June 10, 2010
Our flights were wonderfully uneventful – except when we thought someone had taken Rachel’s backpack. It was quickly found by one of the flight attendants.
We got our car, found our campground, and headed into Paris. Rachel went off to meet some friends and Phil and I toured the Camps Elyses. It was fun window shopping, people watching, and partaking in all of the sights, smells, and sounds.
At one end of the Camps Elyses is the Arc de Triomphe – awesome! We got to see a firemans’ parade as they marched to the Arc de Triomphe.
The traffic in Paris is crazy! So fast! So close – and the motorcycles and bikes take such risks. I’m glad we are taking full advantage of the public transportation system.
In the evening, we were to meet Rachel back at Maisons-Laffitte, where we were camping. We were going to grab a bite to eat prior to returning to our caravan. While we waited – we had a nice beer and started to talk with some of the local people. Christophe, a ceramic specialist and plumber, was very friendly and we had fun trying to speak each other’s language. Even though his English was quite poor – he trumped us by far!
As the evening progressed – Rachel was later and later. Our friend Christophe, waited with us through much ringing of hands and heavy rain showers. She arrived an 1½ hours late. Metro and currency issues. We were just glad to see her in one piece.
Christophe and his girlfriend Angelique invited us to their home for dinner. BBQ chicken, vegetables, mushrooms, cucumber and tomato salad, and of course bread and wine. After supper – we had cheese and more bread for dessert – followed by verbena tea and apple liquor. Angelique is a voice teacher and will soon be touring to the USA with her singing group. Rachel played the piano as a thank-you for the evening. Despite the language difficulties, we had a very nice time.
We were told by many that the French were cold – and disliked Americans. We have not found this at all. Especially, with our new friends.
It made for a very late evening – we had not slept in about 36 hours. We were very sleepy – but the quick drive home though very narrow streets kept us awake long enough to brush our teeth.
June 11, 2010
We took our time getting up and going. Jet lag and travel fatigue had set in. We had a nice picnic made with food purchased at the camp store. I was going by what the pictures were on the label – I just hoped that I didn’t purchase cat food. Our picnic was in the shade of a strangely pruned cotton wood tree on the bank of La Seine. Very nice and relaxing.
Rachel went to the airport early in the morning to meet an OU friend – Katie. She will be with us for a few days.
Rachel and Katie went their way and Phil and I went to the Eiffel Tower. Very impressive. Thinking that if Ben were with us, he would want to go to the top – we did. We were awarded with a magnificent view of Paris and surrounding areas.
We spent the evening trying to find the Rue Cler. It is a small pedestrian only boulevard lined with little food shops and open air markets – touted as the perfect place to assemble a picnic. We never found it – local information personnel had never heard of it. I guess we will need to return with Rick Steves so that he can show us the way.
Supper of cod and steak was enjoyed in a cafe on the Rue de Commerce. We sat at a table in the outside umbrelled patio and enjoyed watching and listening to our surroundings. Be careful never to order the least expensive item on the menu – the French eat some interesting things – kidney, tongue, and steak tartar. Yes, Mr. Bean, it really exists.
Late in the evening, we watched the soccer match between Uruguay and France. Our camp ground has a comfortable restaurant / bar on the bank of La Seine. We enjoyed a beer and hoped that France would win the match. It ended in a draw – we still are not sure why they didn’t have a shoot out to break the tie – but gathered it had something to do with total points earned during the world cup.
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