LYB's Trip report - searching for a rude Parisian waiter, emotional visit through Normandy, seeing beautiful men in Bruges, getting cranky in Brussels, and a bad start in Amsterdam ends with a perfect fall day.
Nov 29th, 2005, 06:36 AM
#41
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lyb: Again, I am SO enjoying reliving my trip through your report.
My hotel was right across the street from Boulangerie de Papa, so I also enjoyed breakfast at one of their outside tables a few mornings, as well as at La Brioche Doree on Blvd. St. Michel.
I've always wanted to go to Bruges, so am looking forward to reading of your experiences there.
Gina
My hotel was right across the street from Boulangerie de Papa, so I also enjoyed breakfast at one of their outside tables a few mornings, as well as at La Brioche Doree on Blvd. St. Michel.
I've always wanted to go to Bruges, so am looking forward to reading of your experiences there.
Gina
Nov 29th, 2005, 08:54 AM
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>>Fly in your tart, limping down the street with your Starbucks latte, chocolate on your nose; I can see why the French men found you irresistible.<<
Yes, quite a sight!
Yes, quite a sight!
Nov 29th, 2005, 12:07 PM
#45
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lyb, I am so enjoying your report! We went to Paris for the first time a few weeks ago. We too were enchanted with Paris and wondered where all these supposed rude waiters and filthy streets were. Paris was a joy and I spent the whole vacation wondering why I waited so long to visit. I can't wait to read more!
Tracy
Tracy
Nov 29th, 2005, 12:46 PM
#46
I love your report. Being from Quebec I completely understand your French citizens in Quebec comment. I now love Paris also but did not when I first went 25 years ago. I am sipping a Kir as I read this. Please don't stop I still have 1/2 a glass to finish.
Nov 29th, 2005, 02:37 PM
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Lyb-
After a really bad day, I discovered your report and I am eating it while unwinding with a cocktail and some excellent aged Gouda.
I think all the men in Paris were hitting on you because of your exuberant attitude! I think you are also right about the red hair being an attraction. I just read Sarah Turnbull's book Almost French, and remember that she talked about how many French women favor a really popular hair color(dye) that is a dark red. You were right in style and didn't even know it. Soon we will see the "Chocolat Chaud" dot on the nose as the next big Parisian fashion statement!
I can't wait for your next installment.
After a really bad day, I discovered your report and I am eating it while unwinding with a cocktail and some excellent aged Gouda.
I think all the men in Paris were hitting on you because of your exuberant attitude! I think you are also right about the red hair being an attraction. I just read Sarah Turnbull's book Almost French, and remember that she talked about how many French women favor a really popular hair color(dye) that is a dark red. You were right in style and didn't even know it. Soon we will see the "Chocolat Chaud" dot on the nose as the next big Parisian fashion statement!
I can't wait for your next installment.
Nov 29th, 2005, 09:27 PM
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PARIS, THURSDAY, OCT 6
My last full day in Paris and Sacre Coeur was my goal.
I started off my day by again having breakfast at La Broche Doree, it was cheap, food was good enough and very convenient since I was taking the Metro to the Gare St Lazarre to pick up my train tickets for Bruges, Brussels and Amsterdam. I had already bought and printed my tickets to Normandy on line, so I was set for tomorrow, but I had also bought my other lines and now I needed to actually pick them. But also very important, I wanted to check out if taking the metro to the station the next morning was an option with my suitcase and my backpack. After getting to the train station, I decided that there had been way too many stairs and I wasn’t going to put myself through lugging my suitcase up stairs after stairs, a taxi was a much better option.
After getting my tickets, I got back on the metro to go to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. When I got off the metro station at the Anvers station, I decided not to go directly up to Montmartre but to walk over to see the Moulin Rouge, after all, first time in Paris, I had to see the famous Moulin Rouge, even if I wasn’t going to go inside for a show. So I started walking down the Blvd de Rochechouart and as I walked on, I totally understood why my best friend had told me that I probably shouldn’t be walking around by myself at night near the Moulin Rouge area. It was hysterical, I thought I had been transported to Amsterdam in the Red Light District (though I didn’t know at the time that the two areas looked totally different). It was porn shop after porn shop, all advertising in neon signs. I thought it was hysterical, a part of Paris I had never thought about. I walked to the Moulin Rouge, saw it, took a picture and thought – well, that’s it!! I’m sure that the show is probably fun, and in its heyday in the early 1900’s, the building must have been impressive, but unfortunately, that was the one thing in Paris that didn’t live up to its expectations, though I couldn’t tell you what the expectations were.
I walked back towards Sacre Coeur, grabbed a lemon crepe at a little shop near the funicular and ate it at the little park next to the carrousel and the funicular as the pigeons swooped down to fight over the food that an elderly gentleman was feeding them. Oh, how I wish he hadn’t been doing that…those pigeons just about dive bombed me and I thought they were out to get my crepe. Warning to the pigeons of the world…do not get between me and my crepe!! I was ready to defend it at any cost!
As I then walked up to the funicular, this guy came up to me with a string and was trying to put it on me or something. I firmly told him no, but he kept coming at me, I repeated my No one more time and when he wouldn’t back off, I just about screamed at him, “I told you NO!”. He finally backed off, I think he thought I was some crazy French Canadian woman. All this time, I had one hand firmly on the top of my purse and the other on my camera, yep, don’t get between me and my crepe, camera and purse!!! Going up the funicular, I remembered at least a couple of people on Fodor’s mentioning this trick. The thing that he or any other pickpocket didn’t know is that my wallet was buried so far down deep in my purse, that sometimes I had a hard time getting to it. And of course, I had my purse strap over my shoulder, so I was as pickpocket proof as you can ever reasonably get. By the way, it’s a great travel purse, it’s made by Overland Equipment, the model is Donner. It was big enough to carry a few maps with me, there is an outside place for a small water bottle and another for an umbrella. I highly recommend it, here’s the link to the website: http://www.overlandequipment.com/toplevel/travel.htm just click on the model Donner. Though I bought mine on shoebuy.com
On to the next message…..
My last full day in Paris and Sacre Coeur was my goal.
I started off my day by again having breakfast at La Broche Doree, it was cheap, food was good enough and very convenient since I was taking the Metro to the Gare St Lazarre to pick up my train tickets for Bruges, Brussels and Amsterdam. I had already bought and printed my tickets to Normandy on line, so I was set for tomorrow, but I had also bought my other lines and now I needed to actually pick them. But also very important, I wanted to check out if taking the metro to the station the next morning was an option with my suitcase and my backpack. After getting to the train station, I decided that there had been way too many stairs and I wasn’t going to put myself through lugging my suitcase up stairs after stairs, a taxi was a much better option.
After getting my tickets, I got back on the metro to go to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. When I got off the metro station at the Anvers station, I decided not to go directly up to Montmartre but to walk over to see the Moulin Rouge, after all, first time in Paris, I had to see the famous Moulin Rouge, even if I wasn’t going to go inside for a show. So I started walking down the Blvd de Rochechouart and as I walked on, I totally understood why my best friend had told me that I probably shouldn’t be walking around by myself at night near the Moulin Rouge area. It was hysterical, I thought I had been transported to Amsterdam in the Red Light District (though I didn’t know at the time that the two areas looked totally different). It was porn shop after porn shop, all advertising in neon signs. I thought it was hysterical, a part of Paris I had never thought about. I walked to the Moulin Rouge, saw it, took a picture and thought – well, that’s it!! I’m sure that the show is probably fun, and in its heyday in the early 1900’s, the building must have been impressive, but unfortunately, that was the one thing in Paris that didn’t live up to its expectations, though I couldn’t tell you what the expectations were.
I walked back towards Sacre Coeur, grabbed a lemon crepe at a little shop near the funicular and ate it at the little park next to the carrousel and the funicular as the pigeons swooped down to fight over the food that an elderly gentleman was feeding them. Oh, how I wish he hadn’t been doing that…those pigeons just about dive bombed me and I thought they were out to get my crepe. Warning to the pigeons of the world…do not get between me and my crepe!! I was ready to defend it at any cost!
As I then walked up to the funicular, this guy came up to me with a string and was trying to put it on me or something. I firmly told him no, but he kept coming at me, I repeated my No one more time and when he wouldn’t back off, I just about screamed at him, “I told you NO!”. He finally backed off, I think he thought I was some crazy French Canadian woman. All this time, I had one hand firmly on the top of my purse and the other on my camera, yep, don’t get between me and my crepe, camera and purse!!! Going up the funicular, I remembered at least a couple of people on Fodor’s mentioning this trick. The thing that he or any other pickpocket didn’t know is that my wallet was buried so far down deep in my purse, that sometimes I had a hard time getting to it. And of course, I had my purse strap over my shoulder, so I was as pickpocket proof as you can ever reasonably get. By the way, it’s a great travel purse, it’s made by Overland Equipment, the model is Donner. It was big enough to carry a few maps with me, there is an outside place for a small water bottle and another for an umbrella. I highly recommend it, here’s the link to the website: http://www.overlandequipment.com/toplevel/travel.htm just click on the model Donner. Though I bought mine on shoebuy.com
On to the next message…..
Nov 29th, 2005, 10:29 PM
#51
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PARIS, THURSDAY, OCT 6 (cont’d)
Despite the white sky which almost made Sacre Coeur blend in, it’s definitely impressive and it was so quiet inside. For no reason in particular, except maybe the quiet, it is so far my favorite church that I have seen in all of Europe. I just felt very at peace sitting in a pew, reflecting upon the fantastic past few days I just had and looking forward with anticipation at the next places I was going to visit. It also made me think that it was somewhat ironic that here was Sacre Couer up on the hill looking down below at all of the porn shops…umm…is that where the idea of going UP to heaven and DOWN to hell came from?
I left the basilica and walked up to the Place du Tertre and looked at all the artists and their painting. I did buy a small modern painting of the Eiffel Tower. I probably paid too much, 40 euro for a 5 x 7 painting, but whenever I look at it, I remember that day, so can a value really be put on instant travel back to Paris?
Before I continued to explore I had lunch at La Mere Catherine, where I had the best onion soup. I took a picture of it, because it looked as good as it tasted. When I chose that restaurant, I didn’t realize the history behind it. Apparently this is where the Russian soldiers in 1814 would eat and yell “Bistro” when they wanted service, and that is where the word Bistrot comes from. So I got a little of bit history along with a great soup….which by the way….became part of my OWN history the next day…I’ll tell you about that tomorrow.
After a great meal of onion soup, bread and Stella Artois beer, I went exploring. I meandered through the streets until I came up to the Lapin Agile Cabaret with its interesting windows and wall sculpture of a woman’s face coming right out of the wall. I then passed by the vineyard and went through some residential streets before I looped my way back towards the Basilica, but before reaching it, I had to say no quite a few times to artists who wanted to sketch me, asking rather aggressively for artists in my opinion. I walked down to the metro by walking down the infamous street/stairs that you see in all the pictures, I also believe that Fred Astaire & Audrey Hepburn danced down the stairs in the movie Funny Face.
The metro ride back to the hotel was a little eventful, a couple of teenage girls got into a screaming match about some nonsense as to who looked at who with what look... Those of us who were not involved in the fight, kept to ourselves and in a strange way, I could feel that everybody was kind of saying to each other, it’s us against them. Luckily one of the girls got out at about the 3rd stop after I had gotten in.
Once I got back to my hotel, I made arrangements with the reception desk to have a taxi pick up the next morning and went up to my room to start re-organizing my suitcase, which it greatly needed. But before I finished my packing, I went out to dinner. I had already decided that I wanted to have dinner at one of the restaurants near William Shakespeare & Co because I could have a view of Notre Dame at night. Therefore, I have to say that my dinner location was chosen mainly because of the view, and therefore, this was probably my worst meal in Paris, though worse is probably not the right word, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t that great. The restaurant was the Café le Petit Pont, I did have a table outside looking at Notre Dame, so the mediocre salad was worth it.
The day next I was off to Normandy!
Despite the white sky which almost made Sacre Coeur blend in, it’s definitely impressive and it was so quiet inside. For no reason in particular, except maybe the quiet, it is so far my favorite church that I have seen in all of Europe. I just felt very at peace sitting in a pew, reflecting upon the fantastic past few days I just had and looking forward with anticipation at the next places I was going to visit. It also made me think that it was somewhat ironic that here was Sacre Couer up on the hill looking down below at all of the porn shops…umm…is that where the idea of going UP to heaven and DOWN to hell came from?
I left the basilica and walked up to the Place du Tertre and looked at all the artists and their painting. I did buy a small modern painting of the Eiffel Tower. I probably paid too much, 40 euro for a 5 x 7 painting, but whenever I look at it, I remember that day, so can a value really be put on instant travel back to Paris?
Before I continued to explore I had lunch at La Mere Catherine, where I had the best onion soup. I took a picture of it, because it looked as good as it tasted. When I chose that restaurant, I didn’t realize the history behind it. Apparently this is where the Russian soldiers in 1814 would eat and yell “Bistro” when they wanted service, and that is where the word Bistrot comes from. So I got a little of bit history along with a great soup….which by the way….became part of my OWN history the next day…I’ll tell you about that tomorrow.
After a great meal of onion soup, bread and Stella Artois beer, I went exploring. I meandered through the streets until I came up to the Lapin Agile Cabaret with its interesting windows and wall sculpture of a woman’s face coming right out of the wall. I then passed by the vineyard and went through some residential streets before I looped my way back towards the Basilica, but before reaching it, I had to say no quite a few times to artists who wanted to sketch me, asking rather aggressively for artists in my opinion. I walked down to the metro by walking down the infamous street/stairs that you see in all the pictures, I also believe that Fred Astaire & Audrey Hepburn danced down the stairs in the movie Funny Face.
The metro ride back to the hotel was a little eventful, a couple of teenage girls got into a screaming match about some nonsense as to who looked at who with what look... Those of us who were not involved in the fight, kept to ourselves and in a strange way, I could feel that everybody was kind of saying to each other, it’s us against them. Luckily one of the girls got out at about the 3rd stop after I had gotten in.
Once I got back to my hotel, I made arrangements with the reception desk to have a taxi pick up the next morning and went up to my room to start re-organizing my suitcase, which it greatly needed. But before I finished my packing, I went out to dinner. I had already decided that I wanted to have dinner at one of the restaurants near William Shakespeare & Co because I could have a view of Notre Dame at night. Therefore, I have to say that my dinner location was chosen mainly because of the view, and therefore, this was probably my worst meal in Paris, though worse is probably not the right word, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t that great. The restaurant was the Café le Petit Pont, I did have a table outside looking at Notre Dame, so the mediocre salad was worth it.
The day next I was off to Normandy!
Nov 29th, 2005, 10:53 PM
#52
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A few miscellaneous responses:
Baldrick -- Merci et svp dit merci de ma part a tes amis (Thank you and please say thank you to your friends on my behalf)
Scarlett -- do you stay in an apartment or a hotel? Do you mind sharing the name?
And for those of you who asked on my photo gallery what camera I have -- it is a Digital 5 megapixel Minolta DiMage A1. I've had it for almost 2 years now, so of course, they have now come out with newer models for half the price. GRRRR!!! Oh, well, I've been enjoying for the past 2 years
Baldrick -- Merci et svp dit merci de ma part a tes amis (Thank you and please say thank you to your friends on my behalf)
Scarlett -- do you stay in an apartment or a hotel? Do you mind sharing the name?
And for those of you who asked on my photo gallery what camera I have -- it is a Digital 5 megapixel Minolta DiMage A1. I've had it for almost 2 years now, so of course, they have now come out with newer models for half the price. GRRRR!!! Oh, well, I've been enjoying for the past 2 years
Nov 30th, 2005, 02:22 AM
#54
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I am enjoying your report very much!!! I was in Paris in October 14th-19th and I was quite bundled up some days, then again I live in Puerto Rico...
I also decided not to go to Versailles since there were so many things to do in Paris and four days is such a short time. I guess I just have to go back
I also decided not to go to Versailles since there were so many things to do in Paris and four days is such a short time. I guess I just have to go back
Nov 30th, 2005, 04:37 AM
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Lovely to read your report and see where I was at the same time!
Pity you didn't come to the Fodorite GTG at Deux Magots on the 5th - Travgina, ggnga & I had a very pleasant evening ending with dinner at L'Insulaire in rue Gregoire de Tours. Not too far from where you were dining!
Pity you didn't come to the Fodorite GTG at Deux Magots on the 5th - Travgina, ggnga & I had a very pleasant evening ending with dinner at L'Insulaire in rue Gregoire de Tours. Not too far from where you were dining!
Nov 30th, 2005, 02:17 PM
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LYB,
I am SO enjoying your trip report. I was in Paris (my favorite city) for a few days in mid-October and it was quite warm with beautiful skies. Weather that time of year is tricky.
You certainly made good use of your time and took some gorgeous photos. You look so happy in your photos -- it's obvious you were enjoying yourself. Only a dedicated curmudgeon could be rude to you.
You're really inspiring me to tackle the stairs at Notre Dame on my next visit, and also to revisit Montmartre. I've been skipping it on my recent visits.
You did great!
Thanks for sharing.
I am SO enjoying your trip report. I was in Paris (my favorite city) for a few days in mid-October and it was quite warm with beautiful skies. Weather that time of year is tricky.
You certainly made good use of your time and took some gorgeous photos. You look so happy in your photos -- it's obvious you were enjoying yourself. Only a dedicated curmudgeon could be rude to you.
You're really inspiring me to tackle the stairs at Notre Dame on my next visit, and also to revisit Montmartre. I've been skipping it on my recent visits.
You did great!
Thanks for sharing.
Nov 30th, 2005, 03:56 PM
#59
I'm with everyone else -- wonderful report! Very entertaining. Can't wait for the next installments. Next summer, it's back to Paris, and on to Normandy, Bruges and Amsterdam for me, so I'm looking forward to getting the reports!
Paule
Paule
Nov 30th, 2005, 09:04 PM
#60
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NORMANDY, FRIDAY, OCT 7
Off to Normandy and a little encounter with the police.
The taxi picked up at the hotel around 7:20am to go to Gare St Lazarre. I am so used to the traffic in Sacramento where in the morning it can take me up to 45 minutes to drive my 14 miles from home to work and having heard about the horrific Paris traffic, I had given more than one hour from the time the taxi picked up until the time the train left for Caen. Well, maybe it was because it was a Friday morning, but it only took 15 – 20 minutes to get from the Latin Quarter to St Lazarre. Honestly, I can be a bit of a worry wart when it comes to being on time for planes and trains, and I do often get to airports/train stations too early, but I’d rather be too early than being in rush and having to run to the train. That makes me stressed and I don’t want any stress when I’m on vacation. Ironically, I had so much time at the train station that I almost missed my train. I sat back, was writing in my journal and for some reason I got it in my mind that my train wasn’t leaving until 8:50am. So at 8:35am, I get my stuff together and walk to the track from which my train was leaving, I look up to confirm that I’m at the right track when I see that the train is leaving at 8:40am!!! Yikes!!! The stupid thing is that I knew that all along, but somehow I had a brain malfunction! I had an assigned seat on the train, so I’m looking for my specific car number, I can’t find it, so I finally decide to just get on the train and walk to my seat from inside the train. I haul my train up the steps, and I’m dragging in behind me through one car, when the train starts. If I had waited another few minutes before coming over I would have missed my train!!! And because I had a highly discounted rate, it wasn’t transferable to another train! Phew….I was relieved.
I never did find my assigned seat but since the train was a quarter filled at the most, when the conductor came around he told me that I didn’t have to move. I got my book out, (I was reading Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, a very good book, though I thought the ending a bit of a letdown), get my Ipod on and I’m settled, enjoying my ride. After about 30 minutes or so, I had to go to the bathroom. I do, come back, get settled again, oh, oh…I have to go to the bathroom again…..let me just say that there is Montezuma’s Revenge when visiting Mexico, well, I think that France its own version, I called it DeGaulle’s Revenge! Let me add that having the “revenge” in a train toilet during a 2 hour train ride, is less than pleasant!!!
I got to Caen and “everything” seemed to be okay, EuropCar was directly across the street from the train station and they had the car ready for me. I get to the car, a little dark blue Fiat Panda, I put my luggage in the back, and get ready to go. I couldn’t get the handbreak released. I’m pushing buttons, pulling, pushing, it just won’t release. After about 5 minutes, I gave up, went back inside and told them my problem. A young tiny little girl comes out and of course, she does right away! I feel slightly stupid but she is very sweet about it and makes excuses for me. The reservation clerk had drawn on a map showing me how to get out of central Caen and take the road to go to the Memorial, but the first time around I missed the street I was supposed to take and went back around the city circle and finally got on the right road…….but not quite…..I’m happily driving along and following signs, but I start thinking that maybe, I missed a sign at one point, because I’m getting out in the country and my gut instinct tells me this is the wrong way. It was so pretty though that part of me didn’t want to turn around, but at the same time I had limited time so I turn back around. Good thing I did, the “revenge” was saying hello again, and I remembered seeing a McDonald’s on the road. Soooo I paid a visit at McDonalds, and then I get in my car. Okay, trouble #2, I can’t back it up. As much as I try, I can’t get it into the rear gear. I keep trying and trying, people are waiting for my parking spot, I have to wave them away, and keep attempting to get it in rear. I’m about to give up and ask someone in the parking lot, when I notice a ring around the stick, I play around with it and bingo, I can move the stick into rear. I drove a stick shift for years, but for the past 8 years I’ve driven an automatic. I then remembered that you can’t just move into rear with a stick!!! Oh, well, I had it figured out now.
On to the Caen Memorial....
Off to Normandy and a little encounter with the police.
The taxi picked up at the hotel around 7:20am to go to Gare St Lazarre. I am so used to the traffic in Sacramento where in the morning it can take me up to 45 minutes to drive my 14 miles from home to work and having heard about the horrific Paris traffic, I had given more than one hour from the time the taxi picked up until the time the train left for Caen. Well, maybe it was because it was a Friday morning, but it only took 15 – 20 minutes to get from the Latin Quarter to St Lazarre. Honestly, I can be a bit of a worry wart when it comes to being on time for planes and trains, and I do often get to airports/train stations too early, but I’d rather be too early than being in rush and having to run to the train. That makes me stressed and I don’t want any stress when I’m on vacation. Ironically, I had so much time at the train station that I almost missed my train. I sat back, was writing in my journal and for some reason I got it in my mind that my train wasn’t leaving until 8:50am. So at 8:35am, I get my stuff together and walk to the track from which my train was leaving, I look up to confirm that I’m at the right track when I see that the train is leaving at 8:40am!!! Yikes!!! The stupid thing is that I knew that all along, but somehow I had a brain malfunction! I had an assigned seat on the train, so I’m looking for my specific car number, I can’t find it, so I finally decide to just get on the train and walk to my seat from inside the train. I haul my train up the steps, and I’m dragging in behind me through one car, when the train starts. If I had waited another few minutes before coming over I would have missed my train!!! And because I had a highly discounted rate, it wasn’t transferable to another train! Phew….I was relieved.
I never did find my assigned seat but since the train was a quarter filled at the most, when the conductor came around he told me that I didn’t have to move. I got my book out, (I was reading Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, a very good book, though I thought the ending a bit of a letdown), get my Ipod on and I’m settled, enjoying my ride. After about 30 minutes or so, I had to go to the bathroom. I do, come back, get settled again, oh, oh…I have to go to the bathroom again…..let me just say that there is Montezuma’s Revenge when visiting Mexico, well, I think that France its own version, I called it DeGaulle’s Revenge! Let me add that having the “revenge” in a train toilet during a 2 hour train ride, is less than pleasant!!!
I got to Caen and “everything” seemed to be okay, EuropCar was directly across the street from the train station and they had the car ready for me. I get to the car, a little dark blue Fiat Panda, I put my luggage in the back, and get ready to go. I couldn’t get the handbreak released. I’m pushing buttons, pulling, pushing, it just won’t release. After about 5 minutes, I gave up, went back inside and told them my problem. A young tiny little girl comes out and of course, she does right away! I feel slightly stupid but she is very sweet about it and makes excuses for me. The reservation clerk had drawn on a map showing me how to get out of central Caen and take the road to go to the Memorial, but the first time around I missed the street I was supposed to take and went back around the city circle and finally got on the right road…….but not quite…..I’m happily driving along and following signs, but I start thinking that maybe, I missed a sign at one point, because I’m getting out in the country and my gut instinct tells me this is the wrong way. It was so pretty though that part of me didn’t want to turn around, but at the same time I had limited time so I turn back around. Good thing I did, the “revenge” was saying hello again, and I remembered seeing a McDonald’s on the road. Soooo I paid a visit at McDonalds, and then I get in my car. Okay, trouble #2, I can’t back it up. As much as I try, I can’t get it into the rear gear. I keep trying and trying, people are waiting for my parking spot, I have to wave them away, and keep attempting to get it in rear. I’m about to give up and ask someone in the parking lot, when I notice a ring around the stick, I play around with it and bingo, I can move the stick into rear. I drove a stick shift for years, but for the past 8 years I’ve driven an automatic. I then remembered that you can’t just move into rear with a stick!!! Oh, well, I had it figured out now.
On to the Caen Memorial....
