Sur le pont d'Avignon...

We're heading to Paris tonight. We'll get there tomorrow, spend a few hours, and take a train to Avignon, where my husband will give a very brief presentation to a group of European movers and shakers at a cultural and economic forum.

I'll be hanging around Avignon, enjoying the scenery, and presumably all the dancing on the bridge. Mention Avignon to Americans who speak some French, and they all start singing:

Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond
Les beaux messieurs font comm' çà
Et puis encore comm' çà

Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond
Les bell' dames font comm' çà
Et puis encore comm' çà

Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond
Les jardiniers font comm' çà
Et puis encore comm' çà...

And it goes on and on.

Moi, I'm not planning to dance on the bridge. I'm planning to take photos, eat, shop, and get my 10,000+ steps a day on French cobblestone.

But Pont d'Avignon is unavoidable. You know that saying, "We'll jump off that bridge when we come to it"? I believe this must be the bridge:

It doesn't really do what bridges are supposed to do....

I'm wondering/dreading how and when we'll get home. We're supposed to fly from Paris on Sunday, but there are major strikes — airport, train, etc. — scheduled right through the weekend. We have to be back in Boston by Monday morning because my husband has to teach. So our French colleagues have made some creative alternative arrangements in case our flight is canceled or we can't get to it. We might take a trains from Avignon and Lyon to Roissy, fly to London, and fly home from there. Or we might take a private jet (!) to Zurich and fly direct from there. Or we might be stuck in Paris for an extra day or two after all (not exactly bad luck, if you ask me). Personally, I'd rather be a stowaway on the QE2 than fly at all. Being stuck in an airport is my idea of hell. I'm planning to bring plenty of snacks, reading matter, a warm throw, and all the patience I can muster.

I'm not sure when I'll be posting again, but I'll do my best. I still have to finish packing and saying goodbye to all the cats. Possum is pining for me already: