Highlights:
Orangerie - tick!
Eiffel Tower - tick!
Unabridged:
I arrived into Gare de Lyon and had a bit of a mission trying to buy tickets (machine broken) and find the correct lines (some stations closed). I hadn't really sussed out how to get to the hostel, but I had been there before, and it's more fun without a map right?!
Had a guy take pity on me on the metro - I was all good but I guess the fact that I was carrying my home on my back on a hot summers day was a bit fascinating for him?! I was a bit suspicious of someone being nice to me... Been sucked in in Paris before!
Anyway, found the hostel - Richard and Rohani - St Christopher's Inn - the memories.... Walked into reception to the sounds of The Offspring - 'why don't you get a job' blearing, which somehow made me feel young and oh so old all at the same time! Anyway Uncle R and Aunty R, nothing has changed (expect perhaps me!!!) :-).
Went for a walk in the rain...
and found this Geode thing - apparently an IMAX theatre.
Went back near the hostel and found some food-
... before calling it a night.
Had a lazy start the next morning and found some yoghurt, muesli and a friand - balanced breakfast? And found somewhere cool to eat it:
The mission for Paris was
1) to visit musuem de organerie - missed it last time because I was far too busy eating an ice cream by the big round pond in the Tuileries Garden! Originally I just wanted to go there to see the building 'cause most Orangerys I have seen have been very cool! However, just before I left a friend told me there was actually something pretty cool to see inside! And she was right! Always cool seeing real art up real close!
(Orangerie - tick!)
2) To go to the top of the Eiffel Tower - in 2007 I got the ticket but chickened out... And I had also decided that I wanted to walk the steps (from ground to second floor). I queued up for the south pillar and realised that I wasn't allowed to take my knife/fork/spoon set it. The security guard helped me hide it outside and it was there when I got back down - bonus! Anyway, walked to the second floor
and straight into the queue for the lifts to the top - no chickening out this time Spooner!
Chatted to a girl from Spain who lives in London, to pass the time. I may have had my eyes closed for the ride in the lift, but once I got up the top it was sweet. Yay! ;-) TICK!
Apart for that I just walked around, lots!
And lots...!
So, from Eiffel Tower to Arc de Triomphe down Champs de élysées (stopping to but some macaron and a real nice cup of tea on the way)!
Down to the Grand Palais and Petite Palais (love those two!)
then up to the Opera,
and my street :-)
(where I found a yummy ham and cheese crepe, because I needed to use the toilet!).
Ate the crepe back in the Tuileries Garden while watching the big red sun set behind the arc de trimuph along champ de élysées. I then continued my mission along the Seine to Notre Dame. It was probably almost too late to be walking along the Seine but there were people around so I was ok. Oh, the funniest thing... There were five or six British sitting on the side of the Siene. A tour boat came past, and they decided to do a Mexican wave and yell out a French greeting. I may have joined in too - who can resist a Mexican wave right? The (other) tourists, the ones on the boat, loved it and replied. I am sure they're telling there mates about the friendly French on the river bank in Paris ... He he he!
The were some performers outside Notre Dame and I hung round for twenty minutes or so. I quite like just having a look at big buildings like that - even though I have been there before. Still pretty darn impressive. Next on the agenda (and perhaps I should mention it was about 10pm...) was to see if I could get to Sacre Cour - reckoned it would be pretty cool at night.
I wasn't sure what time the metro closed - I remember running for the last train back in 2008 after I had been to see the Eiffel Tower with some guys from Busabout, but had no idea what time that was! Anyway, quizzed some locals and found it was half twelve - sweet, plenty of time!
Decided to get out at a station called Barbès-Rochechouart and after exiting the station, let's just say it would be an understatement to say I felt a wee but uncomfortable! So, found the door to go back in and went to the next station - Anvers. There were heaps of tourists around. The streets to Sacre Cour were well lit and full of souvenir and food shops. Sweet. There is a funicular up to Sacre Cour but heck, why not top a 15km + walking day off with some more steps?
There was lots going on, live music, people selling bottles of heiniekin out of a box, poeple trying to talk to me and sell me stuff. I found myself a place on the steps and sat there for a bit and looked at the lights. Couldn't see the Eiffel Tower which is weird cause I could see the reciprocal view earlier that day - maybe it wasn't lit up?
I sat outside an Irish pub for a while listening to this guy:
After I while I decided I should go home. Was a bit concerned about getting from the metro station to the hostel by myself, however, I found a lost looking backpacker and asked if she was off to the hostel too. I think her name was Lauren and she was in Paris to be an apprentice bespoke men's tailor - freaking cool!!! Anyway, we got a bit lost but then found our way home safe.
Shared a room with a bunch of people, as you do in a hostel, but this night it included Mr Plastic Bag Man. Hey Mr Plastic Bag Man play a song.... Actually no, wait, I am sure your mum told you it was a good idea to put everything in plastic bags, but if you check into a hostel at 2am, feel free to jingle jangle and rustle your plastic bags in the hall way!!!
Next morning I got up and went to the local supermarket for food but it was closed. Weird. Back to the hostel for free breakfast of cocoa pops, apples juice and a (takeaway...;p) Jam baguette and decided to head for the bus and to find food for the trip there. Couldn't find any but figured I'd be sweet until we got to the ferry. Except, it turns out the some of the £20 buses now take the train - dammit! So, I survived on what little food I had, and little water, and some rose flavoured cough lollies... Until we got to the boarder check just out of Calais where I spent the last of my Euros on some Peanut M&Ms and something from Haribo. I got a real hard time from boarder control. Thinking back I should have pulled out all the baby photos to prove why I was going to London, and my house photos and mortgage details to show why I will be going home!!! Lucky I have the AirNZ app so I could prove I had tickets home!
Back on the bus I made a new friend - a chick who also got a hard time. Turns out she was a singer/songwriter from Canada, so talking to her passed some time! She invited me to a gig she was doing that week, but unfortunately I was tucked up in bed sick that night so couldn't go. Gutted,as it was at a vintage dress shop that is converted into a bar at night.
Anyway, we crossed the channel in a bus, in a train, in a tunnel.
And yes. It was a bit weird. And stinking hot!!! The rest of the bus trip was long, and luckily there was wifi to keep me entertained!
(Memories of Busabout much?! ;p )
James and Marghi had car so picked me up from Victoria Coach Station.
And finally, I got to meet this little one.
Yep.
(Um, who's this?!)
And,there have been more adventures since then, but they can wait for another installment. Right now it's time for cuddles and changing nappies and Dad and Aunty Stacey trying to break the latest record for how much milk we can get into a bubba before bedtime.
And super cute smiles and conversations.
And reading Baxter Basics.
And cuddles, did I mention the cuddles? :-) x
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