The day started off typically. ... up early and on the road to see as much as we could possibly see in one day. We left France just long enough to venture into Switzerland, going through the beautiful and historic city of Geneva.
Post Geneva , we left the Alps and drove into the pretty rolling hills of north east France. Our first gas stop in France would prove to be a game changer..... almost. We were at about a quarter of a tank of fuel and when i tried to fill up, the car was not cooperating. Aunt Joyce, at my urging, came to my rescue, ..... her rat tail comb was just the tool I needed. We filled up and were off.
Almost immediately, the car was running differently. It was sputtering and coughing a bit, but still moving quickly down the road. About noon and still a couple of hours out of Paris, we stopped for lunch. The sisters went on to eat but I, in need of a power nap, stayed in the car, asking them to bring me something to go. They came back after a bit.... and we were ready to hit the road again. We were ready... our BMW was not. It simply would not start.
Well after 30 minutes or so we decided it was something we couldn't fix and I started trying to call the rental company. After an hour on the phone and LOTS of miscomunication, they finally understood that we were in the middle of rural France and needed help! About that time, Tita came running in to where I was on the phone. She had gotten it started! Amazing!!! Thank you God and Tita!
It was running. ... badly. ... but running nonetheless. Thinking I had gotten some bad fuel, the sisters all agreed I should top off the tank at the nearby gas station. As I was trying to pull the green diesel handle from the pump, I realized something. In France. .. diesel handles are blue, gasoline handles are green. OMG....I'd filled the tank on the diesel engine with gas!! In my defense...... we are in a foreign country, with a language I don't really speak. How could I be expected to know that diesel in French was. .... Well. ...Le diesel??????
When mom handed me the slip of paper from the glove box that said they were not responsible for damage done by improper fueling, my heart sank. Had I really just " bought" us a broken down BMW?
Well... it was running. ... right? How much worse could it get? So. .. after topping off the tank with the RIGHT fuel, we started sputtering our way towards Paris. After thirty miles or so it seemed to be running much better. Our minds relieved, we decided to 'relieve' the rest of us... and stopped for a potty break.
Ready to head out again. ...you guessed it... it wouldn't start. Ready to throw in the towel, the sisters coached me through it. Aunt Joyce finally yelling "PULSE IT" fron the back. Pulse it... Really? ??? But she was right. .. it started again! I love these women!
By the time we got to Paris it was running better and even though we were later than planned and it was raining, Paris was magical. I, though normally not a fan of Paris, found it especially wonderful. ..... maybe because several times during the day I had wondered if we would make it there at all.
Despite the rain, we saw everything on our agenda except Notre Dame. The hunchback will have to wait until next time. The sisters even got in their obligatory sis pic.
As the sun went down and lights came up, the city became even more magical. After a quick game of Arc d Triumphe demolition derby, we said goodbye to the city of lights and drove to Agnetz France where we were spending the night.
Whew!
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