From S.F. to Paris: A marathon in...everything.

I have a feeling this will be one of the longest entries in the blog for our whole trip simply because we covered four countries in approximately two days...less actually, 37 hours. All told the trip was awesome, but really bleeping long! Charlie did great: only one, two...okay about three meltdowns. The worst being Saturday morning, but hopefully we are on our way to happier baby days.
So, here we are in Paris near the Montmartre and fairly close - within walking distance - from Sacre Coeur, which we explored today. What I realize is that we are in a part of Paris where, especially this time of year, there are very, very few tourists. This is a wonderful and yet very challenging situation. No one is willing to speak English! No one. Unless you ask and then they are cryptic, but friendly. But sense I am afraid to ask, I struggle along until I get the strawberries or someone behind me assists. (okay, not afraid, stubborn...obviously) Really most people have been very friendly. "Sorry, no I can't help you," as the man at the Ile de France train ticket counter so kindly replied. " I don't know where that is and I don't have a map." WHAT?
That had to be the most stressful part of our entire journey. Oh, and when we thought maybe we didn't have a place to stay in Paris...

So, Paris-Nord train station. Yeah. We spent at least a good hour and a half trying to figure out how to leave it! The RER, the Metro, T, BUS...hmmm, which one to take. How do we get a ticket? Where do we get on? Chaos. No maps. Information counter not helpful. Charlie is restless. The natives were definitely restless and running everywhere. But thanks to Carlos we made it to the Metro line and to our apartment.
Oh, oops. No keys. No host. No phone. Um, no phone number. No Internet access to get phone number. What do we do? Drink of course! After a beer it all worked out. Found Internet access. Found phone number and subsequent email. Found host. Found keys. We are in!
Ahhh...so here we are. The weather is perfect and we are wondering the streets. It's fabulous. Tomorrow we might venture out into the "tourist" realm and see what there is to see.
The best part of our trip so far: Amsterdam! Good thing we are going back. Thanks to our friend of a friend of a friend, Tara Hagen, we were escorted from the airport, given a place to stay, maps, food, a phone, tram tickets (with explicit instructions on how to use the tram, how to say please and thank you in Dutch, how not to get on and off the tram, etc. The list of host-like wonders goes on and on. Tara, you rock! May you all meet a Tara Hagen on your journeys, and if you are meeting us in Amsterdam, you probably will also meet Tara.
Okay, I must retire. Carlos is telling me it's time to go to bed (I say, why, we are on vacation...). Anyway...till next time. Au revoir. Bonne nuit.

Check out the rest of the pictures!