Lou Ann's EuroBlog

"London IS open for business!"
- Andy Trotter, Scotland Yard
Okay ... I know that I said that I wouldn't be online again for a few days, and I really didn't think that finding internet would be a possibility. BUT ... I MUST tell you about WHY I am online right now. In fact ... I am going to break my chronology quite a bit to tell you about it.

In the next chapter, I will get back to the week that I spent in Villereal at the gite with my colleagues. I will also tell you about spending Sunday morning at the D-Day beaches in Normandy and seeing the American Cemetery there. Quite a tremendous experience, by the way.

Anyway, I'll tell you a little bit about today ... today is the day that I have been dreading (yes, actually dreading) for the past two weeks. Ask Danny ... she'll verify that I have been a bit anxious about it. The main cause of my anxiety has been the thought of driving again near Charles de Gaulle airport (Paris metro), returning the rental car (which I scratched in a parking lot in Mittelbergheim ... remember Mittelbergheim?), finding the RER train (a Paris area train ... in a different terminal at Charles de Gaulle), getting on the Eurostar train (from Paris to London through the Channel Tunnel under the English Channel), changing trains at the London Waterloo station and again at Oxford Circus, and finding my hotel (on foot) two blocks from the London Pimlico station. And, NO, not everyone here speaks English.

SO ... I arrived in Paris yesterday from Caen. I managed to find my hotel without getting lost or annoying too many other drivers with my slow driving while reading signs. (I was very proud of myself.) I dug up a map of the airport area (it's considered a town in and of itself), and got back in my car and drove TO the terminal where the car rentals are to be returned, just so that I knew I could find it in the morning. I also wanted to check their hours, but there was a sign on the doorway saying that they were closed and giving a phone number to call. I copied the phone number, got back in the car, and managed to get VERY lost trying to navigate back from the airport to the hotel. BUT ... this didn't bother me too, too much, as I will not have to make that particular trek again for a very, very long time, if ever.

When I got back to the hotel, I called the rental car company (the number posted on the door), and they told me that the office in question would be open at 8:00 in the morning. I planned to be there exactly at eight.

So ... I did a few other re-organizing things last night and went to bed early. I had breakfast at the hotel at 6:30, made reservations there for the other three nights that I'll be in Paris this month (sans rental car!), and was out the door by about 7:00. I again found the rental car return without taking any wrong turns (I hope to never again drive in Paris!!!) But ... there was no one in the office. I waited 15 minutes and called the number again (from my cell phone ... can you say "expensive"??) and the woman said that someone would be there in 5 minutes. Twenty minutes later I called again, and as she was saying, "You mean she's not there yet??", the other woman got there. We took a look at the scratch on the side of the car, took a look at my rental agreement, and decided that the insurance (which I decided to purchase because Geico doesn't cover me overseas) would easily cover the damage ... no cost to me ... not even a deductible! BUT ... I forgot to fill the tank (it was 3/4 full!!) and she charged me 44€ for that!! That's like 55 U.S. dollars! UGH!!

Anyway ... it took me about ten minutes to figure out the map of the elevator ("lift") to get from the car rental area to the airport shuttle bus area. It took me about 15 minutes to walk there (remember ... heavy suitcase). On the bus, my suitcase rolled over (around a turn) onto a woman's leg ... I was MORTIFIED!! I figured that she didn't speak English ... I apologized profusely and she looked startled, but nodded. At the end of that ride, I apologized again and I must have looked horrified because she patted me on the shoulder and smiled and said that it really was okay.

Well, once I got inside the airport terminal where the trains run, it was very difficult to find the right place to go to buy the ticket. (Remember ... very heavy suitcase.) I finally found it, and bought the ticket. Found the right platform, but the escalator was not working, so I had to LUG the very heavy suitcase down a long flight of stairs. The platform (as are many public areas) is NOT non-smoking and a 20-year-old-looking flight attendant was waiting for a train and chain smoking and dumping her ashes on the platform not too far from where I had already sat down.

Got on the train okay, and a nice man made room for me next to the door and told me that from the airport to Gare du Nord is not a long ride. Good ... because I'm not only concerned about dragging my very heavy suitcase, but I am also concerned about turning my back on it.

Okay ... so I get to Gare du Nord. This has to be THE most confusing place on the face of the earth!! Editorial Note: This post is being finished in London, as I ran out of time before my train left Gare du Nord. I tried standing in the first line that I found that said "tickets" (hoping to exchange my 3:20 p.m. ticket for an earlier train, if possible). After a 10 minute wait (or so), the man says that they don't do Eurostar (for the Channel Tunnel) tickets in that line (I really don't know how I could have known that). I wasn't in a hurry because I knew that it was only about 10:30, and if I had to wait until 3:20, I'd wait until 3:20. But it was the lugging the suitcase around not knowing where I was supposed to go that was getting to me, I guess. The man pointed me to an escalator and told me that Eurostar was upstairs. So, I went to the next level (not knowing that there was a third level), and stood in a line near where there was a sign for Eurostar. After waiting in that line, and watching all but one of the ticket windows have signs that said "English spoken", the one window without "English" opened up for me, and I had to take it (so said the guy in line behind me). So, I get to the counter and THREE people (THREE!!) waited on me trying to answer that *simple* question ... "Can I exchange this ticket for an earlier train at no cost." Well, after much debate about what I was truly asking, it was decided to tell me that there was only 1st class tickets left on the 1:04 p.m. train. That's it. Okay, "no, I'm not interested". "Should we cancel your order, then?" "Did I order something?" UGH!! So, I asked where check-in for the EuroStar is, and they pointed me upstairs. (A third level!!)

So ... this time I found an elevator upstairs... and tried to find the door into the office that is OBVIOUSLY (now) the EuroStar ticket office. This was a much nicer-looking place than the rest of the station. For some reason, I was on the verge of tears (I honestly can't figure out why), and when I was called on at the front of the line, and explained to the woman that I don't speak French, (and she said, "that's fine", in very clear English), the tears came. I tried to hold it back while I asked my question (I thought I'd try again to exchange the ticket), and she kept looking at me funny. Yeah, because there was a big old alligator tear running down my cheek! I apologized, and explained that I was tired. She said, "Of course there is a seat on the 1:04 p.m. train, I'm not sure why they told you there wasn't." And she exchanged the ticket. Then she asked me to wait for a minute and disappeared through a door behind the counter.

I saw that she had already printed the ticket. It was sitting right there. I couldn't figure out where she had gone. Then it occurred to me ... she was giving me a minute to wipe my face and eyes, etc. So I did. Got myself cleaned up, and waited for her to come back.

When she came back, she gave me the new ticket, a big smile, and a little card that she explained was an "invitation" to the EuroStar club "lounge", where I could sit and rest, get a drink and some food. Now, I always travel budget, or close to it. Club lounges are NOT in my repertoire. You could just see the compassion for me on her face. I was so absolutely, completely grateful!! I thanked her about 15 times ... and wish I had gotten her name. Maybe I'll try to find her again when I am in Paris at the end of the month, as I'll be going through Gare du Nord again, once or twice at least.

SOOOooo ... this lounge was FABULOUS!! Totally classy ... and wonderful. There were snacks and drinks (at no cost!!), free internet access, and clean bathrooms with extra amenities (like hand lotion). It was fabulous!! There were lots of big huge comfy chairs with swinging little arm-tables on the right (where I did some journaling), and I got online to type the first part of this post. They give you a 20-minute signal before your train is to leave, and let you board without waiting in line like everyone else on the train. Such pampering!! God's grace and mercy....

I was going to stop at that part of the story, but I'll write a little more just to give you the feel of the day (more so), since I have some more time left on my £1,50 internet hour. :-)

Once I got to the car of the train that was for me, I lugged my suitcase up the three big steps to get on, and stowed the luggage, and then realized that my seat was at the complete other end of the car. WAAAYYY far away. Well, I didn't really want to be so far from my luggage, so I got it out again, and decided to lug it down the too-narrow aisle. Some very, very nice 70-something British lady decided that it was too heavy for me to carry by myself, and she actually helped me carry the suitcase the entire length of the car (88 seats in 22 rows). I started to protest, but she insisted, and wouldn't put it down. God's grace and mercy ... more times today than I could count.

I won't say much more about London until after I've finished typing about France, which I will do hopefully tomorrow or Thursday (don't think I'll get to it on Wednesday).

Just these last few thoughts ... and maybe a couple of mental pictures for you. When I was waiting for the RER train (the Paris train from the airport to Gare du Nord ... on the platform with the chain-smoking flight attendant), there were several camouflage-wearing military-looking men with machine guns and other assorted weapons on them walking back and forth around the platforms. Interesting.

There were also these camouflaged/weaponed men wandering both train stations, quite obviously. And, ON the train (the RER), there were armed police that walked up and down the cars while the train was moving. But, there wasn't any visible military/police on the EuroStar or on the Underground trains that I took to my hotel in London. But, at the London Underground station where I first transferred from the EuroStar to the Tube, there were police with some sort of sniffing-dogs (were they hounds of some sort? I don't know...) I truly do feel safe here ... and plan to ride the Tube and the busses, including the double decker ones while I'm here.

Oh - and Mom answered my question and sent me pictures. The birds in Hunawihr, France WERE storks. Fascinating!! :-)

Cheerio!