Paris .. last night

what a day .... what a day ..... what a day ...



Dzunia left at 7 this morning - we took her to the airport at 5. of course we missed the exit on the way !! it has been an absolute nightmare every single day to get to ur hotel we were told it is 17 miles to Paris - well ... to Paris outskirts !!!! It has been a 2 hour - very intense traffic - and very hard to find roads itinerary, every single day for 6 days. there have been arguments and yelling and you name it. 2 hours at the end of a long day - stuck in traffic - good recipe for trouble.



and I love to butt in and complain. don't ask me to explain but my tongue just blurts out "shit" before i even realize it - and says - "we are going the wrong way" - before I even realize it. and it gets me into trouble .... big time trouble !! but those Poles are no match for me, I still tell it like it is, whether they like it or not. and the truth is - Les and I got home, by ourselves, in Paris, just fine today. so there. All the other days it took 2 to 3 hours !!!!!! absolutely absurd. betond ridiculous.

I had a horrid experience this morning. the gang (Maciek and Krystyna)wanted to come home and just rest. Les wanted to stay with them wsince Maciek was afraid to drive into Paris by himslef and threated to drive the car back to Poland if he got lost. Well, I wanted a last day with just Les and I and he did too, but it was not meant to be. So, I got a special all day pass whcih included trains and planes and automobiles, ok just trains and metro into Paris and I went off for a day on my own. I wanted to see George Pompidou and Gallerie Lafayette and then just sit in a cafe and read a newspaper and have a cappuccino and pretend to be Parisien....I even wore a scarf because every Parisian woman wears one. For sure, they feel naked without it - every single woman wears a scarf. Tshirt and scarf. Armani and scarf. and the scarf doesn not even match the color of the clothes and you know waht ??? it always looks put together and great.

For the horrible experience: We got to the airport, I got Dzunia checked in. The guys parked and then came in to wait with her til the flight left. Igot the magic all day Paris ticket, got on the train to the endl line for subways....a guy got on who asked in English - is this the train to Paris ?

well, it is the ONLY train.

and it can only go to Paris.

he was a first timer in Paris. so he sat down a bit far from me and got up about 3 times to look at the train schedule on the train wall and then the metro map. so i asked

do you know where you want to go?

yes. la defense.

so i explained where he could transfer. it was to be at the same station as mine. then he would take number 1 metro and i number 4. i gave him a map with all lines and info and he read it and declared that he was fond and thanks so much.

well, our stop came and he didnt get up

Chad, i said, this is our get off station !!! he jumped up and got off with me. lots of people. so we go to signs for metro and i see an elevator. i had taken an elevator at the staion when i went to sacre coeur, so i pushed the button and we got on. 2 guys, tall and black and well dressed get on. it iis only floor to the next level but there is confusion since the elevator is so small. the one guy drops some coins and asks Chad to move over so he can grab his coins. they do a ddance and it is weird. i felt like maybe i was going to be sexaully accosted since the space was so cramped but no one touched me. we arrive, literally one minute later and the 2 guys get off. as Chad and I get off, i check for my wallet . i had a fanny pack and it was intact. I say ....

Chad.....I am thinking that was a scam. Do you have everything of yours ?????

they took his wallet. i think they overheard us talking in english. all his credit cards. all his money. the police were not too helpful - which surprised me as there are surveillance cameras everywhere.....they gave him a ticket for the subway. i only had big bills and he had some change. i left him at the police station. i felt bad. bad bad. baaaaaaaaaaaad.

from there i went to the end of my line. there was supposed to be a beautiful bldg -- didnt see it and just ended up by getting on another metro.

the rest of the day was perffffffffffffffffect

it was so wonderful and at the end i met Les and we drove home.