The day started with breakfast in our room, followed by a series of chores necessary to recover from the lost wallet, including replacing the temporary room card with a real one (which will only be used for one day but that is one day more than the temporary one could be used). I also paid my monthly bills as the end of the month is rapidly approaching.
Around 1pm we left the hotel, walked to the train station and had a fairly elaborate discussion with the transit people about how to get 6 more tickets. We would have preferred getting 6 more paper ones like we had been using (and 8 of which were lost with the wallet). But the system is switching over to tap-and-go fare cards and our station was one that had switched over. Paper tickets were not an option. So we had to buy 2 reusable tap-and-go cards at 4 euros each. The tickets, when loaded on the card, are just 2 euros per ride rather than 2.5, so we save 3 euros on the 6 tickets. But it was still a net loss of 5 euros. Bummer.
Our destination was the Eiffel Tower. We had both been there before, but in Marlene’s case it was over 60 years ago, so she was eager to see it again. We found that security has been tightened a lot. The entire block is fenced in and we had to go through a security screening to get inside. But we got in.
We didn’t stay long. Just long enough to take some photos. Then back on the Metro to get to our dinner engagement with Benjie and Junko.
Our last dinner in Paris was at Bistrot le Dome – Benjie and Junko’s favorite seafood haunt. We all had baby squid as an appetizer and it was spectacular. Marlene was adventurous with her entree, ordering the fried skate. I was a bit more conventional, ordering a normal fish, but it was a fish I had never had before (and can’t name now). It was all very good, with kir to start and espresso to finish. I also had their creme brulee, which was excellent.
Benjie and Junko picked up the tab, which was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps they felt sorry for me, a guy with no wallet. Well, every cloud has a silver lining, eh?
It was a very pleasant evening. Thank you, Benjie and Junko.
For those of you who have been paying attention, Benjie is David Benjamin, the author of a number of books that I have reviewed here. Search “Benjamin” and you will find the posts. He is a very talented author. He also published a weekly screed which is free for the asking. Just go to his website: lastkidbooks.com and either read the screeds there or send a note to the author asking to be put on the screed mailing list.
ATW-2 Day 18: Paris, France, to Landau, Germany
The four nights in Paris were memorable in both good and bad ways. But the hotel in which we resided for the final 3 days was very fine: Sejours and Affaires Paris Vincennes. This seems to be a hotel geared toward long-term stays by students. But it isn’t a dormitory, isn’t affiliated with a school and certainly welcomed us. So kind of an oddball, but quite comfortable. Clean bathroom, comfortable bed and a kitchenette that allowed us to actually cook meals on a stove. WAY better than the first Paris hotel.
It also had garage parking, for an additional 13 euros per day. I paid for parking but in retrospect might have skipped it as there was free parking on the street and the area seemed quite safe.
Anyway, we checked out of the hotel around 9am and embarked on a 7-hours-plus journey across France, into Germany. We made one stop, in Vitry-le-Francois, on a whim because we saw the towers of a cathedral. It was younger than the cathedrals we had visited in and near Paris, being built in the 17th century, but it was quite beautiful. We were glad we stopped. And it felt good to stretch the legs.
We wandered the town for a bit and bought a pistachio eclair – a first for us. Then we got back on the road.
The border between France and Germany has almost entirely disappeared. The only notice that we left France was a small sign with “Allemagne” (Germany in French) on it. There was a checkpoint but it appeared that no one was being stopped.
We stopped for some groceries at an Aldi in Virty-le-Francois as we knew that we would have access to a full kitchen and were craving a home-cooked meal. We got some sausage that could be pan-fried.
One difference between France and Germany became obvious pretty quickly: the speed on the roads. In France we were often frustrated by slow drivers. Almost no one traveled more than 10 kph over the limit, which made mine one of the fastest cars on the road. That flipped in Germany: I was one of the slowest. Germans drive FAST. This is encouraged by the lack of a speed limit on many sections of the expressways / autobahns.
We had dinner and played cards. Do I need to tell you who won?