We Always Have Paris

October 18

We left the little cottage around 10 vowing to the owner we will be back. It is a comfortable location for us. Vicki also said goodbye to Fido and told him we would be back soon.

With lots of time we took a leisurely route to Dijon. Everything went well, even the gas pump cooperated with my credit card, until we got into the parking garage trying to return the car. There was signage at the entrance and that was it and the lay out of the garage made no sense to us. I played bumper cars with some of the curbs, tried to go out the in, and finally got to the top floor a found some Europcar parking spots but no attendant. So, we gather up our belongs and rode the elevator down and walked back to the office where we had exchanged the car, turned in the keys and went to lunch. 

Lunch was back at Pho Dijon. Vicki had another Bo Bun and I had a soup. I did not get a Pho and though I enjoyed the soup in the end I would have preferred a Pho.

Back at the station we killed about 45 minutes people watching and then hopped the highspeed TVG to Paris. The train rolled in on time at track E. By the way, if you are new to train travel in Europe they have a monitor in the terminal with all the trains listed. The track is not posted until around less than 10 minutes before the train arrives. So, don't panic.

The ride was great and in 1:30 we were in Gare de Lyon and made our way through the crowd into the taxi line which was long but moved very quickly. Probably 10 to 15 minutes. The taxi deposited us at 223 Rue de St. Martin after making his way through the Paris traffic.

Sandra was there to meet us, quickly showed us around the apartment and there we were.

We started using Cobblestone Paris for all our visits. You can find less expensive apartments but you never know what you are getting. At Cobblestone you know that every apartment is clean and stocked with everything from toilet paper to coffee filters. Many apartments have nothing and you have to go buy products like salt and pepper, cleaning items, etc in quantities more than you will ever use. Plus, they are great people.

Our friends and former neighbors, Vicki Bennett and Rich Luker, arrived today from Michigan where they are now living. After settling in they came over from their apartment a few blocks away and we had a nice happy hour and then went in search of dinner. Unfortunately it started to rain, not forecast, we ducked into the restaurant we standing next to when it started. The staff was wonderful and even though we did not have a reservation the juggled some tables and found us a place. When they presented the menus we discovered that it was a Lebanese restaurant with a nice selections of mezzes. The wait staff was wonderful and thankfully spoke English as using a translate program to get Lebanese names written French to English was a challenge. I might also add here that at the last stop, Semur-en-Auxios, almost no one spoke any English.

Waiting for a ride

Catching up with friends

DUE TO TECHNICAL PROBLEMS THERE WILL NO POSTS FOR FEW WEEKS

But hold you over here are some photos:

Okay, it's been several months now and I failed to close out last year so here we go.

Picture with my arm in the sling is the big story. We walking back from dinner with Alan on the Left Bank, I tripped, found my myself face down on a Parisian sidewalk quicker than I ever have in my life. The fall also came with excruciating pain in my left shoulder. With Vicki's assistance, I got on my feet and we walked back to our apartment where I take multiple doses of Tylenol and ibuprofen. To my surprise there were no scratches, dents or even dirt on my me from the fall other than the shoulder.

Now what to do? We had a few days left before we where scheduled to return to the US. As I debated for a day or two whether I should go to a local doctor or wait till we got back to the US the pain diminished and I decided we would just wait till we came home. I had what I thought was the same injury I'd had when the bear ran out in front of me on the scooter and I went over to handlebars and screwed up the shoulder. While Vicki and Alan and Rich and Vicki 2 continued to enjoy Paris, I sit in the apartment taking pills and naps.

My birthday gift for this year was a cooking class at the Ritz in Paris. Since I was unable attend Alan kindly took my place or pushed me out of the way and took my place. I don't remember because I was on drugs. It was reported to me that Alan, Vicki, Vick2, and Rich had a wonderful time, a wonderful meal and super wine on my behalf. And, the bastards did not bring me a lick of leftover duck or mushroom soup or expensive wine. Alan did try to make up for it but bringing me a great croissant and coffee the next day.

Rich, Vicki, Vicki, Alan

Vicki receiving her certificate

Look at that grin on Alan's face as he steals my food

Duck Al Orange

Surprisingly pain was not excessive and in fact it was more discomfort level than pain so hopped on the plane came back to the States.

The doctor the great George Canazaris, who I bought a new car for last year about this time when he put me in a new knee, said “Wow, you did a great job of demolishing your old shoulder and I get to put you in a new one that's going to be backwards”. He seemed quite pleased with this as usually he just does parts replacement, as he says. Someone comes in with arthritis or something normal on their shoulder and they just chop the parts off and put new parts in. It's not that often that somebody comes in with a totally demolished shoulder and he gets to go in there and play surgeon.

Before

After. Note that unlike a normal shoulder the
ball is now on the shoulder instead of the arm.

I'm glad to report that he did a great job. It's now been 2 months since the surgery it's the middle of January and I went on my first scooter ride in 6 months yesterday and it was deemed successful. I'll be continuing with PT for several months but this weekend I'm hoping to go on a real scooter ride down to the Jacaranda. I will try to report on that in a 2022 scooter block.

Thank you for watching.