I arrived at l’Institut de Theologie Orthodoxe Saint-Serge in Paris just as the faithful were leaving church after the Liturgy celebrating the Nativity of Christ.  My friend Sharif is a student there, and after lunch at the Institute, he took me on a whirlwind tour of Paris — the highlight being Notre Dame, but which also included a visit to the cafe Deux Magots where the French existentialists used to loiter and drink coffee.  At that point I was in dire need of caffeine, so it was a welcome stop.

I actually arrived at the school somewhat later than I’d expected because I spent some time in the baggage claims department of the airport, trying to discover where my luggage was.  As it turns out, the airline did not lose my bag.  It’s just that I made a connecting flight in Amsterdam that my belongings did not.

Tomorrow, the Louvre!  And, hopefully, my luggage.