Wine, WiFi and Wandering
Paris, the city of love, lights, and not long ago, two lost Americans. My girlfriend and I recently traveled to France and experienced not being able to navigate directions using our phone, and had to revert to unusual tactics to make our way around the city.
Picture two women strolling along the charming streets of the city, enjoying the beautiful landscape and realizing they are unable to get to their destination. Both of their phones aren’t connecting to the navigation tool, and they need to figure out a plan, fast.
In a state of slight panic, we quickly discovered the city cherishes its cafes as they are on almost every corner. Those cafes were the solution to our problem. We would enjoy the outdoor seating, order a glass of wine, people watch, and eventually use their Wifi to get to our next destination. Each time we couldn’t connect on our phones we reverted to this new plan of action, and slid into the nearest charming cafe. Frankly, it was great fun, a future good tale, and we were able to enjoy a crisp glass of delicious French wine or champagne.
Although it turned out to be a fun adventure, late one night after biking around the city, we found ourselves feeling a bit vulnerable. Upon leaving our bike tour, we asked if one of the fellow-participants could help us navigate our destination since there were no cafes in sight. We had explained how we didn’t have any service (even though we both had an international calling plan). We explained we wanted to get to the Eiffel Tower to watch the five minute light show that began at 11:00 pm. It was already 10:15 pm and his phone signified we had an hour and seventeen minute walk. Hmmm … that wouldn’t do. We thanked him and began walking in the direction of the tower. Our plan was to find a cafe, order a glass of wine, use the Wifi and order an Uber. We were unable to hail a cab as every single one passing by was in service.
We finally spotted a cafe and beelined right towards it. As we entered and asked for a table, we were quickly told they were closed … ugh! Now what? In my broken French/English, I explained our situation and the waiter agreed we could use the wifi to order an Uber. In just a few minutes we were able to climb in and continue on to the Eiffel Tower (even though the driver was completely rude and yelled at us).
As we arrived at the location, it was jammed packed with taxis, Ubers, cars, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, and rickshaws. Everyone was trying to beat the clock for the five minute light show. We had made it with fifteen minutes to spare. It was beautiful just as it was, lit up in all it’s golden glory. Would the five minute light show really be much different?
I can assure you it was. It was spectacular as it sparkled and glistened under the dark inky sky. The lights danced and twinkled, enchanting all the spectators below. It was absolutely stunning and I felt giddy and excited. It left a lasting impression on my heart. Once complete, we headed a few blocks to the first cafe we experienced on our first day. The same waiter welcomed us in and offered us a seat as we ordered a glass of wine. We were the last people they allowed to order before closing. Phew, we felt lucky as we sipped our wine and laughed about our day. Then we ordered an Uber.
On our third and final day in Paris, we were on a walking food tour with a small group of people and somehow the subject came up how we weren’t able to get service. Besides my friend and I, everyone didn’t seem to have a single bit of trouble with their phone services. In passing, someone mentioned to make sure we had cellular turned on. Ummm … upon checking, neither one of us did. For the love of! Once we turned it on, our navigation worked perfectly (shaking my head … no words).
If you ever find yourself in Paris unable to connect to the world through your phone, slip into the nearest cafe, say bonjour, order a glass of wine, connect to the free wifi, and embrace the adventure. Cheers to our detours and the unforgettable experiences that made being lost in Paris an unexpected, fun, and magical journey! It’s wine, wifi and wandering at it’s finest. Sante’
xoxox…..Sheryl
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