30 December2007
So we have a tour guide named Ali. She has not been winning major points with the adults on the trip. She's nice enough, but hasn't really impressed us and at times been just bad. Today one of the other adults used the word "ali-ism" which is a really bad move by our tour director. Today's day of Christmas, I bring you 5 Ali Isms
We got up this morning early. We were to be dressed, fed and ready to go by 7:30. Several of us went out to the local pub last night to meet up with the band directors from Muir and Marshall. It was CJ's 30th birthday today and we wanted to celebrate with him, so we toasted him at midnight, then went to bed. It made for a short night. Our whole group was on the bus and ready to go and (Aliism #1) she wasn't. We left almost 20 minutes late (Apparently, she couldn't find her hat) which will become a problem later.
We took the coach from our hotel to the St. Pancras Station. When we got to the station, she gave us extensive directions on how we were going to have time to buy food, etc. and then we walked into the newly constructed station to catch the Eurostar train from London to Paris. As we were walking down the galvanized steel tunnel, Michelle said, "It feels like I'm walking through a garbage shoot."
After we walked into the station a man approached us and asked who our tour leader was and then went to collect the tickets from us. Turns out the train was leaving 1/2 earlier than Ali had thought (Ali-ism #2) so she gave us 10 minutes to run to the little store and grab something to eat. We all took off and were in the store just 2-3 minutes when we were called back. Apparently the man from the railroad said we needed to go through the metal detectors and passport control right then or we might not make it (Ali-ism #3).
It was like going through airport security and then being herded into one big room. This meant that none of our group had the opportunity to buy lunch and the kids would be really hungry later. There was a dining car on the train, but they don't stock lots of food and it was really expensive. There was actually another train loading at the same time that went to Disneyland France. There was a small Disney jazz band playing all your favorite tunes from "Zippity Doo Dah" to "It's a Small World." Ali did not explain to the kids how to actually read the ticket or which track we were leaving from. As we went up the escalator towards the tracks, it became apparent that we were all going to the same platform and would get on the trains at adjoining tracks.
Now Ali has been having major problems leading our group because she doesn't wait at intersections or crosswalks to make sure the group has caught up. We have an anchor person who is very tall, so it would not be a problem for her to wait up to see him. As we get to the top of the track, I have to do a double take to figure out which train we're on--and I've traveled a lot AND I knew what track we were on. (Ali-ism #4) I stopped at the top and just started motioning kids to the right train and showing them where to look for their car and seat number. It probably took 5 minutes for our whole group to get to my point. We all got on the train and were ready to roll.
The train ride was wonderful. The seats were far more comfy than an airplane and, even though I was backwards, I had no motion sickness. In fact, I was so tired that I fell asleep almost instantly and woke up to the announcement that we would be in Paris in 10 minutes. Wow, it was helpful being tired!!
When we got in Paris, we took a coach to our hotel. It's a long way out of city central, but is near a metro stop. We dropped our bags and had about 1/2 hour to get ready for the rest of the day. We walked over to the train station and went in and down a few flights of stairs. I was near the end and by the time I got down, everyone had turned around and was going UP the escalator!!!! This was the priceless moment when Ginny look at me and she and Pauline told me about "Ali-isms." Because this was Ali-ism #5. We then walked back the way we came and then a little further to go to the "real" train station.
We rode the train in and got off near St. Michel's fountain. We then walked over to Notre Dame!! It was beautiful. There was an organ concert/ service going on. We were given some information about the history (it took 200 years to build) and the facades, which have one on the judgment and then one on Mary and St. Anne (Mary's mother). We walked through with the masses (both kinds). One thing that struck me was the plexiglass confessional. Not only was there person sitting across from the priest, but the door was clear and everyone walking by could see in.
We went for dinner to a restaurant called "Flam's." This is also the name of the food we ate. It's a very thin pizza crust/lavash bread. It had cheese and ham and onions on it. (For those with a Trader Joe's nearby, it was the ham and guyere cheese pizza that they have. Now you can call it a "flam.") We then had the same crust with a cheesecake like cheese and chocolate chips or apple. It was delicious. After dinner we took a coach to the river Seine and took a night tout boat ride up the river. It was filled with wonderful views.
Our plan was to go up the Eiffel Tower tonight, but the upper deck was closed because of all the people. We will now do that on New Year's Day. Tomorrow we will have a city tour and I will meet up with John and Joke at the Louvre. I will spend New Year's Eve with them.
The 12 days so far...
1 Warm Coat
2 Delayed Flights
3 Different Tube Lines
4 tour stops
5 Ali Isms
There were 100s of pieces between and 1000s of people. Afterward we went to a cafe to have lunch. I had a great linguini pasta with cream sauce and salmon on it. 
