Sunday, July 11, 2010

Countdown to France: 3 clicks

In October I'm going to France. For nearly a decade, I've visited France one year and Italy the next. My traveling partner, with whom I travel every year, is Half French. This is a return trip to Provence, starting in Paris to visit his family. After Provence, a few days in Menton which is close enough to Italy that maybe we can run over the border for a day trip.

Neither my Italian-American nor my Italian-European family meets the loud stereotype often presented on TV; for the most part, my family is relaxed and untroubled. And, with rare exception, this is how I've found the French to be, consistently, from my first trip. I live in Los Angeles; I'm used to tensions and rage between people, daily. I look forward to unwinding with the French sensibilities of civility. Yes, this I need.

Website airfare searches usually involve clicking the date you want to leave, on a digital calendar. As I advance the calendar to the month I want to query, I count each click of the mouse as one month "until departure." So, from July, August = 1, September = 2, etc. I began this pastime four years ago.

Three clicks to go.

- PJ

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