Journal: “This has been a very “expanding” trip..I’ve done things I never thought I’d do...ride a bike again, ride a bike in Europe, ride SO far each day...take a barge trip on a beautiful barge, cruise the River Seine, spend a week in Paris, visit Monet’s Garden...and then add ukulele music to the mix, meeting new people who have at least one thing as common denominator = UKULELE! Now...to accomplish the trip home, which is so far...and sanely get back to our home, time zone, food, exercise habits, dog, family and friends.
Although I have designs on taking a taxi to the airport, at considerable expense and considerable ease, Steve thinks the metro and RER trains will be more memorable. We sort out the ticket purchase the afternoon before with a trip to the train station and search out the correct ticket machine and train line.
This is a cozy photo of traveling on the metro to the next train to the airport. Phil, Steve and the ukuleles...and our baggage = Nan is across the way.
Here's the more memorable part: Unfortunately, there is no photo of Nan with her wheely luggage caught in the metro ticket gate. Since Steve’s metro ticket didn’t work in the machine that opens the gate for people to walk through, I choose the machine and gate over one....and going slowly, I encourage him to follow me through on my ticket...but, alas, too slowly. KAZAMM. The gate closes hard on my suitcase and it is totally STUCK...can’t pull it through or push it back. Guess there was a plan for people like me....trying to cheat the system. Except we had valid tickets...just didn’t work. Steve goes off to get “help.” I stand there laughing....sort of...trying to come up with the words for “Help” in French...all I can come up with is Spanish. Or, English. Neither work.
Finally a young French mother with a 4 year old sees me. She shakes her head. Although she has already used her monthly pass to go through another gate, she circles around, comes back and passes her ticket over the ticket reader and the gate flips open! Kind, kind person. At this point Steve is arriving back, without help, because he decided he wanted a photo first. Ha ha ha. Use your imagination.
Soon we are magically back at the busy busy airport.
San Juan Islands....here we come...
Well, I have a few ideas.....
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