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Monday
18 October 99
12 44 pm Paris time
I arrived safely in France and met my father at the gate only to learn
that he had left the address of and directions to our chateau in the Loire
valley, at home on his dresser in Los Angeles. Thus the adventure began.
We have spent the past two nights in Paris, and the experience has been
wonderful. Last night we had a great conversation with a Cambodian
refugee in a Japanese Grill. When I asked him what he did for a living
[travail], he answered, "It is not important," which translated to my
father and I, "It is illegal." We are now off to find our chateau, having
gotten in touch with our friend via e-mail. At one franc per minute, I
have to go now...
17 42 France time
It is our 4th trip to an internet cafe, but we still haven't managed to
get the address of the chateau. We are currently in Tours, and I am
typing on a French keyboard. The QWERTY keyboard is AZERTY, and so many
of the letters are transposed that I am having a heck of a time doing
anything useful. The punctuation is the worst; who would make the period
a punctuation requiring the shift button? Oh well...
I am having such a blast here, and can't wait to detail the entire
trip. I am recording the trip as a book -- a 24th birthday present for my
Matthew. My father is currently on the
phone to a cell phone of our friend here in France and I can hear him
yelling every time the connection fades out. This trip is nothing if not
amusing!
And I must say for the French, the people have been so kind in helping
us. I have asked help of so many strangers, and they have all been
delightful!