The train station is a 5 minute walk from our B&B, which we planned to hop and head into Paris for the day.  Sounds easy, right? Not so much.

We had scheduled a bike tour of Paris for 3:00 in the afternoon.  Allowing time to relax a bit in the morning and stroll a bit through the city before arriving to the meeting point of the tour.  By 10:00 we were at the train station, I was trying to purchase our tickets into the city at a kiosk, but then I noticed that there were booklets of tickets and I started wondering that maybe there is a discount since there a 5 of us that need to buy a ticket and we are planning on spending 2 days in Pari.  That is where the trouble began, my frugality.

In the station we go with one year of sloppy french skills from highschool under my belt.  It’s painful to re-live the 45 minute chopped up conversation and hand gestures we had with the tendant.  She was trying to convince us to buy our museum passes with our train tickets AND subway/bus passes for around the city for two days.  Mind you, she speaks as little English as I speak French.  It all sounds fine and dandy until she writes down how much it all costs!  A good deal for one or two people, not so much when it is x5.  (I need a t-shirt that says BUDGET TRAVELER)  We told her, “no.”  She just couldn’t understand we didn’t want to take advantage of the deals.  The disappointment and almost disgust dripped off her face.  I tried to console her by telling her we already scheduled a bicyle tour and that was the second mistake! NEVER offer additional information into a non-translatable conversation. She then interpreted that bit of information as us needing to take our bicycles on the train with us which would be a completely different ticket with of course an extra charge.  In the mean time a lady walked in the station and she spoke a little more English than the tendant and she told her we only wanted a ticket into Paris.  The traveler then argued on our behalf.   She must have seen our exhaustion, smiled and said, “don’t worry, in the city the tendants speak good English.  I was so ready to give up on the train business until this lady gave us hope.  After a long while we walked out with 5 tickets to Paris.

A big THANK YOU to the most patient people I know……Indi, Ireland and Annie.  Not once complaining about the wait as trains would come and go while Den and I stood at the ticket counter.  They entertained themselves with staring and breath holding contests!

Once we were off the train we knew we needed to get on a specific subway line so we could meet our tour group.  Everything was going great until our line was CLOSED.  Yep, marked off with bright red tape.  We tried to figure a way around it by using another line but it was too confusing.  We came up from undergound and did what we do best, toughed it out by foot. By this time it is 2:00 and I’m starting to have concern about making it to the tour.  I am walking through Paris and it doesn’t feeeeeeeel liiiiiiiike it.  Trying to be happy, wheeeeee, I’m in Paris! Nope, don’t have the feeling.  We walk and walk and walk.  Raleigh is lagging behind so I hoist him upon my back and we’re off, but my back hurts.  Dennis and the girls are a block and half ahead of us.  I put him back down.  He whines, I walk ahead any way.  I turn around and watch him making his way, slowly.  Surely he sees the puddle in front of him, NOPE.  He cries, “MOM, I DON’T LIKE SOGGY SOCKS.”  I pray- “okay God, you can intervene anytime now.”

Dennis and the girls stop and wait.  Dennis sees that I am distraught and waves down a taxi van.  The driver gets out, unloads the back of his van so there is room for us, adjusts the seats so all the kids can get in.  They climb in.  Dennis tells him where we are going, the cab driver smiles and says, “it’s only 500 meteres, you are almost there.”  The kids climb out, Dennis offers him some euros for his help, he shakes his head no and waves his hands and tells us to have a great day.  And people say the French are rude. Not so.  We made it to the tour with 60 seconds to spare.

Thank you, God.