We only have another 1000 kms or so to go out of which we did almost 700 today. It's really the last leg of our journey and it's starting to sink in. Driving close to 700 kms does not sound daunting to us.
There is a fuel strike happening in France, ahem, sounds like home right? Well it’s actually happening here as well. We were warned by a friend that we need to tank up as and when we find fuel. Therefore we fueled up in Switzerland and again a couple of times in France.
It was a rainy day as well. It was as if the rain was following us. Traffic wasn't as bad as we expected when we entered Paris. It was about 4.45 pm but could pretty much make it to the hotel very quickly. On arrival I find my daughter waiting for us and it was an ecstatic reunion. 70 days being away hasn't been easy for any of us. My has come with my brother and his family from a few days in Switzerland. The happiness is quite short lived. We need the drama for the day!!
Our hotel is located in the city Centre, close to Champs-Élysées. Very central to everything, offered paid parking nearby, but the car park does not have the height clearance for our car. On enquiry we were directed to another parking lot in the same vicinity. The entrance of the car park looked tall enough but after entering the clearance became ridiculously low. The boom bar comes down behind us and I can't proceed further.
My daughter goes in search of someone to help us while I'm stuck in the ramp going down into the car park. The only way to get into the car park is to remove the jerry can from the roof rack. Clambering onto the roof, I take a Swiss Army knife and slash the strap that holds it in place. Off comes the jerry can but our spare tire is still a problem. By this time, cars are piling up behind us and there is chaos. Finally a man shows up and gets the boom bar up. I had to back up the car up steep ramp and out, trust me, it was super tight. Phew... The trauma of finding parking in big cities is enormous.
Drove back to the hotel and the staff tell me that all parking lots in central Paris don’t have height clearance over 1.9 feet. Meter parked on the street... free parking after 9 pm till tomorrow morning 9 pm... Researching online we have found a truck parking about 5 kms from our hotel and we all move the car there tomorrow morning Walked a bit on Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe and I got to spend some time with my family.