Meningitis Diary - Paris, Monday March 3rd, 20:00

I am lost. I am walking west from the Stalingrad stop, and there is no hospital.

I had bought an excellent book of maps at Gare du Nord (the equivalent of the A-Z London street maps). I have located “Avicenne” on the map, and the red "M" symbol for the metro stop. The streets where I am walking, have all the right topology, as the map indicates. But none have the right names. How can this be? I stop passers by, but no one has heard of a hospital here ... even though I should be standing practically at its entrance (according to the map).

I phone "Z" for clarification, and to apologise for getting lost. She tell me the address is

“Avicenne, rue de Stalingrad, Bobigny”

Back to the map. Bobigny is a suburb of Paris, many miles north from where I am. I am still practically in the centre of Paris, by comparison. It was just coincidence the maps looked so similar. This is one of only two disasters during my time in Paris.

I plot a new route, and start walking back to the Stalingrad metro stop.