I fooled the customs agent with my peppy “bonjour” because he responded quickly in French and I stupidly froze in my jet-lagged state and smiled out a “pardon je suis American.” He laughed, shook his head good naturedly as he stamped my passport with a wave. 

I found the train to Paris eventually, bought a ticket from a machine and boarded a crowded, slow train, sitting backwards but going in the right direction. A win! Paris today is gray and rainy.

My daughter Susanna met me outside the train station and walked me to her air bnb to drop my luggage. With a change of shoes (my feet were tired of my boots), off we went to L’Orangerie to see Monets water lilies and walk through the Tuileries (public garden) in more rain. 

It was time for sustenance, lunch? dinner? who knows, with the time zones I’ve traveled. We wait in a line outside of Angelina’s, recommended by a friend that said, “Get the hot chocolate!” It is adorable inside with chandeliers, wall murals and the hot chocolate thick as pudding!

The evening we spend back “home” playing games and going to bed early after a hot bath. Vive la France!