  Wow, I just had a few perfect days of vacation with my sweetheart. Between July 9th and the 14th we visited Paris, the city of lights. I took the car and we arrived there in a few hours (we left at 8am and got there at 2pm) driving through Belgium, taking the A1 toll road. I really enjoyed myself and I think my girlfriend did too, although we didnt have enough time to do everything we wanted. For instance, before we left I wanted to visit Mont St. Michel, a small peninsula on the west coast of France. But we never went there. One thing about the French: they do not like to speak English. With the exception of the few people working in the tourist industry they do not even try to speak English at all. I know a few words French and I can even translate a few words, but when they start talking to you it is so hard to follow because they talk real fast. Luckily we managed and were able to do most things. I had the idea to drive around Paris to get were we wanted, but once I got there I parked my car in a garage and never tried to get it out.
We just took the busses and the subway to get around (besides that we mostly walked). Man, those Parisians drive like crazy. Years ago I went there with my school and we stayed for a week. I remembered from back then that no car in Paris is without dents or scratches on them (and I mean every car; even Rolls Royces). Well it was still the same! They just park everywhere they please: even on zebras and on sidewalks.
In fact we had a hard time going through with the wheelchair. Paris is very unfriendly for people with a handicap. It is a very good thing that Carrie can still walk and only needs to use the wheelchair after she walks a few miles. Otherwise it would have been impossible to do some things, like visiting Versailles for instance. The roads there are filled with holes and are made out of cobblestones and thats almost impossible to ride on with a wheelchair. As said we managed and so we had a great visit to Versailles, the Louvre, the Eiffel tower, the Sacre Coeur, Centre Pompidou and the Notre Dame and lots of other parts of town.
Most Parisians turned out to be very nice and even helpful some times. The prices for drinks however, are outrageous! A single glass of beer would range from 4,50 to 6,50 Euro (about 5 to 7 dollars). Food is about the same price as in Holland, so essentially they only screw you on the drinks. And boy, we did need lots of drinks there: it was about 33 degrees Celsius (about 88 Fahrenheit) while we were there and I was drying out the first few days.
Luckily we picked up some bottles and I kept myself drinking a few liters a day. Off course Carrie is used to these temperatures and I kept telling myself how lucky we were for having this weather. It was so hot that most fountains were turned off. Only a few were left running and that was a shame sometimes. We left Paris on the 14th (a national holiday) and arrived in Almere around 5pm. The next day we spend some quality time and visited my family. Finally my girlfriend had to leave on Wednesday morning, so we got up at 3:30am and left for the airport. I sure regret she couldnt stay a few more days and miss her already. Oh well. I guess I have to make arrangements to visit her this winter. Florida is always a nice place to be when its winter. 
