Reims, France

Hello, friends. I’m now done with travelling for the rest of the year, and getting ready to resume normality — though I suspect that will take me considerably longer than I’d anticipated. My mind and heart are still very much on my trip, and will be for some time to come; in addition to that, I need to get the house ready for my parents’ arrival this weekend, not to mention actually spend time with them when they’re over here. I’m very glad they get to come — I look forward to pretty autumn colours at Kew Gardens on Saturday, assuming the weather cooperates — but the timing is a challenge.

I have two more travel posts to do after this one (Barcelona and Madrid), and after that I hope I’ll be ready to live up to this blog’s subtitle again and, you know, actually write about my reading. As I said recently, I read some of my favourite books of the year in late August and early September, and it would be a shame not to discuss them. I also really, really hope I get to do one or two posts for A More Diverse Universe before this fortnight is over. I did read plenty of books that would fit the bill — now it’s only a matter of finding the time, energy, and emotional availability to write about them.
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I confess I didn’t read a single word on this second trip, nor have I managed more than picture books since I came back. I did take books with me and had the best of intentions, but in the end my heart was too full. When I say this, I don’t mean to imply that reading is withdrawing from the world or any other such silly nonsense. There have been plenty of times in my life when I was perfectly able to read in the midst of important things that consumed my whole attention. It didn’t turn out that way this time around, though, and I’m actually okay with that. Books are my first love, and I’ll come back to them in due time.

In case you were wondering, I had the best time. This trip made me happier than I could possibly explain, and I have yet to come down from it. Here’s a glimpse of Reims, where I started my adventures and spent a perfect day and a half:


Watching the sunrise from the Eurostar.

A quick stop in Paris, where I had coffee with a lovely blogging friend I’d wanted to meet in person for ages. I still can’t quite believe this actually happened.

Reims, as I wandered around trying to find my hotel (it took walking past it three times before I did, but nevermind).





Notre-Dame de Reims, the 13th century cathedral where coronations were held for generations of French kings.










A Carnegie Library not far from the cathedral, which unfortunately was closed.

The big public library just across the street was very much open, though, and I had a lot of fun exploring.

Only part of the impressive bande dessinée collection. I wish my French were better (by which I mean existent).




The cathedral from the top floor of the library.


The Musée des Beaux-Arts.


A Bibliobus. :D


Random pretty buildings on a perfect autumn morning.






A plaque in commemoration of Joan of Arc.


Saturday morning market.


More soon, I hope.