So we were already sitting down in the lobby at 8:30 waiting for the shuttle that changed hotels and was to pick us up at 9:00 a.m. the nice Indian hotel guy called to be sure for us, as Helen sat listening to the obnoxious tour group from Florida, happy not to be a part of that.
At 9:05 the shuttle arrived and we were on it with two old Jewish ladies (who reminded us of a neighbor lady). Then a Jewish couple got on, first time in Paris. We also stopped to pick up a French man, and still managed to get to the airport on time. I was proud of Helen for being concerned, but not even stressing. She has it all under control and didn’t even need me to go with her, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I stopped feeling hungover, but was totally lame and tired. We went to an airport cafe and then she shuttled up the escalator to her flight area. I was sad to see her go, but she was ready.
Then I had to call the shuttle to pick me up, including first to buy the useless phone card 50 FF (a waste of $10 for one local call). Waiting on level two at Gate 20, after 20 minutes, when a very suave handsome tall dark French man came up to me and said, “Madame Gross?” Somehow I don’t mind being called ‘Madame’ – it has a nice polite, respectful French ring to it.
Yes, it was the shuttle driver and what a driver he was. We had to go upstairs to the next level and he was very polite. Total womanizer, as he was talking on his cellphone to a woman, and we passed her also on the street in Paris. I said, “Paris is a small city, no?”
He later passed someone else he knew in a car and, “Paris is a very small city.” Born and raised in Paris, he told me about an American 🇺🇸 that he met who works for Delta, and is supposed to send him a free ticket to the USA. Already, he’d been to New York and Washington DC.
“There are a lot of Americans in Paris,” I exclaimed, as he nearly ran over three in a cross walk.
Back at the hotel, I paid and then visited with the other young Indian housekeeper. From Sri Lanka 🇱🇰, formerly Ceylon, he learned both French and English in Paris. Yesterday, he also had wanted to speak English with us.
It was almost 15:00, so I made a trip nextdoor to the Patisserie and bought some nice looking pastries, two mini quiches, and a killer pineapple 🍍 juice. After munch in my room, I went to find the Latino Cyber Cafe again (behind the Pantheon. On the way, stepping into the St. Genevieve Etienne Church- a very nice church with a unique division across the front, called a rood screen.
There were some other Americans in there and I felt kind of lonely again. It was a pretty church and reminded me of St. Vitus and the great time with mom and dad in Prague!
Wednesday 9 June, 1999
