We woke up, bright and early, had a quick breakfast and then we were on our way. A couple of metro lines and my hobbling along, and eventually we made it to Gare Montparnase. Got on the train and now it was time to relax. We both read a bit while and as well we took advantage of this time and viewed the countryside where the occasional château, or at the very least, impressive house would catch our attention.
It's a 4 hour drive from Paris to
Nantes, but only 2 hours by
TGV. In no time at all we had arrived.
Didier's parents met us at the train station and soon we arrived to their home...
Once we got our baggage in, it was time to get down to business... Champagne and some food. (but more on that in a bit)
Once Didier and I could not drink another drop or eat another bite, it was time to attend to my ever swelling ankle. I could walk on it, but with great discomfort and it was not going to get any better in the coming days, with a lot of sight-seeing on the agenda.
I thought all I really needed were some anti-inflammatories and a pressure bandage, so off to the local pharmacy we went...
Well not only did they not have the bandage I wanted, but could not give me any decent anti-inflams... Further they highly recommended having a Dr look at my ankle, as the nurse the night before had directed.
Acquiescence.
The lady behind the counter of the Pharmacy was very kind and called the Dr's Office down the road, ensured that they could see me without issue and so after a ten euro call to my Insurance company (there's no toll free from Europe and although they tell you to call collect, that didn't work either) my dossier was opened and we were off to see the Doctor.
Ah, but we knew it could not be that easy. I think there were 4 people ahead of us and it seemed we sat in the waiting room for over two hours, but in reality is was probably only one hour and fifty-five minutes... BUT the Doctor was kind and ultra sympathetic to the fact that I was not from France. She prescribed some pain-relievers / anti-inflammatories and while she gave me a prescription as well for an ankle-brace (basically a firm ankle brace) she also directed me to get some X-rays, as the ankle-brace could actually cause more damage if there was a fracture or a break, as opposed to just sprain or torn ligaments...
So, off to an X-ray clinic...and I swear these were all within 2 blocks of each other... and thank god, as we were still on foot...
Forty minutes later we were outta the X-ray clinic and thankfully there was no fracture or break and so no need for step number four: Emergency and Cast.
Back to the Pharmacy to fill out my prescriptions and we were back to Didier's family home and I put my now braced ankle up and had a Panache. I think I deserved one...
After a short rest it was time to resume our grand tour of France...
