Wonderful. At least in my mind.

I may have to kill 15 hours in Paris next week when I'm returning to the U.S. And my Italian true love wants me to check into a hotel. With an advance reservation. To get a good night's sleep. But I'm adverse to that idea. I'd rarther stay up. Even if that means sitting around and strolling at Charles DeGaulle Airport. My time could be well spent. Just looking at fellow travelers. Maybe even conversing with one or two. Catching an occasional nap while sitting up. And testing French cuisine at the airport. That's my style. Thing is that my plane back to the states doesn't leave until noon on Friday. And I'm catching a cheap flight the day before to near Paris. The plane goes to Beauvais, a small town 40 miles north of Paris. Of course, that means I have to find my way into Paris and to DeGaulle Airport. Not sure about the connections. And how long it'll take. But presumably I'll play it safe and get to DeGaulle well ahead of time. Again, that's my way. To not cut it too close. And to heck with the convenience of a hotel bed. My true love and I once had a layover of eight or nine hours in Fredrickshafen in Germany. And she wanted to catch some sleep in a hotel. But I thought that was too risky. We might oversleep. And miss our connection. So I was for waiting it out on a bench that circled a mighty old tree in a beautiful park. To her annoyance. But on reflection, it was a nice way to spend spare time in Fredrickshafen. And I have only fond memories of that bench and the park and my true love. From that wonderful experience. And believe me, it was wonderful. At least in my mind. If not hers. --Jim Broede