Extrait :
At one point, Scott Westerfeld bought me a ticket to see a giant steampunk squid. At another (on a panel) I got into a healthy argument with one of France's most respected editors and genre experts regarding accounts of Alexander the Great's showdown with Darius III, king of Persia.
I got to meet Peter Watts, who was one of the most engaging conversationalists I've ever known, and a French friend actually told me (when I was boarding a train) "Don't worry having to talk to the stranger next to you. We're all French, and therefore all obnoxious, so nobody bothers!" (A note of correction on my part; I've been to France now twice in my life, the trips separated by almost twenty years, and I've never found the French people to be anything other than charming, friendly, and encouraging.)
I was pleased to eat my fill of croissants, baguettes, cheese, and French desserts. I did have to search a little bit to find a glass of ice water, though.