The Travellers Return!

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19 June 2000
Scott - Au Pacific Hotel, Foundary, Paris

We arrived in Paris this morning and it sure is hot. Splashed out on a three star hotel room slightly larger then a broom cupboard and within an easy stroll to the Tour Eiffel and Ecole Militaire.

We make our obligatory climb of the tower, all the way up; I had to hold Hel up, with her vertigo; She then spent the rest of the day trying to find a decent snow globe of the tower, who hard is it to come up with some decent tack! Still in the end she was rewarded with a suitably gauche gold glitter edifice in a dome.

We have a hard time trying to find a decent French café, not at all like Spain where you just wander anywhere and run into a local place, so settle on an odd choice - Rangoli - an Indian restaurant, so instead of French food and wine we have Bombay allo and kingfisher beer… costs a fortune and they have a space to account for the cigarettes you buy on the bill, ah France, last bastion of the cancerous...

Hel is making plans to spend a whole day at the Louvre and track down its collection of papyrus scrolls depicting beer making… somewhere in the basement with the rest of the Egyptian collection.

I am heading home from London via LA and should get into Auckland at 5.15am on 22nd June. Hel will be coming home on the 23rd, we have ended up with weirdest flights.

From: Katie Pie
To: Scott Wilson
Subject: home in 38 hours...
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000

Dear dad, well you should be home in about 38 and bit hours NZ. I can’t wait to see you! Mums bringing us up to Auckland tomorrow ( Wed) so we can come and see you at the airport on Early Thursday morning. I am sick and i fell like shit, the bloody cold has hit me bad and i hate it. Today i am off school because it is "Work Day" were the school expects us to go out and work and then give them $25, yeh right they can keep dreaming! So today i have cleaned my room from top to bottom and now it almost looks alright! Well see you soon love kate........................

21 June 2000
Scott - London, United Kingdom

Well here I am in Heathrow waiting for the plane. Had a good trip across and under the channel. The weather was great all the way to the Chunnel, it was fine and hot in France, but as soon as I came out of the Chunnel in England it was pouring with rain and is still raining. Hel is still in Paris and will stay there for one more night before heading up to Frankfurt.

Took the tube and was at the airport by 11.30am, isn’t public transport grand. Explained that I hadn't got the ticket and they printed one out for me on the spot. Have read Walters message of today (20th) seems all had been fixed. I was searched by French customs, who were suspicious about the Moroccan carpet!!!

Went to get the VAT back and was told I had to have the items physically with me to get the VAT back. Even if Hel (who has the goods) had the VAT receipts with her, she could not get the money back because the receipts are in my name!!!

21 June 2000
Hel - - Le Village Hostel, Montmartre, Paris


Meanwhile back on the continent, ah Paris, city of love, here I am on my own in a dorm room with three silent room mates, cell mates probably more accurate. I guess these mad young things in gay Paris didn’t bargain on having a dorm mother… oh well get a life girls.

I have just got back to the hostel after shelping around Paris for most of the day, I couldn't get to my dorm bed till after 4pm.. so I went up the road and slept in the park. Actually it was very pleasant, sun shine, green grass fresh green leaves and the vague sounds of a carousel playing in the background (better then the background noise here which is more whining Americans)... I spent the rest of the day mooching around the 18th arrondissement, better cafes down here and useful markets, I light a candle in the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, after climbing up the hill and have lunch in the sun people watching on the steps.

I have booked a sleeper to Frankfurt for tomorrow night, I will feel safer when I get my air ticket in my hot little hand. Besides Paris is no fun without Scott. I will go out tonight to catch the lights of the city, leaving my valuables in the hostel safe and will take care and be home safe... I'll also be on the look out for foot stompers (pick pocket technique we saw in action in Barcelona).

Sounds like customs gave Scott a hard time about the bloody carpet I picked up in Morocco!!! Serves him right abandoning me in the city of love and romance, it is Gay Mardi Gras here and I lucked out with dyke with a bike who took me for a spin around the Arch d Triumph, she took one look at my hair legs sticking out from below my overside shorts and sighed ‘with legs like those you are either one of us or a kiwi’ still after breaking her heart gently she was gracious enough to take me on a spin… now where is Scott and the camera when you need him!

As I write this a big Black Paris Pussy has taken up residence on my lap, had better move it as I am hot enough without having a fur coat to add to it!!!!

22 June 2000
Scott - Auckland, New Zealand

Well here I am back home. I had an uneventful (boring) flight from London, LA, Auckland. Got in on time after getting shaken down by customs in Paris, London, and Auckland. All suspicious of the mystery Moroccan carpet. Hel is still in Europe due to difficulties in getting useless Air NZ to book flights home for us both together. We have ended up with me leaving her in Paris while I fly out of London, and she fly’s out of Frankfurt. After all the pissing around we did to get flights and being told there was no possibility of getting two seats on the same flight back to NZ, guess what both legs of the flight I was on were half empty (this after waiting hours on the phone watching out toll calling card evaporate while on hold).

I was met by my two gorgeous kids at the airport, very pleased to see me. Hel’s dad, Wal was there also. Drove into Auckland being careful to stay on the left side of the road. He had our spotty, fat dog in the back on a bed of hay.

I had to get Hel’s spotty daughter out of bed to open the door, she was pleased to see me, even gave me a hug (looking for allies I suspect). She is well, has mowed the lawns, I had to drop it off on the way to dropping Walter of at the bus station (and her to school). Fran is working and getting fed at the Turkish restaurant down the road and is making $100 per week, I suspect that she is working too much bearing in mind all her other interests.

23 June 2000
Hel - Frankfurt, Germany

Well I have made it to Frankfurt (which is a moderate 30 degrees, sunny with a bit of a breeze, quiet a nice change after sizzling Paris). I see on the BBC that Auckland is expecting a high of 15 degrees, I have an extra shirt and my sweatshirt packed at the top of my bad ready for instant deployal. (This bloody key board is sticking and the Germans have their own key placement, just like every other country we have been in!!!)

Scott and Wal have been warning me about local conditions back home, while waiting to get into the Louve in Paris I spent a bit of time gazing into a trendy travel store window, but they didn’t have any thermals (bloodz z is where the y should be).

The Louve was very interesting and tyring. I spent most of my time with the other mommies in the Ancient Egypt section. They have no photo or flash restrictions so I took a few snaps, but in general was too overwhelmed by the place. A LOT of sculpture etc but no castings better then the Prado example. A great Metso bronze lion and lots of Roman stuff.

I’m also pleased to see that Scott has got home in one piece, thanks for picking him up Wal, must have been quiet a trip. Franny is such a lazy bones, she didn’t even get up to meet Scott at the airport... I think he is very generous to take her out to the movies after that!!!

Got into Frankfurt yesterday after an okay trip on the train. Came on out to the airport to pick up my ticket, but air nz doesn’t open till the afternoon and all I could get was their bloody answer phone, so I hit up one of their alliance partners who patched me through. Turns out yesterday was a holiday and the ticket has been printed and is with the courier to be delivered to the airport at noon, so I should be able to pick it up and check in shortly. No mention of problems at this stage. My heart did skip a beat when the read out someone else’s name in response to the booking number, but it was okay. Having issued the ticket they reused the booking number. The air port told me that they only print out the ticket if everything is in order. So fingers crossed for a trouble free check in and a good seat. The weather forecast today showed a hurricane moving up the coast to LA so I may be in for a bumpy flight...

Frankfurt has a weird local tube and train system, different trains run on the same track so you need a time table and a grasp of German. It also runs on an honesty system, no one checks your ticket or anything, but if you get caught without a current ticket you get slapped with an instant fine and aren’t released to you cough up with the cash. Not understanding German or the system is no defence! Swearing at the German guards doesn’t help either as it only increases your fine ( as a crowd of obnoxious yanks at one platform discovered). So far I have managed to stay within the law.

Spent the night (and most of yesterday) sleeping in a huge king sized bed at the roomy, shady, quiet Pension I found. The room also had a bath, a real honest to goodness hot water and plug type bath! So I nipped out for some bath salts and had a couple of really good soaks, so I am now clean and well rested ready for my long flight.

I hear that Bully is in fine form having been nicely fattened at the farm... should insulate him for the cold dog box in Toke.

But jokes about my carpet are not welcomed, especially after Scott has lugged it half way around the world and through all the security systems. Sorry Scott I have the receipt with me, should have given it to you before you left. The Europeans can be pretty funny about antiques etc. But glad to here that both you and your cargo got home okay. I will keep my eye open for Havana Club Rum as I go through duty free, so I hope my clinking won’t set off concerns over Guatemalan textiles!!!

Meanwhile Fran and bullet can keep off my carpet I don’t want any contributions to its rich tapestry!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone, glad to hear that Kate and Matt are pleased to have their beloved Dad return to them... has Matt grown an extra foot, is Kate taller then Scott, what colour is Fran's hair this time (and where is the bloody question mark on this keyboard)?

23 June 2000
Scott - Auckland, New Zealand

Had a quiet day yesterday, slept for quiet a while. Matt recons I'm back alright, sleeping all the time. We all went out to "mission Impossible' in the evening, I even weakened and took that ungrateful daughter of yours who has been very good since I got back. Baby, It's cold. When I walked out of the airport I nearly died, the weather is typical mid winter, cold and overcast. You better prepare yourself. The house is fine as is the garden if a bit overgrown. Never mind Hel is home soon and will soon have it tamed.

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Photos

Home Again
The travellers return, 2000

View from Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower, Paris

Quality Tack
Eiffel Tower, Paris

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur
Montmartre, Paris

Sac-Red Candles
Montmartre, Paris