Occasional friends may play an important role in one's life ... and the fact that I headed to my friends' near Gare du Nord, soon after having landed at Charles de Gaulle and even prior to checking in at the hotel I'd be spending the night at before flying back to Lisbon speaks for itself.
We got to know each other during a circuit in Uzbekistan the previous year and have since then further developed the bond we created as trip companions. I spent a rather interesting afternoon with Danielle and Gerard in which I partly forgot my tiredness. Daniele's veranda garden overlooks Sacré Coeur, one of my favourite spots in France ... one that will forever be tied to some of my fondest memories of the past.
I was so tired by the time I got back to the hotel that I went to sleep almost immediately without even having had dinner. The next two days would be quite tiring and such a good night's sleep eased a bit the anxiety of having to take a bus from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Paris Orly ... to board a flight back to Lisbon ... to get things organised at home just in readiness for the following day's travel diary course and a cultural visit in which I'd be acting as a guide for the daughter of Jean Jacques, another occasional acquaintance I developed a bond with when I travelled to Rajastan, who just happened to be spending some days in Lisbon with her husband.
Elvire and Michel spent the whole afternoon with me and despite having been just a simple Lisbon touring afternoon that had me revisit the Museum of Azulejo it brought back memories of a past.
The richness of those we meet along the way can only be compared to Art ... it will never be if we don't allow ourselves to get to know it ... even if it's fleeting ...
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