Feeling a little fragile this morning!
We had a very memorable dinner last night, followed by a few too many memorable wines with a lovely young couple from Mornington, Victoria. We had saved up our euros for a whole month and on our second last night in Paris, went to "Spring". Two Michelin stars and just around the corner, it was an experience we'll never forget. The food was exquisite. The service was incredible. And after 30 minutes we realised that the table to our left spoke 'strine". Priscilla and Mark had accents just like us. After a month in Paris with no Australian accents anywhere … we find ourselves at one of the most prestigious restaurants sitting next to Aussies. And this was a restaurant where you had to wait for two or three weeks to get a table at dinner. Mark and Priscilla had booked before they left Australia.
So, with a sore head and at a slow pace, we set of on the Metro for La Defense to pick up our Peugeot.
After practising the route last week, we knew exactly where we had to go and emerged from the Metro directly beneath the Grande Arche de la Defense. Despite a cold wind, but with plenty of sunshine, we were at Peugeot Sodexa in no time.
Everything went like clockwork with the pick-up and briefing. Because we have always owned European cars, everything about the Peugeot was familiar. It is a manual Puegeot 207. As there are very few automatics in Europe, the lease cost of an auto is very high. So, manual it is and although very small, it has everything we need. Deisel, aircon, SatNav, extensive insurance and back-up support.
These two photos are of Paul and the charming Frenchman who did our hand-over.
So …. this brand new car is ours ... then comes the moment when you have to actually drive it away.
For the first 5 minutes I held my breath and tried not to say anything.
Then it all came together for both of us. We were on a street we recognised, we knew which direction we were headed, we stopped laughing at the accented voice on the GPS and we found ourselves in some serious traffic.
The GPS is a Garmin and seems very easy to use. The woman's voice seems to have a bit of an Australian accent but the pronunciation of the French street names is truly weird. And then I looked up again and we were nearly at the Arc de Triomphe. The voice said, "At the roundabout take the fifth exit to the right". The fifth exit? Why not the sixth? Google Maps had said it was the the sixth exit (Champs Elysee). Who was right? Where would we end up? Would we prang the car within the first hour? And everyone is on the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!
And we are almost up to it?
And then Paul, calm as can be, takes the fifth exit while I fling my arms around saying " That's it there! Number 5. Follow the grey taxi! No, sorry, the grey taxi is going for the sixth. This way, this way. Ignore the motorcycles."
And here is Paul being very cool!
So, after only 15 minutes or so in the traffic, we have successfully negotiated both left and right turns; we have not hit any silly locals who don't know how to drive in France; we have not wiped out a pedestrian on a crossing; we have done a right hand turn across the bus lane, only delaying two busses and five taxis; and we have arrived in our street.
"Now for the real challenge" says Paul, "of finding a parking spot." After a bit of forwards and backwards we are very lucky and nab one of the fourteen legal car parks in rue de l'Arbre Sec. Fees apply between 9.00 am and 7.00 pm. So I sit in the car for 10 minutes reading the handbook while Paul asks the local traders about parking tickets and how to obtain one. Round the corner to the Tabac and back with a 15 euro parking card. Put it into the machine, select 2 hours - the card is debited by 7.20 euros. So that is $5.20 AUD per hour.
That gap you can see, in front of our little grey car, is a commercial loading zone. That is the area from which you get towed away ....
.... like these two cars last Monday.
We leave Paris tomorrow - 2 June - and a public holiday. We are planning to drive about 550 km tomorrow and about 250km on Friday. That should get us to our boat at Homps on the Midi Canal in South West France by about 5pm Friday, with time for grocery shopping and bicycle hire along the way.
Farewell Paris - City of Light. Until next time.
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