A little more than one full year after reading the article “Mali: Where the Music Lives” (http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/500069) in Conde Nast Traveler, my departure date is here! In the coming weeks I will chill in Paris, explore Burkina Faso, and adventure in Mali, with some amazing friends. Tonight I leave for Paris on Air France from Detroit, and will be flying FIRST CLASS!!! While cashing in my remaining frequent flyer miles for this trip, I simply proposed to the agent on the phone that I get a first class seat for the price of a coach seat, and she agreed (disclaimer: it may have involved a bit more innuendo and supplication). Either way, I will be flying round trip to Bamako in first class, and could not be more excited for the champagne, cashmere blankets, airport lounges, and incredible meals I have heard so much about.
Once in Paris, I will be checking into the Sorbonne Design Hotel (http://www.hotelsorbonne.com/) on the Left Bank. It is a new hotel in a centuries old building, and has been receiving amazing reviews. It turns out that waiting until the absolute last minute to reserve a hotel paid off!
I will have three days, in glorious solitude in which to wonder, relax, and take in Paris in the winter (a first for me). In addition to sampling the many recommendations everyone from friends to French diplomats gave me, I will be playing with my new toy: a Nikon d5000 DSLR, as I try to master my new hobby: photography.
If you will be in Paris over the coming days, or know of any lovely women who will be, do drop me a line…