We arrived in Paris around 3:30pm. We got through security with no problem, but had trouble finding the gate where we were supposed to catch a shuttle to our hotel. We did eventually find the correct gate and the shuttle arrived in due time, but the shuttle driver was obviously flustered at the prospect of picking up 16 people at one stop, not to mention loading all of their damned luggage.
We only had 30 minutes to check into the hotel and freshen up because a van was supposed to pick us up shortly and take us on a tour of Paris. Everyone made it to the lobby by the requested time and began studying maps of downtown Paris in anticipation of a night on the town.
An hour later it was clear that we'd been scammed. The van didn't show up, the tour business wasn't listed in the telephone directory, and the hotel staff said that our tour vouchers looked fake.
Cheryle, who had arranged the tour, was obviously devastated. She canvassed the group to see who wanted to go into town on their own steam for a self-guided tour. More than half said they'd do it, so she arranged for a cab.
Mom and I stayed at the hotel and enjoyed a quiet dinner in the pub. After dinner we went to our room to watch TV but the only English channel was BBC and the only subject they seemed to be covering that night was the Poop's visit to the US. So, we shut off the TV and I played a DVD on my laptop instead. Mom fell asleep halfway through the DVD. I watched a bit more but turned it off and turned in early.
The next morning we learned that the people who'd gone into Paris were scammed once again. The cab that took them into town charged EUR$125 for the trip. When Cheryle asked if the cab driver could return at 10:00pm to pick the group up and return them to the hotel, he agreed but asked for a EUR$50 deposit, which he was given.
At 10:00pm the group showed up at the designated pick-up location, but no cab. After 45 minutes of waiting in vain for the cabbie to show up, the group hailed two cabs and headed back to the hotel. Surprisingly, the cost of the two cab fares, added together, was less than the EUR$125 fare the original cabbie charged for the trip into town. Sigh.
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