Travel Stories (long)

[catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., meboriqua at a... wrote:
> Hey everyone!
> 
> Ebony and Amy Z. gave me a new topic for discussion here at OT.  I 
am 
> just chock full of topics (teaching high school will do that to a 
> person).
> 
> Does anyone have any really funny or just good stories about a time 
> when you were traveling?  It could be something bizarre that 
happened 
> when you just went away for a weekend or to visit a friend.  I told 
my 
> creepy Lausanne story and I loved both Ebony's and Amy's stories.
> 
> --jenny from ravenclaw, who's kind of getting the travel bug as 
it's 
> been a long time since she left NY***************************

I have numerous tales of travel, as I've travelled all over the world 
with my husband on business, but my favourite anecdote happened on 
our very first trip together, when we went to Paris for the weekend.

We decided to spend the morning before catching a flight back to 
London at the Louvre - I was really excited as I had never been 
before.  Unfortunately, I stupidly forgot to close my bag when we got 
out of our taxi, and had my wallet, with all Mickey's credit cards in 
it, stolen, as it was peeking out of the top of my bag.  We assume 
that it was stolen by the people standing behind us (the only ones 
within reach of my bag) - a woman with a young child in her arms.   
At first we thought that I'd left it in the cab, but when we went to 
the information counter at the Louvre to ask them what to do, they 
said that the queues were often the target of gypsies who had trained 
their children to filch from the tourists.  

They gave us instructions on how to get to the local police station 
to report the theft and to cancel our cards.  This was the real 
experience.  It wasn't possible to walk into the police station.   It 
was forbidden to cross a line which separates the door from the 
pavement without getting permission from the man on duty who stands 
in an old-fashioned sentry box.  When we actually managed to convey 
to him what we wanted, he ushered us into the station itself.  It was 
like something out of the 1920s.  The tiny reception room was fall to 
capacity with policemen and women playing with huge, but very 
friendly Alsations.  It was absolute mayhem.  They were extremely 
friendly, laughed at us for having been taken in so easily, but in 
the same affectionate way Mr Weasley regards the Muggles.  While one 
of them took Mickey off to cancel his cards, a policewoman took me 
into a tiny interview room to fill out a report.  With the aid of a 
phrase book we managed to piece together exactly what had happened 
and what had been stolen.  However, what made it for me was the fact 
that she was typing the report, with two fingers, on the oldest, non-
electric typewriter I have ever seen.  Half way through the report, 
the ribbon broke.  She shrugged, pulled the paper out of the 
typewriter and hollered into the room behind her.  This absolutely 
huge man came in, looked at the typewriter, picked it up, took it 
out, and returned a minute later with another identical one.  She 
then finished the report.

I kept the report as a souvenir.  I just found the whole experience 
so funny and unexpected that I was almost glad that I'd had my wallet 
stolen.  We still had time to go to the Louvre afterwards as well.

Another experience in Paris was regarding the food - this was last 
Summer.  The trip started well because GoF came out that day, and I 
had bought it at 5am that morning at the airport, with loads of other 
people who were crowding round the display table in the bookshop.  I 
was really interesting seeing the number of adults and children 
milling round Gatwick airport with copies of GoF in their hands.

Anyway, the food,  Usually in France we eat in Bistros - good rustic, 
bistro food, nothing too expensive - One star Michelin at the most, 
but that night we were meeting up with some American friends who 
raved about a very expensive, 3 Star restaurant, so against our 
better judgement we agreed to go.  It was one of those very annoying 
French restaurants which are so traditional that the prices aren't on 
the menus which are presented to the women - that gets my hackles 
rising right away.  What really annoyed me though, was the food.  My 
appetiser was described as langoustine served with truffled eggs and 
vermicelli, which did seem a strange combination.  What I actually 
got was three largish langoustine/prawns, which had been wrapped in 
vermicelli and deep fried.  Truffles were not in evidence in the 
serving of eggs, so in effect, what I actually got was something 
which resembled fishy tasting shredded wheat with a side serving of 
scrambled eggs.  The meal did not get any better after that, and to 
add insult to injury,  I later found out that the appetiser alone 
cost £60.  Pounds, not dollars.  

I don't know whether this was good or bad, but I also ended up with 
food poisoning.  Good, because the weather was terrible anyway and I 
got to stay in bed and read GoF, bad, because I felt really ill and 
poor Mickey didn't know what to do with himself, with an ill wife and 
bad weather to contend with.

All in all, Paris is not one of my favourite cities.  I love the 
Louvre, and the museums, and the shopping, and some of the 
restaurants, but I do find it a very cold and imposing kind of 
place.  I never feel at home there as I do in other parts of France.  
It does intimidate me, which is strange considering I live in London 
and am used to cities, but it would not be my first choice for a 
weekend away ever again.

Catherine