May 31

 Said good-bye to my bff and listened to Paris wake up along the rue Bosquet this morning.

Trash day is on Friday in this particular neighborhood, which is perfectly situated between the Eiffel Tower and the famous pedestrian shopping street of rue Cler. 

Until she left, I hadn’t really missed my phone- hadn’t missed looking down at a map or asking Siri to answer yet another question. I liked trying my kindergarten French without Google Translate at my fingertips. I didn’t miss untangling cords and figuring out which device needed to be plugged into the adapter for charging. I had my iPad, so could text on it. I didn’t really need a phone.

But, when I woke up a bit later to pack and finish the laundry, there was nobody to talk to. The silence made me admit I would be more comfortable with a phone, a lifeline to be honest. I had time to walk to the Apple Store near the Opera House before my train. As I headed out the door, it began to rain. So, I hailed a taxi and we drove down the most expensive street in town. Security guards stood in front of Dior, St. Laurent, etc. So many roadways blocked off in preparation of the Olympics. The buildings were gorgeous and the boulevard was wide.

If I’ve learned anything about life through traveling, it’s to allow more time than you think to do a simple thing, not that buying a new iPhone is simple. France adds VAT, so the price was astronomical. They sold me a 13, which I later learned was the same phone I had had. Not even an upgrade! 

Two hours later, my photos and music were downloaded from the cloud. I just needed my contacts.  20 minutes before my train was due to leave, I walked out of the store with a walking guide to the train on my phone.

What I didn’t yet realize was I had no cellular service, so once I was out of range of the Apple wi-fi, the map stopped working. I was lost for a few minutes, asked a gendarme for directions, then trotted past Printemps and the Galleries Lafayette to the train station. Imagine a purple roller bag topped with a precarious cloth grocery bag full of expensive wines and chocolates sliding from side to side, a backpack on a limping lady being strangled by her too-long scarf… It gets worse. 

I tried to pull up my ticket on my phone, and no had no wi-fi connection. No ticket to show. 4 minutes before the train was due to leave, I had gate agents blocking my way. I had my intinerary printed, but that folder was deep in my bag. I dug out my iPad showed the agents the email confirmation, and they said “ code.” No QR code in the email to show them.

There was only one thing left to do. Without premeditation, I started crying. An older gate agent came over to see why 4 agents made a senior citizen cry. I think he said something to the effect of let her in, but without a code, the electronic gates didn’t open. Instead, I slid under them, and the men did a fire brigade with my bags.

Just like the movies, I threw my bags on first and the door began to shut before I could get in. Fortunately I crawled over my roller bag and face planted in front of the toilet. One, two, three bags were with me, my new phone stuffed down my bra, and I was safely on the train fro a 2.5 hour ride to Bayeux. Voila!