This morning I headed out to meet my new friend at the gates of Alliance Française for our trip to the Seine. We had planned to meet early, and she was going to teach me the metro/bus, and we were going to take a scenic cruise on the Bateaux Mouches.

Temperatures had dropped, so I dressed warmly and headed out. My friend was running late, so I turned back and waited a little longer. Then when she arrived, she ordered an Uber driver for us, saying she’d explain the Metro on the way back, after the cruise.

We had a lively conversation as we drove along, and even the driver chimed in while listening to our plans to visit the various museums: musée d’Orsay, musée de l’orangerie, musée Espace Dali, musée des impressionnistes à Giverny, etc.

The boat wasn’t crowded, probably due to the temperatures, and we found a nice row all to ourselves on the upper deck. We immediately started taking photos. My friend took 2 or 3 times as many as me, mostly selfies and videos, and made quite a few live FB posts. She was having the best time! It was a lot of fun, but despite the brilliant sunshine, it was very windy and cold when the boat turned and headed back. Many passengers left the upper deck to seek warmth below. We braved it.

It was sad to see the grande Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris under scaffolding, but it was also hopeful. They’re doing a meticulous job with its repairs and reconstruction. La Tour Eiffel was magnificent in the gleaming sun but I’ll be lucky if I got one nice photo out of the many I took due to the extreme sunlight behind the iconic monument.

Once at port, my friend was hungry. She had expected the boat ride to include food. It did not. I reminded her this was a freebie for us, so it wasn’t likely to include food. Lol! I’m not complaining; it was perfect for me. Next thing I know, mon ami opened her travel app and started to quickly plan for our return, only to realize she was already close to her next scheduled destination. I couldn’t make sense of my RATP (Paris Transportation app), and she couldn’t help me. She was eager to get to her next thing, so I ended up calling an Uber. Just like home, right?

Wrong. My friend left, after assuming I was ok/comfortable waiting for my Uber driver. I had walked from this areas only yesterday (!) so I wasn’t eager to do so again. (See my Je Suis Fatiguée post at: https://lisahinparis.com/2022/02/04/je-suis-fatiguee/).

Everything seemed fine. But then, when the driver was 1 minute away and my friend was out of sight, the driver was telling me to meet at a specific location. I had no idea what he meant, or where it was. I was trying to text him, when I got a « low battery » alert on my phone, thanks to all the photos I’d taken on the Bateaux Mouches ride. I tried again to reach the driver, but he disappeared from the app. Then, he cancelled me.

So now, I was stuck. Low phone battery, no nearby Metro, and no idea yet how to utilize the bus system. I called for another Uber. The same thing happened. I guess in Paris, the driver picks the meeting spot. Who knew? Not me. I reached out to him quickly – asking for him to please meet me on… I looked around quickly… I ran to nearest building looking for a street sign… I typed rue fkspewknfl! OMG no! My fingers were frozen. I retyped as fast as I could, rue Fabert. Two minutes passed. I’m on rue Fabert he texted, asking me for a number. OMG. Doesn’t he know I’m from the United States? LOL! Je suis à rue Fabert et… I looked around….nothing… Another “low battery” warning. I ran down the block, praying my phone would not die… rue Fabert et rue de l’université — la coin. D’accord, he typed. Exhale, I thought.

I was so relieved to look up and see the matching license plate on the front of the eco-friendly uber car. I waved and hopped in. The driver quickly explained where we should have met, and maybe he even told me how it works here in Paris, but I wasn’t listening. I was too happy to care that I’d made a faux pas of some sort. I apologized and told him it was only my 7th day in the city. And from there, we had the most pleasant conversation. He asked me where I was from. I told him, and then realized that THIS was a good thing. HE COULDN’T TELL! He said my French was beautiful. Wow! I explained that I was “retired,” and was living in Paris in order to learn French. He sheepishly offered that he spoke a little English himself and had a friend going to school somewhere in New Jersey. We talked and talked. After a few minutes, I couldn’t believe myself. I was conversely so naturally. Limited, of course, but comfortably.

There were a few things he said that I wasn’t sure about, but by that time, my ride was coming to an end. He reached into a compartment and gave me his card, saying to ask for him as a driver if ever I got stuck.

I exited the car with a spring in my step went to le café Saint-Placide, which I now think of as the Teddy Bear café because of the adorable extra large stuffed bears they pose outside at one of their tables. I ordered lunch (croque apéro) and a glass of wine, and watched the Parisians speed by. Children on scooters, dogs, bikes — it’s quite a bustling section of the city.

Oh, and I do mean speed by. Parisians move as if they’re 10 minutes late for everything and their life depends on them getting there. Me? I move like escargot here. I’m learning to pick up the pace, but, to be honest, I’m just not in a hurry.

My lunch? Croqué apéro was how it was listed on the menu. (Apéro is happy hour – so it’s served like an appetizer.) What they served me was like mini croque monsieur squares. The thinnest sliced ham — see-through — and cheese, and some sort of truffle sauce on pain grillé and all sliced into neat little squares, served with a knife and fork. I couldn’t possibly finish this, but I couldn’t leave it either.

The waiter brought my check and I ask if I could possibly take home the rest of my meal, oui ou non? He understood – certainement. Dinner is now in le frigo.