Parislog 54
September 4, 2006

On the last day of our trip we had a leisurely start to our day, getting breakfast, packing up the car and paying the bill. Then we headed off into the sunrise. It was another incredibly beautiful day. Of course, right after we got on the road, I had to go pee already. Sigh. We had to stop for gas somewhere too as we were at the bottom of the tank. That was getting to be a bit of a challenge. Every little 3-building town that we went through had no gas station. All along the roads there were no gas stations. I think we were all starting to wonder if we would find gas before we ran out. I know I was starting to wonder and wishing that we had stopped the evening before at the station that we had seen. But we were in luck. Finally we came upon a sign for a village that also had a sign for gas. We turned off and followed the road until we found it. I started looking for the bathroom. Not a chance. I got out and looked around while the tank was being filled and I still couldn’t find any. So off we went.

We drove and drove and drove. I just tried not to think about it. What else could I do? We finally got onto the big highway, which was a toll road.

Toll roads are a new thing for me. We are so lucky in the west coast to not have much in the way of toll roads. On this trip we had to take three in each direction. It averaged around 2-3 euros for each one. They are in good condition though and they have rest stops.

So back to my problem. We are now on the toll road, which also happens to be where the rest stops tend to be. The first one that we came to we went past. A* said that the ones without the full service gas and restaurant are not very clean and we should wait for this kind. Uh, okay. So we keep driving. Finally, I* also needed to stop and so did A* so whatever came next was it. It was not the full service kind of stop but there was a shriek from the back that we had to stop and A* pulled over. We go in the restrooms and I came across my first ever, Turkish toilet. I know that some of you already know what these are and I had heard of them but that was it. A Turkish toilet is a hole in the ground that you pee into. This one had like a little ceramic plate around the hole with a raised portion that you put your feet on. I am trying to figure out all the mechanics of this and not get munged. I sort myself out and stand on the little platform and get into position when all of a sudden water starts to pour out of the sides of the wall onto the floor and down the hole. I am not in a position to do anything but try to not get flushed. It somehow\ seems to manage to not come above the little raised footpad so I am safe. I finish my business, get up to go and it does it again. At least the place didn’t stink.

On the road home, we take a side trip to Giverny where Monet had his house and painted many of his paintings. Apparently he came from a wealthy family because the property was huge and stunning. Even though it was not the right time of day for good lighting, I was able to come up with a couple of good photos. Unfortunately it was forbidden inside the house. The dining room was the most amazing yellow all over. Even the sideboards had been painted and the moldings were a different shade of yellow too. The fireplace had delft blue tiles covering the surround that made for a spectacular counterpoint. The walls had Oriental ceramics and paintings all over that were also in shades of blue. The kitchen was blue with blue tiles of many different patterns all over the walls, an old wood stove and copper cookware hanging on the walls. The gardens outside were a riot of color and the Japanese garden was tranquil even with the tourists.

Then back to Paris we went. Entering Paris was in fact, a bit disturbing. After the intense greenery of Normandy, it felt dry and the smog was hovering over our heads like an ugly old blanket. The heat of the city came in waves off of the pavement. And the noise went up by a factor of 10. I got home and put myself to bed. It is so true that one needs a vacation after a vacation.