We're off to Paris...if we can get there!

Good morning, it's around 7 am and all our bags are packed. With 2 new dolls and a few souvenirs, alas, our suitcases have become slightly wider and heavier than when we started! And I said I wasn't going to buy much... It was another hot night, but a tad cooler as it rained again. I have the sitting room door open and a cool breeze is blowing through the room. Whew. I watered my host's lovely garden last evening in the muggy heat. I am finally beginning to miss doing some kind of chores, but certainly I don't miss cooking or doing the dishes. Yesterday was a disappointment. We took 2 trains to Liege in Belgium. All 3 of us hated that town. The HUGE train station is being re-built so it was hard to get in and out of there as we had to tramp up and down metal ramps. We caught a bus into the old part of town, but there were hundreds of bustily people of all colours who all spoke FRENCH and very little English, and you know what I think of the French language... We visited an old cathedral which was beautiful of course, then roamed the streets trying to find shops or souvenirs but couldn't. We found a very steep flight of stairs set into the hillside. Someone had told us to climb them if possible to see a fantastic view of Liege. I stared at the hundreds of stone steps and thought no way, but Matthew and Robert with their Taekwondo legs were game so I panted behind them. Of course I paused a lot along the way to look behind me and take photos. Yes the view was fantastic and it turned out to be the most pleasant part of Liege. Sometimes following your nose doesn't work well. The bus drivers are quite rude. The people seem sort of rude too but maybe it was because it was so HOT and muggy and we didn't quite know where to go. Anyhow we hastened back to the city to take the bus back to the train station but our train didn't leave for an hour so we had to wait. There aren't many trains to Maastricht and Heerlen from Liege. We enquired about catching a train to Paris today, and hoped to get a schedule but alas we found out that it's a major holiday in Brussels today and you need to RESERVE you seat on the fast train to Paris! NO ONE BACK HOME TOLD US THIS! So our kind host searched for different options on the internet and found out that the one and only plane to Paris was fully booked. There is only ONE fast train to Paris. There are not other trains! The things you don't learn...So our host suggested we take the train to Brussels and from there to the airport and then rent a car. Fortunately Robert has his international driver's license, and fortunately our travel agent knew enough to reserve a seat for us on the Chunnel train on Thursday or we would be in another pickle! It takes 3 hours to drive to Paris so we're having breakfast at 7:30 sharp. Leona, Mom & Dad, Paul, I hope all is well at home. Give Kelsie a big squeeze or pat on the head and a special treat from me. Paul, how is the grass growing? Or has it died by now in the heat. We saw on the news last night that it was 22 C in Vancouver. That's more bearable! Love you all. How was Mom's birthday? How are all my Chatty friends? I'm glad Karen, Donna and Linda post frequently. Linda, I was thinking of you at Harrison. Hope you had a great and relaxing time regardless of the weather. This will probably be my last blog for a while, as it was free. I don't know if I will use a computger in Paris, if everything is French. LOL Unless I have a coomputer at the hotel. I notice I'm beginning to make typos but this laptop uses a 98 system and is very slow so you must iignore those errors.... Take care! Our 12 days in the Netherlands was like a golden dream. I enjoyed every moment, even the bad trains! The food was simply fantastic. We are so spoiled. Now on to the next adventure... Goodbye!