'the misadventures of Debbie & Erika'

When I began this blog, my mom asked me if it really was going to be about our misadventures.

I laughed and dismissed it.

But we've already had our first misadventure...but first let me explain how it became a misadventure. 

After arriving in Paris, we had a small lunch in a cafe then returned to our cute hotel for a short nap. We left an hour later and walked to the Place de la Concorde and soaked in Paris, taking pictures of the fountains and Eiffel Tower off in the distance. 

We then wandered to the Seine where my mom insisted that we catch a river boat. It was one of the things that she remembers loving from her first trip here. I was less enchanted by the ride, but content just to be in Paris, taking it all in.

Parisians sit on the sides of the Seine in small circles, drinking wine and laughing as the city gets darker. It was Saturday night and everyone was out, some even dancing in courtyards along the river.

The last stop was the Eiffel Tower. After taking our token pictures of the icon, we attempted to find the nearest Metro. Once we finally found it, it was another small challenge to decide what route we needed to take.

The train was taking forever to come and I was confused so as the next train pulled into the station, I announced to my mom that we should just take it. 

We were both exhausted by this time and it was nearing 11:30. Sitting down felt good and we relaxed as the train sped through the dark tunnel.

Ten, twenty minutes passed and my mom began to worry as mothers do.

"Where are we?" she asked me.

I didn't recognize any of the station names from the map. 

"Maybe they don't list every station on the map," I replied confidently. I could speak French so of course I understood the Metro. (Inside I began to worry and I put my face closer to the map, attempting to guage where we could possibly be.)

"Uh-oh," I said. "We're going the wrong way." My mom stared at me.  "Let's get off at the next one," I told her.

She sighed and the next station, we piled out to stand at the station to wait for a train going in the correct direction.

We had gone several stops outside the center of Paris and as we sat and waited for the next train, my mom worried.  

"Didn't you ride the Metro when you were here?" I asked her. 

"Yes, but only once," she informed me.

Looking around at graffitti decorating the station walls, I began to worry a little too and was relieved when  a train finally squealed to a stop in front of us. 

Sitting down on old leather seats, we began our trek back to the Center of Paris and closer to where we should have been.

We didn't get home until well after midnight. 

Luckily our beds were comfortable and the room was quiet and dark. A little too dark and quiet, because as we slept, the sun rose, Parisians ate their breakfast, and then their lunch...

When I finally stirred, realizing that my alarm clock didn't ring and I slept through our w

ake-up call, it was three in the afternoon. Both of us, exhausted from traveling and our night adventure, had slept until mid-afternoon.

Debbie's friend Dawn

on the Seine river boat

1978. Notre Dame is 

in the background. 

Below is the Seine today.