Notes From Paris

I have just arrived at the cumbersome Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, now waiting for my connecting flight to Yerevan. Although terminal 2E is filled with plenty of natural light pouring through the walls of steel-paned windows, I had to walk nearly a half mile from the gate to get here along a haphazard route that seems to be a detour from the real one while some mysterious renovations are under way. I caught the "red-eye" flight from Boston, meaning we were flying all night long and arrived at 8:30 local time, which is actually my usual late-owl bedtime in EST for me. Since my body seems to have an aversion to sleep at high altitudes I could not manage to rest for one minute on the plane. Instead I read the Wall Street Journal and catched up on some films I was unable to see when they were originally released. The food was regrettably mediocre, but since we departed from the States that couldn't be helped. The offerings on flights from Europe are always far more superior and are even tasty.  I'm not sure how I'll manage to stay awake since I no longer drink coffee and the French are not known for their tea. I'll drink water and roam I suppose for four more hours. And read. I have a carry-on bag full of books for Anush and I to scan through whenever Areg lets us. I've been away for several weeks and can't wait to be reunited with them. But it's cold in Armenia. Boston is tropical by comparison with temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s.  Apparently the sidewalks in Yerevan are frozen, so it will be difficult to manage carrying Areg while making sure I don't slip and fall on my ass as I am notoriously known for doing. I remember once, following someone's lead, I started to speed walk on an icy path in a courtyard and suddenly felt my legs flailing horizontally in the air before landing squarely on my butt, the way you see in cartoons or goofy Adam Sandler comedies. Fun times ahead. Will write again once I settle in and figure out what the hell's going on there.