Post by Leland Garrett on Apr 27, 2006 23:03:02 GMT -5
Ok...where to begin. Well, my grandparents used to live in Wiesbaden, Germany. Naturally I went to visit them all the time...even had the chance to live with them during two summer breaks. I LOVED IT!
So, one of the times I went to visit, my best friend Garry came with me. Since Garry was with me, my grandparents decided to make this particular visit a special one. So, they booked us a weekend trip/tour to Paris. Let me tell ya...I was excited! Studying the major monuments in Paris during my French 2 class didn't seem so pointless now!
So we leave on our weekend expedition. It was fun times...except for two things: 1) the bus was a bit crowded and 2) the tour guide was a prick (he actually told two of my fellow tourists to jump off the Eiffel Tower because they were taking too long to get down and were making him late).
Ok (to keep this somewhat short) one part of the tour was the option of paying an extra 80 Euros to go see a show at the Moulin Rouge. Well let me tell ya...you haven't fully lived the Paris experience if you haven't seen a show at the Moulin Rouge. So we show up, about 8 of us total. Let me tell ya, we looked like the BIGGEST tourists ever! We show up in jeans and t-shirts and what not...while everyone else waiting in line (a line that stretched a few blocks!) was wearing suits and evening gowns. Because we were on the tour...our tour guide knew a guy that got us inside in front of everyone who was in line! Those Parisians were pissed!!!!!!! So we get in...and get placed at a stage level table (very chic). The show was great. It was very well choreographed and just...ahh...I can't even begin to explain just how wonderful it was.
The best part was the free champagne. As a part of our tour package we were given one free bottle of champagne. Well, one bottle goes quick between 8 people. So the older people in the group put the empty bottle under the table and one of the waitors was like "oh you haven't gotten your champagne yet!" So pulling this move a few times ended up getting us 2 or 3 more free bottles of kick ass french champagne.
So the show ends and we leave. Outside there were people EVERYWHERE! Montmatre must be a happening place! So our group splits up into two so that we can get cabs and head back to the hotel. So the four in our group get into our cab. Lo and behold we realize we made the BIGGEST mistake EVER! Everyone who knew the address to the hotel got into the other cab! And we didn't know anyone's number to call!
To make things worse...the cab driver only spoke Spanish and French. Did anyone in our cab know Spanish? NO! Did anyone in our cab know French? ....only me. So I'm sitting here trying to explain to the driver that we didn't know the exact address of the hotel. We did, however, know the name of the hotel (it was a Holiday Inn go figure). Well, she had this nifty machine in her car that gave her directions while she drove. So she entered in Holiday Inn and was given two addresses. Well neither one sounded familiar. I explained that neither of these were the right hotel. So she just starts driving.
Here I will make a side note. If you get into a French cab...make sure you can speak a little bit of French. The machine she was listening to would say "at the end of this road take a left." Well, I'd say about half the time she would go the opposite way of what the machine said....trying to run up our tab. Oh...and look out for sketchy cross-dressing hookers...unless you're the one guy we saw who decided to pick up the fattest/manliest one of the bunch.....gross.
So we eventually get to the place the direction machine was taking us. This place was sketchy as hell! It was some one-way, back alley place. So I tell her it wasn't the right place and eventually tell her to just take us to one of the two Holiday Inn locations that was given on her machine thing. So, we get there (after a good two hours in her cab) and she turns around to me. Let me tell ya, I'm not very fluent in my French...but I know half of what this woman was saying to me was not very nice....she cussed me out like it was her job! Well I wasn't the only one who knew she was being a b***h so we all got out of the cab and didn't pay her a durn thing! She continued to shout as she drove off!
To wrap this up...we had the people at the front desk look up where our reservations were. Once they had found where we were supposed to be, they called us a cab and we were on our way.
Much to our dismay the new cab driver only spoke Spanish and French....luckily we had the address this time.
So yeah...there ya are...my favorite traveling story ever....getting lost in Paris and cussed out by a Spanish/French cab driver....
So, one of the times I went to visit, my best friend Garry came with me. Since Garry was with me, my grandparents decided to make this particular visit a special one. So, they booked us a weekend trip/tour to Paris. Let me tell ya...I was excited! Studying the major monuments in Paris during my French 2 class didn't seem so pointless now!
So we leave on our weekend expedition. It was fun times...except for two things: 1) the bus was a bit crowded and 2) the tour guide was a prick (he actually told two of my fellow tourists to jump off the Eiffel Tower because they were taking too long to get down and were making him late).
Ok (to keep this somewhat short) one part of the tour was the option of paying an extra 80 Euros to go see a show at the Moulin Rouge. Well let me tell ya...you haven't fully lived the Paris experience if you haven't seen a show at the Moulin Rouge. So we show up, about 8 of us total. Let me tell ya, we looked like the BIGGEST tourists ever! We show up in jeans and t-shirts and what not...while everyone else waiting in line (a line that stretched a few blocks!) was wearing suits and evening gowns. Because we were on the tour...our tour guide knew a guy that got us inside in front of everyone who was in line! Those Parisians were pissed!!!!!!! So we get in...and get placed at a stage level table (very chic). The show was great. It was very well choreographed and just...ahh...I can't even begin to explain just how wonderful it was.
The best part was the free champagne. As a part of our tour package we were given one free bottle of champagne. Well, one bottle goes quick between 8 people. So the older people in the group put the empty bottle under the table and one of the waitors was like "oh you haven't gotten your champagne yet!" So pulling this move a few times ended up getting us 2 or 3 more free bottles of kick ass french champagne.
So the show ends and we leave. Outside there were people EVERYWHERE! Montmatre must be a happening place! So our group splits up into two so that we can get cabs and head back to the hotel. So the four in our group get into our cab. Lo and behold we realize we made the BIGGEST mistake EVER! Everyone who knew the address to the hotel got into the other cab! And we didn't know anyone's number to call!
To make things worse...the cab driver only spoke Spanish and French. Did anyone in our cab know Spanish? NO! Did anyone in our cab know French? ....only me. So I'm sitting here trying to explain to the driver that we didn't know the exact address of the hotel. We did, however, know the name of the hotel (it was a Holiday Inn go figure). Well, she had this nifty machine in her car that gave her directions while she drove. So she entered in Holiday Inn and was given two addresses. Well neither one sounded familiar. I explained that neither of these were the right hotel. So she just starts driving.
Here I will make a side note. If you get into a French cab...make sure you can speak a little bit of French. The machine she was listening to would say "at the end of this road take a left." Well, I'd say about half the time she would go the opposite way of what the machine said....trying to run up our tab. Oh...and look out for sketchy cross-dressing hookers...unless you're the one guy we saw who decided to pick up the fattest/manliest one of the bunch.....gross.
So we eventually get to the place the direction machine was taking us. This place was sketchy as hell! It was some one-way, back alley place. So I tell her it wasn't the right place and eventually tell her to just take us to one of the two Holiday Inn locations that was given on her machine thing. So, we get there (after a good two hours in her cab) and she turns around to me. Let me tell ya, I'm not very fluent in my French...but I know half of what this woman was saying to me was not very nice....she cussed me out like it was her job! Well I wasn't the only one who knew she was being a b***h so we all got out of the cab and didn't pay her a durn thing! She continued to shout as she drove off!
To wrap this up...we had the people at the front desk look up where our reservations were. Once they had found where we were supposed to be, they called us a cab and we were on our way.
Much to our dismay the new cab driver only spoke Spanish and French....luckily we had the address this time.
So yeah...there ya are...my favorite traveling story ever....getting lost in Paris and cussed out by a Spanish/French cab driver....