i am on an adventure. i'm completely spent at this point, but so amazed at how relaxed i feel! the flight was fine. we got a late start but made the time up in the air.....whatever that means. my seat was in the last row, which was excellent as it was well within earshot to the flight attendants and i heard all the gossip and bitching. i could not stop thinking about that flight attendant who quit with such flair last year. lol
my seat was in the middle bit where there are three across. i requested an isle seat and, as luck would have it, there was an empty seat between me and a gentleman named armandee (or something) french born and raised, living in the states,married to an american, back on business, who has an impressive jazz playlist on his i-pod (i peeked). i loved his expression when i told him that i was traveling alone in paris with limited language skills. it made me think that he might have a daughter. :P he wished me well though and called me brave. (yay)
our seats were right by the bathrooms, which did not really bother me....but one of the attendants, a gentleman, gave me a little bottle of wine "for my troubles" and kept telling me how sweet i was. I'M HOME!
there was drama at the gate when i got to paris and they put my terminal on lock down. apparently there was an abandoned bag. this was cause for concern for me because i struggled with the french pay phones and i needed to call for my shuttle service. finally i was able to fumble out in broken french, "i can't figure out this phone, can someone please ring super shuttle? here is the number." when i got the service, they said 20 minutes. well that was fine until i got locked in. it all worked out though and they eventually let us go and the shuttle was late anyway.... in the interim i made friends with a woman from south carolina who is here for the first time visiting her daughter. we found comfort in our commonalities.
traffic is NUT crazy! i feared for my life a few times and the lives of these rogue motorcyclists, making thier own eisles and weaving in and out of traffice. men and women!
my driver was not afraid to voice his traffic frustration to someone on the other end of his cell phone. i didn't know what he was saying.....but i had a good idea. honestly, i loved it. everything sounds tolerable when you say it in french.
the first recognizable landmark was the Arc de Triomphe followed by the the Eiffel Tower... which took my breath away in spite of the fact that it looked rusty. it just popped out of no where! oh my gosh.. i'm here. i'm in paris!
of course hotel check in is at 3:00 and i was here at like..10:00. they held my bags and i set off on foot armed with a map (that was useless because my glasses where in my carry-on) no matter. it's paris!
i found a bistro and paid $8 for a bottle of water and i don't know....$10 for a bowl of pureed veg soup. (i was not expecting puree) and some bread. hey now i know. i walked around for about three hours and got lost but in a good way...like in new york when almost every corner you turn has a little surprise. a gorgeous building, a charming old man or woman, a super model, a little shop of curios...anyway, my french is weak! but i managed! i am so humbled!! most everyone has been very patient with me.
i eventually wandered over to the louvre pyramids and sat and took it all in. again...i'm in paris! after wandering lost, i found my way back to the hotel exhaused and hungry. thankfully my room was ready, they had already taken up my luggage. i took a deep breath and opend the dooor. positivley lovely. i think that i was upgraded. i'm on the third floor....facing a church whose name i forget, with bells ringing every 15m or so. in the day. mopeds, larger motorbikes, ladies clicking heels and and the chatting of the waitstaff on their smoking breaks, are the noises du jour coupled with patio dining, and a dumpster evidently meant for glass. i was warned of this on tripadvisor....so i packed earplugs. besides, i have one of those grand decorative throw open the panes, lean over the balcony and curse someone out in french balconies. i dare to dream. lol.
ok i've made it, mom warned me not to sleep and i havent. just about 8:30 pm here. a hot shower and hopefully a good sleep. i forgot that i was arriving in paris +1 day...and booked a 9 hour trip to versailles starting at 8am tomorrow morning. oy vey!
oh! dinner was a little grilled baguette with pesto, grilled eggplant, sundried tomatoes and parmesan. a little wine and a shower and i'm calling it two days.
i hope to eventually get the hang of my camera... but until them here are a few point and shoots that i can't seem to get to load. i'll work on that tomorrow.
xoxo
bonne nuit!
raven
