Chapter 9

After a long flight we are about to arrive in Paris. We had a wonderful flight in first class where I could get up and run up and down the aisle.  I was the only small child.  I did not know that I was in first class until they pulled the drapery back and there were lots of people standing up waiting to exit the plane.  We were the last of first class to go down the steps. There was a light mist falling and men were holding blue umbrellas for us to walk under.  We walked in and there were a lot of people in a large room with men with signs with people’s names on them.  I saw our last name and we started over to him. When we got to him he spoke English.  At a young age I did not know Grandmother had planned all this months ahead so we would not have any problems when we arrived in Paris.  We followed him to a large black car and He told us it would be a few minutes before we left. He was going for our luggage.  We were in the car and Grandmother pulled down a tray in front of her and put her purse on it. She was looking for something. Not knowing, I asked, “What are you looking for?” She gave me a look and I knew to sit down and leave her alone.  After a little while she put everything back in her purse and she was okay. I had no idea what she was looking for unless it was her lipstick. She was always putting it on.  She reached over and pulled down my tray and looked down. There was a box built into the car bottom and there were food and drinks.  She peeled an apple and placed it on a plate with cheese and a little small wafer.  She said it would be a little while before we eat; this would be good for us.  We sat and ate. She was telling me about the hotel we were going to be in for a week before going to a small house she had rented for the summer.  I was so excited to be with her, we could have gone anywhere I would have been happy. I just loved being with her. I heard the trunk close and I knew we were about to leave and I was getting tired and needed a nap.  We were in the car for about 45 minutes.  There were lights, cars and lots of people everywhere.  We arrived and I was so glad. It did not look like any hotel I had been to in America.  Charles de Gaulle Airport was in the dust and now we were at Montmartre Sacre Coeur, a 49-room hotel in the middle of Paris. I could see the Eiffel Tower when we got out of the car. It was a very tall iron-pointed tower.  We walked into the lobby and were waited for and we were taken to a beautiful room with a tall ceiling and lots of draperies on the windows and a big painting on the wall.  I could not wait to start our time in France.

Until next time,

Sand Boy