We packed light for a quick trip to Paris to pick Chelsea up at the airport. I asked Kurt to stop at McDonalds for coffee. We'd had our fill of espresso. Even an Americano is a little too strong for us, so we were ready for a little taste of home. After paying, Kurt said, "Uh, Mom. Look at our coffees. The cups looked the size of the ones the nurse hands you, if you get my meaning. It was espresso, should have known. I laughed until I cried a little.
We have had a love/hate relationship with our GPS on this trip. It took us through hills and forests. Kurt said, "This does not look like the road to Paris should look." We even had to slam on the brakes so we didn't hit a hawk sitting in the road who turned around to take a second look at us.
We passed a farm full of geese waiting to be sold as foie gras at the Sarlat market.
At one point the road ran along a ridgetop where we could see the 360 degree view of the countryside below, filled with red roofed houses and green fields full of white fluffy sheep.
When we finally reached the interstate, the torrential rains started so I decided I'd sleep for a couple of hours to let Kurt concentrate on driving. The GPS took us right through the middle of Paris during rush hour traffic with the craziest drivers. I had to close my eyes some, but at least we got to see a lot of Paris.
I hadn't planned on going with him to pick Chelsea up, so Kurt had rented a hostel for the night. At the last minute, I decided to go because of all the rain in the forecast. As we drove through the pretty streets of Paris, I felt okay about staying in a hostel since Kurt was with me. But the longer we drove, the more the scenery changed. I was trying to be brave but I was pretty concerned by the time he let me out of the car to go inside to ask about parking. Immediately I was whooped and hollered at. Thankfully, Kurt had his window down and witnessed the scene. He yelled at me to quickly get back in the car. I was so relieved!
I knew just where we should stay. Hotel Aida Opera is where Ashley and I had stayed in 2008. When we arrived, it felt like going home. I knew where to eat, where to get money exchanged and even where to find the chocolate.
We chose Bouillon Chartier, a favorite restaurant of the locals, for dinner. My obvious accent must have given us away when I asked for, "Une table pour deux, y'all" because he sat us at a table with two other American families, a couple from Alabama and Paul and his wife from California. We had great conversations and lots of laughs. For instance, when we had plenty of time to look over the menu and the waiter came to take our order. He said in blunt English, "What do you want?" Paul, in his happy Asian accent replied quickly back, "Whachu got?" He said it to make us laugh, and we all did, except for the waiter. He gave a "Hmph!" then stomped off. He didn't come back to take our order for another half hour. We didn't mind, though, because Paul kept us in stitches.
After dinner, we stopped to purchase chocolates to have with coffee later in the room. We opened the windows and drifted in and out of sleep all night to the cool breeze and the comforting sounds of Parisian night life.
While Kurt was away to Perigueux, I took a walk in the village and ended up in Monique's garden. She had asked me to keep her flowers watered while she was on vacation, but it had been raining for days. These pictures that I took are blurry because it was a misty day, but it is somehow fitting because they have a dream-like feel, which is how I would describe my entire trip, dreamy and beautiful.
So much texture and beauty
Details
Blurry beauty around the hamlet
When Kurt arrived home, we drove to the train station in Souillac to purchase his return ticket from Barcelona, where he will fly to attend a concert.
Je Suis Malade and Meyrals
We were on our way to Perigueux to exchange some cash into euros and passed through the small town of Meyrals. We passed a parking lot full of cars then saw a brocante sign. Kurt quickly turned the car around and we anxiously looked for a parking spot. I could barely wait to take my seatbelt off. We followed the signs but wondered why we hadn't seen any people. Then we realized...it was a funeral. :/
I had started not to feel well and
as we drove around the curvy roads, it had gotten much worse, so Kurt kindly drove me home so that I could sleep while he drove back to Perigueux. Even after all that trouble, he wasn't able to get our money exchanged.
Driving Around in the Rain
It was a misty day and we spent the afternoon driving around in the rain. Since I still didn't feel well, we didn't have any adventures, but we got some interesting pictures through the rainy windshield.
