purple room vents: FROM FABULOUS TO FRANTIC

The last two days in Paris went by so quickly. I got sick, my turn, and the kids had a couple of wonderful days.

On Wednesday I spent the day on the couch curled up in the fetal position (ha! like I can do that with my huge stomach!) hacking and coughing my brains out. I had to hold my eyeballs in. And I felt sick. But later in the afternoon I started to feel a little better. The trouble with days like this, for me, was food. The kids ate their stomachs out whilst they were out and about and they def were not hungry anymore at supper. I think I had a baguette that day. We were all on different eating schedules, entirely my own fault. I will remember this trip as the one I spent half the time hungry...which is a good thing!

April and Myles rented motorized scooters after they went to the Louvre. And they scooted all the way down past the Eiffel Tower and along a long tunnel under the Louvre. They came back exhilarated!

On Thursday they walked everywhere! They walked to a music box store, that ended up being closed, then to the famous falafel place, then to Jim Morrison's grave site...over thirty thousand steps! We went to a lovely place for dinner in the Latin Quarter. I had onion soup...so did Myles, and I ordered escargot. I finally got the kids to try them and they now eat escargot!!! We had a really wonderful evening.

Friday we packed up and got a taxi to Gare Du Nord, to catch the Chunnel train back to London. We arrived at the station and as we were standing inside trying to figure out where to go etc...April discovered she had left her back pack in the taxi. As long as I live I will not forget that panicked terrible look on my poor little girl's face when she realized what had happened. And as the minutes, and franticness passed by it just got worse. We were all in tears.

Luckily Myles had her passport and ticket, but all her money, wallet, id, medication, sketch book with all her irreplaceable notes from her art course and her jewelry etc. and Myles camera......were in that back pack.

But Myles, our hero, came to our rescue. Not only was he so kind and understanding with April, he had happened to take a pic of the back of the taxi, for some odd reason. As a result we had the taxi's number and licence plate. And in the end, after a panic stricken terrible hour and a half, that is what saved the day.

But let me digress for a moment. If this had been in Canada, the taxi driver would have been instantly found and successfully contacted.

But not in France. This country is the most backward, logistically challenged, impossible and not that educated country I have ever been in, and I have been in a lot of countries. And what is worse, they are arrogantly proud of it. "Oh well, thats the French way!!!" Like its cute or something! Paris should be renamed Hubris. What it is is stupid and aggravating. Especially when you come from a well run, organized country.

So you can imagine what a boondoggle poor Myles went through. Long story short, he enlisted the help of taxi drivers (who were amazing) and security peeps (who were also beyond amazing). With about twenty minutes to go before boarding, the taxi driver was found, and he rushed back to the station with the bag, and Myles was hustled through customs all over again (we had already gone through not knowing the driver would be found) and got back in the nick of time...with April's bag, all intact. Thank you God...no thanks to the "French Way". As much as I loved my trips to Paris, I think I am through with that country.

Now London! thats a different story! What a fun and unaffected city London is. We stayed in the station long enough to eat and shop. St. Pancras is a wonderful, well organized, places to sit and eat, station. So a little shopping was done!

We then lugged our luggage (now I know where that term luggage comes from) (shovel list) out to the tube and tubed it out to the last stop before Heathrow. We taxied to our hotel, had a yummy dinner in the restaurant, went to bed, got up early and taxied to Heathrow. We got through customs and security with no issues this time.

Vancouver was the wrong passport caper. Customs in London station we had an issue I haven't told you about yet...to do with a knife and police. Paris station missing back pack. I was holding my breath at Heathrow until we bounced through security easily with time to shop! Smooth trip home and I am spending today at Aryn's and will head home tomorrow. All's well that ends well!!!!! TTYL

PS....The first thing I am doing when I get home is trashing that god forsaken assy suitcase of mine. That piece of crap would not wheel straight...it wanted to just turn in circles. Keeping it straight damned near wrecked my wrist. It kept falling over, the wheels were not placed properly on the bag so it was front heavy. And it wouldn't drag properly. A shitty piece of luggage can ruin your trip. I will look for the receipt and take it back. The only other thing I might do is keep it to store my summer clothes in downstairs. In the words of NOT one of my fave singers, Neil Young, PIECE OF CRAP. Good song...you should look it up.