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Early start in Paris this morning as we began with yesterdays failed driving tour. This was something completely new and different for me as I actually had to guide as well as lead. Usually, my job only involved the logistical side of things.
We drove down our street trying to do a U-turn, when we finally found a spot, I announced, No, Garry and I are not lost, that was just the first available U turn space. Laughs from the passengers. When we passed by the hotel again I said, And that ladies and gentlemen was your driving tour of Paris, you've been a wonderful crowd and thanks for traveling with Expat. More laughs.
When we got into Paris proper, I started pointing things out. On your left you will see this and on your right you will see that and such. I also told them they had to listen to me because there would be a test. When they all laughed, I said, No really there is going to be a test. Silence. But there will be prizes….more laughs. I pointed out the place where the Bastille once stood and told them how it was stormed and burnt down during the French Revolution. I pointed out the Opera house, which is where the legend of the Phantom of the Opera came from. I pointed out the Place de la Concorde, with Ramses II's obelisk sitting in the middle, which was also the scene of the United Federation of Planets from the Star Trek movies. I pointed out the Arc de Triomph, the Louvre and did a slow drive by of La Dame de fer, or the Eiffel Tower.
After the driving tour I had to take some people down to the Seine to get on their boat cruise tour. I managed this with no hassles and most of the group decided to just get off here. I took the South African contingent back to the hotel, on the way pointing out Les Invalides.
After we dropped everyone off, Garry and I went to put the coach away in the coach park and then went to check out Pardis Latin so I could take some of the group there for their show tonight. I then had the rest of my day to myself until 8pm. I went in search of Le Pantheon. It took my quite a while to find and as I was sitting in McDonalds having lunch ready to give up, I saw a big white sign that said, Le Pantheon. Le Pantheon was worth the fuss, it looked just like the one in Rome only much newer of course. There was also a smaller church just behind it, called St Eitenne's where a French wedding was going on.
I left Le Pantheon and walked all the way back to the Bastille, via Notre Dame, which never fails to impress. On the way I bought these five pictures of Cats that I had wanted when I came here in March but had for some reason, not bought as soon as I saw them. I also went shopping for trivia prizes for the group and for a birthday present for one of the passengers who was turning fourteen. I got her a French beret.
Now that my feet were absolutely killing me, for the first time in almost a week I might add, I hopped on the metro and went back to the hotel to get ready to go to the show. I went down to the lobby to wait for the passengers who had booked it and no one even turned up until 8:15pm! I didn't end up leaving until 8:30pm, I'm really going to struggle with punctuality on this tour I think.
We got the metro to the show, with me panicking the entire time (not visibly of course) about whether or not we were actually going to make it or not. Luckily we did make it and went in and took our seats. We were given our drinks, French champagne for me. The show was good, probably not as good as the Moulin Rouge, but it was a bit more traditional I think. There was one point where I was sitting there listening to one of the singers crooning out La vie un Rose and drinking my French champagne in the middle of a cabaret show, that I thought, Well it doesn't get any more French than this!
One of the last acts was the Can Can and after the dancers ran off the stage, the compare smacked one of them over the bottom and with a cheeky grin said, I love my job, I could have been a lawyer or a dentist, but No! I am here and life it is wonderful! Couldn't agree more.
Once the show had finished I escorted the group home on the metro, as no buskers had gotten on, we decided to be the entertainment and put some music on one of our phones and began pole dancing on the train. I love this group, the people are so much fun. I managed to get in at about midnight and had to pack up before going off to bed.
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Mum The punctuality thing, reminds me of when we were on the Nile cruise with Ramez and he was telling us all to be on time and the very next morning, we were all there except him.