Monday. 22nd September.
Whilst in London, Chris had arranged an appointment to see a ’tailbone’ specialist in Paris. We travelled across Paris on the Metro to find the Doctor’s rooms in the early evening.
Then we again took the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe where we arrived near sunset. We took photos and soaked up the atmosphere of the people rushing home from work, before we walked down Champs Elysee to the Place de la Concorde. It was a long way but was most enjoyable, seeing the bright shops and restaurants on the sidewalks. It took us over an hour and finally we had a coffee and something to eat at a coffee shop. We headed home by Metro, and this time we had to change trains a couple of times before arriving at Porte de Bagnolet station near our Hostel.
Tuesday 23 September. The doctor had organised an X-ray for Chris at a hospital on the island near Notre-Dam at 8.45 am. We Metro-ed in and the doctor discussed the x-rays with Chris and administered a couple of Cortizone injections to help her along the way. Notre-Dam, only a few yards away, was our next stop and we made a short tour inside this wonderful building. We then started on a walking tour of this part of Paris, calling into a couple of shops and as the temperature was quite cool, Chris bought a scarf and gloves.
Next we visited the Louvre and Glass Pyramid. We did not venture into either and then we went by the metro to the Eiffel Tower. The weather was clear as we waited in the long queue to buy tickets. We met two Kiwi couples from Manurewa and Warwick was able to let them know that Auckland no longer held the Ranfurly Shield!! Now in Wellington. We made it to the top of the Tower and the wonderful views over Paris. It was quite clear and good for photos.
Later we went for a walk in the gardens as we made our way to the Metro to take us the Air France office to confirm our seats. We were told to return the next day as seats were only allocated 24 hours before a flight.
Wednesday 24 September.
The morning was spent trying to organise some accommodation in New York and trying to buy two small nuts and bolts to do some repairs to the wheels on the suitcase we had bought in Budapest. After calling on several shops and car and scooter repair shops we finally came across an old typewriter repair shop. The owner produced a large tray of parts and we were successful in finding deep down in the tray, two nuts and bolts the correct size and were able to secure the wheel frame to the suitcase. Our bags have been battered a bit on the many flights we have taken, over 40 so far.
We returned to Air France to try and reserve two exit seats for the long flight to New York. This was unsuccessful so we turned our attention again to sightseeing around this exciting city. We visited a large shop called Galleries Lafayette, near the Paris Opera House, where we had some lunch before returning to the Hostel to pack ready for the early start next day.
Thursday 25th September. We had arranged a taxi from the hostel to the Charles de Gaulle airport where we arrived in good time for our flight to New York. Once again we tried for exit seats but still not possible. We arrived at Newark International airport and were soon at the nearby Holiday Inn where we had booked a room. We made the most of an early night to try and counteract any possible jetlag.
