No Amy! My WASHING MACHINE is NOT a DRYER TOO!!!!

Au Revoir mes amis!!!

My friends have gone back to West Palm Beach and it’s quiet & a little sad.  It was a splendid visit first with her and Sarah who saw as much as you can in 2 days and then just girlfriend time with Amy the next week.  The funny thing is that she had to bring her own bed as we live in this unfurnished apartment until our other apartment is ready.  But then we’ll still need the beds because there is only one bedroom in that furnished apartment and no “extra room” so – these beds or “BUBS” as we nicknamed them shall remain! (BLOW UP BEDS)

(Oh, did I tell you?  My friend Amy thinks my French (very complicated Washing Machine is a Dryer too!!!)

Anyway, —We did the metro everywhere that first day until I was about to drop.  Amy and I were a pair I tell you as she has a bad back from the years of lifting bags and carrying 4 babies – and I have these awful knees from throwing bags in the bins of aircraft plus the lifting, so you should have seen the 2 of us up and down all those metro stairs, not to mention the walking!!! But the walking was fine actually. The stairs not so much.   We stayed in the Eiffel Tower for 3 hours taking in the first level then sitting down in the sunshine up there telling stories, then eating on the middle level what turned out to be a fabulous and not expensive lunch.  We even had mulled wine!  AFter that we went to the very top and oh!!- so much fun that was.  The cold wasn’t that bad at all either…… infact the sun felt wonderful up there and it was one of the best experiences I’ve had anyway, going up there.   I don’t know how many times I’ve been up, but it’s been a few since mom took me there around 16.  Hmmmm. …..  16- 60+……that’s a lot of years, and a lot of mileage on my feet -and KNEES!!   I’m just glad the lifts didn’t break and we’d be forced to walk down from the top!  HA!

We ate – we played well – we loved well – and we laughed well.

The things we saw in 2 days:  CDG – Gare du Nord (a lot to see just from the trains, on the trains, off the trains, the train station itself.) I’ve never seen so many people in my life actually.  Then, lunch at Enghien-les-Bains Cafe where Sarah relished in the fresh salmon with a sauce and Amy chose a red wine to die for…..but didn’t.  And then we came back to the apartment for their “jetlag rest” and then out again to see the city of lights after picking up David from his work in Les Invalides.

What FUN!  As I said, there were too many metro STAIRS, but other than that, and the fact that the BATEAU MOUCHE was closed by the time we got to it…..nevermind, we hailed a cab and got back to our very busy Gare du Nord Train Station where there is always a train going to where you want to go.  UNLESS, there is a strike.  Alas. No strike.  We got back and got a good nights rest so that we could start with a bang in the morning and go and go and go!  While all the GOING was GOING ON – I have to say that Sarah got doors opened for her, taxi’s screeching to a halt when NONE of us could get one, uh hem…. and drivers giving her their phone number on their card(s) the entire day.  One guy sang to her in the metro, another one coyed up to her in the train and well, the list goes on……and on….and I pray that her mother doesn’t bring Sarah’s friends along next time or we’ll never ever see any of them again!!!!!!!   😉

Well, we did the City of Lights from the heights of the Eiffel to the depths of the metro …  and it was – I must say – for 2 “older girls” and one young 19 year old and one “older man” – we did really quite fine. Thank you AMY for bringing me hangers, and Irish Spring soap, and the BEDS and blankets and sheets and most of all  YOURSELF!!! AND SARAH!!!!  I love you, I cherish you as a friend and Paris will never be the same without you both!!!!!!   All my love,   Marti