navy days), we became closest of friends with Paul and Sue, who lived in the same apartments. We have stayed in touch with them ever since, though we moved to the Northwest and they stayed in the San Diego area. Before we left, we got an email from Paul, who was starting a tour in Paris and wondered if, should he arrive a couple days early, we could get together. Mais bien sûr! We think it’s been 12 years since we’ve seen them, so we were really looking forward to seeing him (Sue decided to stay home…the tour Paul was going on was a military history route; more on that in a bit).
Paul arrived June 1st and we toured him into the ground for two days. By the time we parted ways, all three of us were dragging! But still happy:
Paul and Laurie – worn out but still smiling – in front of a bistro where we had an excellent dinner in the small, beautiful square Place du Marché Saint-Catherine. A wonderful way to end a great visit with a long-time friend.
Paul’s tour sounds great for a fan of military history. In WW II, the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army was the first to go into combat at D-Day: they were parachuted behind German lines the night before the invasion. Despite huge obstacles, they accomplished their immediate mission and then went on to fight through the Ardennes Forest, Belgium, Luxembourg and into Germany. The tour Paul was on followed the path of the 101st Airborne – the Screaming Eagles – through the war, ending at Hitler’s lair in Austria. I’m an inveterate non-tour guy, but I would love to have been with Paul on this trip through WW2 history.