Bon voyage!

My suitcase is almost bouclée... I leave for the airport in a couple of hours.  My new suitcase is stuffed with pen pal letters from my students to Mme P's.  A few little gifts for Mme P's family.  Some Girl Scout cookies and graham crackers.  The latter for making cheesecake with Mlle A, Mme P's daughter.  An umbrella.  My new Totes rain boots (short ones that promise to be waterproof).  A couple of guide books.  One dress.  Black, of course.  Tights.  Three wool sweater.  Three turtlenecks.  A couple of Cuddle-Dud tops.  (Layers are important.) Gloves.  Headband.  My Favorite Parisien told me "couvre-toi bien car il fait un peu froid."  Two pairs of jeans.  One pair of black corduroys.  Voilà.  Les sous-vêtements. The toiletries go in last.  In the purse, iPad all charged and ready to go for blogging (I hope!), Becoming Josephine for reading at the airport and on the plane, as well as my Kindle all charged up and loaded with Village in the Vaucluse.  My camera.  My passport.  Some euros.  Earphones.
I have plans to roam around the city all day tomorrow.  A cocktail party at Fauchon tomorrow night, with the promise of canapés and wine.  A drop or two of champagne, too, peut-être?  A guided tour of the Marais and Montmartre with an ACIS guide.  Roaming around in the 20e and dinner with my Favorite Parisien at Le Mistral.  Steak and aligot, here I come!  Maybe check out a new Monoprix or two.  The January sales are on and, although I hate shopping for anything other than food and books, Sister Moo has asked for a new supply of Le Petit Marseillais Crème Mains, the hand cream I always buy for her at Monoprix.  I have never been inside Le Petit Palais and I hear they have lovely free exhibits.  My hotel is in the 14e, a neighborhood I don't know very well.  I will hunt for an outdoor market or two Saturday or Sunday morning.  Maybe both.  Pourquoi pas?  Photograph Pierre Hermés' windows and his galette des rois.  Voilà.
Maybe Mme M will be able to come down to Paris on Sunday to roam about with me.  We tried to get together last January but the snow storm hit northern France and that was out of the question.  I haven't seen her since 2008.  On Monday, I head south on the TGV.  Mme P has a meeting planned with the students and parents who will host us in March and who will come to stay with us in April (students only).  She plans to take me out and about in Villeneuve-lèz-Avignon on Wednesday afternoon.  I hope to meet Isabelle in the tourist office.  We are Facebook friends.  She posts beautiful pictures of the city.  I will meet with all of Mme P's students and classes and those of the other English teachers, if they want l'Américaine.  Mlle de Tavel's, for sure.
Ahhhh, France here I come.  Yes, I am lucky and I know it.

Bon appétit et bon voyage!