Marlene Hench's Page

Greetings Marlene. You will find this a lot of fun!

I did receive the photo CD, and I had a wonderful time re-living the memories when I saw all your beautiful pictures. Thank you again for sending them!

I'll have to check with the other "half" to learn if we have a copy of "Streetwise Map of Paris." We might not, but have something equivalent to it because we like to have street maps of the area in which we visit. In fact, we have made it a point to purchase the 21 Hagstrom County Street Maps for all of NJ. They are arranged alphabetically in a clear plastic box that's kept in our car. When we run into a detour or an accident or whatever, I reach back and pull out the appropriate map. When we travel, we use a map to locate our accommodations and local restaurants. In this way, when we're ready to eat, we have an idea of the location of a nearby restaurant. It saves us a lot of time and heartache.

Marlene:
We will be staying at the Petit Carreaux apartment, right next to the Rue Montorgueil. So I may be picking your brain for the next 8-9 months.

My husband showed me your response to his inquiry. We immediately printed the message and added it to our Paris Folder. The flat we have on hold is located very close to rue Montorgueil, so the "Au Pied de Cochon" restaurant caught our attention. We love French onion soup. Thanks for your recommendation.
We thoroughly understand the "Jet Lag" experience. After our last European month-long trip to Switzerland, we found ourselves going to bed early and arising around 3:00AM. It took us at least a week before we were back to the USA's time schedule. It seemed that we were waking at least an hour later each morning. However, by awakening and getting a head start on the day, made us feel good. There were pleasures in watching the sun rise and listening to the birds' songs as they awoke, as well.

Can't wait to see your Paris photos, keep them coming, Jean an fred

Thanks for the "pat on the back."
This past fall, I learned even more about the importance of swimming. After my mule ride "incident" last summer at Yosemite, atrophy kicked-in due to my spending a month in the wheelchair at home. When I first got back into the pool that November 1st, my left leg, especially, was so weak I couldn't even use it to do some of my personal water therapy. I swam and allowed the leg to drag in the water. Gradually, some strength returned, and once again I'm able to to a routine of exercises for the first ten laps. Then I continue swimming laps for the rest of the hour. If I complete 64-70 laps total, I'm happy. Swimming has enabled me to continue to do a variety of activities, as well as travel. This is why I highly recommend water activity. It's good for you!

Thanks for your note - we loved Paris - hope you did too!

Pete

Yes, you're correct when you say that the full leg brace, the crutches and the wheelchair are a "dead give-a-way" that I'm handicap. However, a few years ago, we learned that it would be a good idea to have a handicap placard, too. We were visiting my cousin in Mont Tremblant, Québec, Canada and drove to the Village. We parked the van in an appropriate Handicap Parking spot. Later when we returned to drop off some packages, we saw our equivalent of a "Meter Maid" standing in front of our vehicle. My cousin asked if there was a problem. She said that our vehicle was parked in a spot for the Handicap, and we had no placard. Her face turned slightly red when he pointed to the license plate. It had the Handicap icon in front of the letters & numbers. After we returned home, I followed the procedures to obtain a placard. Now, when we travel I place it in my crutch bag just in case. However, I might not have thought to pack it for our trip to Paris. Thanks for the suggestion.

Comments about your "What advice would you give others considering an Untour? comments: Wow! I couldn't have said it any better. You hit the "nail on the head," especially when you say to do some pre-trip planning. By the time you return to your place at the close of the day, you're too tired to sit down and begin to read through the materials to decide what to do the next day. You have to be flexible because the unexpected may occur, so you need to be willing to alter those plans. Also, remember: A warm smile works wonders!