A surf board shop in the middle of Paris

I was thinking about one of my trips to Paris.
Now the travel agents and anyone who is anyone will tell you yes go its a great place. You have to go to Paris.
I'm not saying you shouldn't but if you can't make it don't feel bad. It's not the beat all end all of existence.
So here is why I went
I had just landed in Germany -- Yes I said Germany
Yes, I do realize Paris is in France
So anyway I'm in Germany Rhinemein AB
I get on a bus and travel on the autobahn from urban Germany into the farmland and nothing is around but Farms and Forests that is it then bam there is this town
On the main street in this town of 300 people are 12 bars 6 restaurants and 2 well how do you put this --they aren't legal in the U.S.
So I get on the Base which is no longer run by the U.S. military -- we got it from the the French (Paris --remember Paris we're getting to that) and now we've given it back to the Germans. So I'm on the base and everyone is in the middle of a NATO exercise. So I get the week off
This is not too bad considering up until this point I was seriously considering seriously bad things that should happen to the guy who recruited me.
So now I have a week off with pay and I don't have to take leave for it.
Well I get to hang out with all the guys and gals who are injured -- for real -- not the fake ones you get in the NATO exercise when a Belgium Capt. walks over hands you a card that says
A mortar round just exploded 1 metre from your present location you have the following injuries: broken leg and internal injuries
(aka lie down because you're dead card)
So the assortment of twisted ankles and broken arms gang says We are all going to Paris would you like to come along.
Sure I haven't been out of the United States for 24 hours yet headed for Germany and 3 years of duty overseas -- a trip to a completely different country sounds like a great idea and I'm already packed because I haven't unpacked yet.
So now later that day I'm on another bus headed toward France and ultimately Paris
See I know where I'm going
So We arrive in Paris and it very early in the morning all the rush hour traffic and the sun coming up from behind us
Then I see the Eiffel Tower and then it hits me --TOTO we aren't in Kansas anymore --not only that we aren't in the Hundsruck either.
OK so now we go to the bank to get Francs -- I still haven't seen a Deutchesmark yet
So me and the need medical help gang are hopping around in the City of Light
Calvin, one of the gang, decides he wants a picture of the Arch de Triumph so he limps into the middle of the Champs de Ill. and is focusing in the shot -- He did go out when the light for traffic was red
but now its getting ready to change and he still hasn't taken the picture yet
Calvin has a cast on his leg and doesn't move fast
and the Champs de Ill. is 8 lanes of traffic wide
painted lanes
If you've ever been to Paris you know that means nothing to anyone its merely a suggestion so 12 cars are beginning to rev up their engines because that's right
road kill the stupid American game has now begun. And they were off
Well the long and short of it is Calvin didn't die that day and he got a good picture too.
Well then we did all the tourist things tower, museum, etc.
You know the Mona Lisa is not much bigger than a sheet of notebook paper
The museum was really cool but soon after that we had to ditch the tour.
This isn't easy for a bunch of injured people.
But we did manage to do that and make it back to the hotel -- which was much harder than you might think not speaking french in Paris -- and trying to figure the metro out with a rather large buzz from drinking a rather sizable amount of Pernod and beer.
I don't recommend the mix
Well the second day was the palace and the wine tasting. I skipped that the wine tasting that is
Then back to Paris to see Notre Dame and avoiding pick pockets
We journeyed off on our own again and found a surf board shop in the middle of Paris -- I didn't get one because I wasn't going to be near the ocean but just in case its nice to know you can get a good board when you are in Paris
Then I tried to find a Pen Pal from High school -- didn't work or I didn't explain myself well to the guy who answered the door. Either way I didn't find that pen pal.
So the second night a drinking began which I skipped to go to the opera and I didn't understand that either.
Well, the next day it was back to Germany on another bus and then the start of three years of ..........
Amusing adventures
Which are now a bunch of rambled stories.
Well gotta run
ID