VACATION ~ PARIS ~ PART SEVEN

(Please remember to click on the photos to enlarge them)

Paris
Monday June 20, 2011

I ventured out on my own today. Went into little stores were I could not communicate with them very well. Then some others I could a little bit. I walked over to the Hard Rock Paris which was fairly far but I made it. So I ate there and got a few gifts. It's nice when you visit a tourist place because they can speak English. I had a great burger and a margarita. The guy was so sweet, rather then take away the other place setting he said let's make it look like someone is coming! I didn't really care, I'm not uncomfortable eating alone. He was born in France but grew up in Wisconsin but came back with his mom after her divorce. I bought some postcards on my walk and a few other cute items. Was walking back and feeling tired so I thought I would take a cab. I had to be about six block (5 euros) away for a taxi ride. Well I was taken for a ride in a round about way. He kept saying traffic, traffic (flailing his arms) but I knew what he was doing. My taxi ride was over 20 euro!

Maybe I will have to try the Metro. I went over to the post office near the Hotel and that was a challenge. No one hardly spoke English. I get it, why should they. Needed stamps for the post cards, had to do it in a machine and use only coins. A girl helped me and I was thankful of that. I stayed in for the evening. Mark was out for a dinner. Tomorrow I will stay in and do the postcards. (Actually I think we spent well over $100. to mail post cards from London, Paris and Italy!) I will maybe try to do some laundry, it should be nearby according to my google directions so we shall see how that goes!

Paris is lovely, building are so beautiful and the country has the most beautiful sights to see. I would go back in an instant.

Tuesday June 21, 2011

I ventured out today to try to find a laundromat that I had googled before we left California. I loaded up a suitcase with the dirty clothes. Funny how you actually see a lot of people in London and Paris walking the streets with suitcases. It's because of the great transportation systems they have. People can go all the way from the airport, take a train and get home. Well I just could not find it. I got sad. I couldn't seem to find anyone to ask. Did walk by some flowers that I had seen a few days ago so I took some pictures.

Went back to our room, dropped off the laundry and got my postcards to be mailed. There is a postal right across the street. Then I walked around a little bit and had some pizza. You would think I would go eat pastry! Came back to the hotel and decided that I had to send out our laundry for the hotel to do.(I did actually wash out some blouses myself) They keep forgetting to leave the list and laundry bag so I made my own list, looked up words in French and then called to have it picked up. The woman spoke no English at all. Again we had another large laundry bill.

If I sound angry I have to say that I am tired of being chilled to the bone each day. I think I have seen the sun 3 times in 11 days! I have tried to find a jacket to buy but have had no luck. Well I did find a few but for 100 to 150 euro I just didn't see the point. I was hopefull the weather was going to get better any day now! My pullover sweater is looking very warn out. (These are my notes, I am sorry I sound so crabby. Looking back it really wasn't that bad but in the moment it sure sounded like it.)

I'm decided to stay here in the room the rest of the day and hope that my ankle swelling goes down. I have a lot to do the next few days. I washed out my bras in the sink, didn't want to send those down. At least I have the view to look outside. Mark is at the Paris Air Show and has dinners almost every night this week. Looking forward to the Louvre tomorrow. Then I will do the tour bus again on Thursday.

I forgot to tell you guys this. We were not allowed to have an iron or ironing board in the hotel room. I understand the safety features of that but Mark was pissed. He loves to press over his shirts after they have been in the suitcase. I actually wore a few of mine that I had washed out without ironing them. Actually the laundry we had done by them wasn't pressed to what we are use to. We encountered the same thing in Italy. Mark had his shirts in the bathroom to steam out. Funny thing, when we got home I remembered that I had that Downy wrinkle spray with me but forgot to use it! See, we can laugh about this stuff now. I also found it hard to get use to the 24 hour clock. I always had to count it out on my fingers! I did get a kick out of looking at the clock and it would say 00:05.

Since I'm on a roll here I thought I would include this picture of some miscellaneous things in Paris. Mark thought this lion had a friendly face, kind of like the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz. He was actually on one of those arches you see in the picture. Our hotel was within a few blocks of two arches that are called Porte St. Denis and Porte St. Martin. They were built in 1672 & 1674 as entry points into the city. They do love their clown shops. There was actually one across the street from where we picked up the tour bus.

So I was sitting in the room typing my notes one day, I looked in the mirror and thought I looked cute. Just had to snap a picture. Got a kick out of the posters for Prince but really laughed at the ones for Diesel cologne! So you see the one in the left bottom corner. That was the way we flushed the toilet. Little circle for just a pee, larger circle for a bigger flush! Next to that picture is the soap I came across at a restaurant I ate at after the Louvre. I guess they just slip a new bar on when it runs out. Very different.

Amour,