Je suis desolee...

mais je suis allergique au gluten et oeufs.

I am practicing for my Paris restaurant debut. It's my first time travelling internationally post-allergy diagnosis, and it makes me a little sad that it has to be in Paris, the home of baguettes and marvelous pastries of all sorts. But I'm sure there are plenty of other delicious things to be discovered.

I found restaurant cards online, in French, for people with celiac to give to their waiter/chef. Brooks just helped me modify them for my own situation -- I provided the (elementary) changes to the French wording, and he did the graphic design rearrangement, which would have made me tear my hair out to attempt alone. Yay teamwork!

I fly out this afternoon and arrive tomorrow in Strasbourg, where I will be busy all week in lectures and workshops on Coptic papyrology. But they apparently have 2-hour lunch breaks and no evening sessions, so there should still be at least some time for leisure. I'm not sure how much "homework" there will be, but there are student presentations at the end of the week, so at least some, I'm sure.

I have no great plans for the Paris end of the trip yet. I'm more of the relaxed type of sight-seer -- I'd rather sleep in, drink coffee and watch people, and see a few things leisurely than rush around from dawn to dark. However I still have an underlying anxiety that this is the wrong way to do it. I definitely want to rent a bike and ride around for a day. Brooks found me an iPod app guide to the flea markets, which looks terrific as well. I'm sure I will regret my lack of money and space for transport home.

I'm running out of time, so must post with no edits or clever conclusions. At least I have a new pixie haircut and a new lipstick! Au revoir!