I'll always want Paris

I was reading the Travel section of last week's Post, and I don't know what it was-- the featured article was on Lyubljana--to which I've never been, and where I'd absolutely love to go-- but looking at the pictures made me poignantly heartsick for Paris. It's not just because I love Paris; it's because I love the time in my life when Paris was always accessible, always just a few hours away... and that I can never have back. I loved the month that I lived in Paris. I loved knowing my way around.

A trip to Paris would, in absolute terms, be more affordable now than ever, and a good friend who lives there just had another child, whom I'd love to meet. Of course I'm not going to go, because in personal terms, I'm more broke than ever, and I'd rather spend the same amount of money on a trip to a new place. And because, in addition, I suppose, to visiting my friend, I'd be chasing after something that's no longer there.