Prologue

It was the most perfect of early autumn days in Paris. Not at all hot, but not too cold either, and not a cloud in the sky. It was her first day in Paris and Samantha was standing in the plaza in front of Notre Dame, one of the most famous buildings in the entire world, and she didn’t want to miss anything about it. She had been careful to pick just the right tour book, finally settling on one by her favorite Travel Channel host. His manner was a lot like hers, casual and full of information that would be interesting to someone who was more interested in “local flavor” than all the same tourist traps.

As she stood in the plaza and read the book, looking up at the awesome structure in front of her, something in a small box caught her eye. Looking for the world’s best hot chocolate? “How odd”, Samantha thought, “that such a question would be in the middle of the chapter she was reading on Notre Dame.” Of course, she couldn’t just ignore it, so she continued to read.

Follow the cathedral around to the left, until the flying buttresses end. Turn to your left. See the river with a small footbridge over it? Walk over that bridge onto Ile St. Louis and turn to your right. See the café there, called Le Flore en L'Ile? Go there, sit outside, order the hot chocolate and take in the view of the cathedral from a totally different vantage point. You won’t be sorry.

As if the book was somehow talking to her, Samantha began to walk, following the instructions in the book. Little did she know that this simple act was going to change the focus of her entire vacation, and maybe even beyond?