Paris is like the sea. It's best to let it wash over you. Absorb it, let it absorb you.   The Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower are much grander than I'd ever imagined. Public washrooms smell sweeter than the women's fragrance section at the local department store. It's natural to see young lovers along the banks of the Seine as we take in the city lights by boat; this is Paris in the spring.  Notre Dame Cathedral sits on Ile de la Cite. ...

  Ellen can get caught up in as many as three conversations with her relatives at the same time. At lightening speed they hammer away as she tries to keep up with her limited command of the Slovak language. It must be like trying to listen to several heavy metal bands simultaneously then having to decipher the words and meanings of each. Couple this with me jumping in every so often: "What does this word mean? What did he say? Why are they looking at me like t...

  The day had been warm and sunny. It was evening now and a strange fog seemed to settle in the streets. Ellen and I were having dinner at a restaurant in the Museum Quarter looking out at one of the world's most magnificent cities, Vienna.  "There is a level of comfort I've come to truly enjoy in the civilized world," Ellen said. "Riding to work on the streetcar at home in Toronto is like taking a journey with the creatures from 'Night of the Livi...

Gordon Hirst gripped the steering wheel tightly, occasionally glancing across at Anna through his sunglasses. She was wearing a loose fitting cherry red blouse, tight jeans and brown leather sandals. All the windows were down on their green Jeep Cherokee. Anna leaned back with her eyes closed and let the wind toss her chestnut hair. She looked as beautiful as when they'd first met. Not a word had passed between them in almost an hour. Whenever Anna looked in ...