Thursday, January 15, 2009

Crying over crepes....

Amber and I had a wonderful trip in the UK for 5 weeks. I'm a grown woman and should have been thinking about lunar cycles --most normal women would prepare for this event that has been happening for 35 years once a month.  The trip was awesome till our Paris Day. Remembering Paris makes my teeth go sour.  Since we're all grown ups here, can I mention when we took the Chunnel to Paris for the day, that was the day I unexpectedly and desperately needed some feminine hygiene products and could not find ANYPLACE on the hop- on- hop off bus route to buy any.  Think about it, it's not a good thing to hop off and on anything in this condition.  Being very still is good.   Can I describe the tissue in the bathrooms as useless little tiny pink non-absorbant squares that break and tear as they come out of the dispensor.  This was so disappointing as the stalls needed money to enter and we hadn't any proper change for that inhospitable country.  When we finally found a bathroom, we had to find change-all that effort for a useless little shredded pink square that you wouldn't blow your nose on with any success.  Would it be ok to mention that I found only 1 bathroom the 1st 6 hours and 1 the next. It is this latter one I would like to have some sympathy extended for.  It was somewhere near Notre Dame that I dashed into a little restaurant and humbly asked to use the lou.  They graciously pointed downstairs.  When I entered, it was empty.  When I came out of my stall to do some laundry it was empty.  Part of the horror of this story is that at the time, my 'real woman' undergarments were the size of conveyer belts and the sink was the size of a cereal bowl.   This presented some challenges.  I was so distraught that I hadn't checked if they had a blow dryer type hand dryer, nope!  Here I am, embarrassing my country, huddled shamefacedly over what should have been a private project and in walks a woman and 2 men right behind her.  It was a common thing over there, coed rest rooms.  Are you blushing and feeling my pain?  I just threw every thing in the garbage and RAN upstairs.  Never should have done that-when there aren't any blow dryers, they have paper towels!  Paper towels would have been a creative solution!  Amber never did understand what I was so upset about.  It was unspeakable, I couldn't explain.  We were starving and finally found a crepe place that was still open.  The waiter was very hostile and rude.  The menu daunting after what I had just experienced and I had no idea what my seat would look like when I got up and then he would be really cranky AND wierded out, so I just put my head down on the table and cried like a baby.     He wasn't the kind of waiter you could ask to bring extra napkins.......   Amber thought it was because I couldn't read French.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Yes I feel your pain, but did have a good laugh before going to bed with a smile. This could only happen to you. Mom

Kathleen Overby said...

In chapter 6 of my childhood memories the stories of you and your escapades will explain my legacy of adventure mom! :)

Kent, Melisa,Tiana (and Coda) said...

Oh, Kathleen, I have tears streaming down my face! I'm so sorry, but that is so funny! You truly have a wonderful way with words!!

Kathleen Overby said...

Melisa, so glad you have a sense of humor too! :)