The Worst Day Ever!

I almost did not write this journal entry after visiting The World Press Photo Exhibit in Amsterdam. The exhibit had all the greatest press photos from the year 2005. The photos were amazing, some were really hard to look at and others were beautiful. The exhibit made me realize my worst day ever is could practically be the best day for some people in our world today. What a sobering experience.

Here it is though...

I now have a day in my life to compare other bad days to, because I just had the worst day of my life. Tim and I were supposed to take a short hour trip to Cassis France for a great day on the beach. We get off our train in Toulon France and Tim decides to go look for sunglasses. On his way back to the train he doesn't see me and he assumes I hopped the train. Tim gets on the train and leaves me in Toulon with my backpack, his large suitcase, his shoulder bab, and three bags of groceries. The bus and train stations do not have luggage storage. the city is not a tourist city so noone speaks English. I find a bar and after tons of hand gestures I convince the bartender to watch my luggage till 5:00 pm for 4 Euros. Very impressive business deal for only using hand gestures! I cannot find internet anywhere in this town so I walk around lost for a couple of hours. I finally find internet and receive an email that says "I'm in Cassis where are you?" I retrieve my luggage, hop on a train to Cassis, and get off the train 20 minutes later. At the same time this was happening Tim hops a train from Cassis back to Toulon to find me. don't forget now that I am in Cassis with my luggage, Tims luggage, and three bags of groceries. I read the first sign I saw from the station "Cassis 3km." "Are you kidding me" I shouted out loud. I come to find out it was actually 3 km to the outskirts of town and then another 3 km to the center of town. Now I walk 6km with enough luggage to start a salvation army store as I am constantly being clipped by passing buses. I get into town around 6:30 pm. Locker storage is closed! I want you all to know this is a hill town and the grade is similar to streets in San Fran. I walk to the top of the city looking for internet, to the bottom, to the top, then the bottom. Mind you I cannot set down my luggage for a millisecond because of all the evil European thieves lurking in the shadows. I find internet 2 Euro for 15 minutes, steep price! The lady continually tells me I have way too much luggage. I try to explain that it is my buddies but she say again in an angry tone, "YOU HAVE WAY TOO MUCH LUGGAGE." I leave Tim an email saying "I am sleeping on the beach in Cassis, this is where you can find me. I can't even get into a store for food because I can't set down my luggage. Then it dawns on me that I have all Tim's money and belongings and he is wandering around with a miserable day that rivals my own. I left out the part that I am now almost hysterical and I am cussing at everyone in the streets. Tourists were staring at me as I ripped up maps, threw my luggage across roads, cussed at bus drivers, and at one point threw my backpack down a flight of stairs. You guys have all seen me mad; take that and double it!

This story does have a good ending though. An older French woman approaches me and acts out my temperment. She uses hand gestures and motions to show that she has seen me waling back and forth with an angry, but worried face. I try to explain to her that I lost my travel buddy, but she thinks I am saying I need someone to watch my bags so I can get some food. I do not understand her gestures at the time so I throw all my luggage behind a plant. I step into the store and I notice that she is standing over my bags like a guard dog. I shop all around the store and buy a lot of food for the long night on the beach. When I go to the cash register she is still hovering over my bags. I get my groceries and go to thank her, but she mysteriously dissapeared before I could even offer a mercie and a hug. She was definately my guardian angel. I end the night with a final bang. I plug my hair razor in and for fun buzz a skunk line down the center of my head and two lines down the sides of my head. I buzz these low, almost down to the skin. So of course I had to mess my haircut up somehow. I forgot to plug my hair trimmer through the converter, so the high wattage blows the rimmer and I walk around Cassis all night and day with the dumbest lookng haircut I have ever seen. I did get some great laughs though. Look closely at my Cassis pictures when I post them and you will see the best haircut ever!