Saying goodbye to my girl 😔

Day 5. I'm not going to sugar coat things for anyone. Today was tough. Probably my most stressful day traveling ever. The short story is Riley and I are now on 2 different planes. She is flying home to Toronto and starting Gr 11. I am on a plane to Bordeaux to start my long walk along the coast of France and Spain.

I woke up before the sun after a fabulous sleep. I was clever enough to pack last night so really, all I had to do was stumble to the shower and find coffee.

Of all the tickets I prepurchased, the only one wasted was the observation deck on 59th floor of the Montparnasse Tower.

I grew up with the CN Tower so I'm not overly disappointed. I was looking forward to the sunset view of the Eiffel Tower but the past couple of days have been overcast anyway. We gave the tickets to a nice lady that worked at our hotel and she was surprisingly very grateful. That made everything better.

She called a taxi for us which cost 60€ compared to 22€ if we took the commuter train at rush hour. Ya... no thanks. We agreed on a taxi. Aside from the fact that the drivers deadly cologne was making us both gag, it was so much less stressful to pay for a taxi.

I had planned ahead and booked Riley a Rapid PCR Covid Test offered at the airport for ticketed passengers only for an offensive 70€. Required by Canada to enter the country. They guarantee a result in 2 hours or less but more likely 30 to 40 mins.

Her appointment was for 1030.... her flight leaves at 1300. Check in closes at noon. Already tight. This plan has to go perfectly or she is not making it home today.

We arrived at 10am but immediately stressed over finding the testing clinic. If you haven't been, know that Paris Airport is huge. Nobody seemed to know anything and our stress and anxiety was escalating.  We were were advised by an employee to head for the trains, covid center is there. As it turned out the trains were at the other end of the airport. 

We sped through the crowd and made it to the entrance at 1018. The young man standing there screening for appointments was not very friendly or helpful and of course the language barrier made it worse. Some nice Canadians helped translate. We had to register in addition to the appointment and needed internet to do so. Time was passing and Riley and I were both operating on caffeine and adrenaline. We were both racing to get an internet connection... of course , she is 16, and she won.

She found the website and started filling out the registration forms needed to get a code which was required to have the test. Are you stressed yet? Now it won't accept her Canadian postal code and she had to restart the form. I'm pretty sure we made some shit up to get the code. Then it wouldn't take her phone number because she didn't put +1. I was in hardcore panic mode at this point and I'm pretty sure it was obvious. Luckily she has more patience then me and persevered. Next was 'select all the traffic lights and prove you are not a robot' 🙄

If I was a fucking robot I wouldn't need a fucking covid test 🤣🤣🤣 

Pardon my French haha.

Finally we get the code and in we go. Fill out another form please (not joking), this time on paper. Now go line up again over there and pay the 70€... keep in mind this is all in French (or very broken English). Now, follow this long hall and wait. We waited, time still passing us by, stress still increasing. Finally... Riley is called in, sits down, 'please put your head back'.... in goes the giant swab for a good,  brain tickle.... in French.

She was a trooper. Done. 

I asked if we have to wait there or can we go line up for check in? He said we will text you the result. I asked if they could kindly send it via email. The answer.... No. If you don't have service or a cell phone, then you have to wait for a paper copy. So what's another $15?? I'll just turn my data on. So we went to check in.... Terminal 2B like her ticket indicated only to find out... "oh sorry Air Canada is now at Terminal 2A"... yet another direction altogether. We weren't notified of any changes so again my thermometer was on the rise.

At this point we are moving at high speed, I'm aggravated, still stressed and still don't have cell service. We make it to the line and it's 11:15. Check in closes in 45 mins.... line up is huge and still no test results. We explain our plight and are asked to step out of line until we have the results 😳

I sat Riley in a lounge chair, left her with all the luggage and basically said do not leave this spot. I ran, full speed (in hiking boots) across the airport, back to the covid center, sweating profusely, begged for quick assistance, explained the situation and sure enough they did help, they looked her up in their database, printed off the results.... negative (so very happy) but had to run all the way back to check in to meet her. It's now 1145. I have at this point lost 15lbs, I'm sweating and struggling to breathe (probably not a good look during covid) 

I found Riley, right where I left her and she said, "hey, did you get my message? I'm negative. They emailed my results"

There are no words for how I felt at that moment. 

So she is now at the end of a long line and no chance of making her flight at this rate. So I put on my best worried Mom face and went directly to the counter to ask them to expedite her. They did. 

I could only take her a far as security. We hugged and cried. And hug and cried but I had to let go and send her off. She messaged me from the gate and had just barely made it in time.

I found a McDonald's in the terminal and had loads of fun trying to navigate their electronic system... not to mention I haven't been inside one for a million years. I purchased a drink and used up all their wifi.

Riley and I have been apart now for 9 hours and I miss her like crazy.

My day continued to be stressful. But honestly I don't think I can relive it...in short, my bag was 2kg too heavy and they made me check it in for my little flight out of Paris. So they made another 40€. 

I did have time to squeeze in a glass of wine before boarding 🍷😉

It was a quick and painless flight other....

I'm relieved that they didn't lose my bag. Arriving in Bordeaux was like flying into a little Caribbean Airport. Cute and simple. Bought a city bus ticket for 1.70€ and rode all the way into town. I didn't have wifi and the directions I received from my hotel were lame. I asked a stranger to Google map it for me and I took a picture of his screen. He said it's next to the church just go that way and walk towards the steeple. 

You'll find it. In the end, I did find it... and it's cute but the rancid stench of urine on the city streets is beyond offensive. Many homeless and sketchy people lurking about. I dropped my things and went to find a place to eat... but nothing appealed to me. Every patio, packed with loud people, smoking and looking glam... then there's me, looking like I had a rough day, in my hikers, no glam and no dazzle. I really just want to decompress and be alone for awhile. Still needed to eat and still needed to have another glass of wine. My place is one street over from a mini grocer so I bought ham, French cheese, grape tomatoes, a bag of chips and a bottle of Graves. For 14€ I have a meal, a private, clean, quiet place to eat and as many glasses of wine as I want! And as an added bonus, 2 bananas and and apple for the morning too!

Now I have to plan my escape for tomorrow before I fall asleep. A re-pack is in order... I've got too much stuff...

Tomorrow I switch gears and start walking.... also I will start a new blog for the walk but will post the link. 

Get some rest my friends... tomorrow we walk 28kms... if we can

Bon nuit!

Mona Lisa

Day 4. Our last full day together. We were awake and out the door by 0800 just as the days before. We were seeing many more people out on the streets than we had in previous days and realized, oh ya, It's a Monday morning. Paris has to go to work. For our entire walk we were amazed by the amount of commuters on bicycles. They far out numbered the cars and it was like nothing I had ever seen. 

It was almost a 4km walk to Le Louvre and we snuck up on it from behind.

 Before we even set eyes on the infamous triangle entrance, we were standing in a massive courtyard. It was beautiful, each wing with an arched entrance and stone carvings framing every window. Our tickets were for 0900.

 We arrived to a monster line up which was shockingly for people with tickets. The line moved quickly into the triangle entrance and after the usual checks, we grabbed a museum map and made our way to the stairs. We did what probably everyone does on arrival and made a beeline to see Mona Lisa. The museum as a whole was not busy and that made me very happy. But still there were enough people to have a numpty or two to ruin a perfectly great photo opportunity. The Mona Lisa is encased in glass and dwarfed by the massive blue wall that it is mounted on. A queue leads to the painting to fairly provide each person a moment for a centered photo, a selfie or time to gaze upon that well known subtle grin. 

We had our moment. The exhibit had multiple security guards and its own gift shop. We continued to enjoy the Italian paintings mostly of religious figures or bloodshed. Until we were ravaged with hungry. Surprisingly the café was affordable and the patio outside overlooked the museum entrance. We had the usual fare, coffee and a croissant well I just had coffee...a big one. There we sat, surrounded by statues and pigeons on a cool sunny morning.

We mustered up the strength to continue to explore the many remaining exhibitions. My favourite was the Roman statues and not just because they are mostly naked men.

 Let's face it, never has there been a Roman statue with much to "offer" however despite not having eyes, many are quite expressive. We also saw the Greeks and the tapestries and Napoleon's wife's diamonds. It is truly stunning. Another favourite of mine are the ceilings and it amazed how many people didn't know to look up. 

Definitely worth the visit.

After about 3 to 4 hours of the Museum we hit the streets and found, of course, a patio for lunch. Riley had steak and I had an interesting but delicious salad. Honestly it's been tough for me to eat in Paris. I was 'glutened' on our first day and despite all the research on gluten free options I did prior to my arrival, I have struggled to find safe food. For the rest of you, Paris it is a culinary delight and a foodies dream. But here in Paris, the words 'gluten free' appear to offend the Restauraunt Owners. 

We grabbed our stored luggage and took a taxi to our new neighbourhood. The new hotel is fancy schmancy and a nice treat for our last night. The hand soap and body lotion here is scented with fig and fennel and bergamot and it is delightful. I smell French hahaha.

Riley's legs are pooched. She 

Has sore knees and feet. She opted to relax in our new room while I explored the new area. I walked up a steep cobblestone lane and then about 500 steps to see the Sacre de Coeur. 

A Cathedral perched high above the city. One of only 5 churches in the world that has never closed its doors. The views from the arches at the entrance were spectacular.

 I even went to the crypts below. I was alone and it was dark and all around me was the faint, haunting sound of chanting monks. It was surreal. 

There were images of Jesus crucified illuminated in the darkness and the walk through had messages in French, telling stories likely of Christ and his followers. I couldn't read any of it but when I reached the end an English voice was whispering for me to follow. 

I'm not going to lie, it was strangely calming and also kind of creepy.

I walked through the cobblestone streets surrounding the Cathedral, spotting first the Irish pub..

Not sure why but Irish Pubs jump out at me no matter what country I am in. If you can see past the tourist shops and tourists you would see another little courtyard. Old trees created a canopy as did the many umbrellas protecting the many patio tables and chairs. The canopy came in handy as the rain began to fall. 

It was then that I noticed the majority of people sitting in this courtyard were painters and artists. And with the rain they scurried to collect their collections causing some mild frenzy among them. I did see many artists under umbrellas carry on sketching their subjects in the rain.

 I tried to capture the moment but I too was getting soaked. It was a moment I will remember. I located the 5 billion stairs to take me down to the street my hotel was on and quickly but carefully conquered them all. I had been exploring for about an hour while the princess rested in her Palace... that was the deal and I'm a woman of my word.

I was happily welcomed with sleepy eyes and I decided that I too need a rest. A short power nap was all I would get as I was woken by the crunch of a teenager and a bag of crispers.

It was well past dinner time and I some how convinced Miss Sore Foot to go for a little walk up a little hill. I probably left out the part of the 5 billion stars hahaha.

We stopped first at an Italian place, a patio on a street corner with a red canopy and twinkling lights. I asked the Owner if they offered anything gluten free. The owners are almost always standing in the entrance luring in their next customers. Right off the hop, he frowned and sternly said Non! In his stuffy French accent. Riley and I smirked a little because he seemed so shocked that I would even say the G word. I asked,  "don't you have maybe a steak and a salad?" He said again "Non!" Then he went on in a huff saying it was an "Italian Restaurant!!" So I laughed and said, "Oui, je comprende ( I understand) but don't Italians eat steak or salad???"

I think Riley laughed out loud impressed by my gumption. We crossed the street to an even prettier FRENCH patio, with candlelight and a sidewalk table for two. We order wine and a Malibu/Mango cocktail and giggled away while discreetly flipping off the crusty old Italian. It was very satisfying.

Riley ordered a ham and cheese melt and I ordered a Chefs Salad after thoroughly explaining that I was Celiac and must eat "sans gluten".

They brought out our food and mine had two gourmet cheese blocks decorating my salad, but sitting on top of two pieces of.... CRUSTY BREAD. I was mortified that I had to return it. It was karma I think for flipping off the Italian hahaha. They were also quite embarrassed at the ooops and brought me a different salad. A Parisienne. It should have been my first pick in all honesty. We closed the fabulous night with our second crême brulée of the day and wobbled home to bed. Exhausted again but tonight I sleep like Royalty in my phouffy French, fancy schmancy, fig and fennel scented bed.

Bon nuit xx

Sent from my Galaxy

Liberté

Day 3. We started out early today. I had pre-purchased tickets for the Catacombs of Paris at 0945. This was strangely one of the things I most wanted to see here in Paris. It was a 50 minute walk but we left enough time to stop for coffee and to take a million pictures.

 The air was cool and damp near the river and paris was asleep. Everybody else was sleeping in after a Saturday night in the city. We walked past Notre Dame which can not be seen sadly as it was covered in scaffolding and being repaired after the fire 3 years ago.

We found a bakery for coffee to go and a chocolate croissant for Riley. I had already eaten a banana from a local fruit stand (without any issues haha). We hustled into the Latin quarter and made it there just in time.

It was a very busy intersection with a somewhat obscure entrance. We went through the normal checks; ticket, Covid vaccine certificate and security. We entered the building and immediately started down a never-ending spiral staircase.

 So far down we were actually feeling dizzy from the constant spiral. 

We walked, in total, almost a kilometer before we reached the bones. The tunnels were just wide enough to closely walk side by side and the ceilings low enough that I actually felt tall (haha I'm only 5'3). The gravel floors smelled of fresh, damp earth. The ceiling and the floors were wet and the temperature was quite cool.

We reached the tunnels with carefully stacked femurs and skulls and respectfully walked silently to the end. It was mostly interesting, obviously quite morbid and I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about it when we left. A strange experience on a Sunday morning.

We left to have yet another coffee and walked onward only to stumble across the Jardins of Luxembourg.

 It was an enormous Palace surrounded in bright summer flowers and a large pond where locals were relaxing and sailing their toy boats. 

It was a beautiful place to rest but stormy skies were closing in so we kept heading in the direction of home. Leaving the park put us at a very busy intersection again. In Paris, most major intersections have multiple street corners with several streets extending out from a roundabout, like a star. The amount of bicycles on the streets and vespas and motorized scooters is unreal! All roads have in addition a 2-direction bike lanes and they dominate the roadways. The pedestrian lights are very small, hard to see and most pedestrians cross when they want to anyway. I certainly would never drive in Paris...not by choice anyway.

Riley and I waited to cross and beside us was an elderly lady, grey haired, hunched to one side, using a cane and straining to see ahead of her. The light turned green and we walked but she stayed behind, squinting, hesitating and yet it appeared she wanted to cross. I kept looking back at her worried because the lights change so quickly and she did not look very fast. Riley looked back and said, "I'm going to help her" and turned back. I stood in the road preventing cars from driving and looked back to watch my daughter bring this frail woman across the road. She clutched Riley's arm and they walked slowly together while the chaos of the city surrounded them. I don't think I have ever been more proud of her.

The old woman spoke both French and English and asked Riley what language she spoke. She then told Riley that she was kind and sweet and expressed her gratitude. We all walked away from that moment with warm hearts and big smiles. 

We soon after reached the Pantheon. Riley's little feet were aching and we were definitely hungry but it was must see.

 After standing in awe of the grandeur and magnificence of the Pantheon for a short while we found ourselves wandering the pedestrian only cobblestone streets in the Latin Quarter. There were many restaurants and shops and it was very quaint with a Bohemian vibe. I loved it. We stopped and had crepes.

 Riley's was a sweet one with Nutella and mine was a savoury Galette (like a crepe but made with Buckwheat flour and naturally gluten free) and it was stuffed with egg and gruyere cheese, ham and sautéed mushrooms. It was so incredibly delicious.. probably my favourite so far. I also had a coffee and was brought a box of sugar (which by the way, the brand name here is... Daddy hahaha)

We eventually made it back to our hotel for a short afternoon rest but it was too early to call it a day. So instead we headed in a new direction and found ourselves at yet another patio having wine and people watching.

We saw a little bit of everything. Men in skirts, loads of braless women, the homeless, the beggars, lots of attractive people and everybody has their own style here. The French love their freedom and it shows in their attitude and their style. I have great respect and admiration. Might go braless tomorrow hahaha.

We walked far to try a gluten free restaurant but when we were about to order the waiter said, ya sorry, that's a mistake. So we left and found a patio near our hotel and ended up with Chicken and Mashed Potates. It was very good. Riley looked beautiful in her new Parisienne dress and we had a lovely date. 

We shared plenty of giggles before heading in for the night. Exhausted.

Bon nuit x

Just one banana sil vous plait

Today was full of new experiences. I didn't know buying a banana could be such a challenge.

We woke up by 7 (actually tried for 6am but it just didn't happen)

We stored our big bags at our hotel after checking out and made a stop at our neighbourhood grocer to start our day. I figured a banana was a healthy choice and would hold me over until I found coffee. This grocery store was self check out only. I took my banana to the computer but it was all in French. Unable to read it, I went into panic mode "abort, abort". A french man came to my rescue. He took my banana to another machine with a scale, pressed some buttons and a little sticker printed out indicating that my banana cost me .29€

Then I went back to the machine and he showed me how to pay with cash....

It was a little stressful and mildly embaressing but my healthy breakfast was worth it. 

We walked past the Eiffel Tower to the Champ de Mars, goofed off in the fields taking pictures and then found a corner café for a real coffee.

 Café au lait and a croissant for Riley.

 We strolled the city streets, saw the tunnel where Princess Diana died and her memorial. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

We ended up at the Arc de Triomphe and it was under construction. Of course, everything is.

It's summertime. There was an extremely heavy police presence today and that brought us both a little anxiety. It was as if they knew something we didn't know and shit was about to get real. 

We were easily distracted on the Champs-Elysées by the endless shops that we couldn't afford to shop in. My favourite, without question,  was Christian Dior. Crisp, white, clean and classic. The entire store. Including the spiral staircase that looked like the inside of a sea shell.

We soon left the heavily populated shopping district to have yet another café au lait on yet another fabulous Parisienne patio and just let the time pass us by.

Somebody's tired little legs (not mine hahaha) had us heading back to our hotel to pick up our bags, bypassing again the Eiffel Tower. This time we walked along the quiet side of the River Seine and it was just the kind of peace we needed after a morning of busy city sidewalks.

We stopped back into the banana store for ham, cheese and cold, white wine for an affordable lunch snack. We collected our bags and waited for a taxi to take us to our new neighbourhood across town.

Like most taxi drivers, this guy was angry and aggressive. He drove like his wife was about to give birth and he was late for the big event. The most surreal moment was revisiting "Princess Diana's tunnel" at high speed with a grumpy taxi driver. There was a bit of heavy traffic to exasperate him further yet he somehow managed to calmly scroll through facebook on his cell phone at every red light. He dropped us off not a minute too soon and drove away as soon as my euros touched his hand. We forgot him quickly when we stepped into the chic boutique lobby of our new home. It was so simple and fresh and so very lovely.

Our room was up one flight of stairs which was quite honestly a struggle with the 2 heavy bags but we did it! Riley was thrilled to see that we had two windows that fully opened up with wrought iron railings just like all other the Parisienne windows we have photographed since our arrival in France.

It was nice to settle in and relax but I am unable to stay still for long. 

Riley opted to stay in our room and rest while I went to explore the massive St Paul Cathedral just steps away. It was incredibly beautiful as most old churches are. I chose not to go to confession however... first of all, I'm not catholic and second, that would have taken way to long 🤣

I picked up Riley and we walked together for another coffee and more shopping. Bought her a beautiful dress and a black beret that looks like it was made for her. 

We did a little more walking and  sightseeing in the area until it was near 8pm and hunger kicked in hard and fast. Finding gluten free food here has been challenging and tonight was no exception. Being a Saturday night, the patios were full with locals and tourists and nobody was in a hurry to leave. We walked much farther than we should have but found a lovely little casual patio under a giant old tree on a quiet street.

I drank 2 glasses of a beautiful red wine from Bordeaux, ordered a gourmet burger and salad (the only gf option) and shared the absolute best crème brûlée I have ever had.

Riley and I talked and laughed all through dinner and it was truly a beautiful day from start to finish.

She is such an enjoyable young lady, kind and funny. I love that she will still proudly hold my hand.

Paris is stealing her heart for sure but she stole mine 16 years ago. ❤

Bon nuit x