Ok, so onto the next part of my adventures...if you are actually reading this, it might be a better idea to start at the beginning of this section? Right now, before I start talking about present things, I'm just writing down what happened during all of my cool little trips.
So now it is May! Which is my favorite month because the weather is usually awesome, right? Well not in München, Germany it's not! Well it was OK...just not ideal. Not like good old Bouldah Colorada. The kids had a spring break, so I took two trips in May. The first was back to Paris to actually enjoy it, and the next was to Madrid, Spain to see Andres and soak up the Spanish vida.
So Paris...About a billion funny stories. I get on the plane and sit next to this guy named Ivar from Norway. We ended up talking for a long time, and turned out that he was on the exact flight back that I was taking. Well, we got on the train into town together just to be sure we were doing it right because the RER trains that aren't part of the metro in Paris are quite confusing. Turns out we were sitting next to this delightful American woman who has lived in Paris for 10 years. She was phenomenal...Told us how she left after a divorce and had always wanted to live in Paris. So she did it! She said she lived in a beautiful apartment, loved her job, and was really happy. It was a great positive note to start out on, and she was really helpful and guided us about what to do. Ivar asked about the gay quarter of Paris, Marais, and gave me a wink. Instantly my alarmbells went off...of course this guy wasn't just being nice! It was quite funny though, he is one of the most relaxed people I've ever met, and really a nice guy despite the ocassional hit-on. Anyway, our friend explained about the gay area, and Ivar said, 'Oh, well maybe I will head that way tonight and get a drink' and gave me another wink. Luckily, I got off the train before her and Ivar because I was staying way north in Paris...A location I thought would be doable by foot to the center, but it turns out walking even through the center of Paris requires a lot of work to get from one end to the other. However, I actually really liked where my hostel was because it gave me a different feel of the city than I think most people see. There were a lot of Africans living in my area, and it was so cool to get an african vibe in the middle of Paris. Something I didn't expect at all. Anyway, I got off at my stop Jaures (I think that name will forever be imbedded in my skull) and found my way to the 'Peace and Love Hostel'. This hostel was a hoot and a half...I decided to stay at a fun hostel which was described as, 'always a party' and, 'if you want to sleep, don't stay here!' because before I found out Sara would be in Paris the same dates as I was, I was going to go alone and wanted the opportunity to make friends. Anyway, met some really nice German girls right off the bat who were staying right next door, but I was drenched in sweat after lugging my bag through the hot metro, and then emerging into the humid heat of Paris, followed by going up the funky stairs in the hostel. I took a quick shower (the shower was awkwardly in the middle of the room next to the bunk bed for three) just to feel refreshed as I didn't have shampoo, or body wash as I had forgotten them! I asked the German girls what they were doing, and they said they hard partied the night before and were going to get some sleep. So I set out alone! I did, in fact, go to Marais...I didn't want to go to some random club where I would be a creepy guy alone. Better to do it at a gay club, because you know you can always make friends or at the least meet some interesting people! After walking through the Marais area a bit (which was really really nice) I found myself on 'La Rue des Mauvais Garcons', (bad-boy street for you non-frenchies.) I laughed and took a picture. Did a little more walking (It was already 11 or so at night) and walked into a club that looked busy and not-pretentious. Well that was definitely interesting...I got a corona because I hadn't really seen them around in Europe, and just talked to a few people. One guy from South Africa who slapped my butt as I walked by was fairly interesting...and so were his 5 girlfriends! I also met this guy from Miami who was really nuts and his Swedish friend (Just proves I can find a Swede anywhere!) who offered to take me to, get this, Disney World in Paris. It was a nice gesture, but I was number one, far too busy my first time in Paris to see of all things Disney World and also I never liked Disney stuff to begin with! The one thing I benefited from from all this was learning the Swedish word for bitch, 'klagan' sounds like chlogan (with a hard 'C')...As my bad luck would have it I didn't talk to any French people. I honestly don't think there were any there! After 1 more beer I decided to peace. Since my stop was so far I had to take the metro, which is pretty well designed. So I go to the nearest station at Ille de la Cite I think...And accidentally got on the wrong train! The duration of the trip did feel somewhat longer than the usual amount between stations, and I quickly got out and switched ot the other side of the track. The time for the next train started blinking; something I figured could not be a good sign. And shortly after that, two metro workers came out and told me 'eez finished! Au revoir!' Oops...So I get out of the station, and find out that I am, in fact, in the middle of Parisian nowhere. It was also one of those confusing huge traffic circle streets with about 30 side streets branching off of it, which makes it really hard to find the correct street. I walked up what I thought was the right street for about a mile or a mile and a half...It was of course up a huge hill and I was wearing my dress shoes. Eventually see three cute girls standing on the corner waiting for a taxi...I decided to work up the courage and dig out the good old Francais. Of course when I asked them, I completely forgot what I had planned. (To my defense I can totally say it in French, I was just so nervous!) What came out was a weird German/French mixture with a dash of a few English words...I got some weird looks at first. Then they laughed a little, probably because I felt so embarrased, and was further tripping over my words, which of course made me laugh too. One of the girls asked, 'Bist du Deutsch?'...Are you German? And then the other ones just started asking me in English what was up. These girls saved my life. All three of them were stunningly gorgeous (turns out the blonde was from Frankfurt) and they studied law at the Sorbonne! They told me they were taking a taxi in the direction of Jaures and they would just let me out...when I asked them simply the directions (because I didn't want to pay for a taxi) they insisted I come with. We finally got a taxi after a really nice chat, and they took me home! Their only request, (and read carefully here!) was that I tell the world how nice French girls are. Heck, I was ready to tell the world how nice ALL French people are! Seriously, I want to send out a good vibe to those three girls, without whom, I would have probably faced a 2 hour walk with a lot of 'lost time'. I wish I had their contact info so I could send them each something nice. They plopped me out right at Jaures, which I guess was actually right on their way. What luck, right?
I was going to go right to bed, but Julia and Fransiska were right outside the hostel at the door with a friend of theirs, Arthur from Chartres. I returned the Paris book I had borrowed earlier from Franziska, which was really helpful. We decided to go chill by the little river that was outside the hostel and had a nice conversation (in German!) and laughed about Arthur's excessive use of 'Na toll...'. After hanging out in the hallway for a bit, and deciding that the hostel 'party' was definitely not for us, we went upstairs and went to bed!
The next day I arranged to meet Sara at 10 at a metro stop that had an outdoor market. It was so cool walking out of the hostel door and facing Paris in sunlight. I was suddenly hit with light, warmth, noise, and it is something I will never forget. Sorry to sound schmoozy and romantic but there really is something special about that city! While I waited (I was now back in the Latin quarter where I had driven with Ralph previously) I sat on a stoop in the sun and people-watched. Sara and I got really confused trying to find each other, and probably tried for a little under an hour to meet! Finally we found each other in a cute side street. It was a nice place to say hello and get a hug. :) Luckily after that, we didn't have troubles staying together! We met Sara's dad and stepmom Chris, (one of the most interesting women I've ever met) bought a bottle of wine from a nice dealer for later, and got a little something to eat at a cafe we spent 20 minutes deciding on. I was surprised my 'table French' was adequate enough to know what all the food was on the menu, and deal with the waitress. Heck, I even threw in my 'Sean charm'...something I didn't know I could do in French! Turns out I wasn't as bad as I thought from the previous night...I think I was just really nervous. Our first stop was the Parthenon...which we were all too cheap to go in since it was about €7 if I remember correctly. Sara and I broke off from Richard and Chris and looked for a famous cafe Sara had read about. I forget who, but some famous authors used to frequent it and I believe it was called 'The Shakespeare'. Unfortunately, we couldn't find it even though the street was about 2 feet long...Weird. We made our way to Ille-de-la Cite and saw (the outside) of Notre Dame. After a walk around the gardens outside we walked towards Sainte Chapelle because I wanted to see the stained glass windows. However, one look at the line (for what I thought would be a fairly unknown gem in Paris) in the sweltering heat was enough to convince us to take a break on the islands very top point facing the Louvre. After a seriously bad blonde moment from me at the gate, we sat down at the point of the island next to a cute couple that were drinking champagne and smoking weed. We chilled there for a half hour or so, and attempted to wave at all the tourist boats. I took off my shoes because they were starting to tear what would become a gaping hole in one of my heels. I decided that since we were in Paris it would be a good idea to look nice and wear my dress shoes. We did so much walking that day, and I was wearing jeans. You all know how often I wear shorts...I was dying. Absolutely dying. And the rampant dehydration that would follow us all through France was only just beginning! Bring a waterbottle to Paris! Just do it. Anyway, after this Sara and I purchased a 'boat taxi' ticket so we could right the boat up and down the Seine whenever we pleased! Turned out to be a bad idea because that boat was hot as hell. Yes, even worse than outside! And it was a really slow boat too....We took it to the Eiffel tower stop (after some fun with Sara's scarf to try and distract us from the heat) and got out to have a look. We went to the tower and decided to just come back the next day to go up. We went back to the hostel, I took a quick and extraordinarily refreshing shower coupled with my expensive soap and shampoo I had bought at a pharmacy, and found Sara at the bar (which functions as the front desk) looking angry. They wouldn't let Sara upstairs into my room, and it turns out that when she tried to take a quick cat nap in the empty bar they woke her up by klinging the bell! Not very friendly but whatever...we walked to the park close to the hostel, opened the wine, and ate some Pain au chocolat that we bought. Some cute (but annoying) children were playing soccer nearby, and it was a great people watching point. We made our way to Sara's apartment they were staying at, got some dinner that was pretty tasty (nothing vegetarian on the menu, but they made something for me), and then did a little night sightseeing. Then we arranged to meet up the next day!
No shower this morning since I didn't want to scare or wake up my two female roomates from Michigan so I had some pretty funky hair. Sara and I met (at the Eiffel tower I think!) fairly early (for us) and got in line to go up. This time we didn't have anything with us as they had threatened to throw away our wine last time which had been residing in Sara's purse. A quick ascent with the stairs...which I think is the only way you can get up if you aren't disabled. It was strangely confusing on who could use the elevator system, but I didn't care. The tower was a fairly typical 'charge you a lot of money to get to the top of a monument' experience which I assure you, if you are interested, can find ALL over Europe. We actually didn't even go to the top...it was crowded, hot again, and the line to take the elevator from the 2nd platform (you have to take an elevator to the very top) was huge. Plus you had to pay an additonal amount to get up there. I was ready to wait for Sara, but turns out she was cool with just going down too. We made our way to the Louvre and met up with Chris and Richard after a quick lunch at a nice cafe where I had a yummy salad nicoise. A attempt to get me in free (posing as a 17 year old sans school ID) failed, but we were onward anyway! Of all the tourist traps in Paris, I actually really enjoyed the Louvre. I mean, it has a fabulous art collection, and let me just boast here. Sara and I saw almost everything which they say is impossible unless you devote two days to the Louvre. We even took our time at all the things we really wanted to see. We just missed a few things on one wing in my desperation to see the Vermeer pieces. But really, we had a nice time. And I didn't feel too 'whirlwinded' by it. I think (and I'm sure Sara would agree) we have both seen A LOT of museums in Europe so far, and are both fairly museumed-out at the moment! Apres le Louvre we went to Montmartre district which is something we both wanted to see. We took THE FUNICULATOR instead of the stairs just for sheer principle! And we both got bracelets by guys from Senegal that just run over to you, grab your wrist, and start doing it. Sara did good at getting hers for free...however, I felt bad, and paid the guy. They were really nice, and I guess pretty damn good at their jobs! Anyway, we saw Sacre Coeur which was hosting some sort of Catholic BBQ looking thing. Everyone was gathered out on the lawn in front of us. We went back down, found a grocery store got some, wait for it....WATER (thank god, I honestly chugged a liter on the spot) and another bottle of wine. Got some dinner at an Indian restaurant (courtesy of Sara....I was freaking about money and was ready to sit a meal out in chere Paris 'expensive Paris') Chris and I wanted to see the Moulin Rouge since we were so close, so we walked over there and came back to everyone. We split off again, and Sara and I decided to go enjoy the Vin a-cote-de la Seine. We found a nice spot close to Notre Dame and had a nice bottle of wine while admiring a big black dog that was hanging out with us for awhile. Right after the dog left us a group of some very drunk people started exclaming in French and pointing at us...I explained we were Americans, and they got excited and came over to talk. They were crazy. And drunkkk. Two French guys, a French woman (who left shortly after), and a Russian woman. They were all in their 40's or so, but invited Sara and I out. I couldn't resist the chance to finally meet some French people so we went with them for some Sangria at a strange bar, while passing Cafe Procope the oldest restaurant in Paris. We had some sangria with them (my first time, it was really good!), learned about the importance of true love (of course because they were REALLY French and really drunk!) and then it was too late to catch the metro so I stayed with Sara.
The next day we were on our merry way to Versailles. I ran back to the hostel to change and get my stuff...two more girls would have been my roomates had I been there, but luckily I wasn't. It looked like one of them had puked all over the sink, and my towel (which had been hanging out) had not surprisingly disapeered. Went back to Sara, and we made our way to Versailles! As I said earlier the RER trains are awfully confusing...there were other tourists also lost in this strange station we got off at when we realized we boarded the wrong train. Finally got on the right one and went to Versailles. The palace was nice, but largely uneventful, and full full full to the brim of tourists! It was nuts. The gardens were really cool, and I could spend days exploring them, but we were again dehydrated, and hot. We found a cool fountain, and then got some sandwiches for lunch. We walked in the direction of the Hamlet of Marie Antoinette (the peasant village she had created so she could play 'farmer' on the grounds of Versailles) because I really wanted to see it. They charged more to get into the Hamlet grounds, so we decided to skip it. But I saw that we could follow the perimiter wall and we ended up seeing some of the buildings anyway without paying. And we saw some French countryside which was gorgeous. We made our way back to the palace gardens, and decided that we were the real Dauphin et Dauphine (Prince and Princess) of France. Sorry to surprise you all like this, but it's true. We got on the train to Paris (after I got an ice cream cone!) and I got my stuff from Sara's apartment. Said goodbye to Mademoiselle Sara, andmade my merry way to the airport with one last walk through belle Paris. I was a little sad to leave! Met Ivar on the plane, who kept ordering us beers. Haha. We got off in München on the wrong Sbahn stop because we were talking and not paying attention, oops. And he missed his connecting train and had to wait an extra 45 minutes. I didn't miss mine though, so I was on my way back home! Oh crazy, crazy Ivar. He really is quite the character and made for a fascinating way to bring in, and leave Paris.
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