Abused Dogs, Games, The Eiffel Tower, and the Metro
Well, the dog park is still a mystery. I am told that in order to ride public transit, little dogs must be contained in bags of some sort. Fine. We have the soft-sided carrier that Zorro rode in, on the plane, and a large canvas bag that zips closed. Minette went into the canvas bag -- no real problem. (She didn't like it much, but she just hunkered down to endure.)
Ashti, though! We took them to the bus stop, then zipped them into bags. Ashti flailed and shrieked and whined and generally did his VERY best impression of a dog which is being poisoned, beaten to death, and generally abused. He rolled around so much that the bag was heaving and flopping across the sidewalk. Passers-by were giving us the dirty side-eye. In deepest embarrassment, we left the bus stop, carried the heaving bags off to a nearby park, and released the very much abused dogs into partial freedom. Then we shoved them BACK into bags (quelle horreur!) and walked home. Perhaps they will learn that the bag does actually lead to exciting walks .. or, you know, not, since they are dogs.
Sunday we went to a meetup for the English Boardgamers of Paris. This was nice and we met some amusing people -- several American expats and their French friends, lovers, husbands, etc. We played various games (of the Settlers of Cataan type), went out for very nice Chinese food, and just had a nice afternoon out. Some of the games had instructions in French, so it was very handy to have some native French speakers in the group!
We also took a small side trip to look at la tour Eiffel. We didn't actually get up to it; it's quite a walk from the nearest Metro station, and we were running late for the boardgamers group. But I have now seen it, reasonably close, and I can say that -- HOLY CRAP THAT THING IS HUGE! We will take another trip on another day to get up close & personal.
Because I need to practice, I was in charge of navigation for this trip. Now, the transit people provide a very nice website that will give you directions from point A to point B. "Take such and such a bus, change to such-and-such metro line, then to another bus, then walk 1 km to your destination." It's very nice, even if it is in French. But sometimes, it hiccoughs, and sends you by a bus that doesn't exist. Such was our fate last night. Fortunately, we realized it BEFORE we went looking for the bus stop ... but we still had to take 3 extra trains before we got home. And at least one of the trains was the Very Last One for the night, so that was a little unnerving! But we made it home all in one piece, and of course the extra four long staircases are good for me ... right?
Today is bills, bills, bills, and various domestic upkeep ... but my knees, at least, are relieved that they will get a break!
Ashti, though! We took them to the bus stop, then zipped them into bags. Ashti flailed and shrieked and whined and generally did his VERY best impression of a dog which is being poisoned, beaten to death, and generally abused. He rolled around so much that the bag was heaving and flopping across the sidewalk. Passers-by were giving us the dirty side-eye. In deepest embarrassment, we left the bus stop, carried the heaving bags off to a nearby park, and released the very much abused dogs into partial freedom. Then we shoved them BACK into bags (quelle horreur!) and walked home. Perhaps they will learn that the bag does actually lead to exciting walks .. or, you know, not, since they are dogs.
Sunday we went to a meetup for the English Boardgamers of Paris. This was nice and we met some amusing people -- several American expats and their French friends, lovers, husbands, etc. We played various games (of the Settlers of Cataan type), went out for very nice Chinese food, and just had a nice afternoon out. Some of the games had instructions in French, so it was very handy to have some native French speakers in the group!
We also took a small side trip to look at la tour Eiffel. We didn't actually get up to it; it's quite a walk from the nearest Metro station, and we were running late for the boardgamers group. But I have now seen it, reasonably close, and I can say that -- HOLY CRAP THAT THING IS HUGE! We will take another trip on another day to get up close & personal.
Because I need to practice, I was in charge of navigation for this trip. Now, the transit people provide a very nice website that will give you directions from point A to point B. "Take such and such a bus, change to such-and-such metro line, then to another bus, then walk 1 km to your destination." It's very nice, even if it is in French. But sometimes, it hiccoughs, and sends you by a bus that doesn't exist. Such was our fate last night. Fortunately, we realized it BEFORE we went looking for the bus stop ... but we still had to take 3 extra trains before we got home. And at least one of the trains was the Very Last One for the night, so that was a little unnerving! But we made it home all in one piece, and of course the extra four long staircases are good for me ... right?
Today is bills, bills, bills, and various domestic upkeep ... but my knees, at least, are relieved that they will get a break!