PARIS – a week on my own, on a course with other creative people. A week I have looked forward to. And now I am here on Saturday 14th, the day after the black Friday 13th. Is it right to go when the city is up-side down or should I have freaked out and stayed at home? Not an easy question. But here I am. The course starts tomorrow. Today I have had some time of my own.

On my first morning here I was nicely surprised by the lovely breakfast. It had all I could wish for. Fresh fruit, orange juice, yoghurt, good bread and a nice pot of tea. I live at a small hotel/B&B with only five rooms. The name of the hotel is Le 1er Étage, probably because it is on the first floor. It is situated in the Marais area of Paris with a lot of  nice cafés and shops. Today I discovered that a interior shop named Fleux´is on the same street. It had four connected stores with different things, furniture, lamps and a lot of things for the kitchen and garden. It is a pity that I can not take furniture with me because I saw a lot of things I would like to have in my home.

The weather has been lovely and took a long walk to the end of rue Rivoli: on my way I passed many shops with fruit, flowers, chocolate etc.

But my goal was to get at the end of Rue Rivoli where  WH Smith has a bookshop with English books. I was a bit early and stayed at Place Concord and could see the Eiffeltower in a distance. I am not so found of looking at tourist sights but the Eiffeltower is a very peculiar landmark. I have no wish to go up there, I have been there once, but it has a certain charm.

For me it is possible to spend lots of time in a bookstore. it was a lot to look at in the store. On my way back to the hotel I stopped for lunch and enjoyed a nice raspberry-lemon tart as dessert.

When I have spent a whole day only with myself I get a certain feeling. I can almost hear my own thoughts in a way I do not do in my daily life. It is not unpleasant, more like meeting a friend, myself, and my mind is concentrated on whats here and now. Maybe that is what called mindfulness, who knows!