Touristic Insanity

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Trip Start Jun 18, 2008 Previous
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  Paris, Île-de-France, France
Sunday, June 22, 2008

Up early this morning as we have a very long day ahead of us. At breakfast, Matthias tells me that Chris had left his credit card and some money or something on Eddy's coach. When I ask Chris and Marci about it, they have his passport and such. After a bit of pondering, we realize that their lap top computer was left on the coach last night. Eddy discovered it late in the evening and called Matthias. He was able to tell whose it was because Chris' credit card was in one of the pockets along with about $400. There is some brainstorming about how to get it back.

We take the coach into town and to L'Arc de Triumphe where we pick up Karen, our local guide for the morning. She takes us on a coach tour of Paris, pointing out famous places and sharing history with us as we go. We make a stop at La Trocadero (The French simply call it La Troca) for photos of La Tour Eiffel. It is a new spot for me and it is perfect. I will have to research the actual purpose for this compound, but the photos are great!

Our next stop is at L'Hotel des Invalides, which is quite the stunning structure. I have to go back and double check my info on this as well, but I believe it was a palace for some king or emperor who then turned it into a hospital for the chronically ill and retarded. Nice of him...

We see many other sites, including the Egyptian Obelisk in the center of the square where Marie Antoinette and her husband were guillotined during the French Revolution. We pass the Louvre and several other museums that will unfortunately be closed tomorrow, our full free day in Paris. Our tour ends actually ends at the Louvre around noon, but our appointment there is not until 3:45, so we walk along the river to Pont Neuf where we will pick up the boat tour.

We decide there are not enough seats on the top of the boat for the noon ride, as they are all taken, so we plan to be back at 1:40 for the 2 o'clock ride. The Oregon group goes together to find a café for lunch. We find a little place with tables out on the sidewalk. The lady working there is having a cigarette at one of the tables when we walk up. I think she looks surprised that we are interested in lunch. She is very accommodating, however, and the gentleman working with her (who looks like he could be her son and is quite good looking) tend to our needs very well. I am thrilled to be able to eat a salad after the food we've been getting from the EF menus. I have what they call a "Cesar Salade," which is more like a Caprese back home, with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. It's fantastic! Just what I need to get my upset body back on track.

We pass a leisurely lunch, then wander back to the boat dock slowly, looking at the booksellers' wares along the river. Unfortunately the 'hurry up and wait' game is in full effect here. We have to get back by 1:40 in order to wait in line for the boat to let us on. This does not bode well for my anxiety, but I manage. There's something about just standing still that I can not do. What is wrong with me? I have a physical reaction to being stationary. Anyway, we load onto the boat and find seats upstairs so we enjoy great views of the monuments along the Seine.

I see Matthias and Marci talking, but don't think much of it. Later I learn that the cab to get the lap top back is going to cost around $400 and then Eddy is asking for a finder's fee for the lap top of 10%, which is about $300. Marci is livid, which I understand. It is as if her property is being held ransom. I am not feeling well, so brainstorming solutions to the problem is not coming easily.

Matthias and I have a nice talk while on the boat ride about our histories and health and so on. We bond. That means missing most of what the guide says along the way, but I don't much care. I am way beyond, at this point. The anxiety is becoming overwhelming and I can not locate its source, so it just continues to build on itself. By the time the boat ride is over, I am feeling a bit better in my head, but not my gut.

We walk over to the Louvre. Tickets are distributed and small groups enter the Palace through a secret side entrance. I get downstairs and follow Marci and Chris and Jen into the History of the Louvre section. I do not get far before I turn around and head back out to the lobby. I call Matthias and let him know I am going back to the hotel. I will try to meet them at 9:30 for the Eiffel Tower. He is very understanding and wonderful and I feel relieved.

I ascend l'escalier and emerge from the glass pyramid. A guard points me in the direction of the metro, and I work my over there. The map I have is very helpful and the metro is easy to navigate. I find my way back to the hotel easily. It is such a relief to be in the hotel room. My head starts to clear and I realize that I have that emergency phone number for EF. I make a call to EF about the ransomed lap top before falling over in the bed and to sleep. I must have needed it desperately, as I wake up only to discover it is 9:30- the meeting time for the Eiffel Tower. Thankfully, I told Matthias not to wait for me, so I was not holding up the group by not being there. I am a bit bummed to be missing it, but I am thankful for the rest and time to myself.

I realize EF never called me back after my afternoon phone call, so I make another call. The woman I speak with is VERY helpful. She makes several calls and then calls me right back, letting me know that the lap top can be picked up in the morning. I will go in the cab with Marci and Matthias to the EF office in Paris to pick up. No more ransom. Whew... I take a nice luxurious bath and shower, and am ready for bed when Jen gets back to tell me about her adventures.

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01 L'Arc de Triomphe	02 La Tour Eiffel	03 Oregon Group	04 La Tour Eiffel et moi
05 L'Hotel Des Invalides	06 La Seine	07 Crazy French Traffic	08 River Tour
09 French Lunch	10 Notre Dame	11 Sunbathers	12 Louvre Pyramid
13 Athena

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