Paris Part I

When I invited the "Rent a Kid" over for a visit I wasn't sure what would occur. I have known here since she was 4 and had spent a lot of time with her this past Summer, but... Ya don't know a person until ya live with them. Ya know what I mean?

She would be living with me, as my guest. Not me with her as her guest. Actually I was a guest of her Mother and Father, but we shared a bathroom so in a way I was her guest. Right?

Well we have done a lot of stuff in the past several days. I will back track on those days in a bit. I am just so excited about the time spent in Paris, I just want to skip ahead a wee bit.

I decided to take the train to Paris. Not just any train. The ICE train. The ICE mean Intercity Express. Back in the olden days, when we were here before that was a train that didn't stop at all the town between here and there. Now-a-days that means fast. Really fast.


My "Rent a Kid" getting comfy on the train. We're just getting started.




This is "Rent a Kid" when she realizes that we are now going 319 KPH. That translates to 196.5 MPH. Wee, just like a roller coaster, but flat and fast.

We're in the hotel room now and she needs to relax. Actually I need to relax. She walked me for miles. We bought unlimited METRO tickets for the time we were in the city, but she wanted to savor the flavor of Paris. So for the majority of the day we walked.

Right next to her bed is mine. I really want to be in it right now. I am a tired She Who.

More tomorrow.

I Asked Her If It Would Be A Raspberry Beret

So I am packing to go to Paris.

The "Rent a Kid" is so excited she is shaking.

We have our tickets booked and paid for the ICE (a very fast train to get us to Paris in 2 hours versus a 5/6 hour drive.) train and our hotel. The hotel is very near the Eiffel tower. Just off the METRO line. Most places in Paris are just off the METRO line. Gotta love living in a city with a METRO.

Our planned agenda include the Louve, Notre Dame, the Eiffel tower, Monmartra, and the Left Bank.

We will be in the heart of Paris so everything is just in walking distance.

The kid wants to buy a beret. I asked her if it would be a Raspberry beret. She said what?

Not a clue. I guess I am just old. I couldn't even find a Prince Youtube vidio to show it to her.

Trier/Paris

Well we ended up not going to Trier yesterday.

I got up early and started to research Paris and hotels an the ICE train and got lost in the details.

I kept going round and round with the Germany trains website. It wouldn't let me book seats on the train to Paris. Thinking that maybe the seat were all sold out I check other days. Nope. No luck there. So I requested seats a month from now. Same results of not being able to purchase seats.

Feeling really frustrated I called Spousal Unit and got his voice mail. I left a detailed message of all my frustrations and hoped he would get back to me soon.

I looked at the time and realized that going to Trier for the day was outta there. It was 10:30 and "Rent a Kid" was still in bed. I also wanted to get Paris all lined up. Time was running out for securing reservations. Paris is the only thing the Kid wanted to do while here. So I got her up. Told her to get dressed to go to base.

Well in the end we got the ICE train tickets and a hotel reservation and are going to Paris.

More to follow.

She Made Major Eye Contact Yesterday

Email to my "Rent a Kid's" mother. Being a mother she worries. Being a mother that hasn't really done a whole bunch of traveling she really worries. Guess what, I'm her other mother. Like I don't worry too?

Hey Kiddo,

I have your baby. I was a meanie yesterday and kept her up till 7:30 so she could adjust to the time change quickly. We had a nice drive home from the airport and after unloading the car went exploring for a bit. I took her to a couple of stores and showed her a little of the area. She now has a new "crack" ..... German Fanta soda. It is totally different than the American Fanta. Not as sweet.

I got her up at 10:00 this morning and she is good to go.

We went out and about again today. I took her to lunch at a favorite restaurant next town over. She had salad and pizza and enjoyed it. Then we went to Ramstein and the Asian market and took some pictures around the town. Then we hopped back in the van to get some money exchanged and to the commissary for dinner meat and then to the BX. Looking for souvenirs and stuff. She bought a silk kimono robe and bib type thingee. Beautiful pattern and fabric.

Drove home and I put together dinner and we are both cyberspacing right now. She to you and Grandma Martie and friends. Me to you.

We plan on spending the day in Trier tomorrow. Trier is a beautiful medium sized city. Its claim to fame is that it is the oldest Roman city in Germany. The Roman gates are still there and the town square is also gorgeous. Will have a nice lunch and then come home.

We haven't found her an American GI that is cute in a uniform yet. Though she made major eye contact yesterday. Tee Hee.

Love ya and talk to you soon.

She Who

Me Being A Ditzoid Is One Scenario That I Can Live With

Whew. I just got back from the airport.

I got up early this morning to go get my "Rent a Kid" from the airport. She is my Gal Pal Tammy's daughter. You know her father as Mr. Determination from earlier posts. Well anyway, "Rent a Kid" was going through a rough patch and I said, "Come on down." So she did/is. (I borrowed her for a Mother/daughter banquet years ago and she has been my "Rent a Kid" ever since.)

So with much anticipation, I got up and did all that boring morning stuff really early this morning. I am an early riser, but have been slacking recently. Why get up so early when the snuggly bed calls to me?

I anticipated that she would be thirsty so I packed some water, got my GPS system out of the van, and was good to go.

I looked outside and said, "Oh yuck, Its raining. Can't I ever go to the airport when it isn't raining or snowing?" I hopped into Blackie and off I went. Blackie is fun to drive, so I was looking forward to the drive up and back. On the autobahns, Blackie is really, really fun to drive. Little Black Mercedes roadsters are like that.

I made it to the airport in plenty of time. I took the time this morning to check the flight schedule and verified that the plane was landing 1/2 hour early and planned accordingly.

I walked into the Arrival area 5 minutes after the plane landed and knew it would take her about 1/2 hour to collect luggage and go through customs.

So I waited. And waited. And waited. An hour after the plane landed, I still didn't have my "Rent a Kid." I called Spousal Unit. He recommended I give it another 1/2 hour and then page her in the airport. "She probably was having a problem with her luggage." He is a wise man so I did what he suggested.

No "Rent a Kid."

By now, I am in PANIC mode.

I call Spousal Unit again. "Go home and call Tammy and see if she emailed me and I missed it or if she missed a connection." He went home.

I go up to the airlines counter and am told the airline personnel have already gone home. I REALLY lose it.

A few minutes later my pocket starts to vibrate and ring. It is Spousal Unit. He says, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you got to the airport in a timely manner and had a good practice run on going to the airport."

"The bad news is that you get to do it again tomorrow. I checked the itinerary and she leaves today and gets in tomorrow morning."

That is the best news he could have given me at that time. Of all the scenarios running through my head, me being a Ditzoid is one scenario that I can live with.

To My Boys, Kisses, Love, Mom

Happy Mothers Day to all.

May your day be wonderful.

I miss my babies. Not that they are babies anymore.

To Charlie and Alex. I love you and miss you.

Kisses.

Love,

Mom

Man, Was I Miffed

OMG it just took an hour and a half to load 5 pictures. If anyone out there in Cyber land can give me some hints. Please do. I sit here and get old waiting for them to load. And ya all know from my recent posts that I have a really full social calendar. LOL. I wish.

Any way I promised some pictures of the countryside with the rape seed in bloom. I sorta kinda got some, but where I could safely stop for pictures was not really the best vantage point for a photo Op. Here is what I got. Grumbly tummie and all.

This is on the top of the mountain where I live. I am at the soccer field looking across over. Da Toni's restaurant is just to my back. Did I mention Da Toni. Must have a Da Toni salad.


This is also on top of my mountain.

This is one of the safer places to pull over to get out to take pictures. See the rape seed blooms towards the top of the photo?

This is also on the top of my mountain. The rape seed is over on another mountain. Today was really hazy. Sorry.
This is on the street where I live. My house is directly across the street from the house in the middle of the picture. The street bends a little to the right. Da Toni's is directly to my left. Da Toni's salad. Have I ever mentioned how good it is?

Maybe I am fixated on food 'cause the outing today was almost a total bust. We went antiquing and the place was closed. It was too early to go to lunch so I suggested going to a flower place right down the road. Which had a coffee/bakery right next door. So we had coffee, which led to kuchen, which led to no lunch.

Man, was I miffed. I was looking forward to some soup and salad.