In the winter of 1990, I spent six weeks traveling in the canyons of Utah and the redwoods of California with a dog, car and oh yeah, a boyfriend. The following year, we bought a small pop up trailer that we towed with a VW Golf and traveled to Ashville NC, Charleston, Okeefanokee Swamp, Edisto Island in Georgia and landed at Mardi Gras in New Orleans just by luck. I was hooked. For the past 25 years I've been wanting to do this again, but one thing or the other made it just not feel like the "right time." So now it is. Me, dog, car. No boyfriend.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
I just spent about 3 hours trying to do an updated post on my phone which ain't easy just about finished and it vanished.
Today I was going to rally or completely collapse.
I realise that within a 24 hour period probably 4 of my worst nightmare fears came true or almost came true come to think of it. I don't know if there any other fears that didn't play out. They all played out in one day.
First I think most of us fear that we're going to be sick on our trip. I certainly do it which is why I bring a lot of my herbal stuff along so that happen right away. Nasty sore throat.
Then of course there's the fear that you're gonna lose your passport your credit cards your money which happened right away too.
Then there's the fear you're going to get ripped off and lose all your stuff like the stuff you think you really need like your charging cords whatever etc. Of course I was particularly freaked out because all of my herbal cold fighting things are in there so that happened in the first 24 hours as well.
Then probably the worst thing you can imagine if something happened to somebody you're travelling with in this case my dog. She literally could have been dog napped. Thankfully that didn't happen but it was a very close call.
Checking out the new digs.
So being sick it was hard to find energy and think about having to figure out how to replace all this stuff. It's just not the same as your home town you can't just run down the Whole Foods and PetSmart.
(This guy was incredible. He is a panhandler and decided to just lie down and play dead in the middle of one of busiest crosswalk areas in the most touristy section of Paris. I gave him €2 and an A+ for theatrics. In addition to that there was a pedestrian woman standing right next to him in Mad Max attire with two dogs on a leash, a Macaw on her right shoulder and a very mangy looking crow on the other. It was quite post-apocalyptic).
Well I didn't lie down no sir. First found a charging cord for my phone then made the day's journey about replacing Choochi's airline bag.
Success on both counts and feeling a little better gave us the energy to make it to the Louvre just in time for sunset.
With any luck we're passed the worst and we'll have smooth selling here on in.
As always love hearing from you just go to the blog online (click link below) and leave a comment at the end of this post.
Thanks for being along with me it makes me feel like I'm travelling with friends.
Omg not the worst thing!!! this was the worst thing!!!! maybe unless you count being dead as being the worst thing!!!! Or perhaps what could have happened....... So I woke up this morning with a sore throat and I guess I'm sick. I brought all kinds of will herbal remedies in collodial silver and oregano oil and all my exotic cold battling things that I travel with because airplanes are notoriously germ infested. Had a lovely day despite the sore throat walked along the Seine visited outside Notre Dame discovered some other lovely titbits and scenery. The weather was perfect couldn't have been better. Spent a good 8 hours walking around and then took an elevator down to take the Metro back to my apartment. I was a little worried hadn't used my credit card with a pin yet was hoping that I had not forgotten it but was very happy when it worked fine. My elation was short lived when I turn around and my bag was gone. Within a matter of seconds somebody just reached around and rolled right off with it. My dog airplane carrier, my tablet , all my chargers, extra battery pack, my cold remedies, nebulizer, my jacket, umbrella, French plug adaptor, what to do in Paris travel book and my wheelie cart. THANK GOD THE ONE THING THAT WASN'T IN THERE WAS CHOOCHI. I was getting ready to put her in the carrier to take her on the metro and I stopped to get the ticket first. It was minutes away from me having possibly done that. So in light of that being sick, having the inconveniences of lost stuff, all I can say is I am so grateful that sweetest little doggy is still here today with me. I can't fathom the grief and misery I'd be feeling at this moment otherwise. Oh and they stole my camera charger that I upload photos with so I can't send any photos today. It must be a really horrible thing to have to live with yourself doing these things to other people. Anyway here is Choochi safe and sound wiped out from today. And a pic of her and me I forgot about that one too.
So I'm not letting her out of my sight for 2 seconds or turning my back....... ever! Post below if you want would love to hear from you! Send me some good vibes this has gotten off to a rough start! www.medogcar.blogspot.com
The Worst Thing......!!!!! ON DAY ONE!! What is so interesting about overseas travel is that you have to function on a much higher level than you normally do. Nothing is familiar, you don't know how things work or even where you are at any given point in time and this is generally done having had no sleep the night before.What makes this lovely is that you literally are like a child and you can ask for help. And you can't be too proud or too ashamed to do it.
WINDBLOWNCHOOCHI
RER B train from Charles de Gaulle Airport goes to Paris. I watched a YouTube video and pretty much got it right.
PARIS
But I, along with several other befuddled tourists could NOT figure out how the bloody ticket machine worked at 5 am and why it hated us and our perfectly good euro money.
So I asked for help. A lovely local gentleman tried and tried and he couldn't get it to work either. So he bought me a ticket on his credit card, which I paid him for of course but just thought that was lovely.
ULTRA COOLBATHROOMS at AIRPORT
Next, I was befuddled again at the ticket taking machine, a lovely young woman from Beijing waited to help me get through. We spoke on the platform and when we got off in Paris she wanted to make sure I knew how to get to my rental because I was not getting Wi-Fi reception or phone service.
We said our so longs and I had thought since I‘had about 5 or 6 hours before I could check into my apartment that I would wander around Luxembourg Gardens or perhaps find it charming square to sit and read or maybe get some free wi-fi and soak up the local scene.
These are very popular forms of transportation. Even business guys in suits.
But to my amazement I couldn't find any small local cafe that had wi-fi and food that I could reasonably eat. So I wandered over to a news stand where I bought a map and some water and the nice gentleman there suggested I put a SIM card in my phone which he struggled to do for about 20 minutes but then realized that my phone must not be unlocked. He was pretty good natured about it all and really gave it a 100% effort. I paid for my map and my water and moved on.
Temptations
I continue down the road weaving and wobbling with two wheeled bags in a dog on a leash over cobblestones dragging myself starving, sleep deprived and confused into, if you can believe it, Starbucks. Yes, I am ashamed to say the first cafe I visit it in Paris was Starbucks.
I'm staying in the Latin Quarter so called because it's where the Sorbonne is and everyone spoke Latin to each other at one time. So highbrow.
And I'm also saying the say that the first meal in Paris was a prefab Turkey wrap which was not so good. But before I even got to unwrap the wrap I realize that my passport my credit card and my money were gone. All the sudden what was semi-abnormal and unfamiliar became hell. You start becoming this out-of-body crazy person pacing mumbling tearing everything out of your bag putting it back tearing it out again walking around in circles in total panic confused muttering "I can't believe this happened I can't believe this is happening."
Lovey square near my apartment
Both my IDs were in the pouch, all of my credit cards and all of my money. I literally had no ID no passport no credit cards no money. I literally did not have money to buy food. I don't even know what you do in these kinds of situations other than call your family or go to the embassy or in my case run back to the news guy and hope that he had some suggestions. All I thought was that it had been dropped out of my purse as I walked and had been lying on the street for way too long for it to still be sitting there.
Big bulldog in pastry shop
So I was in Paris less than an hour and I was already broke and without any form of formal ID or any way to get back into my country or even on a plane. So I dragged my exhausted starved and confused self back up to the news stand and he looked at me and said "did you leave something important?"
And this man became the angel of my trip. He pulled out my passport my credit cards my money and said "I kept them safe for you." I screamed and hugged him and gave him €10 and said thank you. He wouldn't take it but I insisted. So in an a period of 12 hours I've had three helper angels and three lovely dog loving angels on the street who stopped to talk to Choochi. Two of them who were elderly couldn't speak English but they were so dear and sweet.
Choochi crammed under the airplane seat. Not one complaint.
And Choochi has been a total champ. Not a whine, not a bark, not a whimper, not a growl - just amazing. Incredibly adaptable and good natured, full of curiosity and love of adventure.
So most of the photos are of Choochi since she doesn't know how to take pictures yet of me. We'll have to ask for some help to get photos with both of us!
PARIS — To some, the new street urinals in Paris are a mere eyesore, to say nothing of the men using them. To others, they are no less than an emblem of sexism, still more evidence that men’s needs are put above women’s.
Now, protesters have taken concrete action.
Vandals plugged up two of the urinals — with cement — and took the opportunity to festoon them with tampons and protest stickers aimed at men.
“Are you a dog? No?” said one. “Then why are you urinating in the street?”
Another complained of a double standard.
“Women who expose their breasts to breast-feed are asked to hide themselves,” it said. “Men who take out their genitals to urinate are subsidized by City Hall."
The two damaged urinals have been removed. On Thursday, where one of them had stood on the Île St.-Louis, the only sign of the controversy was graffiti spray-painted onto a nearby stone wall overlooking the Seine. It showed a clenched fist in a Venus symbol.
(This guy was incredible. He is a panhandler and decided to just lie down and play dead in the middle of one of busiest crosswalk areas in the most touristy section of Paris. I gave him €2 and an A+ for theatrics. In addition to that there was a pedestrian woman standing right next to him in Mad Max attire with two dogs on a leash, a Macaw on her right shoulder and a very mangy looking crow on the other. It was quite post-apocalyptic).
(This guy was incredible. He is a panhandler and decided to just lie down and play dead in the middle of one of busiest crosswalk areas in the most touristy section of Paris. I gave him €2 and an A+ for theatrics. In addition to that there was a pedestrian woman standing right next to him in Mad Max attire with two dogs on a leash, a Macaw on her right shoulder and a very mangy looking crow on the other. It was quite post-apocalyptic).
