Bella R. Martin

PANIC IN PARIS

It had started as an exciting morning.  We were in Paris, France and about to venture out into town and see the sights on board one of those hop- on/hop- off buses.

It was sort of overcast and chilly weather-wise, but even so, we braved the cold on the upper deck of the sightseeing bus.

We passed several of the world- famous sights until we got to the Left Bank where we decided to have lunch.

All of our senses were stirred. There was so much to take in. The buildings, the people, the smells, the excitement of walking along those historic boulevards. It was so exhilarating.

We looked for a café to have lunch. This was not easy as it was around 2 PM.  Well past the usual lunch time. Most of the cafes were no longer serving lunch.

Fortunately, we found an open fish market/café on a corner and enjoyed a   ”menu” as they are called which featured an entree with soup and dessert.  We ordered a sauteed fish dish with fresh vegetables, crisp French bread, and of course a glass of white wine to compliment the meal. It was delicious.
For a brief moment we had fun imagining this was our lives. Imagining that we were actually living in Paris. That we were just your average Paris locals out for a bite.

It then started to POUR. Not a drizzle. I could weather that. A DOWNPOUR.  Then, just as suddenly as
the rain had appeared; it ended.  All was well. Or so we thought.

We decided we’d better head over to the Cathedral of Notre Dame several blocks away to catch the bus
again before we were victims of more rain.

We looked at the map. Which way? Where were we exactly?   We wandered around looking for what we thought was the direct way to the church.

The map showed that there was a road that led exactly up to the Church.  We thought we had taken it. But as we went down one avenue, then another we just could not find this route that was supposedly along the River Seine and that would lead us directly back to the Cathedral.

Finally, we found our way back to the church.

There were throngs of people going every which way to and from the Cathedral. I wandered over to where I thought the bus stop was and the nearest entrance to the church. I thought my husband was following me. He was not.

I turned around. He was nowhere in sight.   I was now all alone; lost.

 I had not brought any I.D., no phone, no credit card nor any cash with me and lo and behold, it began to POUR yet again. Relentlessly.

I was in a panic. I figured that at worst, if could not find him, I could walk the 3 miles back to the hotel.
But I was getting wetter by the moment.  Walking was not a good idea.  I retraced my steps.

  I called out for my husband.  I went from one corner to the next calling out for him and trying not to let my fears get the best of me. I was by now in full panic mode.  It was hard to find anyone in the chaos of the crowds. How would I ever find him in this mob? But then I heard my name.  It was my husband calling out to me from behind me.  Thankfully he found me.

Crisis averted.

We were by now both exhausted from the ordeal.  Not to mention very wet.

The rain was still relentless. Not a light sprinkle, but a continuous soaking -to-the bone sort of rain.

 
We decided that the Cathedral of Notre Dame would have to wait for another day and maybe even another trip since we were now just not in any condition to venture into the Cathedral dripping wet and risk getting ill on our vacation.

So reluctantly, we then boarded our hop- on- hop- off bus and high-tailed it back to the warmth and dryness of our hotel. Ironically, once on the bus we were offered plastic poncho by the driver.
 A little too late!!

As fate would have it, the Cathedral of Notre Dame burned down and our plans to revisit it would have to wait even longer than we had planned.

But a valuable lesson was learned.
Rest assured, from that day forward I always carry my ID, phone and money with me wherever I go!