Paris: Days 3 and 4

Day 3:
To sum up today: EPIC fail as far as transportation goes. Trains, buses, and cabs kicked our tails today. On a positive note, we did make it to the Catacombs; which is basically an underground tomb. Paris did not have enough space for cemeteries, so they dug up all the graves and place the bodies underground at this site. Quite morbid and eerie. We paid 10E each to walk a 2 kilometer, underground path filled with skulls and bones of real people. It still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Goosebumps of sadness, heartache, and emptiness.

This just makes my heart ache.

If you look closely, You can see how the skulls kind of form a heart shape. My attempt at finding peace in this morbid walk of life.

While I was happy to witness the Catacombs, I was ready to move on to lighter, happier places. From there, we took our time, stopped at a few parks to relax and take in the culture. After a bottle of wine and a baguette in the park, our plan was to walk around for a bit and end up back at the Eiffel Tower and watch the sun set.

It's our last full night in Paris and it seemed like a perfect way to end our time here. That is, until it came down to actually finding our way back to the Eiffel Tower. After stopping at a quaint outdoor restaurant for yet another tasty pizza and 1664,

the waitress instructed it is that it would be far easier to take bus 63 to the Eiffel Tower instead of trying to take the metro there. How nice of her? Just as were were paying our tab, bus 63 was coming down the street. How perfect was this?? Front door service practically?? With a bottle of wine in tow and my camera ready to snap pictures, we hopped the bus and planned to arrive in perfect time to watch a perfect sunset. That was until after several stops, even I noticed we seemed to be getting farther away from our destination instead of closer to it. Nothing looked familiar and the once full bus now sat empty except for us. Hmmmm..... Sitting in our tired, dazed state, we were brought back to reality by the bus driver yelling something at us in French. After sitting there for a few minutes, he demanded, "Get off the bus. This is the last stop." (Sure, now you can speak English.) Perdon?? We got kicked off the bus as far as we could from our hostel and even further from the Eiffel Tower!! There we sat, in a dark alley, with no idea where we were or where to go, unable to communicate with anyone around us. It's at this point, you can either A) cry or B) Laugh uncontrollably until you cry. I chose the latter. I looked at my travel friend and said, "Now you know what it's like to be me every day. It isn't easy being lost. Or directionally challenged." Frustrated beyond words, I finally pulled out a map in attempts to help. All it did was serve as a prop for me to hide behind.

After failing to find the Metro, (which we thought we had mastered the day before), we took our chances and hopped back on bus 63. After 6 hours of wandering around, we finally made it back to the Eiffel Tower!! Drum roll please...

We sat and stared at the Eiffel Tower and it's ever changing light show, sipped on wine and snacked on baguettes, talked life, witnessed some of the best people watching, and took an abundance of pictures in hopes of capturing a perfect, surreal moment. Ok, I went Chinese paparazzi on the Eiffel Tower... but who wouldn't??

The same guy selling wine was our best buddy and was eager to sell us another bottle of sanity. Which of course, we bought. We sat there until the night fell silent, the park grew still, the Eiffel Tower cast only a shadow of darkness, the sky lit only by a few tired stars, our eyes heavy with contentment and peace. Just as I was beginning to think I was dreaming, I felt something cold on my nose. then my face. Oh no! It was starting to rain. We quickly gathered our stuff and headed for shelter. I had mentally taken a picture of where the Metro was, the faster we ran, the harder it rained. As we entered the Metro station, we saw a sign that read, last bus/metro at 12 midnight. Crap! It's 2 am, we were buzzed, tired, and just wanted to be 'home.' After several unsuccessful attempts at hailing a cab, I am finally sitting in our apt, exhausted and happy to be living my dream. All the wrong turns, metros, buses, and cabs are tiny prices to pay for this experience. It's our last night in Paris, as tomorrow we take an overnight train to Barcelona. Better get to sleep and then pack. Sad to be leaving, but ready for more adventures!!

Bon Jour!

4 words I learned today:
1) Frites: fries
2) Biere: Beer
3) Vin: Wine
4) Taxi: taxi :)

Transportation Lesson: The Metro ticket can also be used for the bus. However, I doubt we will be taking the bus again after today!!


September 28, 2013

As I sit here at Luxembourg Park watching all the kids sail mini boats in a pond, families having picnics, and lovers strolling hand in hand, I can't help but wish I had someone here with me that I'm madly in love with. Someday...

We checked out of out apt at 2 pm and do not catch the train until 10 pm. One little problem, we are stuck with our 30 lb backpacks until then. My travel buddy and I got in out first little squabble about what time to go to the train station. He wants to get there 4 hours early and I feel 2 is plenty.  And this is why I believe in traveling with a significant other early in a relationship. It's not easy!! Anyway....we are taking a 'time out' from one another right now. I apologized, took a deep breath, and was hoping to just drop the whole issue. Oh boy!! we still have 30 days left with one another!! I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come!! This journal is going to be my venting mechanism. But not a bad place to write...

Suddenly clouds have appeared and I have a feeling I am going to get rained on. Oh no! Wet luggage at this point in the trip would not be good!! Better run for cover.

Phewf! Just as expected, we arrived at the strain station, it took 15 min to find our way, and now here we sit for 3.5 hours. Guess I find a place to have a biere and kill some time.

To end my Paris experience, I'll sum it up in 4 words:
1)Sophisticated
2) Fashinable
3) Everyone Smokes!
4) Confusing!! bus, streets, metros...

Off to Barcelona!!! I am so excited!!! Better get to practicing my Spanish.