And the air smells like butter.  I wasn’t even in Louviers before I made a beeline for a fresh pain au chocolat and a cup of espresso, in Paris on my way to the train. I didn’t have time to do anything extraordinary (like go to Le Café Pouchkine, which has become my “cantine” since it’s close the train station.  Service is slow, though) so I just stopped in a cafe on my direct route.  Inside, the cafe had that unmistakeable coffee, buttery, people-y aroma that says “Paris”.  I had just enough time to savor the shattery pain au chocolat and down the coffee before I went on my way.

I must say that since Gare St. Lazare has been refurbished, travelling has become a dream. I wasn’t really “for” the underground mall that took years to build, but now that there is a small Carrefour, a Hema, and Lush, along with Occitane and a dozen other shops at least, I’m delighted.   What delights even more are the slick, new escalators, which had been so conspicuously creaky and broken,  and the brightness of it all.  The architects managed to hold onto the old while inserting the new, and it’s a total success. So now, it’s a breeze into the station, a breeze up to the departures, and a breeze to run a few errands on the way.  Travel the way it should be, scented with butter!