The extra day we were looking forward to in Ljubljana never happened. When we got to the hotel Patrick suggested we check into our flight- good call because it had been cancelled. It turns out I got an email from them about six weeks earlier, but the title was in Slovenian and I never bothered to open it. That email I ignored was a cancellation notification letting me know that I could call X number between Monday and Friday 8-5 to reschedule. It was Sunday. I checked the flights from Ljubljana to Paris and saw that there was one with our airline at 7AM. We decided to scrap our extra day in the city and head to the airport with crossed fingers.
Bummed about missing out on our last day, but also too exhausted to wander the city that night, we scooted next door for dinner at Sarajevo 1984. IT. WAS. SO. GOOD. The menu was small- soups, bread, sausages, but simple can be the best thing and in this case it was. We tried to finish all our food but could not. It was one of those situations where you are full, but don’t want to stop having the taste of the food in your mouth so you just keep eating more. Side note- writing this paragraph has made me pause to both look up recipes on how to make the sausage and bread we had, and check flight costs to Ljubljana- it was that good!
After throwing in the towel on dinner we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. The champagne in the mini bar was calling my name again, but I resisted. We had a dang flight to catch- hopefully.
The next day at 5AM we hopped in a collective van to get to the airport. No, not a private shuttle this time. We are not always bougie.
Once we got to the airport we decided to divide and conquer. Patrick got into the check in line and I looked around for customer service. I ended up winning. The agent I found switched our tickets in about 5 minutes. Hooray! I was so relieved. Our flight to Paris was mostly uneventful except for there being a group of about 5 deaf people heading to a conference for deaf interpreting- at least I think so. My sign language is not that great. I was not spying on them, I stopped one of the ladies and started talking with her. She was very kind and went slowly for me. She is Slovenian and it seems that Slovenia uses American Sign Language.
After getting our luggage and taking a taxi into the city (back to being bougie) we arrived at our hotel in the 14th arrondisement (quarter? District? I don’t actually know what the term is in English) near where I used to live. We were right by the Edgar Quinet metro stop. Strategic placement next to a restaurant I have been looking forward to eating at again since I left Paris 7 years ago. I knew it would be closed for August, but sadly August for some places now means last week of July too and La Cerisaie was one of them.
Even if we could not go to my favorite restaurant, I was happy with the location I chose because we were in a small 5 square area that was great for people watching from the surrounding brasseries and bistros and best of all the Amorino gelato shop on the corner! Everyday Patrick would stop by the mini mart to grab beer, snacks, and water for us. The heat kept me from being able to enjoy the city like I had planned. During the four years I lived in Paris I loved to just wander the city and walk until I was tired and then take a bus or metro home. There were a lot of landmarks, shops, and restaurants I hoped to get to, but with the heat it was all too much for me. We took a taxi or the metro most every where we could and of course you still have to walk after you have arrived. I melted. No matter how long I was outside I was sweating. Walking for me now is completely different than it was for me seven years ago. It is WORK for me to move around in decent weather conditions, but the heat in Paris was unbearable. Even Patrick was not a fan, although he was not as miserable as I was.
We still managed to have a good time! We did a market street day at rue Daguerre, ate at a Reunionnaise restaurant Aux petit Chandeliers– also on rue Daguerre (there are two Reunionnaise restos on that street and Aux petit Chandeliers is more authentic feeling. It was started by a Reunionnaise woman who has since retired and left the restaurant to her nephew to run), got drinks and apps with my friend Gina at l’Avant Comptoir, met up with a French friend Amandine for dinner at Vin & Marée
Our last full day in Paris before going to the wedding was supposed to start with breakfast at a café downstairs and include actually checking out some of the sights I had on my list. Instead it turned into me lying in bed most of the day. In Slovenia for the swim trip I started my day by taking my medication including a pill that is definitely best taken with some food and reduces spasticity. Although I only take 1 twice a day when I am home you can go up to 2 at a time so that is what I had been doing on the trip. I took 2 on an empty stomach and figured I would be fine as we were going straight to breakfast. Oh how wrong I was! As we sat waiting for our food to arrive, I started to feel a little numb in my fingers and my lips. When the food arrived I thought I would be okay, but eating did not help. At first I saw a few spots here and then, but as I sat there eventually I saw black splotches everywhere. It was like I was looking through a film of the snowy fuzz you used to get on your TV when the cable cut out and I felt cold and clammy. I told Patrick we needed to leave. He paid the bill, lifted me up, and I walked across the street back to our hotel slower than I have ever walked in my life with both hands on his shoulders for support.
We took the elevator upstairs, cranked the AC, and I sat down on the bed waiting to feel better. Patrick checked my heart rate- a little slow, but nothing drastic, and my breathing was fine. I decided there was no need to go to the hospital and we should wait it out to see if I felt better. It took about three hours for things to start resembling normal again, but I had zero energy or desire to go back out in the heat. We had the TV on the news which only reported on the canicule (heatwave). Seriously if you took a shot every time they said “canicule” you would be slumped on the floor drunk in 15 minutes. All I could think about were the people who had dreamed for years of going to Paris and finally got to take their trip of a lifetime and that is the weather they got.
Thankfully the next day we were headed to Germany where it would be a little cooler. We wrapped up the day by binging on Stranger Things.
