Thursday, August 9, 2007

Ok all, sitting here at about 8:15 Paris time. We are supposed to start our walking tour today. I forgot to mention a few things yesterday. When we were picked up at the airport, our driver spoke almost no English which was a minus for us. Then our 1 bag never showed up which didn't surprise me when I saw how the personnel on the tarmac operated. They were loading up luggage and dropped one. When they were loading up luggage the guy would pick up the suitcases hold it over a conveyer belt and then drop it from about 1 ft off the belt. No wonder things always get broken.

Ok so we land at 4:20, get to the baggage claim and about 15 minutes later, realize that all but one of our bags is missing. Come an hour later, we are late, the driver has called his office apparently he was scheduled to pick up someone and he's late. So his dispatcher told us to "hurry up please as our driver had spent already too much time with us. It should not have taken this long for a pick-uu!" Well Duh!

Anyway, we finally leave the airport an 1 1/2 later. The guy waited. I had prepaid the amount thank god because I wouldn't have paid him if I had. Anyway, he does a madman rush to our hotel, drops us off after being a maniac and drives off. Good riddance to a bad seed I say and I must also say, not a huge amount of guilt for not tipping which is unusual for me.

So we're dropped off in front of our hotel which looks like its being renovated and off a side street. We are meet by the late shift receptionist name Kathering which is a welcome sight to sour ears. Her English is accented but almost perfect. Thank God. She helps to translate for the driver before he heads off.

Then she takes us across the street, shows us how the doorway is key inserted. Then asks us which of us are planning on being in the smaller room to which I reply - the girls. She then proceeds to take them and the luggage up these room for only one person at a time staircase while she tells me to proceed via the miniscule elevator up to floor 6 which is the last floor! Imagine folks, we got the penthouse suite.

Anyway, Katherine shows up a few minutes later with our luggage one at a time. She shows us how to use the wall AC and then she leaves to bring up more luggage. Get this folks, a tall, lanky beautiful not-French girl using a miniscule elevator to bring up our luggage. And when I say miniscule I am not kidding. Imagine an elevator where when you stand sideways, your shoulders brush the back wall and the other side. You have to stand in sideways. LOL

That's ok, the hospitality shown to us from the personnel of this hotel was worth it. It is running us about $3000 for 4 nights for 2 rooms but the welcoming we got was great! Well worth it after coming off a DCL cruise.

Oh yeah - get this, later, we walked to the grocery store, picked up some staples and then called the front desk asking for directions to a McDonalds. Well, they had had shift change, Katerhine was gone but the wonderful man at the desk, not only asked us to wait a second and he would point out how to get there but 2 minutes later, he tells another client to hold on just a minute. He then proceeds to walk us about 2 minutes away and then told us where to go. This is certainly not the typical Frenchman attitude. I love them. A welcome sign for sore eyes I tell you.

Ooopps, forgot to tell you, upon checking in, our tour guide, Vivanne, had called and left a message saying that she would see us at 9 am in the lobby across the street. The reception is in the front building. Oh I would say 20 ft away from our front lobby. So extremely close.

So afte a rocky start, and folks, the luggage cannot be blamed on my rotten luck, BTW, Steve bought me a wonderful flash - the Canon 430 EX in Florence, good thing too as they flash went kaput the next day! But at least the personnel here are amazing. I just hope they continue to be - we shall see - getting close to 9 so I must logg off. Onward and Upward, we are doing a grand tourof Paris today so as the French way - Au Revoir!