12/30/10
From Calais To Paris
We hopped back on the bus and off the Ferry we drove along with 50 other tour buses and a multitude of cars. I kid you not when I say this was a BIG ASS BOAT! The Ferry had docked in Calais, a region of France that was once tied to England then later disassociated from the country. As of lately, Calais is trying to present itself as an inexpensive option for those needing somewhere to stay for the 2012 Olympics games that will be held in London. If you think this information is awesome, you can thank our tour guide Ben. He was quite intelligent and had many useful bits of information throughout our tour. I just expected this tour to be about partying because of the age limits, but there was quite a bit of history to be discovered along the way, a pleasant surprise!
Calais looks very much like England. Hillside, sheep, pastures, even the architecture was somewhat similar. As we drove a little further on there was a bit of scattered snow on the ground which really excited a guy I sat next to for a bit who was from South Africa. His name was Nick and it was his first time seeing snow, pretty amazing to see the excitement on someones face for an event such as snow! He was one of the many people I would meet this morning as Ben suggested we seat hop and get to know each other. So Nick from South Africa had to buy a coat to even go on this trip. He had never been so cold in his life. He didn't have much else to say or I can't remember what else he said. (Mind you it's been over a week since this happened and I've finally slept.)
There were 3 other guys I met, all who were part of a couple. This was awesome news to me because I thought Josh and I were the only couple on the bus. One guy was Scottish and his girlfriend was from Australia I believe, I think her name was Kirsti. I'm pretty sure she tried to aid me in dancing at the club on New Years Eve which was hilarious as I cannot dance and she was whole heartily into transforming me, God Bless Her! She was lovely. There was another couple from Australia as well and he was quite nice too. I think they planned on going to Euro Disney for New Years and I forgot to ask how that was, I'm sure it was fun! The 3rd guy was from Canada as was his girlfriend and he spoke 3 languages. They were a super cute couple and she dressed up to the nine's for Moulin Rouge with an elegant dress and a sparkly mask. I met at least 3 girls as well. The Canadian who had been sick earlier and was considering moving somewhere in Europe. She had had a telephone interview before the trip and was hopeful about receiving a position and transferring her residency, or however that works in Canada. She was explaining how in Canada you are considered a youth and they encourage you to travel and explore the world, how awesome is that? There was another girl, who I'm sorry to say I cannot remember her name or where she was from, but I'm sure I told her about our kids and talked most the time which is probably why I can't remember anything about her. Sorry! Then there was Iris! Iris is an event planner from Manhattan originally from the Philippines. We hit it off and talked about weddings, later on New Years Eve in the Metro I had to ask her name again and she said, "You know me, I'm Iris!" and I said, "The event planner!" Iris spent the day with Josh and I walking the Christmas Village by the Eiffel Tower a couple days later. I love you Iris! I'm sure there were more people, from Sydney I think, but I just can't remember. I'm a bad person!
The bus stopped at a little place were you could use the restroom and grab a bite to eat. Josh and I practiced our French, "S'il vous plait, Merci!" and sat down in a booth. A nice girl handed us napkins and I invited her to sit with us. Josh had already met her on the bus during the seat switching game, her name was Karen from Elgin, Illinois. She was practically our neighbor! We talked about kids over lunch and Illinois or something of the sort.
Back on the bus Ben informed us of massive useful things to know about Paris. Things like, "Beware of the Gypsies and their trickery!" Maps were handed out, notes were taken, eyes were falling asleep. The gist of it was that we should to be on the bus before it left or we would be finding our own way home. We arrived in Paris late that afternoon and checked into our hotel room. We stayed in the 19th Arrondissement near the Parc de la Vilette. We had just enough time to relax a short while and clean up before we headed back into Paris for dinner in the Latin Quarter.
Traffic in Paris is a bitch. Our driver Dave had a heck of a time getting into the city so Ben could point out beautiful sights and divulge historical information. Once in the city, the sun had set and Paris was alive with light and life. We craned our necks to see the wondrous new sights and somehow the exhausted feeling melted away. The first time you lay eyes on Notre Dame, even from a bus window, it is stilling. Her Lady is absolutely magnificent. I think my memory has tricked me because my former impression of her was not so grand as I had seen St. John the Divine just before I saw Notre Dame which really diminished the scale of her beauty. Not this time. She was amazing and all this from a bus window!
The bus dropped us off at Saint Michel in the Latin Quarter and we were off to find dinner! Josh and I were a little leery of getting our feet wet at night in a strange new city so we didn't venture to far off course. We walked around a couple blocks then headed back toward the meeting place. Here we found a restaurant called Chez Clement. We stepped inside and were greeted by a beautiful dinning room with casual but intimate seating. I sat on a banquette and Josh sat in a chair opposite me across a small round table. We studied the menu. Now, I'm not sure what I was expecting here but I have to tell you... The whole menu was in French. Suddenly all my years of studying the French language was null and void. All I could read was Poulet, Chicken and Creme Brulee because it has no translation. Panicked, I listened as the table next to us ordered a feast of shellfish and lobster. The waiter came to the table and I announced, "Je prende Le Poulet!" I'm not even sure if he had asked what I wanted. Josh was on his own and he order an assortment of meat and deliciousness. Then it occurs to me my husband is a classically trained French Chef. He could read EVERYTHING on the menu. All I had to do was ask and he would have pointed me in the direction of the Duck, which was what I really wanted. Boo! 
Alas, I had figured out how to order wine, by pointing. I ate my Chicken (It was a little dry, I'm not gonna lie.) and we ordered dessert. Take a guess, "Creme Brulee!!!!" I shouted! I don't know what it is with me getting nervous and yelling at waiters. Josh had a wonderful Chocolate and Pear dessert and we drank our Cafe Cremes. Squint your eyes because I'm about to yell. It was THE BEST ESPRESSO I HAVE EVER HAD! YES! It totally made my night and I was happy to walk back to the meeting point early to be on time. We got a chance to chat up with our tour mates and discover what they had indulged in for dinner. Someone said Chinese. I thought, "THIS IS PARIS! What?!"
Back on the bus we headed off to The Holiday Inn, before you think what you are thinking, this hotel was VERY nice. Comfy beds, extremely clean, roomy bathroom, and very close to the Metro stop, a real 10 in my book compared to The Hot Mess we had stayed in the night before. We fell in bed and hoped our alarms would go off so we could eat breakfast! Funny story. Remember reading the articles about iphones not working in Europe and Asia over the New Year? I had set my iphone alarm, many times! It didn't go off once while we were in Paris. I finally figured out that if I counted out the hours and set the actual timer it would make an alarm sound. I barely slept that night because I wanted breakfast.
Tune in tomorrow or the next day to find out what happens when the Dineen's hit the city street of Paris!
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