Paris, Again (Wednesday)--The prodigal notebook

Here we are, safely back in Paris.  It almost seems like coming home, except that we can also foresee coming home to Madison.  But first, on to Turkey and Greece. 

When we left Paris 9 days ago, we were warned to make a hotel reservation before we left because there is a big international auto show that opens tomorrow in Paris.  And, indeed, the hotels we checked were either full or near full, but fortunately we landed here at Hotel Britannia, which has wi-fi.

No pictures from today (but keep checking earlier posts--we'll keep adding some) but here is a wonderful story.  When we took the train to Giverny (where we visited Monet's house and saw the waterlily pond), on the way back, Melissa left her little notebook on a bench at the Vernon Gare (train station).  We assumed it was lost, which was sort of a problem because it was the only place in which we had written the phone number of our friend, Jacqueline, with whom we planned to stay in Rennes.  Fortunately, we were able to retrieve her phone number from the apartment telephone we had used to call her.  And then, just before we left the apartment permanently, Jacqueline called us, saying she had been called by the train company at Vernon to ask if she knew whose notebook it might be, since her telephone number was in it.  She was told that the name Olivia was repeated often, and at first she said that she didn't know anyone named Olivia.  BUT THEN, she realized that it must be Melissa's notebook with telephone numbers related to our cruise with Olivia..  So she called the train company back and told them she knew the owner of the notebook.  They said they could not send the notebook to her, but they would send it to the lost and found at Gare St. Lazarre in Paris.  Amazing!  In turns out that the Hotel Britannia is near the Gare St. Lazarre, so after we got here, we strolled over to the lost and found, asked for Melissa's notebook, AND ,,, they handed it to her.  Incredible!  Ten days later!

We are looking forward to seeing our Madison friends, our Maine friends and our Illinois friends when we get to Turkey. 

Hope you are all enjoying yourselves!