Michael and Ruthie's adventure in Paris
Arrival
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Tuesday January 13th
In Dublin
Once again we had to go through security, which went smoothly and had a little tea and Irish soda bread, while we waited for our 11:45 am flight to Paris.
While eating we finished our crossword puzzle that we had begun, at breakfast, the day before in Berkeley. We had gotten it from the Berkeley Voice found on the streets of our neighborhood. Ruth Anne and I have been doing crosswords for many years. We almost always get two of the same puzzles so that we can collaboratively work on them together. Ruth Anne usually has just enough of the French, German, Italian we need to piece together the foreign bits, we both compliment the Latin and I'm the one who knows the computer Geek words - neither of us knows much about sports, and rarely remember the 1957 nobel laureate for literature. Our collective collaboration enables us to have just enough information to usually finish the blessed things. We usually work on it at breakfast or when we have somewhere to wait, like a Doctor's appointment, or an airport.
Our flight to France more crowded but a mere one and half hours away. We fly over farmland with small villages dotting the landscape as we approach Charles de Gaul airport. Strangely we only go through a single passport check point, and are reunited with our luggage ( always with the thoughts that our suitcases are having their own adventure in Ukraine by now). And we leave the airport! No customs nothing to stop us. Free to roam France!
We find the RER buy tickets at the dispenser and are off to Paris!!
First train of the three we need to take to get to our Metro station. At the Metro station at Gard du Nord. As we approach the Metro turn-stye we see no ticket booth but someone is opening the gate by turn-stye, so we walk through with others. Inside we buy our carnet (ten metro tickets) and board the orange line #5 to Republique Station. There we go first on the wrong side of the tracks. A helpful Frenchmen directs us to the other side where we catch the Brown line #11 to rue des Pyrénées three stops away. The metro is not a kind place for travelers with luggage. Although there are some escalators, we seemed to miss most of them till after we schlepped up the luggage two flights of stairs to the various platforms and exits. However we found the last escalator at Rue Des Pyreness station and after hauling our cases and backpacks sweating with our two coats we rose up the last stairs to the fresh, cold atmosphere of Paris. Arriving at about 4pm. Like moles in the light of day our eyes blinked into the sites around us. People bustling with their children and the multi ethnic crowd that makes up the 20th arrondissement, greeted our hungry eyes. The street damp, but clean people wrapped in their winter clothes doing everything we do here, but differently. One reason why we travel is to see how the ordinary can be so interesting when it's someone else's ordinary.
With little adieu we found our apartment
had our door code handy, and were in. This is an apartment with eight floors and we are on the seventh. The new looking elevator which is circled by an ancient stairway could hold only one person and our two bags, so I puffed my way up the stairs while Ruth Anne road up with our luggage. Arriving in front of the door Geraldine who was to meet us, was not there. I remembered that I said I'd phone at the airport, but in our excitement I'd not made the call. So I left Ruth Anne. I descended down the waiting elevator, still catching my breath from the ascent up the stairs. On the street I saw no phone booths, when I finally did all of them required phone cards!! None wanted the change I so carefully cultivated from my transactions in route. Returning to the apartment not having seen a Tabac that might sell a calling card - I explained my failure to use the phones to Ruth Anne. We saw two young men with musical instruments waiting at the elevator. They kindly lent us their cell phone. Geraldine lives in our building and was soon at the door to let us in our beautiful apartment. After a few explanations and a quick wifi set up we were ready to move in!!
