Helen and John's European Adventure - Conclusion

So we left off arriving at our Paris hotel. It was actually on the outskirts of Paris. We arrived late and first discovered there was no parking available even though I reserved a spot. Luckily there was a spot on the street near the hotel where I had pulled in upon arrival, and we could keep the car there until the morning when a spot would open up in the hotel's underground garage down the street. Then we were given a room on the 5th floor but the elevator was not functioning! So we packed-muled our luggage up the stairs. Wanted to go for a swim in the hotel's indoor heated pool...but no. It was being serviced. I later read online that a guest complained about the pool being out of service 6 months ago! Factor in the long wait at the front desk as two members of staff were helping one customer. Actually one was helping and the other standing there posing. I finally had to interject to get the "model" to start check in procedures. Nothing was open in the area for dinner, so we just relaxed as to be fresh the next morning. I went down to move the car into the garage down the street. Of course the remote control they gave me to open the door didn't work, and there was no place to park the car temporarily as I walked back to the front desk to give them what for. So, the car remained on the sidewalk with the emergency blinkers on and out of the way of the exit from the garage. I was finally able to park the car and we were free to go into the city. The weather was cloudy - even foggy. We took the subway in and the first stop was the Eiffel Tower. There were long lines, so we decided we would go up another day in hopes of the weather being better too. We did a lot of walking and used the subway when logical. We spent quite a bit of time in The Louvre, with the highlight for Helen was seeing the Mona Lisa. I of course got reprimanded by the security guards because I was making pictures of the hordes of suddenly ruder-than-normal people jockeying for position at the rope barrier to get their pictures of the famous work behind security glass and to pose so their mugs are in the picture as well to prove to Aunt Gladys or Uncle Pedro back home that they were there with the smiling beauty. The last time I was there everyone was flashing away, despite the signs saying no photography or flash was allowed. I asked the security person on duty at the time about people ignoring the rules, and she replied "There are so many, what are we to do"? Just like the French to fold like an accordion. But I turn my camera away from the priceless work of art and onto the pack of crazed tourists and I become an enemy of the state! Of course I ask her "Are you serious?! I can't take a picture of the crowd, but they can flash away at the priceless and arguable most famous painting in the world"?! She flashed her best sour-puss look at me and I returned in kind with my "You're an A #1 idiot" expression. Helen directed me away from Broom Hilda and we enjoyed the rest of the museum...or as much as we could manage. It's so huge, I never fail to get "museumed out"! We hit all the major spots during our 3 days in Paris. Bought tickets online for the Eiffel Tower, and almost lost our tickets because you have to be there at the time you reserved. We lucked out because we were late and not entirely sure where to go. Our timing was such that we were up at the top for the last light of the day and then the lights of the evening came on. On the way out of Paris I was able to drive us around the Arc de Triomphe and even stop so Helen could take some pictures. Usually it's bedlam circling that thing, but it was very quiet on our way out of the city. We headed northwest towards Mont Saint Michel, arriving in the early afternoon due to it's close proximity to Paris. Mont Saint Michel is an imposing sight from a distance, and Helen's reaction was more of what I expected in Venice or when seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. We spent a day the rest of that day at the monastery because our hotel was right up the street within a 20 minute walk. We spent about 4 hours there and then drove around the countryside a little the next morning as I showed her different views of it. We then made the hour drive to the American Cemetery at Normandy and spent about 3 to 4 hours there in the visitors center and then walked around the cemetery itself. We were on the road heading back to Amsterdam by 4pm, arriving late in the evening and me nursing the beginnings of a cold. After 16 days on the road, maybe 24 hours behind the wheel and over 5000 kilometers driven, it would be good to remain in the same place for a couple of days. It was a fun experience with my sister, with most things going as planned and a few surprises breaking the pattern. We disagreed here and there, but no blood was shed. We worked well as a team as I drove, and she showed mercy when I made some silly blunders. All-in-all, a very fun experience and one I would recommend to all. It ended too soon! Maybe we'll get a chance to do it again someday somewhere else. The link for the album is at: http://www.photoshop.com/users/johndp/albums/04f4dba41df940f381f02d92092d9c2d?wf=slideshow