stay away from my window (Paris)

And for those of you who know the lyrics, no that's not what it's about.

We moved from the wrong side of the peripherique in eastern Paris, to the heart of this beautiful city, the Mercure, Gare de Lyon. We are on the 5th floor with a 'view' of roof tops and roads. And the window opens, fully, prompting Jayne to remark, "stay away from the window, don't jump". Like I would, I don't deal with heights.

Our last night in Porte de Montreuil did not disappoint. It commenced well enough, both the Carrefore and the Italian restaurant were open, which meant food and wine. We watched Rafa beat Djokovic again (I could do that ALL day). Then Gros Chien said it was time for bed. All good, until 4am and then voices, music and clinking bottles making their way down the corridor. Not as close as last time, but still loud enough to keep us awake. Then at 4:30am, new people next door. This time two men, talking very loudly. I am not going to miss this.

I did most of the packing last night, so in the morning it was just sit and wait for the nurse to do Jayne's blood test. As 10am approached I started to doubt my marvellous command of Franglais and was googling the lab when there was a knock at the door. He was here! All good.

This time it was Jayne's turn to grapple with the language. Blood test taken, details of how to get the results worked out, nurse out the door and I followed not long after in search of breakfast. In a radical departure from the norm we opted for grilles aux pommes and anglaise aux abricots. Nice.

Then for the major manoeuvre of the day, getting Jayne downstairs and into a cab. The walk to the lift and then to the chairs in the foyer took its toll on Jayne. Ensconced in the foyer, I made my three round trips to get the bags downstairs. The cab arrived, I started loading the bags and Jayne crutched her way to the cab door. Safely in the cab, we bid the seedy side of Paris, au revoir.

We have less room in the Mercure, but it is closer to the hospital and it has a disabled access bathroom. It should also ensure we get a better night's sleep. 

Jayne phoned the lab for her test results, a task that I was glad not to have. The person on the other end of the phone spoke no English. So I listened to an interesting interchange with Jayne constantly saying, "dites lentement" and re-phrasing her question until finally she got the all clear. The blood levels were normal. The injections continue (picture me with a sly smile, the next one is due in 30 mins).

I went for a walk down to Notre Dame again this arvo to get a souvenir I missed from my list, and came back a different way to locate the Carrefore and a boulangerie for breakfast. All successful.

The only disappointment is the room service menu, it is rather limited and Jayne is not supposed to move. So despite the fact we are in the centre of the Brasserie universe, they are all out of bounds to us. But anything will be better than some of things we've eaten recently.

On Sunday night there was very little open, but I did find an Italian restaurant that did take away pizza. In an attempt to cater to Jayne's taste, I avoided the usual peperoni laden pizza and opted for one with ham, mushroom, artichoke hearts, olives and an ingredient I didn't know. Any guesses? Seriously, have a go. What would you put with those ingredients? It was the chef's special too. I figured capsicum or capers, nothing too dramatic. But no ... it was tuna! Say no more. I was walking back, thinking, this pizza smells a bit strange. And when I opened it I understood why. C'est la vie! It was food and we were hungry. And then to add insult to injury, it hadn't been cut.

And so to dinner, we're hoping the pasta is good. I'll let you know. Tomorrow I'm off in search of a 50th birthday pressie for my little bro.

a demain