This week from Paris: The Pleasure of Wandering

COMMUNITY | THIS WEEK FROM PARIS

I have been to Paris more times than I can remember, beginning when I was 20 years old.

My French is long gone — what’s left is instinct. Bon jour, merci, pardon, and somehow, inexplicably, Je voudrais un verre de vin rouge, That one I have always known.

Yesterday I went for a walk with no destination. My favorite thing about Paris is that you can drift — just pick a direction and see where it takes you. I ended up in the Marais, wandered into a tiny pocket square, and stopped. A young couple was playing violin and cello. Everyone around me stopped too. We all just stood there on a Saturday afternoon and listened, then applauded, then went on with our day.

We are staying in the same apartment in the 16th that we rented last year. Top floor duplex with killer views of the Eiffel Tower. The neighborhood has become familiar. We have our corner restaurant, our patisserie, our oyster bar, the lovely woman at our wine shop.

I dress to blend in. People are friendly when you try.

I am happy here. At ease. I feel a small sense of belonging. My shoulders go down and my phone goes in my pocket. Not homesick for St. Pete in the least — which, if you know how I feel about St. Pete, tells you something about this city.

Fortunate to be here again. So cool to feel a sense of community, a long way from home.

Maybe one day Michael and I will come back and stay a while.

Learn about my real estate advisory at: http://www.jonkellystpete.com

Jon Kelly | The Tenpenny Collection | St. Petersburg, FL
Real Estate Sales Associate | Exclusive Buyer Representation |
Guiding Clients to #BecomeStPete

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