The Paris Marathon that cost me Sixty Euros

The Paris Marathon may be an annual event or even a once in a lifetime one for all I know. Can't say for sure without googling it and now since I am sat in the Eurostar which unfortunately ( or fortunately) does not have a free WiFi service my conjecture would have to do. I just might add an addendum about it once I get home.

We were in Paris for the past few days and I was looking forward to eulogizing on Madame Paris( read paree ) because I was swept of my feet and enthralled in her unerring beauty. Then it happened - the inevitable fly in every ointment, or in this case should I say the villain in every lovestory-- the guy who just dosent like happy endings and has to stir up the gentle flowing waters of my love - The Paris Marathon.

 Our train out of Paris was due to leave at 1.13pm and we checked out in plenty of time to catch it. Just as we set of in our taxi we were confronted with a policeman vigorously waving his arms after setting up a raid blockade. So we back track hoping to cross the Seine a little further away. We crawl at a snails pace all the way, cross the Seine and as luck would have it here is another guy shooing us away. He had only just come on and was only setting up the blockade. I think we were the first to be turned away. By now our meter has climbed to about 20 Euros. Now driver dear is frankly upset and starts apologizing saying he thinks he wouldn't get us to the station in time and we might be better off getting the next one. We urge him on ask him to try another route. He says he will try. So there we are, setting off in the direction of what looks like a motorway. Driver later tells us that this runs round the whole of Paris and on the right lies Paris and on the left is not Paris.  Now he appears a bit more relaxed as the traffic starts to thin.

I ask him from where he is and he says Lebanon. Asks him how many languages he speaks and he says Lebanese, French, English,Germany, and Russian!.

Lucky us- he can ask for directions in 5 languages if his Navigator gets stuck!.

We take the exit for the CDG and head toward the city driving through an area which he tells us has only Indians and no French. Finally we dock at the station and pull our stuff out, Three pieces of luggage, a stroller, 3 back packs and a handbag in all. Meter clocks up something in the late forties, driver adds the neccessary surcharges and its now in the mid fifties. We decide to give a tip and round it off to Sixty euros for his persistence and consideration.

And yes--we finally did get on board in time!

ADDENDUM

The Paris International marathon or the Marathon International de Paris is an annual event held every April and has some 35000 runners. Been in existence since 1977 and is one of the biggies in the marathon world. Just had a look at the route they did yesterday and no wonder we could not get from south bank of the Seine to the Gare du Nord which was on the other side of the run!