Today's the day I stop complaining about French bureaucracy. After fretting about what I might be getting myself into, I made a long trip into the bowels of the 15th arrondissement to pick up a wallet that my friend Joe had lost (or more likely had stolen) when he was visiting Paris back in July. Somewhat surprisingly, he received a letter from the Paris police in early September that his wallet had been found and was available for pickup. Why he wanted to pay the 10 euro fee to retrieve the wallet, which appears to have been mended with duct tape, is a mystery to me, particularly since he'd already cancelled the credit cards and gotten a new driver's license. I don't know...maybe there's something special in there. Trust me, I didn't look other than to check whether there was any cash remaining. (There wasn't.)But back to my point. What a breeze. The process at the lost and found office was remarkably efficient. There was virtually no one there and I was in and out in under 10 minutes. The only problem: this blog post isn't nearly as interesting as I'd imagined it would be. Chalk one up for the fonctionnaires.
3 comments:
This is a bit off topic but relevant to a surprising Parisian letter...
We live right outside NYC.
A month after 9/11 when we were still reeling from the shock and the loss of friends and feeling as though the world hated us...
A letter came from a small store in Paris where we had purchased Limoges. In it was written the most eloquent message of sympathy and support. Honestly, I tear up when I think of it.
The letter was so appreciated and needed.
I will never forget it.
I hope that doesn't seem too random!
Not so surprising there's no cash. That would have been the first thing a pickpocket would have taken. I had a small adventure myself for the past two weeks. If you like, you can read about it here: http://lerevefrancais.blogspot.com/
preppyplayer: Thanks for sharing your story. A good reminder that when you're thinking of someone, you should drop them a note. It is almost always welcome.
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