Thing 1: The weather
Before we left, I did the smart thing and checked the weather report for where we would be. The internet meteorologists said it would be sunny and in the low 70s during the day, mid 50s at night. That sounds lovely, doesn't it? So I packed accordingly. I brought my standbys of jeans and t-shirts, plus a couple pairs of short pants, tank tops, and two sundresses. I felt like Peppermint Patty in Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown, wondering how many pairs of flip flops she would need in France. Well, you know, one pair for casual, one pair for dressy, maybe even a formal pair?
Did you know that Paris is kind of a rainy place? That is never mentioned in the romantic movies. I am not sure we saw the sun at all in the first five days we were there. It was always cloudy and always just a little bit drizzly. My tank tops and sundresses and flip flops never saw a bit of France. The sweater got a little funky from repeated wear. I apparently lack the basic ability to look up the forecast.
Why it was okay: For the most part, the drizzle never really turned into actual rain. Several times, I considered buying a nice umbrella as a souvenir, but the rain never even got bad enough for that. Plus, we were in Paris, and if you've got to be in lousy weather anywhere, why not the city of light? The very last day we were there was simply glorious, so we did have one beautiful day. I didn't even wear my sweater.
Thing 2: The infection
I got a sinus infection. It began with a tickle in the throat, but pretty soon the snot factory started up. I started carrying tissues and cough drops. I would've taken a decongestant, but the people we were staying with were very down on anything that was not natural, and I decided I'd rather suffer the snot than suffer a lecture.
Why it was okay: I get sinus infections at home. This one was not too awful, mostly just annoying.
Thing 3: The wallet
If you do any research about European travel, you will end up duct taping your valuables to your chest and looking at anyone suspiciously. Apparently they have problems with pickpockets there, and tourists have such wide open pockets, with their wads of cash and their passports, which are valuable on the black market. I bought a money belt to wear under my clothes, but then I never used it. Because in all the hand-wringing about sticky fingers, there were some calm voices that said if you are cautious, you will be fine. Thieves like obvious and easy targets, of which there are plenty. If we did not fit that bill, they'd go bother someone else. I have a particular purse which I like for travelling, because it's big and the strap goes across my body, thwarting snatchers. I probably clutched it nervously more than was necessary, but I did not make myself an easy target. Josh always carries his wallet in his front pocket, a trick he learned from living in New York City. We did not get robbed.
However, Josh wore some pants with deep, but loose pockets. A few hours after we had gotten off the train that took us from Paris to Lyon, Josh discovered that his wallet had not gotten off the train with him. No one had stolen it. He'd lost it. THAT IS NOT BEING A GOOD TRAVELLER. A few days later, he was sitting on a couch with me and his phone did the same shimmy out of his pocket. I started talking about his "loser pants." He did not think that was nearly as funny as I did, but it really helped keep me from strangling him.
Why it was okay: He lost his driver's license, his debit card, and some cash. We were able to cancel the debit card easily. I was in charge of the passports and the rest of the cash, because I don't wear loser pants. It was mostly inconvenient when we got home and had to get new cards, but it didn't affect the trip much.
So really, nothing bad happened. All these things could've happened if we'd just stayed home, too, but we were lucky enough to get to be slightly inconvenienced in France.
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