Travel Tips

Back in late 1997 we were visiting with my mother-in-law, Eloise (nicknamed 'Dude' from childhood when her father called her his little Doodlebug), and the conversation involved two or three friends' trips to Europe. She commented that she was the only person she knew who had never been to Europe. So the following April she along with my wife and me took off for a week in London and Paris. (I will do a London travelogue on those pages later). Here we are just ready to board the Eurostar at Waterloo Station in London.

We tried to prepare Dude for the trip in many ways including encouraging her to use the treadmill at her retirement home, but we still wanted a hotel with an elevator. As you may know, when you get to be 91 you can be long on opinions and short on reticence and on several occasions she displayed this characteristic although in a humorous and gentle way. She thought the size of this elevator more appropriate for a phone booth, but was glad not to have stairs to deal with. She also did not understand why they did not have eggs and oatmeal for breakfast the way we had in London.

We decided not to try to tackle the Louvre with Dude and I think she enjoyed the d'Orsay more anyway. She liked the Renoirs, Monets, Van Goghs and particularly seeing the famous 'Whistler's Mother.' In the photo you can see she is in a wheelchair. This trip demanded a lot of walking and we tried to relieve her wherever possible. I must say the British were more accomodating in this regard than the French, but the d'Orsay did have one for us to use.

This was a great venture for this day. After visiting Notre Dame, we caught this cruise boat at Pont Neuf. It provided great views of Paris including one of the Eiffel Tower with the lighted countdown to the new millinieum on view. It was also somethng we could do sitting down and was inside on a cool and rainy day.

Sacra and I almost feel that when in Paris a trip to Monet's Garden is obligatory. It had been chilly and rainy all the time we were in Paris, but this was our last day and it turned out to be the nicest weatherwise. Dude was delighted with the place and to get to stand on the famous Japanese bridge over the lily pond.

Dude suffered from macular degeneration which dramatically limited her vision. However, she enjoyed brightly colored flowers, particularly yellow ones. In April, the garden is a riot of color and she kept oohing and ahing over the lovely flowers. We walked the whole thing and fortunately there are a lot of benches for the occasional rest.

What else would you name a restaurant next to Monet's Garden? We had a great morning touring the garden and it was time for lunch. Even though it was sunny, it was still a cool day so a nice soup fit the bill.

Our flight home took us from Paris to Amsterdam to Atlanta. Unfortunately we were late leaving Paris and missed our connection in Amsterdam. Air France told us there was no possibility of a flight that day but provided meals and lodging at the Sheraton which is connected by a corridor to the airport. Schiphol is a huge modern facility and is probably the best airport to be stuck in. We caught up on rest and sleep, Sacra and Dude found a hairdresser in the airport and had a coif. There was even a positive side. The Sheraton was very nice and the meals were quite good. We left on Easter Sunday and it seems everywhere we went people were giving out chocolate candies. Dude thought it very amusing that she was even tossed candy from the second floor of the atrium in the hotel. We made her an album of the trip and I think she relived it several times. We lost her in 2000, but cherish these memories of her in London and Paris. She was a delightful traveling companion.