There is a saying in French, "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose." The more things change, the more things stay the same. Walking Paris floods back mostly pleasant memories from my formative years here. I saw the woman at the bakery where I used to pick up baguettes in the morning. Every once in a while my mom would let us buy croissants there. "Bonjour, jeune homme!" she would greet me when I walked in. The buzz when the metro doors slam shut is still the same too, although threre's now a maternal voice announcing each stop. Versailles, the Louvre, the Palais Royal, and even French waiter attitudes are unchanged, indifferent.

As people age, I guess they don't change much either. The experiences we have as young adults may shape our decision-making abilities and relationships, but they don't significantly affect our personalities. I got together with some old high-school friends while I was in town. I hadn't seen some of them in nearly 10 years. Even though we're fatter and better educated, we're still the same person hiding behind that mask. There was something comforting about that as we sat back in our chairs talking about French and Italian politics, Chinese world domination and the war in Iraq. Lifelong friendships are a healthy thing because they remind us of where we've come from and help us relive some experiences that made us who we are.

Charley asked me an insightful question while we sipped our Kir Royales. "Do you have a routine when you come to Paris?" I'd never considered it before, but I suppose I do. I enjoy walking the same avenues, eating breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien and lunch at Willi's or le Bistrot du 7eme. I usually visit one of the art museums, like the Orsay or the Orangerie. Then I loosen my legs along the Seine's quai, over the Pont des Arts and up to Notre Dame. If it's a warm day, the ice cream at Berthillon on the Ile St Louis is a welcome destination. It's hard to get away without seeing old friends, of course. I enjoy making new memories with Charley, Jonathan, Shelly, Jean-Christophe and Keiko; most of those memories revolve around restaurant meals these days, though.

Bringing new friends like Jason to town is always personally rewarding as well. It helps to deepen friendship when you show people where you came from. Assumptions are replaced with a more appropriate picture of reality. Plus, it gives me an excuse to play tourist in the "most beautiful city in the world." I had not been to Sacre Coeur in years, so we climbed the stairs at Montmartre up to the cathedral. Later that day we splurged at a patisserie, downing two huge macaroons. Can life get better? I submit that it cannot!

My past is unescapably bound to Paris, so it feels right to intermingle it with the present as well. I guess I would liken my feelings to those of the American novelist Gertrude Stein who said, "America is my country, and Paris is my hometown."