With jet lag, we were awake very early. I went out to get breakfast supplies and found a store at end of the street which was only a few steps from our front gate. I had great difficulty at the automated checkout since the baguette did not have a barcode and an assistant came over to help me. Breakfast was wonderful although simple consisting of a baguette with butter and jam. Later, Alison’s parents arrived for a visit. We then went out shopping for necessary clothing supplies since we still did not have our cases. We realized that we only had a couple of days to get enough to keep us going for the week since we would be cruising from Sunday onward. We found a budget clothing store which was ideal for buying many items at minimal cost. We were advised the airline would compensate us by 100 euros each which were not a lot. It took a very long time choosing clothes and trying them on. Eventually, Paul and I had our selection and left the girls to finish their task. It was lunchtime so Paul and I went to McDonald’s. It may seem crazy to go there when we are in Strasbourg with so many nice options but we find it easier to allow Paul to indulge in his preferences.
On our way back, I stopped in an electronic store to buy some adapters to European power since all mine adapters are in the missing checked bags. I asked the man if he could speak English, which he did, and it helped explain what I needed. We then walked back to our accommodation where I continued to work on my letter until I received a phone call saying my cases were about to be delivered. The man had poor English and I thought he said he would be arriving in 5 minutes so I went outside to greet him as it was difficult to get to our accommodation. In fact, he must have said he was leaving the airport in 5 minutes because we waited about 40 minutes for him to arrive in the heat. He called to say he was parked a couple of streets away and was looking for us. We searched for him for a while an eventually found him walking along the street.
In the afternoon, I worked on drafting my claim for compensation. Later, we went out to walk to the Regent hotel in Petite-France where Alison’s parents were staying and where we would stay on the final night before the barge cruise. We all walked out quite a long way before finding a restaurant to eat, which was a challenge since it was 5:30 and most restaurants opened at 7:00. Eventually, we found a nice one in Place Gutenberg near the cathedral and all ordered a local pizza specialty with thin crust base. Over dinner, I was struggling to keep awake. Emma and Liam had just arrived in Strasbourg and found us at the restaurant and they took our leftovers to eat for their dinner while sitting in the square.
We talked to them for a little while but Paul and I left to return to our accommodation where I crashed. I was woken again by a phone call that the man was here with our remaining cases. I went out to find him and found him standing outside the front door. After taking them inside I went straight back to sleep and I heard everyone come in some time later but was completely out of it.
Chris's Wanderings 