Extraordinary Kindness

Just to catch up a little, I feel like I need to write a brief tribute to some of the people who made my trip to France more memorable and pleasant. 

• First, the gentleman at the flea market who treated us like family and gave us kisses and "cadeaux."  I'll always remember him.
• The prize for good samaritan goes to the lady at the train station who took pity on me.  After I asked where to get tickets, she directed me downstairs to the booth and then, later, followed me down to be sure I was in the right place.  When she saw the line -- and time running out -- she pulled me out of line to use an automated ticket machine, which required French beyond my abilities. When the machine failed to work, she bullied her way to the front of the line, explained to the ticket lady in French that I needed to go next and got me a ticket.  She really went above and beyond -- and risked missing her own train -- to help me.   
• Another helpful person was the man at Air France in Basel, to whom I reported my missing luggage.  He gave me a pre-packaged kit with everything needed for an overnight stay, tracked down my missing bag, arranged for it to be sent to my hotel in Strasbourg and then closed up his office so he could walk me around the airport to show me where I could buy a European cell phone and where I could catch the train to Strasbourgh. 

The French sometimes get a bad rap for being rude and unfriendly, but that was not my experience at all.  In fact, the only rude people I met on the whole trip were the TSA officers at Newark airport! 

So, thank you to the people who made the trip memorable.  Your little (and big) acts of kindness made a difference to me.