>Well I made it back from Europe safe and sound..what an adventure it was! I have to say first of all that I am so so blessed to live in America! I love AMERICANS! We have got to be the nicest people especially southerners WOW! Ha ha but don’t get me wrong it was an awesome trip! I went with my best friend Georgia David, her Mom Sherry and Sherry’s’ great friend Kim Jones! What a group, we were always up to know good;) We flew from Dallas to London and stayed in London 2 days. The first day I was SO tired. I didn’t sleep at all on the plane ride. I just can’t sleep any where but a bed! Guess I’m just spoiled!
So when we got to London G and I walked around the area around our hotel and checked everything out! Of course the first day we managed to get lost..luckily Harrods security is very good with directions! The first 2 days were just checking out all the sights, We bought an all day double Decker bus pass for the second day, saw all the sights and even got to see the changing of the guards! Night 2 we got to see Les Miserables! It was perfect! The whole story was just…awesome! After Les Mis we went to the only restaurant we could find open (Brits seem to eat early and call it a night way earlier than Georgia and I would have liked!) It was an Italian place and all the waiters quickly fell in love with Georgia and I…by the end of the night our tummy’s were full with free dessert! Thanks Antonio!
The third day of London we got up early early and headed to the train station! Paris here we come! The train went under the channel which easily freaked out Kimmy..Great for her, Georgia and Sherry… they slept! (leaving me awake..yet again on a moving transportation system) We got to Paris with tons of energy..If we hadn’t been awake it wouldn’t have taken long because when we got off the train and into the station we were awakened by the banging of drums. Protests were all over Paris while we were there!
So we finally got to our hotel and it was AHHHMAZING Georgia and I had a big nice room with 5 little balcony’s on it! Our view from our window was so beautiful! We went to a Lil cafe across from the Lourve Hotel (same one Sienna Miller went to a few days ago-says my people magazine) and had some coffee…Didn’t wake Sherry up enough so Kim was left to “babysit” Geo and I! We headed to the Lourve Museum and had a blast seeing all the beautiful art works including Venus de Milo, the Victory of Samothrace, and Mona Lisa. It was awesome to see these originals in person! Although the Mona Lisa is anti climatic and also wayyyyyy smaller then you think she’ll be! SO the first night in Paris we were going to go to dinner and then the Eiffel Tower but we sat under a heater at dinner and were TOTALLY DRAINED…plus i wasn’t in the best mood cause my cheese platter didn’t come with crackers haha! So the first night in Paris ended up being sleepy time right after dinner!
The next day we headed to see the Eiffel tower for the first time! On the way seeing lots and lots of interesting people and beautiful buildings! We loved taking fun pictures at the tower and seeing it in all its glory!! Than we hoped on the subway and I had my incounter with a very very mean frenchie!! He got his panties in a bunch because he thought I was going to liter (leave my empty cup) on the subway…chewed me out for a few min and even dared to call me a “typical American” ICKKKK! So after that I was very upset getting off and Sherry was trying to comfort me when this happened….
this is a copy of ewhat Kim said about her “incident”
“So, this is the way it happened………… I’m in Paris with Sherry & Georgia David, and Emily Warren. We decided (well, really, I’m laying the blame on Sherry) to take the Metro from the Eiffel Tower over to Notre Dame, although deep down I’m feeling the Metro people aren’t My People…
Halfway through our trip, we’re changing trains, and while climbing the nasty, grossly dirty steps of the Paris Metro, I trip, falling in extremely slow motion, unable to get my hands out of my pockets to stop my fall, and end up plastering my forehead against those disgusting steps!!
When I pull my hand away from my head to ask Georgia if it’s very bad – she turns pale, with a look that can only be described as horrified and can’t / won’t answer me, leaving me to wonder if that brow lift I’ve been wanting is going to happening sooner rather than later!
I remember from head wounds when my boys were little that they bleed terrifically, as did this one, then flittering thoughts of head wounds (Natasha Richardson) are bouncing around in my head.
More random recollections: a small child seeing my wound, backs up, starts to freak out, and her mother trying to calm her; Georgia David gagging, and possibly throwing up in her mouth; Georgia then cleaning MY BLOOD OFF THE FLOOR OF THE METRO BECAUSE A CHILD ALMOST SLIPPED AND FELL, Georgia trying not to look at me again, until I gave her my cute white Michele watch to care for while I go in the ambulance to a local hospital with no less than the 8 paramedics that showed up to my emergency; having the sanity to temporarily bequeath my wedding ring to Emily while I’m being cared for because God is the only one that knew what kind of place I would be taken to; a wonderful stranger who stayed with us the entire time to be sure that the paramedics could speak English and was an incredible help. I will firmly argue with anyone that says the French are rude and unfriendly!!!!!
Thanks to Georgia and Emily chatting up the EMT guys, I received attentive (when the girls weren’t a. taking pictures, b. getting their Facebook info and c. allowing the locals to take a look at me inside the ambulance like a caged animal in the zoo – they should have charged a few Euro’s) care the entire way to the hospital.
THE HOSPITAL:
I discovered several things about my self at this point, and acknowledging the fact that I live a very sheltered life was probably 1st on the list. Another is that I couldn’t wish away the fact that although I was totally out of control and oh so badly did not want to be there, I was there, and I was going to have to live with it!
By this time I’ve asked for a 1. private hospital 2. a plastic surgeon and 3. where did they take Princess Diana? I’m just going to say honestly that I have no problem living the sheltered life. I didn’t get any of those above mentioned things, but I did walk out alive.
First, there was stinky man in the ER walking around a soiled diaper; then there was the bathroom that smelled like it hadn’t been cleaned, let alone disinfected since the building was erected; 8 people lying on gurney’s lining the walls, moaning, sick, masks on, etc…… drunk man carrying around his bottle of wine, going outside to smoke a cigarette, only to return wheezing and using his little breather thingy and trying to take a group picture of the 5 of us; a 5 hour wait – with me wishing I’d told them my pain level was through the roof so I could at least get some good drugs, and as far I know, there was only one actual Dr. in the ER, the rest were interns who spoke sketchy English, but hey – I’m in their country.
No blood drawn, no radiology, but I could touch my fingers to my nose rapidly and evidently I passed the “follow my fingers” exam with flying colors! I was deemed neurologically sound – the doc came in and cleaned my wound ( that’s the part I worried about the most), and super-glued my head shut!
I’m now thankful for:
American hospitals, my friends who took such good care of me until they got really hungry and had to leave me alone in the ER – kidding – but they really did leave me there – no one in the ER asked for a credit card or any money whatsoever – it’s totally free!, which is not to say that I would trade my American sheltered way of life for anything!!!”
That’s the detailed story of our most exciting Paris ADVENTURE!
Well I’m gonna leave you hanging for right now! I’ve gotta get ready for the day but no worries I’ll be sure to finish up a summary of our European adventure soon!
Lavender Daffodils 