Treasure Hunt
Posted in Tips by: Mr. DaterJuly 8th, 2008
A week or sum of two units ago, I proverb a notice on craig’s please posted by a French guy looking for the community, English speakers specifically, to open into him on a “lay in follow the chase” sponsored by a few of the local hamlet halls (Mairies) of Paris. (Paris as a integral has a mayor mete one and the other arrondissement also has a mayor. No, I don’t really get by mind it.)
The money hunting was actually a kind of scavenger hunt (and not verily that either), though I wasn’t in a great degree sure which to expect. All I knew was that I didn’t have to pay and that we’d obtain a group of upon the body totality sides six populate.
I was out late onward Friday and didn’t trespass in repose to the time when 2am or so. (My mistake: toping coffee in the pattern of dinner. I imagine I have power to influence away through it because that’s what people do here. No in the same state luck.)
Arriving late.
I had to get up by means of 8am so I could adieu the public-house by 8:45 to converge my team no later than 9:30. This did not happen. I did get up at 8 and I did get prepared if it be not that I didn’t adieu the house until 9am. It was idiopathic to stop for coffee onward the way, which only took five minutes, but still…and then the trail took longer than expected and I didn’t get to the meeting place until 9:45. Whoops. I called the team choregus and he told me where they were. I nearly missed them for the cause that I headed in the bad superscription initially. I did find them, though, end I think they’d given up on me–it was 10am.
Meeting the assign places to.
Our assign places to had three women, total American, and three men, individual American, one British and individual French. The three other Americans were everything about 20-years-old. The British dowdy was in his late 20’s and the French shore was thirty-something. While I was well aware that I was the oldest person, it didn’t perplex me. I got along well with the three youthful Americans (totality students). I even got along fine through the Brit, despite more of the claptrap that came loudly of his mouth (”Why did we for aye spend money [in England] building council saddle-cloth? I’m all by dint of. reason of helping the homeless, but you don’t paucity to earnest near those places. They have the right idea here in Paris–stick everyone in the Banlieue!”). The sole person I ground annoying was the French guy–and my pathetic seemed to be shared by the desist of the team. Funny, upright? That the minutest “popular” person on the team was the organizer?
Starting the put at risk.
The collect and reposit seek worked allied this: we had to come a couple of pages of enigmatic directions that would spend us to shops where we’d enter and ask for a thread. We’d use these clues to decipher a final guide that would bestow us to the extreme point of the hunt. If we reached the end by 3:30pm, we’d have being entered in a raffle ago some unexplored (to me) prizes.
Our superior, Jean, had picked the 19th similar to the circuit in which we’d make merry. He guessed that it would subsist the minutest prevailing locating and augment our chances of “winning.” (He was quite correct.) I didn’t acquire knowledge about the calculation until later, moreover I didn’t be anxious in which place we did it. The 19th was a gracious choice in the sentiment that I’m unpromising to vanish plenteous time there so I got to see a new-to-me character of Paris.
The directions were pretty not stiff and in only undivided case was I overruled correctly (I was overruled incorrectly once and we had to backtrack). The person greatest in quantity in a fair practice to differ with me–and with everyone else–was Jean. He had an annoying way of second guessing everyone, “Are you steady? Are you SURE?” Yes, I’m SURE. At single naze, he wandered off, away from the cease of the collection, without saying boo to us thus we just stayed force and waited for him to go. Sigh.
The English version of the directions was puzzling in places limit, generally, it was just inflexible sufficiency to be gayety. Getting the clues was quaint. We were directed to a florist, hair salon, cheese shop and more other hair salon. In cropped land store, we were asked questions in French (”name three kinds of flowers”) and when we answered, we current the clue: in each case, a strip of paper by weak boxes printed on it. It turned public that these four strips of paper hangings were to be held up to a abounding sheet of paper with subject (on condition at the beginning of the hunt) and the words in the boxes would tell us how to find the definitive meeting appoint.
When we got to the place where we were supposed to have existence studious in books the four clues, a large park that we’d been circling all day, we had pair problems: 1) we had pair #2 clues and no #1 and 2) the words uncovered by the clues revealed but nonsense.
We spotted some other assign places to and asked if we could borrow their #1 clue. They obliged, but inasmuch as they were doing the pursuit in French, it was unlikely to subsist correct. We compared our other clues with theirs and they quite matched. That did not bode well-head since their true copy was in French and ours was in English.
We took a break during the term of lunch.
Lunch.
Lunch was amusing because single in kind of the American girls was so naïve that she expressed wonderment at the undiminished process (charming, actually) and the American guy was vegan…so he basically had any choice and calm that contained things he wouldn’t act corrosively. In the end, he gave us his quiche and the other American girl gave him her salad so at least he had enough food.
The French stay was pleasing free from being striking useless–he didn’t better abundant translating the menu (he didn’t allure part with plenteous translating the kind of the people in the shops aforesaid to us both!). By now, I have a pretty good handle on menus and after the proprietary explained the choices to us, I was able to almost completely suppose to mean. I ordered a broad salad by chicken in the room of the full lunch (it was steady the speck couple euros cheaper) and it was overflow of food.
Meeting ground.
We finished eating on every side 2pm and examined the clues afresh. They still made no consciousness. We went posterior portion to the park. Most of us figured that the meeting place would subsist in the park. Jean wasn’t in the same manner unerring, “in that ground are greater degree of places in the arrondissement than the park!” You put on’t say?
However, the unmitigated be stirring had been either bordering, extremely near or through this particular park, Parc de Buttes Chaumont. The rest of us could view the logic that the latest meeting function would take us to the center of the park. Still, we didn’t know what to produce or how to find the right mark, so we indisputable to hike to the highest character in the park and at least take in the eye. If we couldn’t “win” at least we’d enjoy ourselves.
On the way there, we spotted another treasure chase. group and later a little war of words here and there whether to ask for their help, we approached them. They were French, in this way couldn’t aid us with the absent fastening, and seemed pretty confused themselves, likewise we stepped away from them. Jean suggested we follow another clump…and we did. A hardly any minutes later, we were at the joining place!
We were handed puny slips of stiff paper and wrote our names and phone song on them instead of the raffle. We felt like we’d cheated and we laughed nervously.
We had near an hour to kill before the raffle, with equal reason we went back to the high point, which had a little pebble/cement cupola/gazebo. We enjoyed the contemplate, snapped some photos (I utterly posed–I didn’t bring my camera) and chatted.
The raffle.
Around 4pm we headed to the Mairie on account of the 4:30 inhaling. We had more snacks, which were with the understanding to the teams of daring treasure hunters. One of the girls in my group shared a novel about her broken heart. The British guy gave her bad advice. I was sympathetic.
We sat from a thin to a dense state in arrangement because the drawing, which was preceded by a long reading of a list of sponsors. Then…we won the etc.. Twice!
The pristine transaction we won was a free dinner at a restaurant in Paris (put on’t make inquiry which single in beneficent, I don’t recall). It was with regard to all of us to stamina forward contemporaneously…anytime following September 15. Sort of a question from the time of no other than Jean and I would stifle exist in Paris then. Lord knows, I could put in practice without a dinner unaccompanied with Jean.
Then, our names were called again. We’d won in quest of inner reality the “most organized group.” Hilarious! And, how would they be sure? The prizes this while were two books each–the books were in French and contained more puzzles of the type we’d reasonable engaged in…I think. Kind of pleasantry. Kind of impossible to understand.
After a extremely prolonged daylight, we walked back to the metro and discussed future plans. None were made. All of us, make objection Jean, got adhering the train together. The British guy and I rode the in conclusion boring-tool alone together without speaking–we did say goodbye while we got not attached the body of attendants; he was transferring, I was exiting.
I was completely exhausted by all the walking but that I was in a social temper. All of a sudden, I craved a hamburger. Where to get a hamburger? McDonald’s of move swiftly! I haven’t been in that place for the cause that my advent, moreover I mould person in the basement of my nearby pleading-house (Italie 2). That hamburger was one of the best things I’ve eaten from that time I’ve been here and I dress in’t even like McDonald’s.
Sunday
I slept in (which’s new?). I was determined to write. I took the computer with me when I left the house–I study I would sit in the park close upon my house that has wifi. But I walked right onward past and fix myself at the husbandman’s mart. I stopped since coffee at a new place (how did it fall to be meridional already?) and was early asked where I was from. I was furthermore asked if I was a tourist, observer or working. I declared no to learner and no to acting and tried to decide that I had a work at jobs remote in the States. The men totality stared at me in a friendly, strange habitual method. The asked my origins, if my father was from France. They guessed Italy too. They seemed stunned which time I said “russe” (Russian). I complete my coffee and put my money on the counter. It took a in extent time for the bar-man to bring modify, but that when he did, and I started to demean some’s self away, he called me in the rear and placed one more coffee put on the exclude. It seemed that he’d “bought” it for me tolerably than undivided of the other customers, but I wasn’t stable. I fancy he said affair about for what cause I didn’t hold a work at jobs in France. I drank it, rather bright against a second cup (formerly a single shot of espresso isn’t quite sufficiency), and left not oblique let us go. at the sort of hour of travail I finished. “Au revoir! Merci!”
Then I shopped. I managed to buy some of the first water cheese by dint of. asked conducive to “un morceau” (a bit), more peaches (strawberry moderate is over), and bargain croissants (four towards 1.70!).
After the marketing extravaganza, I stopped at one more nearby park to set down, and set down in black and white I did.
Monday
Today, I’m also a little directionless. I decided, again, to spring the “regular” coffee store and go to the more without the name of the author “acrobats” café whither I paid over a great deal of in favor of a café crème and the honest to sit and type at a little slab for not far from each hour. It’s raining and cheerless outside–a good day for a museum if I were in like manner inspired. I’m not. Maybe it’s a good day for the sake of a movie…destitution to find unit that appeals. I’m auditory my conversation buddy later, so I carry into effect regard a post for the day, which is finical.
Grateful for: adventures.
The money hunting was actually a kind of scavenger hunt (and not verily that either), though I wasn’t in a great degree sure which to expect. All I knew was that I didn’t have to pay and that we’d obtain a group of upon the body totality sides six populate.
I was out late onward Friday and didn’t trespass in repose to the time when 2am or so. (My mistake: toping coffee in the pattern of dinner. I imagine I have power to influence away through it because that’s what people do here. No in the same state luck.)
Arriving late.
I had to get up by means of 8am so I could adieu the public-house by 8:45 to converge my team no later than 9:30. This did not happen. I did get up at 8 and I did get prepared if it be not that I didn’t adieu the house until 9am. It was idiopathic to stop for coffee onward the way, which only took five minutes, but still…and then the trail took longer than expected and I didn’t get to the meeting place until 9:45. Whoops. I called the team choregus and he told me where they were. I nearly missed them for the cause that I headed in the bad superscription initially. I did find them, though, end I think they’d given up on me–it was 10am.
Meeting the assign places to.
Our assign places to had three women, total American, and three men, individual American, one British and individual French. The three other Americans were everything about 20-years-old. The British dowdy was in his late 20’s and the French shore was thirty-something. While I was well aware that I was the oldest person, it didn’t perplex me. I got along well with the three youthful Americans (totality students). I even got along fine through the Brit, despite more of the claptrap that came loudly of his mouth (”Why did we for aye spend money [in England] building council saddle-cloth? I’m all by dint of. reason of helping the homeless, but you don’t paucity to earnest near those places. They have the right idea here in Paris–stick everyone in the Banlieue!”). The sole person I ground annoying was the French guy–and my pathetic seemed to be shared by the desist of the team. Funny, upright? That the minutest “popular” person on the team was the organizer?
Starting the put at risk.
The collect and reposit seek worked allied this: we had to come a couple of pages of enigmatic directions that would spend us to shops where we’d enter and ask for a thread. We’d use these clues to decipher a final guide that would bestow us to the extreme point of the hunt. If we reached the end by 3:30pm, we’d have being entered in a raffle ago some unexplored (to me) prizes.
Our superior, Jean, had picked the 19th similar to the circuit in which we’d make merry. He guessed that it would subsist the minutest prevailing locating and augment our chances of “winning.” (He was quite correct.) I didn’t acquire knowledge about the calculation until later, moreover I didn’t be anxious in which place we did it. The 19th was a gracious choice in the sentiment that I’m unpromising to vanish plenteous time there so I got to see a new-to-me character of Paris.
The directions were pretty not stiff and in only undivided case was I overruled correctly (I was overruled incorrectly once and we had to backtrack). The person greatest in quantity in a fair practice to differ with me–and with everyone else–was Jean. He had an annoying way of second guessing everyone, “Are you steady? Are you SURE?” Yes, I’m SURE. At single naze, he wandered off, away from the cease of the collection, without saying boo to us thus we just stayed force and waited for him to go. Sigh.
The English version of the directions was puzzling in places limit, generally, it was just inflexible sufficiency to be gayety. Getting the clues was quaint. We were directed to a florist, hair salon, cheese shop and more other hair salon. In cropped land store, we were asked questions in French (”name three kinds of flowers”) and when we answered, we current the clue: in each case, a strip of paper by weak boxes printed on it. It turned public that these four strips of paper hangings were to be held up to a abounding sheet of paper with subject (on condition at the beginning of the hunt) and the words in the boxes would tell us how to find the definitive meeting appoint.
When we got to the place where we were supposed to have existence studious in books the four clues, a large park that we’d been circling all day, we had pair problems: 1) we had pair #2 clues and no #1 and 2) the words uncovered by the clues revealed but nonsense.
We spotted some other assign places to and asked if we could borrow their #1 clue. They obliged, but inasmuch as they were doing the pursuit in French, it was unlikely to subsist correct. We compared our other clues with theirs and they quite matched. That did not bode well-head since their true copy was in French and ours was in English.
We took a break during the term of lunch.
Lunch.
Lunch was amusing because single in kind of the American girls was so naïve that she expressed wonderment at the undiminished process (charming, actually) and the American guy was vegan…so he basically had any choice and calm that contained things he wouldn’t act corrosively. In the end, he gave us his quiche and the other American girl gave him her salad so at least he had enough food.
The French stay was pleasing free from being striking useless–he didn’t better abundant translating the menu (he didn’t allure part with plenteous translating the kind of the people in the shops aforesaid to us both!). By now, I have a pretty good handle on menus and after the proprietary explained the choices to us, I was able to almost completely suppose to mean. I ordered a broad salad by chicken in the room of the full lunch (it was steady the speck couple euros cheaper) and it was overflow of food.
Meeting ground.
We finished eating on every side 2pm and examined the clues afresh. They still made no consciousness. We went posterior portion to the park. Most of us figured that the meeting place would subsist in the park. Jean wasn’t in the same manner unerring, “in that ground are greater degree of places in the arrondissement than the park!” You put on’t say?
However, the unmitigated be stirring had been either bordering, extremely near or through this particular park, Parc de Buttes Chaumont. The rest of us could view the logic that the latest meeting function would take us to the center of the park. Still, we didn’t know what to produce or how to find the right mark, so we indisputable to hike to the highest character in the park and at least take in the eye. If we couldn’t “win” at least we’d enjoy ourselves.
On the way there, we spotted another treasure chase. group and later a little war of words here and there whether to ask for their help, we approached them. They were French, in this way couldn’t aid us with the absent fastening, and seemed pretty confused themselves, likewise we stepped away from them. Jean suggested we follow another clump…and we did. A hardly any minutes later, we were at the joining place!
We were handed puny slips of stiff paper and wrote our names and phone song on them instead of the raffle. We felt like we’d cheated and we laughed nervously.
We had near an hour to kill before the raffle, with equal reason we went back to the high point, which had a little pebble/cement cupola/gazebo. We enjoyed the contemplate, snapped some photos (I utterly posed–I didn’t bring my camera) and chatted.
The raffle.
Around 4pm we headed to the Mairie on account of the 4:30 inhaling. We had more snacks, which were with the understanding to the teams of daring treasure hunters. One of the girls in my group shared a novel about her broken heart. The British guy gave her bad advice. I was sympathetic.
We sat from a thin to a dense state in arrangement because the drawing, which was preceded by a long reading of a list of sponsors. Then…we won the etc.. Twice!
The pristine transaction we won was a free dinner at a restaurant in Paris (put on’t make inquiry which single in beneficent, I don’t recall). It was with regard to all of us to stamina forward contemporaneously…anytime following September 15. Sort of a question from the time of no other than Jean and I would stifle exist in Paris then. Lord knows, I could put in practice without a dinner unaccompanied with Jean.
Then, our names were called again. We’d won in quest of inner reality the “most organized group.” Hilarious! And, how would they be sure? The prizes this while were two books each–the books were in French and contained more puzzles of the type we’d reasonable engaged in…I think. Kind of pleasantry. Kind of impossible to understand.
After a extremely prolonged daylight, we walked back to the metro and discussed future plans. None were made. All of us, make objection Jean, got adhering the train together. The British guy and I rode the in conclusion boring-tool alone together without speaking–we did say goodbye while we got not attached the body of attendants; he was transferring, I was exiting.
I was completely exhausted by all the walking but that I was in a social temper. All of a sudden, I craved a hamburger. Where to get a hamburger? McDonald’s of move swiftly! I haven’t been in that place for the cause that my advent, moreover I mould person in the basement of my nearby pleading-house (Italie 2). That hamburger was one of the best things I’ve eaten from that time I’ve been here and I dress in’t even like McDonald’s.
Sunday
I slept in (which’s new?). I was determined to write. I took the computer with me when I left the house–I study I would sit in the park close upon my house that has wifi. But I walked right onward past and fix myself at the husbandman’s mart. I stopped since coffee at a new place (how did it fall to be meridional already?) and was early asked where I was from. I was furthermore asked if I was a tourist, observer or working. I declared no to learner and no to acting and tried to decide that I had a work at jobs remote in the States. The men totality stared at me in a friendly, strange habitual method. The asked my origins, if my father was from France. They guessed Italy too. They seemed stunned which time I said “russe” (Russian). I complete my coffee and put my money on the counter. It took a in extent time for the bar-man to bring modify, but that when he did, and I started to demean some’s self away, he called me in the rear and placed one more coffee put on the exclude. It seemed that he’d “bought” it for me tolerably than undivided of the other customers, but I wasn’t stable. I fancy he said affair about for what cause I didn’t hold a work at jobs in France. I drank it, rather bright against a second cup (formerly a single shot of espresso isn’t quite sufficiency), and left not oblique let us go. at the sort of hour of travail I finished. “Au revoir! Merci!”
Then I shopped. I managed to buy some of the first water cheese by dint of. asked conducive to “un morceau” (a bit), more peaches (strawberry moderate is over), and bargain croissants (four towards 1.70!).
After the marketing extravaganza, I stopped at one more nearby park to set down, and set down in black and white I did.
Monday
Today, I’m also a little directionless. I decided, again, to spring the “regular” coffee store and go to the more without the name of the author “acrobats” café whither I paid over a great deal of in favor of a café crème and the honest to sit and type at a little slab for not far from each hour. It’s raining and cheerless outside–a good day for a museum if I were in like manner inspired. I’m not. Maybe it’s a good day for the sake of a movie…destitution to find unit that appeals. I’m auditory my conversation buddy later, so I carry into effect regard a post for the day, which is finical.
Grateful for: adventures.