Return to LA

I arrived last night in LA to rain. The driver who picked me up (a birthday present from my boss) told me I must have brought it with me because it had just started and when I left Paris, it was raining. The rain was a perfect fit for my mood. LA looked different. Even my apartment building seems somehow foreign to me. Immediately I unpacked to reconnect to France, and especially the Paris I left behind. This included savouring a vanilla flavored macaroon from the Laduree tea room where I purchased a large box to share upon my return. What makes them so famous is their decadent, dreamy fillings like cassis, rose, cafe, framboise ...sandwiched between two cloud-like cookies so light and airy they practically melt the moment they touch your tongue. Around 8am today, I awoke to silence. Much different from these last two weeks. To stay in the experience of my French dream come true, I set out St. Marbillon fromage (cheese) to let sit at room temperature (the proper way to eat cheese) that I had bought at the street market my last day in Paris and brewed a pot of tea -- French Breakfast Tea purchased at Mariage Freres (oldest tea store in Paris - 1854). When ready, I sipped tea and savoured the cheese on a roll from Poilane, the most respected boulangerie (bakery) in all of Paris. Trying to hang on a little longer