Four camouflaged men carrying semi-automatic weapons materialized at the train station in Paris while we were breakfasting, welcoming us to the way the world had changed since my last visit three decades ago.

While deciding go/no go to Europe, it was my teenage son who insisted that our fears about potential terror attacks were unwarranted and illogical. Yet, we learned after returning from a walk along the Christmas bazaar-lined Champs-Élysées that our concerns weren’t completely groundless: a thwarted French attack was slated for December 1 at key Paris sites, including the very bazaar we visited, a week after we made our way through it. This was only one of several things that happened during our twelve-day trip that I hadn’t expected.

To read the rest of JuLee Rudolf’s blog, go to:

https://juleerudolfblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/27/get-grinch-quick-with-the-selfie-stick/