Already at the start of the conference, people were discussing the wine that was being offered. I'm sure it was great. Although it was just regular conference wine, it must have been great because we were in Burgundy region of France. The discussion group was really small, so one guy turned to me and said, "But of course you can't try this wine.". That made me cringe inside, so I smiled and clarified, "I could try it if I wanted. There's a difference between trying and drinking. I CHOSE not to try it."
I later realized the absurdity of a man (what do they know about pregnancy anyway) with a scientific background (calculating concentrations is like a second nature) telling me I am not allowed even to taste wine. 
Fortunately I knew he didn't really mean it that way - he was really friendly and sweet. Also he didn't comment when I tasted the good wines during conference dinner. There the waiters were really adamant to fill everyone's glasses with wonderful red and white wine that were picked especially for our 4-course superb dinner. I seemed to be the only one sending back two nearly full glasses. One of the things I didn't plan on was eating raw meat. I have really horrible memory for trivia. I knew for sure that boeuf in French means meat, usually beef. I also remembered that there's some raw meat dish called "Boeuf de la something-something".
But the menu item "tartar de boeuf" did not light up any warning lights for me. I would have been suspicious if it had been some sort of high-end restaurant specialized in variety foods, but it was just a small clean restaurant that looked like a place ideal for an early morning coffee and croissant. Of course Tartar de boeuf, also known as Boeuf de tartar, is the raw dish that I shouldn't have ordered. I tasted it and suspected what it was, then I had my friend ask the waitress how it's made. The reply was, "Take meat, chop it and mix it." It was really late, I was quite hungry, it didn't taste so bad and the meat looked, smelled and tasted completely fresh, so I just ate it. Just at the beginning of the month I declared that this raw meat dish is something that I want to try at least once in my life, but certainly not while pregnant. Oh well. I guess it was meant to be. I also rode metro trains, although we were advised twice to take the bus in stead. I also drank coffee and I even went over my 1-cup-a-day limit. It was a CONFERENCE! How could I have skipped the coffee and not feel like I'm missing out on something. One waitress asked, "Coffee or tea?", I said "Coffee", she looked at me and brought me tea. I sent it back and had her bring me coffee. Another think not good for pregnant women was when I walked 20-30 km in Paris and finally returned to the hotel nauseous and dizzy. When we got to the hotel I googled why minor sunburn would make me nauseous and I found out I'm actually having a slight heatstroke, which is often caused by dehydration. I drank all the water I had and immediately felt better.
Ah how I love the Internet. Flying while pregnant felt adventurous, since I never knew what airplane company policy I was in disagreement with. The first time I was asked to switch seats with someone because I just happened to be sitting right next to the emergency exit. Company policy says that this is not the proper place for a pregnant woman. At first we thought it's because that's the least safe seat in the plane - if anything should happen, the door might detach and pull the closest seat with it. Later I found out it's because the person sitting there must be able to open the door and help people get out of the plane in case of emergency. During another flight, the flight attendant saw my belly and asked me to switch seats. Apparently it's company policy for pregnant women to be seated by the window. I don't know the real reason but I figure it's the safest spot in case people panic. I wouldn't want anyone trying to climb over me to get off the plane and I really would like to wait for a good safe moment to get out of my seat. Also, as long as I'm in the window seat, no one can accidentally drop a suitcase on me while opening the overhead compartment. That was all fine and sweet. Nice of them to make things safer for me.
However I was less happy when I was nearly denied a boarding pass on my way back. I knew I can't fly after 32 or 36 weeks of pregnancy but I'm only around 23 weeks, so there is no reason to worry. I didn't think I'd have to prove it! Just a week earlier I was still contemplating whether I look pregnant or simply out of shape and now one person thought I need a doctor's note proving that I'm not about to give birth any minute now. The check-in lady was actually calling someone to make sure she's allowed to let me fly without a certificate of pregnancy.
Finally she let me proceed so she spared her company the discussions I was planning to have about my medical data being my private matter and, how ridiculous it was to think I was 2 months more pregnant and so on. I was even planning on demanding them to prove they have any right to keep me off the plane, and since I knew they don't have any right, since I wasn't a danger to anyone and not braking any rules. In case they would keep me off the plane for not having that certificate, I was going to demand refund and a compensation for any discomfort or I'll go to the press claiming this company has prejudice against pregnant women. 
The situation really was too ridiculous to be true. I'm glad they came to their senses while I was still nice and polite.During my stay in France I visited two places - Dijon and Paris. Dijon is truly beautiful. I recommend visiting it to anyone who wants to experience France in all it's glory. I also think you should consider skipping Paris. There are some wonderful places worth sightseeing, like the magnificent Arc de Triumph, which was about 10 times bigger than I expected. Just find a picture on Google with tiny ants on the bottom edge of the picture - those are people. Eiffel tower is also really pretty. It's quite ugly from far away but up close it's a masterpiece of symmetry and perfection. Notre dame is also amazing. It's simply so huge! That's the thing with Paris - it might be a loud, crowded, unpleasant, smelly, dirty and impractical city full of people wanting to cheat money out of you, but their tourism objects are simply so BIG. All the things I mentioned - arcs, monuments, churches - can be found elsewhere but they are simply bigger in Paris.
Siiri didn't see me for 5 days in a row. I thought she'd miss me a lot and people would have a hard time with her because of it. The reality: she barely noticed I was gone. I did warn her several times that I'll be gone for many days and then I'll be back, and she seemed like she might even be listening, but she didn't even ask for me while I was away.
She spent a lot of time with her grandparents and was too busy playing and having fun to remember I even exist.
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