Paris is beautiful anytime of the year, but the fall colors make it extra special. I was only supposed to have a three-hour layover in Paris between planes. Instead, I decided to change my flight plans and stay for three days. How could I not visit Paris when I was right there? It sounded like a really good idea when I was in KL and made the changes. It was still a good idea when I actually got to Paris, but I must admit I was pretty tired by then.

Unfortunately, I was not prepared to be in a place where the weather was cooler. Every other city I visited had warm weather because they were all close to the equator. All of the clothes I brought from home were for warm weather. Winter was near when I arrived in Paris on November 1st and everyone else was wearing parkas and boots. I was wearing a thin sweater and sandals. That was a very bad idea!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the second day, my feet were warmer because I had traded my sandals for sneakers and socks. I thought I could be brave and just wear a light sweater on top of another sweater. However, I was riding on the top of the hop-on-hop-off bus. The wind was blowing hard and those layers did not do the trick. I was freezing! But then on one of my stops, I found a store where everything was a bargain. The first coat I tried on was warm and fit me just right. Best of all, it only cost $7.99 Euros which was US $8.61. I couldn’t believe my luck.

My luck continued when I found a coffee shop with hot miso soup, a cup of mocha and a flaky almond croissant. Everything was perfect. Then my luck changed.

My plan was to go to the highest hill in Paris, Montmartre, to take some videos. I decided to put my phone on the selfie stick while I was still in the coffee shop. I laid my purse down on a counter in the coffee shop for just a minute while I opened up my backpack to take out my selfie stick. As I hooked my phone onto the selfie stick, a young man came in and asked me if that was a coffee shop.I wondered why he was asking me such a silly question. He quickly left and I noticed he was talking on his phone. When I looked down, my purse was gone.

Then I realized that he asked the question to distract me while he took my purse. Many important papers and cards were in it, including my passport and my ATM card. I ran into the street and yelled. “I was just robbed. Someone stole my purse.” Of course, the young man was nowhere in sight.

The main language in Paris is French and I was speaking English. People just looked at me curiously. I went back into the coffee shop in a state of shock, trying to figure out how to get back to Minnesota without a passport and without my ATM card. A couple of people in the coffee shop were able to speak some English and tried to help me decide what to do next.

In about five minutes, another young man walked in and handed me my purse. He said (in French) that he had seen the thief throw my purse into a trash can and decided to return it. I don’t believe that though. How could another stranger find me in the coffee shop? The area was really crowded and there were lots of other shops and restaurants. I think he was a partner to the robber. They really only wanted the Euros and even though they took my money, at least they were nice enough to return my purse. I was so relieved that I started to cry, but I couldn’t cry for long. I had to go to Sacré-Cœur to take my video. (Do you notice that French accent mark above the e in Sacré?)

After all the excitement, I got back on the hop-on-hop-off bus. The bus driver told me where to wait to catch the correct bus to get me back to my hotel. Next came more bad luck. The driver on the bus I needed gave me a mean look and wouldn’t stop to pick me up, even though it was before the end of the day for him. It was too far to walk back to my hotel. I had to find a cash machine since my money had been stolen. When I got more Euros from the ATM, I went into a nearby candy store and asked the lady working there for directions to the train station. She was very helpful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to walk to some stairs near this building below. The stairs took me down to the subway and I had to walk down more stairs to find my train. I was so glad that the candy-store lady had written down the numbers of the trains I would need to take. Otherwise, it would have been really tricky!

After I got off the train, I stopped for dinner. At the restaurant, I met some friendly people who were visiting from California. I told them the story of my day. Talking about it made me feel better.

I was really glad to find my way back to my hotel.

The next day was my final full day in Paris and it was sunny but cool. That is when I visited Luxembourg Gardens and the Louvre.

The whole time I was in Paris, I saw many families living on the streets like in the photo below. That is  because they had no other place to live. The things they owned were in plastic bags and they asked strangers for money and food. I wondered how they ended up in this situation. Did they come from another country where there was war or where things were worse? Had something else bad happened to them? I thought they were very brave. I was amazed that they could still smile and find joy in simple things. I counted my blessings and hoped that they would find a home and a better life.

Here are some things for you to think about:

• Does everything happen just the way you plan every day? Of course not! It is important to learn to adjust when things don’t go the way you like. That is part of life. Keep a positive attitude and things will be okay.
• When you have a bad day, does it help to talk to someone else about it? That’s much better than keeping your troubles to yourself!
• Do you ever think of ways to help people who are not as fortunate as you are?

Don’t forget to write comments or questions.

Ms. Barthelemy