Friday, April 20, 2018

France – Day 4 – 4/1/18 – Easter Sunday – Part II La Tour Eiffel



After church, we decided to walk the few blocks over to La Tour Eiffel (the Eiffel Tower). We were energized by the wonderful Easter service, so the walk wasn’t as daunting as the day before.

Before long, we spotted the top of the tower. At last, we looked down a side street, and there was the iconic symbol of France.


Unlike our previous trip when people strolled around the tower, kids played and walked in the park behind it, and dogs ran freely, now, just as at Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle, and other places throughout town, the entire area around the tower was surrounded by fencing and barriers. Security checks were necessary to gain access anywhere nearby. Even though the icon is still most beautiful, I felt sad to see it isolated because of safety issues.

We got as close as we could. The cherry blossoms were in bloom. We could still see the lovely, lacy ironwork. It appears so fragile, and yet it has stood since 1889. Of course, it has been updated and strengthened, but its delicate beauty remains.

Since lunchtime arrived, we decided to go to a restaurant we had eaten at on our last trip and which was a favorite, La Terrasse. Three of us ordered the quiche Lorraine, and Larry ordered the penne pasta. The food was just as good as we remembered. Although we were quite sated, we had to try the crème brulee again since it was our favorite on our last trip. So, we ordered one serving with four spoons. Memory served well. It is still the best we have tasted on this trip.

After lunch, we returned to our place. When we entered, we realized that the area around the toilet was dry. We assumed the maintenance man had come during our absence and fixed it.

When we looked at the TV, we realized the old one had been replaced. This one was quite a bit smaller—about the size of one of the monitors on my computer at home. BUT, the English-language stations worked. Some of the French ones didn’t, but the ones we were interested in did. Of course, the selections are quite limited: Sonlife Broadcasting (Jimmy Swaggart’s channel), Bloomberg (economic reporting), CNBC International (Primarily business reporting), BBC World service International (mostly economic news mixed with occasional breaking news stories around the world), and two Al Jazeera stations (Al Jazeera International and Al Jazeera England). Not a great selection unless we were focused on the stock markets around the world, however we might be able to get some up-to-date news. A big improvement from the two days before.

We were running short on clean clothes, so, while I wrote a blog, Larry and Bernie went downstairs to use the laundry. First, they had to get some change for the machines. The only place to get change was at the desk. They only had 10.00 in change, so we took it. We were able to collect enough coins to run our loads.

They went down to the lower level and located the laundry room. The cost was posted as 5 per wash load and 2,50 to dry. Bernie placed her clothes in the washer and put in the money. Nothing happened. Larry put ours in a different washer, put in the money, and it ran. They put money in Bernie’s washer again, and this time, it started.

They went to the desk to report the lost money. The manager said they have nothing to do with the laundry facility and could not refund the lost money.

The wash cycle ran okay. When it was done, they decided to combine the two loads in the dryer since it appeared large enough. They put in the coins and the cycle began. After the stated time for the clothes to be dry, they opened the door. The light-weight items, which should have been dry, were still wet. A couple of items—heavier and thicker—were nearly dry.

When they closed the door, they realized the cycle stopped when the door was opened and would not re-start. So, they put in more money and started the dryer again. This time, they waited for the cycle to stop by itself. Still, most of the clothes were wet or at lest damp. They pulled out the driest pieces, added more money, and started the machine again.

When this load was finished, they brought the damp clothes upstairs. We hung them all over the place, putting the wettest on the radiators.

We decided to go out to reconnoiter some dinner. We looked at the restaurants in the neighborhood and realized most of them were closed. Of course, it was Easter Sunday! So, we stopped by the store and picked up some cheese, crackers, and apples. This proved the perfect decision after all the fabulous food we had enjoyed.

We were quite tired after all the walking and decided to turn in early. After all, we had plans for the next day.

Next installment: France – Day 5 – 4/2/18

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