Monday, April 27, 2009

How Not to Ride the Metro


When I was 10 years old, we got to go on a business trip to Montreal, Canada and Washington, D.C. with my parents. We left from of all places, Joplin, Missouri airport and flew to Kansas City. In KC we almost missed our next flight to NYC. I remember running through the airport wondering what we were doing. This was a first flight trip for my sister and I. We did get to NYC and from there had to go outside to board a 747 to fly to Montreal. Such a HUGE plane!

Once in Montreal Dad had meetings to go to so us girls were on our own during the day. Somehow Mom had forgotten our swim suits so we went shopping. Actually found a Sears and got, of course, the ever-matching, different color, same suits. :) On our way back, Mom started walking, but in the wrong direction. So before it was too late, either my sister or myself got Mom convinced of the right way to go.

We got on the Metro (subway) to go back to the hotel, but it was very crowded and somehow Mom and I got to a different door than my sister who is 2 years younger than I. So when it got close to our stop, Mom motioned to Sis and we got lined up at our respective doors to get off. For some strange reason, my sister did not get off. Mom and I ran to the gate to get on the next train to the next stop thinking my sister would get off there.

The rest is a little foggy (it was longer ago than I want to admit), but my sister decided she was going to go back on her own to where we were supposed to get off. So we were all riding trains without each other in a country where French was the main language spoken. I think we asked the gate person to hold my sister at the stop she was at and we caught up to her. I think we skipped riding the Metro the rest of the trip unless Dad was with us.

What a lot of memories that trip brings back! Another quick one was one night Mom and Dad decided to go out on the town for dinner. My sister and I were to eat dinner in the hotel diner - Dad set it all up and paid for it beforehand - then we went back to our room. We fell asleep in the deep sleep that only children or fathers can drop off into. Our parents knocked on the door, a little louder, called us from the lobby (the phone was right at my ear), pounded a little louder, yelled, woke up the neighboring hotel guests and finally got a hotel maintenance person to come and let them in. We had placed the chain in so we would be "safe" from people trying to get in. Little did we know it would be my parents we were keeping out! ;)

2 comments:

  1. I can just see you running from train to train trying to out guess each other. Cute post! Why is it that children can sleep that soundly? Oh yeah they don't have children of their own yet.

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  2. Holy Cow! No wonder your mom's hair is as white as my mom's hair! YIKES!

    Blessings!

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