We'll Always Have Paris...

We've always wanted to visit Paris, France maybe for the same reasons as you. It's historically significant. Only 10 years ago, archeologists found human remains in Paris dating to 8,000 BC. Some say it's the art and fashion capital of the world and it's earned the nickname, City of Lights because, at one time, it had 50,000 gas street lights.

Oh, ya, and they've got all that wine.

We did our best to check as many of the must-dos off our list for the five days we were there. We had lots of tips from friends.

Also, warnings of pickpockets and gypsies and rude waiters and areas of the city to stay away from.

In reality, we never experienced a bad incident and the only rudeness we encountered was a city bus driver who didn't care for my pronunciation when asking for directions to the Louvre.

On our final day, we decided to take the Metro (subway) to the airport.

It sounded easy, safe, and efficient. However, when we left street level and descended the escalator to the subway platform we were confused/startled by the signage, all in French. We stared at each sign as Lorraine conjured up her high school French to sort out where we were supposed to be going. To further confuse us, we didn't realize that the subway system and the train system are in the same building but on different floors.

We boarded another escalator and hoped we were guessing right on its destination - I was ahead of Lorraine with baggage. When I looked back at her, she was talking to a man behind her. He was swarthy looking, dark, army jacket, jeans, and hands in his pocket. I was curious about him but the earlier warnings about strangers/ pickpockets didn't seem to fit his manner.

When we landed on the platform and he realized we were together, he introduced himself as a captain of the Paris police, showed me his badge, and explained he was on his way to work. He offered to get us on the correct train to the airport. First, we had to board a subway to the proper station. It was just a few stops but during that time, he told me he and his wife and four children lived in Rouen Normandy, about an hour away from Paris. He said Paris was too dangerous to raise small children. He said his name was Sami Hachani.

He insisted on exiting our subway with us to make sure we got the correct one across the platform. Once there, we said our goodbyes and thanks and turned to face the oncoming subway with a final wave to him as he walked away in the opposite direction.

As the doors opened for us, I heard a scream. It was Sami. "Don't get on that subway"! We stepped back. The doors closed in front of us as he ran at us. "That's the A train" "You need to wait for the B train" "My mistake"!

It all happened so quickly, there was nothing left to do but laugh.

Then Sami huddled in close to us and handed me an embroidered patch - his captain rank patch from a uniform. He said, "If you have any trouble or need a policeman, just show him this patch and he'll help you".

Then, he said, "I think God asked me to look after you today".

Just one of those very special moments in time, a Paris moment, that we'll never forget.

Our travel adventures have created some really unforgettable memories. So many, in fact, that some have actually managed to escape But, this one was very special. "We'll always have Paris".