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Published: July 18th 2014
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Like many avid cyclists, dad was up at the crack of dawn to go out for a final bike ride with one of our amazing friends. On this ride,
The day of almosts began. In the middle of a roundabout dad was closely greeted by a very careless commuter. This driver thought it was necessary to let his presence be known and so grazed the front tire of of the bicycle... almost number one.
Leaving with a two and a half hour cushion on our one and a half hour drive, we headed towards London to catch our train to France. As expected, the London traffic slowed down our progress as we got deeper into the heart of the city. Upon nearing St. Pancras Station (close to the car drop off destination) it was time to find a gas station. We arrived at the gps guided petrol station (as the natives call it), and were greeted by what once was a gas station... Almost number two. Still no problem, with over an hour to spare until our train was going to depart. 30 minutes and a lot of one way streets later we finally located a functioning gas station. After
getting the car to the drop off with just half an hour remaining until the train was leaving we were informed that the walk to the train station would take 20 minutes.. Time was not on our side. Frantically, we looked for a quicker way to the station, deciding that an approaching bus seemed like a good option and hopped on. The bus driver must have sensed our panic as he let us ride for free as we didn't have the required tickets. After a short ride we hopped out at what we thought to be our station... It wasn't. We were steered in the right direction and took off at a gallop. 10 minutes until our train was set to depart we queued up for check-in and customs, with no expectation of catching the train... Suddenly things looked better. A kind gentleman let us in at the front of the line and the ticket master told us not to worry because our train was delayed. After making it through customs in record time we finally breathed a sigh of relief as we walked onto the train... Almost number three.
Paris, the city of love. While trying to purchase
metro tickets at the French computer kiosk, a helpful ticket agent came over and tried to make sure we got the correct tickets. A colleague of hers approached who may have had a better grasp of English. Unfortunately for our assistants, a security also wanted to help us and he chased away what he informed us were a duo of pickpockets.. Almost number 4. It was a guarded and suspicious walk as we trekked with all of our belongings to the hotel. After a relaxing dinner we decided to go for an evening stroll to the Notre Dam Cathedral. After making it to the cathedral we continued through Paris, seeing the bridge full of locks, St. Paul's cathedral, and the Eiffel Tower (unfortunately closed for Bastille day).. Almost number 5. Finally and safely we made it back to the hotel, ready for sleep.
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