#peaceinparis

Well, what a horrific 24 hours.  I first learned of the events that unfolded in Paris via messages from family and friends at 11pm just before I was going to bed last night.  It seemed that every 5 minutes the death toll climbed by another 10 people.  I think at present the number is around 130 with 200 injured and around 80 in a critical condition.

As I am sure is happening everywhere, there is rolling coverage on the television here.  Apparently one of the culprits was known to police for his radical links and had been brought before the courts eight times over the past ten years, but never did any jail time.

To say I had a rotten night's sleep last night would be an understatement.  I guess there was a certain degree of concern about flying through Paris today.  However, it all seemed business as usual and the flights departed and arrived without incident.  The plane from Paris to Rennes was only half full, so I wonder if some people decided against travel.  I can't say I really noticed heightened security measures at Charles de Gaule airport, but then I had to run (yes, I ran) to catch my connecting flight for Rennes.

At Rennes, the story was quite different.  It is a relatively small train station and there were four soldiers (complete with semi-automatic weapons) and six policemen doing the rounds.

Despite this terrible event, I will continue to visit this beautiful country.

The piece below written by Rick Steves was something that came up on my Facebook feed which pretty much sums up how I feel:

After Friday's horrifying events in Paris, as we keep the victims and their families in our prayers and marvel at how violent hatred can express itself, it’s natural for those of us with travels coming up to wonder what is the correct response. Let me share my thoughts:

I have two fundamental concerns: what is safe, and what is the appropriate response to terrorism.

About safety, I believe this is an isolated incident. Tomorrow Paris will be no more dangerous than it was the day before that terrible Friday the 13th. I also believe that security in Paris and throughout Europe will be heightened in response to this attack. Remember: There's an important difference between fear and risk.

About the right response to terrorism, I believe we owe it to the victims of this act not to let the terrorist win by being terrorized. That’s exactly the response they are hoping for. Sure, it’s natural for our emotions to get the best of us. But, especially given the impact of sensational media coverage, we need to respond intelligently and rationally.

In 2004, Madrid suffered a terrorist bombing in its Metro, which killed 191 and injured 1,800. In 2005, London suffered a similar terrorist bombing in its Tube system, killing 52 and injuring 700. These societies tightened their security, got the bad guys, and carried on. Paris will, too.

I'm sure that many Americans will cancel their trips to Paris (a city of 2 million people) or the rest of Europe (a continent of 500 million people), because of an event that killed about 150. As a result, ironically, they’ll be staying home in a country of 320 million people that loses over 30,000 people a year (close to 100 people a day) to gun violence.

Again, our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Paris, the victims, and their loved ones. And it remains my firmly held belief that the best way for Americans to fight terrorism is to keep on traveling.