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Solace and Shelter on a Painfully Memorable Night in Paris

November 14th, 2015 · No Comments · France, Paris

Friday, the 13th of November, 2015, will be remembered for a long time, in Paris. One of those “where were you when …?” events that everyone will be able to answer.

The overwhelming majority of the people out and about not only weren’t victims of terrorists, they saw or heard nothing about them until after things had gone very wrong elsewhere, most of it in the 11th arrondissement.

One of those stories involves an old friend, not the sort of person you might expect to be in the 11th on a Friday night, but there she was.

We found out about it while checking, via email, on friends and former co-workers still in Paris.

Here is her recounting of what turned out to be a harrowing, and then heart-warming, evening for her:

“Hi. I’m fine. Although, ironically, I went to a concert last night at a mini theater in the 11th about two blocks from the rue de Charonne, where one of the fusillades took place. The theater is run by (friends of friends).

“A small group of us were standing around sipping wine after the concert when the boyfriend of the singer received a message from a friend about the explosions at the Stade de France.

“At that point we turned on our phones, computers and TV to discover the terrible news. Then there was a warning not to go out in the streets.

“So, immediately, the lovely couple who live next door insisted that we spend the night. There were four of us who slept in the concert hall and another couple stayed in a separate bedroom.

“They supplied us with comfortable mattresses, after preparing a very late dinner, then served coffee and delicious croissants this morning.

“It was comforting to be around some people … but it took all of us a long time to fall asleep. There were helicopters and sirens for several hours.

“The streets of this city were deserted this morning. It only took a few minutes to get to my apartment. Needless to say, I am happy to be home … with a fridge full of food.
“I won’t be going out for a while.”

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