The Queen and I: France Day 1

On Tuesday, we woke up at our Dublin hotel at 5am and took a taxi to the airport. Our flight was at 7:50 and we got to the airport at about 5:30. We got into a really long line to check our bags. At 6:50 we were still about 50 people from the check in desk when they made an announcement that if we had not checked in for our flight or one of the other 2 7:50 flights, we had to go to a different place to check our bags. We did that which saved us about 5-10 minutes. Then we went through security, which was similar, but a little less thorough than American security. By the time we got to our gate, our plane was boarding. This was the second time that we had to rush to make our flight. On the flight, Mom had to pay 2.50 euros for her coffee (that she NEEDED to have). The flight to Paris was a little longer than an hour.

When we got to Paris, we went through customs again and it was just as easy as in Dublin. It’s shocking that they don’t really check what you bring into the country. We took a taxi from the airport to our train station which was about 45 minutes and we got a good look at Paris.

We saw the soccer stadium from the 1998 World Cup, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, and lots of cool Parisian buildings.

When we were near the Arc de Triumph the cars were crazy. They all moved in slightly different directions and there were no lanes. Our taxi driver was yelling at everyone.

When we got to the train station mom and dad went to find a bathroom and Mom got re-introduced to the lovely French concept of paying to use the bathroom. While I was waiting for them, I got my first Orangina of the trip. French Orangina is just more tasty. Then they rushed back freaking out that “our train time got moved up.” Luckily, the smart one in the group (that’s me) had realized that there was another train leaving for Nantes 30 minutes before ours and that are train time had, in fact, not changed. We grabbed sandwiches at the station and boarded our TGV for Nantes. I was disappointed that we did not have to validate our print at home tickets in the machine because in high school my French teacher told us a thousand times and I have the vocab “composter le billet” burned into my memory. So I had to take a picture of the machine.

At the Nantes Train Station, Sandrine and Victor picked us up. They gave us a tour of Nantes as we headed to their house in Sautron.

Arthur and Félician were waiting for us at their house. Pierre-Yves was working in Paris. So we had drinks in their garden. More Oragina.

Then I played Victor in Fifa on PS3. It was my first time playing on PS3, but we went to extra time and eventually penalties. He won 9-8 in penalties. If you don’t know, that’s an extremely close call. There are usually 5 penalties and only more if it is tied. I missed number 2, but saved his 3^rd shot. Then I saved his 6^th shot, but missed my 6^th shot. Then we both saved each others’ 8^th shots and I missed my ninth shot with the goalie. By the way, we were playing USA vs. France. Then I played Arthur and beat him 4-2. It was the only Fifa game I won while there and we probably played about 15 games.

After Fifa, Sandrine drove Mom and Dad and I took a bus and then a tramway with the cousins to Nantes. We did this because there was not enough room in Sandrine’s car for all of us. We went to a bar in the tallest building in Nantes called “La Nid” (The Nest). They had seats and tables that looked like eggs and a giant stuffed goose with a huge neck that was about 20 feet long. It had a balcony that gave a nice view of Nantes. While we were up there it started raining.

Mom, Dad, and Sandrine had wine. Arthur and Victor had hot chocolate. Félician ordered for me and we both had limonade, which is kind of a mix between 7-up and tonic water. It’s what Mom accidently ordered at the Guinness Storehouse.

We were waiting for Pierre-Yves to meet us there, but he was just leaving Paris on the TGV so he wouldn’t be back for 2+ hours. So Sandrine drove mom and dad back to the house and then picked us up at the end of the tramway because the bus had stopped running (It was already like 9pm).

While we were waiting Victor saw a girl from his school. When he went over to talk to her, I asked Arthur and Félician why she was missing hair on half of her head. Apparently, she had gone to a party and drank a lot and someone had cut it off. (Yes, she’s like 15…)

We played some more Fifa at the house and then Pierre-Yves got home. He opened a bottle of wine and I had more Orangina. Then we ate dinner. Sandrine made Pork loin, green beans, and french fries (lol…french fries in France). Then I gave the boys and Pierre-Yves the UC Berkeley shirts I had brought them. They gave me an FC Nantes jersey which was very nice of them. I like to play with Nantes and Lyon on Fifa sometimes.

We also found out that Sandrine can tie a cherry stem in a knot. Pierre-Yves and I could do it too. After some work, Victor got it also. So that makes it Mimi, Marcelle, Sandrine, Victor, Allie, and me that have Lemonnier blood that can do it. It must be genetics.

Sandrine told us that Marcelle did not eat cheese. I think because he was lactose-intolerant (Mimi, can you confirm this?) Anyways, Sandrine said that when Marcelle was young, Mimi tricked him by putting cheese between two pieces of chocolate. I knew Mimi had a trickster side to her.

We had eclaires for dessert and they were amazing. After dinner, it was passed midnight and we all went to sleep.