A Day on the Bus in Paris

By CadyLuck Leedy on January 25, 2014

Today I am licking my wounds.(not literally) My hand is fine, which I am surprised about, but there is a big bruise, black and purple, that runs from my wrist to my elbow on my left arm. Hmmmm….  My biggest problem though, is the knot with black and blue swelling, below my right knee.  It feels like there is a giant rubber band tightening the dickens out of the tissue below the kneecap. I might as well have a tourniquet on!  I have had this problem on numerous occasions. I have twisted my knee.  AGAIN! I can’t walk. I hobble to the couch. Maybe if I just stay off of it a few days…….Bummer!

Baby Bear and Papa Bear feel bad for me. Baby Bear goes to Paul’s and buys croissants and those baby doughnut holes.  Papa Bear brings back more café and baby, baby Coke in six ounce cans. They are so cute!  Who knew they made aluminum cans this tiny for Coke? Comfort food. I am propped up on the couch, my right leg extended as much as it will, with several pillows underneath it, café at hand, croissants within reach. I will study my French lessons on the Ipad. The sun is shining.  It looks so warm and beautiful out there!  Papa Bear announces he will finish the three bus tours we had tickets for and take lots of pictures on his cell phone. The camera batteries are still dead as a doornail and we can’t get them to recharge no matter what plug we use. Baby Bear is going shopping. Oh, how I love shopping!  I settle into French adverbs. Bummer, bummer, bummer!

In the late afternoon the Bears return and I announce I am better.  Hmmmmm… I can hobble down to the Jewish quarter to eat something I am sure.  The T street is one of my favorite’s to watch the world go by. There is a big yellow Jewish bakery, Sacha Finkelsztajn, that can’t be missed. Down this lane are tiny tiny stalls and tiny tiny restaurants, where there are always lines to get falafels (I’d never seen or eaten one before) and crêpes.

I have set a goal to stand in one of those lines and see what all the hubbub is about concerning a falafel, but tonight won’t be the night. We hobble into a restaurant.  We have not been here before, but I am curious about it because the windows have so many hand written messages on it, in French. Because of the writings it is impossible to see in, but the tables are always full outside. There are lines to get a table inside, so eating in will be out of the question too.  I think I’ll just look over all the goodies in the sandwich and pastry counters. There is a waiting line for the to-go items also. The women in front of us take matters into their own hands. Reaching for the tissues and bags they begin placing assorted pastries into a bag.  A gent in a white apron comes to the front of the counter and points to one of many signs behind the cash register area.  Do Not Touch Pastries, Ask for Assistance. These women speak French and ignore him. More signs. There is no Wi Fi Here. Please Wait to Be Seated. Wait to be Seated Outside. Cash Only. Do Not Move Beyond This Line.  You Can Find Us on TripAdvisor. Just a few of the instructions that I remember. These pointers are in English, so I know who they are for. As we wait our turn I study the people, the signs, the food. The apron gent now nods to a helper/cook/waiter, I am not sure who he is, but this man comes to help us, although not happy to have been given such a lowly assignment. I point, he selects.  He drops the goodies into the sack.  We take the bag to apron man, who has been giving all the directions and I see he is also the man in charge of the cash register. I think this is sooooo French.  They have a way of doing everything…..

I hobble gingerly back to the apartment with the help of Papa Bear. As we munch on the sandwiches and cakes, and swizzle tiny cans of Coke, Baby Bear is modeling and revealing all her shopping goodies.  She tells me all about her lesson in “PERFUME.”

I insist tomorrow I will be able to shop!

Enjoy the Video, these are just a few of the hundreds of pictures Papa Bear took for me!