Last week I made my way to Paris, France — the first time I set foot on mainland Europe. While I have been to the UK three times, I was worried about going to a place that I didn’t speak the language and had no hope of being able to communicate. To make matters worse, two days before my flight I caught the flu, making me the sickest I have been in many years. With the help of two very good friends from Germany, the end of my trip was saved.
When I landed in Paris, the weather was very good — sunny with a nice breeze — but I was still feeling a bit under the weather. Little did I know at the time that I was about to get a lot worse. By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around I was in bed at my hotel, where I would spend much of the next week. I bundled up in as many cloths as I could, the windows closed and the heat on, trying desperately to get warm, even though the summer raged outside my hotel room.
By the time Monday came, I had to start my work week — I was there for Apple Expo Paris and the introduction of the new iMac G5. Suffice it to say that with a lot of medication (several times a day) I was able to fulfill my interview responsibilities and get the stories I needed to get done.
I didn’t eat in Paris until Thursday night, the day before I was to leave the city. In fact, by the time Thursday came, I hadn’t seen anything outside of my hotel room and the Apple Expo hall where I had done most of the writing on the trip.
My two good friends, Freddie and Tina, came to my rescue at the end of the week. On Wednesday, the two arranged for Tina to take me around the city and show me the main sites of Paris — the ones you just have to see. That doesn’t mean we stopped at each one, sometimes it was a drive by as I hung out the car taking a picture. (Sounds kind of funny as I write it, but that’s really how it was).
Overall, my first trip to Paris wasn’t the best — I was so sick most of the time, I just wanted to come home. You can never discount the affect friends can have on a trip like this to make things turn out okay in the end.
Thanks Freddie and Tina, I really appreciate all your efforts.
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