June 4 and June 5 2007 Paris

by Melissa Boyer Markham
Monday, June 4 Dad called in the middle of our breakfast of sweet potato pancakes. I picked up the phone and said, “Shalom!” The day had finally arrived for us to miss a night’s sleep wedged into a tiny, and very upright, airplane seat, trying to catch some winks with a stranger’s elbow in our rib cages and another’s greasy scalp under our noses. Actually, the day had arrived for us to travel to Israel…
Sammie and I landed in Paris at 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday, June 5. It felt like midnight to us and neither of us had slept at all. We made our way off the plane, through customs, and to the train station. After a 30 minute train ride into Paris, and a shorter metro ride, we emerged into Paris close to the Eiffel Tower. Our destination was Fat Tire Bike Tours, a friendly American oasis-like company that gives walking, bike, and Segway tours of Paris. Our mode of transportation was the Segway. Before we make our prized readers sorely jealous by recounting our Segway tour, we’ll briefly mention breakfast. We had heard of a crepe shop near the Fat Tire headquarters, but it wasn’t open yet. So we “settled” for a nearby bakery that sold delicious fresh bread and chocolate croissants. South Beach diet begone! These were amazing carbs!!
Our tour group consisted of 5 people and a guide – Sammie, me, an Australian family of two parents and one son, and our American guide. We spent about a half hour learning how to ride the Segway. It’s a crazy sensation. You completely control it by shifting the weight on your feet. If you want to go forward, put your weight in your toes. To stop or go backwards, shift your weight back. It stops and turns on a dime. And it’s completely possible to stand on it without it moving. It’s SO fun!! Once we got the hang of the Segways, we rode through the streets of Paris to Napoleon’s Tomb and Les Invalides. Other stops included the Alexander III Bridge, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and lunch (crepes – egg, ham and cheese for nourishment, chocolate for dessert). Wherever we went, people stared at us and took our pictures. In fact, at some sites more people stared at us on our Segways than at the tourist attraction. Our advice on Segway Tours: DO IT!! Don’t think twice! (And wear comfortable shoes!)
When we finally said goodbye to the Segways, we had plenty of time to get back to the airport. Our guide had recommended a crepe stand (lunch, while delicious, was not quite filling). This time, we enjoyed ham and cheese crepes and nutella for dessert.
With the excitement of seeing Paris and being on a Segway over, the warm and crowded subways and trains lulled us into drowsy land. At one point, I fell asleep with my head leaning forward, bobbing up and down. I woke up to see two people at the other end of the train pointing at me and laughing. I’m always happy to provide amusement for fellow passengers.
Our sleep deprivation caught up to us again as we waited for our plane in the airport lounge, and during the flight to Tel Aviv. By the time we landed after midnight, we were almost caught up on sleep. However, upon arriving at the Marina Hotel in Tel Aviv, and taking a much-needed shower, we found it in ourselves to sleep deeply for 5 more hours.