The Inaccurate Tourist

54. Sisters

In September, Deanna and Keri finally made it out to Paris. They are fun and charming and wonderful guests, and they take wonderful pictures. I went through their photos and took the most brilliant -- but then I couldn't make myself pick the top ten. So I'm warning you before looking inside, especially all my backwater relatives without broadband (hi Mom and Dad!), this is a big one.

Well technically, this is a big travel log because of the number of photos (a record-setting 27!) I'm not doing all that much narrating.

They must have flown over Montreal. For if not, we are all lost.

This is the point where I saw them. I was late for the rendez-vous, but only by moments. Darned public transport that doesn't magically teleport me to my desired location on a mere wish!

We took the long ride back to my place. Fortunately, the airline lost their luggage, so we were unemcumbered. The best way to travel!

We had a lovely lunch of cured Basque ham with mimolette and a baguette. Hooray for the baguette!

And then we went for a night walk.

Deanna fell.

They must have gone to the Montparnasse cemetery, or hired a street urchin to take their camera there. I would have been at work, so I couldn't prove otherwise.

But they cleverly hired a street urchin that looked JUST LIKE KERI so throw me off their tracks to Notre Dame. I know their little tricks. I won't be fooled, this time.

There was a contest at the Medicine Hat News to take your photo on vacation with the Medicine Hat newspaper. They sent in this excellent photo, but they didn't win. Poo.

So they went to the Louvre, and walked and walked and walked.

It's a big museum, don't you know.

Sooooooooo big.

It's the biggest. Think of any other museum. It would be smaller.

This is a good picture of the smaller arc de triomphe.

This is my sister (or a lookalike street urchin).

One day, we went to Sacre Coeur to sit on the steps and drink wine out of plastic glasses.

I suggest to all my future guests that we take a bottle of wine and drink outside monuments. There's safety in numbers. And booze heals the feet!

One day, we must have gone to Versailles. I remember that I sat outside in the gardens while Deanna and Keri raced through the chateau, elbowing aside tour groups and knocking aside the elderly. They win for the fastest visit of the chateau, for which I am truly thankful.

But we miscommunicated the meeting time -- they thought I would be waiting at the predetermined spot all afternoon, but I only intended to be there at the moment the fountains started. So they went to grab a panini in the garden.

The next day, we went to Père Lachaise. This time, we found Gericault's grave (remember the Raft of the Medusa?). There was a sculpted bronze replica of his most famous painting on his grave.

One other day, we went to go to a real football game, out at Parc des Princes, the 49 thousand seat stadium that is home to Paris Saint-Germain. Keri was so excited that her eyes were glowing. Hooray for Keri!

We were playing Marseille, and we won. Hooray for PSG! We also saw a great Nike commercial on the big screen TV (Tag!)

Deanna and Keri went to Disneyland so they could get sick to their stomach on spinning rides.

And then they went on a boat.

We always have trouble taking pictures of the Eiffel tower at night. If the foreground is sufficiently illuminated, the tower disappears. Likewise, if the flash isn't used, the foreground disappears. So I faked together some of our photos, so we could all have fond (fake) memories of the trip.

Bye Deanna and Keri! Thanks for visiting!

Posted by The Inaccurate Tourist at September 19, 2003 12:00 PM