Life is so uncertain take it in a stride

As we crossed the Seine River today, I saw two old ladies, dressed exactly alike,arm in arm, walking together and having the most lively conversation......they were at least in their 80's and they were twins!!........Imagine that!! It was quite a sight to see these two with so much love between them........

We took the train to Chartres today, but most everything was closed........We saw the church where our ancestors were baptized and walked the town where they were born and raised....In the square was a statue of General Marceau (our relative) and in the Marceau Square was another memorial dedicated to him......there was even a restuarant named after him with a huge painting of him, however, it was closed today also.........The church was beautiful, but we weren't able to spend much time in it as they were having an organist competition.......oh well.....it didn't rain today, but it teased us with overcast skies.......I realized that French Taxi drivers feel VERY strong about politics......in fact, every chance mom gets, she eggs someone on in a discussion regarding politics.........it usually escalates in a heated Bush bashing time.......she and the taxi drivers go on and on, and my dad just nods...........It's incredibly amusing, however, it's getting old after almost a month of it! She even starts these conversations on train rides with people of different nationalities........AND, she knows I'm a Republican, yet she continues.........so far she's been safe....everyone seems to hate Bush here.......

I'm growing less and less fond of Paris.....it's becoming to look like just another big city........for the most part, the waiters are fairly nonchallant.....I asked one waiter if he was having a good day and he told me rather rudely......"You're having a good day...I'm working!! How could I be having a good day?".........AND, he was serious!!......I wouldn't have expected that kind of answer ever!!.....

I don't know what has taken me so long to finally visit here....I should have got it out of my system a long time ago... it's a no brainer to travel here alone and to get around fairly easy........I'm thinking how nice it would be to send Alex, my 15 year old here next summer to spend a couple of weeks with his cousins in Lake Geneva........I think it would be a good experience for him to dive into another culture without the apron strings........

Rick is anxious for me to reserve our Family Thanksgiving Caribbean cruise....I cringe at the thought of having to pack another suitcase!!......I think the next time I get the urge to go away for a month, I'll choose an island somewhere, so that the biggest decision I have to make that day is whether I want to swim in the pool or ocean..........that's a real vacation!

It honestly was an extremely hard day! Everything that could have gone wrong, did! We were late leaving Lafayette, as you know.......the bad weather made the flight out of Houston late, but we got on..........BUT, once we got to Paris, Alitalia said we didn't pay for our flights! They said we didn't have valid tickets............It was more than a 3 hour mess.....this made us miss 3 connections to Rome...........My parents didn't know the half of it, but they were very anxious! We finally arrived ROme.............they lost 3 of the 4 bags........My dad refused to leave the airport without our bags.....after a LONG time watching the carousel going around and around (because he didn't want to "give up"....I finally asked the lost and found luggage and they said it was still in Paris and would be in at 8:30pm.....so, of course we waited at the airport....the luggage arrived after 9:00pm........then, we took a train from the airport to the subway "Termini" station...............by this time it was getting really dark and it was really sleazy............then...........I was NEVER so scared in my whole life.........by the time we found the right metro to the Holiday Inn shuttle, it was 11:00pm........the shuttle stopped at 10:00pm and so we caught a city bus, because there were no taxi's........it was awful and VERY scary.....we met up with a family at the metro who happened to be going to the HOliday inn too and they showed us the bus............the bus actually took us on an over hour ride, then dropped us off a half mile from the holiday inn in an area with prostitutes.....more to come.............in looking back...........I should have left the airport when it was daylight and went back tomorrow for the bags.....I will not go against my better judgement next time..........you have no idea how incredibly dangerous that was for us!......Tomorrow has to be a better day