We were up very early for our departure to Lyon by train. Irma and self are a bit stiff lipped with each other, as I wanted to rent a car and drive to Lyon, but after watching the mad drivers of France for a few days, Irma flatly refused, saying that she would not drive in a country whose drivers are beserk. When I suggested that I drove, she almost expired from an apoplexy, and told me shortly that I would have to shoot her first before driving with me!
I thought that if we took the underground to the outskirts of Paris, and find a car rental place there, the traffic would be much calmer than in the mid city. But all my talking and begging did not sway my daughter, as she was adamant that we would crash within five minutes of leaving the rental shop, and anyway, she said, there are all kinds of other ways to get to the small villages!
As we left the hotel before breakfast, we decided to have something light before boarding our train. I was all for getting a baguette and a coffee, and sit in the park like most tourists do, but Irma did not like that idea, so we sat down in a small but very cozy little cafe. The menu was again unintelegable, but we looked for something on the cheaper side, so we ordered something cheap, forgot the name, and talked excitedly about our trip to Lyon, where we were told the best meals in France were served. When our breakfast arrived, we just sat staring at this platter that was put in front of us. We ordered something with coffee included, but instead of a nice sausage and an egg, there were four tiny wee biscuits arranged around the coffee mug! We tried to argue with the waiter, saying that we had never seen bally biscuits served up for breakfast, but he just looked at us with a cold eye, then went on his way to serve the others.
Of course the coffee was again icy cold. I don't think the French drink white coffee, as every time I asked for white coffee, they looked at me as if I was from the moon!
I was a bitty upset with Irma and her bally dislike of eating in a park, or anywhere outside, and told her shortly that from now on, she could sit in a cafe, and I will get a Macdonalds coffee if possible, and a baguette, and join the hordes! And that is what we then did, as that bally biscuits was so sweet that I couldn't eat more than two, but my tummy was calling desperately for FOOD!
At last we were on the train!
Our hotel, that was supposed to have been a two star, had maybe a minus 5 star, as it was dingy, dark, and smelly! But as we did not mean to spend a lot of time there, well, actually just sleep there, we did not breathe to deeply, and after putting our luggage down, we went to explore!