So once we landed in Paris we made our way to the hotel. This was the first test of being a proper Europe backpacker - trying to find your way from the airport to your accommodation when you cant speak the language or have any idea where you are. I must say that I was pretty proud of myself because we got to where we were without any major dramas. With a quick "parlez vous anglais?" to a train station attendant we got the directions to the right metro station and we were on our way. Once we arrived at the metro station closest to our hotel it was a different story all together. We had no map so we decided to use the GPS feature on Carolines blackberry. Funny thing was that we were actually standing right on the street where the hotel was. What is even funnier is that we were actually about four doors down from the hotel itself and we are standing there trying to GPS the address. Once we did the old fashioned thing and opened our eyes and looked around we found the hotel and checked in.
Well, if you think that was a blonde moment and a half you should hear what happened next. After checking in to our hotel and having a bit of a rest we decided to check out the area. We wandered outside and started to head up the street when we saw a little street with lots of shops and stuff so we wandered up there. I was thinking to myself "this looks a little familiar" and as we continued up the street we realised that we were right around the corner from the Sacre Cour (the Sacred Heart Basillica - the highest point in Paris) which I had visited when I was in Paris with my Topdeck tour. So not only did I not realise we were actually on the right street when I was looking for my hotel, turns out I had been there before and my bus had actually parked opposite the hotel I was staying in. Oh dear. It doesnt bode well for our future adventures across europe... oh well!
So after a quick look walk around the area and having a squiz at the Sacre Cour and the Moulin Rough we headed up to a cute little italian cafe for dinner then headed back to our hotel for the night. Our hotel was a little crazy! We found it really cheap on easyjet.com and figured since we would be hostelling it for the next seven weeks it would be nice to flash out and stay in a hotel. Well this hotel was something else altogether. We still had to share bathrooms which were a bit... different. The shower on our level door didnt lock and it had a shower curtain hanging up blocking a massive hole in the wall. It also had a bath mat from the Holiday Inn (you know the place is dodgy when even they have to steal the towels). We were up on the third floor and so we had to climb these wonky stairs that were on the biggest lean. It was like something out of a movie from a haunted house or something. Our room wasnt too bad - the linen was clean and the bed was comfy enough. The view however was a little weird as we looked into the most beautiful apartment across the way but outside of it on the roof of another place was a rusty soccer goal (which i have no idea how they got up there) and a black wig. The funniest part was the floor - the lino had been layed a little bit too big for the area of the floor so when Caroline rolled her suitcase over it, it bubbled as she went. But you couldnt fault the location and it came with free wifi which was the most technical thing in the whole place.
The first two days we were in Paris we spent at Eurodisney. It was a pretty good way to break up the historical and sightseeing stuff that I had spent ages doing and that we were both about to embark on. When we got there I was like a kid all over again. I got so excited there was so much do - ¨Do I go on a ride? Do I go find Mickey for a photo? Do I buy Minnie Ears? Do I get some fairy floss?" Ahhh I was so excited. Luckily for me Caroline is a pro at Disney theme parks and she divised a plan to get us through the two parks. We had so much fun doing all the old school rides like the tea cups and story rides and then moving onto more excited adventure rides like the Indiana Jones rollercoaster and the twilight zone haunted hotel. We had a suger high after eating candy apples and pigged out on junk food for lunch. We saw the parade and got to see all the little kids dressed up as the princesses and had heaps of fun.
The last day in Paris we managed to have the best luck. We headed off to see the Lourve which was free because it was the first sunday of the month but once we arrived at the metro station it was pouring down rain and we didnt bring our brollie. So we were a bit caught - should we go back and get it? buy one? do this the next time we are here? But we decided to make a run for it and ended up running right into the side entry, straight down the stairs and right into the foyer without delay. We quickly got the book as a guide and made our way to the italian portraits. We had a bit of a look around before decided to get the Mona Lisa out of the way. I was happily suprised with her because she was bigger than I had thought and we were lucky enough that it wasnt too crowded yet so we got to have a good look without being pushed and shoved. After that we visted the Napolean Apartments which made me drool over the beautiful furnishings and elaborate decorations. After two hours we were a little bit over the crowds so we made our way to the Eiffel Tower.
It was nice to be up the Tower in the day time as last time I was there at night. It was a little bit rainy and foggy so the view wasnt the best but it is still one of my favourite things about Paris. After a hot chocolate up the top and a bit of a wander in the park nearby we headed back to the hotel to rest our feet. That night we decided to head up to the top of the Sacre Cour and see it both in the daylight and at night time. Luckily for us our metro tickets worked on the fernicular railway so we didnt have to charge up the steps twice. The second time we were up there at night we timed it so we could see the Eiffel Tower light up. Ive been to 15 countries in two months and seen some amazing things but the sight of the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night still takes my breath away and will always be one of the highlights of my trip.
Since Paris I have been to Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague and Vienna but I intend to fill you in and post some pictures soon. It is so frustrating that I lost all my hard work last time because I feel this post is rushed. I hope that you guys enjoy it anyways and I would love to know what you would like to hear more of. More about the places? the people? the hostels? let me know and I will try and make it more interesting!
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