ode to Paris, Prince and my Mom....

and let me guide you...to the purple rain.

So we get to delightful Arras!  The whole place is abuzz about the Prince gig or at least it feels that way.  We are only an hour north of Paris but a world away.  I immediately love it.  The train drops you right at this cute center with cafes and hotels and you literally walk across the square to "Hotel Moderne" (where we're staying).  We check in - and they couldn't be any nicer - we're lucky to even have a room.  It's a small town of about 50,000 and it is sold out due to the concert.  Many concert goers will have to return to Paris or Lille on late trains cuz they couldn't get a room.  We lucked out.

We're so excited to see Prince in such an unusual place....it feels so different from seeing music in a major city at a well known venue.  It's like being on an adventure with Prince at an exotic locale.

  We eat some food at a nearby cafe and speak in broken english and french to some very nice guys who are sitting next to us who are also going to the show.  I recognize they are Prince fans because one is wearing the Lotusflow3r  tee (free to members of Prince's most recent membership site.)  I too have brought my tee but have instead donned the purple tanktop I hand dyed before leaving home.  Yes! I am a Prince geek!  Funny, how it's not really "cool" to go in for such "fan" behavior but somewhere along the way I've decided there will never be anything cooler than L O V I N G something and putting yourself into it.  Hence my fantastic purple hand dyed with love tank.  And this I know...I didn't come across the universe on this magical journey of life to hang back and be cool - - I came to love and live and be swept up in every moment possible....love is cool.