We arrived in Paris early this morning, not knowing what to expect four days after a cowardly terrorist attack killed 130+ pe0ple and seriously injured 300+.

As usual, our plan was to head straight to our rented apartment and nap for a few hours before getting up to wander our beloved Paris. However, we flung open the door to our rental unit only to find the cleaning staff in the middle of, well, cleaning. I wanted to weep from fatigue, but instead pulled myself together and spoke with the cleaning crew who told us that we could return in two hours. They may as well have told us we’d be sleeping on a park bench until tomorrow night, because I was so tired that I could barely see straight. Then I remembered, ummmm, Paris.

We walked a couple of blocks to the Louvre, saddened at how quiet was the Rue de Rivoli, which is normally packed with bumper to bumper traffic. There were only a handful of tourists milling about in the courtyard of the Louvre at 11 AM on this warm, cloudy day.

We headed back to our neighbourhood for lunch at a local café, Le Lezard. Several locals stopped in for their lunch break, sharing some laughs and cigarettes over bottles of wine and steak tartare. It was a wonderful sight, to see Parisians going about their day as much as can be expected after the terrifying, unimaginable attacks on the city last week.

Our friendly young server at le Lezard was so upbeat, so Parisian, in his manner, his perfect Parisian-accented French, and his clear fondness for his job, that it made me angry to think that terrorists last week targeted exactly everything in this young man’s world: freedom to live in peace and security, joie de vivre, tolerance.

As usual, we lost most of our first day to jet lag and our need for sleep. In the evening, we headed to one of our favourite restaurants, Le Chant des Oliviers, located in the 18th arrondissement (Montmartre). The beautiful, wonderful hostess/bartender/server/manager, Nina, greeted us with giant hugs and kisses, clinging to me and clasping my hands as she told us how happy she was to see us back. We conveyed our deep sorrow and condolences for the attacks on the city last week, and Nina admitted that Parisians were doing their best to be stoic in the face of such horror. Slowly, it seems, Paris might be returning to its feet, and the bars, bistros, and restaurants, having suffered a drop in business over the last few days, are staring to welcome cautious patrons back.

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The metro, usually so busy with commuters, was quiet on the way back to our apartment. I am unsure whether this was an effect of the terror attacks and Parisians’ response to it, or whether it was simply due to the late hour on a “school night”.

One of the reasons that November is my favourite time of year to visit Paris is that it is festive and beautifully lit with zillions of Christmas twinkle lights. I was not sure if this would still be the case this year, but as we approached home from the metro stop, we were greeted by this:

It is not frightening for me, personally, to be in Paris right now, so soon after the terror attacks last week, and with the country still in a state of emergency. Rather, D and I agree that we live in a world that has changed so much since 9/11, and all the subsequent fallout from that fateful day. We are not naïve, and we are aware that the world has changed yet again since Nov 13. So much of what happens now is completely out of our control. But we hope that in a very small way, by being present and never  intimidated to avoid Paris by those who would commit evil, inhuman acts on the innocent, we might stand in solidarity as private citizens with Parisians.