Back to work

Yesterday I got out of bed at 5:15 or so and, as quietly as I could so as not to disturb my roommates, gathered my stuff together and went downstairs to the main common area of the hostel where I got some final instruction on how to get to the station for my train back to Nantes.

It all went pretty smoothly. I took the Metro to the Montparnasse station with one transfer between. I had to get someone's assistance with finding where in the station to catch the train and had to wait for about fifteen minutes before my train was ready then waited ten more minutes on the train before it took off. I had an empty seat next to me the whole ride and I dozed in and out of sleep most of the way there, arriving at Nantes at about 9:10. I asked at the information booth how to get to the airport and was told about a shuttle across that ran every thirty minutes, the next one leaving in about fifteen, so I headed there. I was a little worried about not making it to the airport in time so it seemed to take forever to arrive. Then it was almost 8 euro just to get on! But, made it in time for AJ and Bob to wave to me, point out the car - with Andy and Jake in it, and to ask if I went to Paris. I wasn't expecting the other guys to be there so had been worried: What if I'm late? What if I can't find them to get the key? What if I can't find where they'd parked the car? In the end, no need to have worried.

They drove me to the hatchery, stopping at McD's on the way, where they performed a wash and I got caught back up with what had happened during this week's runs. Then we met with P to talk about weights and mortality rates and stuff, then we all headed to check out the new apartment since the one we're in is not available for the next scheduled trips. It was another great place, this one had goats, a couple horses, chickens, even a couple of peacocks running around outside. Inside was very quaint and, reportedly, exactly what English people are looking for when they holiday in France. Honestly, though, it's probably not ideal for what we need, especially AJ and Bob - they just aren't into that kind of thing. No idea why you can't rent a normal apartment in rural France.

Going home, we stopped at a different grocery store and it didn't even stink when we walked in - bonus! The ones we had been going to all stink at the front like rotting fruit or something. Maybe it's the cheese; our fridge stinks, too, and I tore it apart and wiped it all down and it still does - gotta be the cheese. We looked for baking soda but couldn't find any...

Back at Braimboef, my new window is the top one.

Foie gras, part 1

Okay, got directions to a place to get foie gras and headed that way. On the way there I checked out the menu at another place and they had foie gras and escargot and Grimbergen and, what can I say? I decided to save my feet some more wear and grabbed a seat.

Had a Grimbergen with my bread and escargots, which were in the shell (good) but a couple were a little sandy (not so good) - delish, though. Then I had some red wine with my foie gras on toast and a small salad. I love food and I have to say: I was not terribly impressed with the foie gras.

Then, though, I was talking about it with the hostel folks and the one of them insists that foie gras is divine - as long as you get the good stuff. There's "bad" foie gras? He said that, based on the price I paid, it should have been good but then gave me a brand of canned stuff that he guarantees to be good, if not great - apparently the best stuff comes from the southwest of France. Probably give it one more try - I don't really want to like it, anyway, based on how it's raised, but I do want to give it a fair shake.

And I have an early train to catch tomorrow - looks like it's going to be another week in Roussay but I still need to rush to the airport so I can meet the guys that are leaving and get the car keys from them.

Last day in Paris

I added one final night at the hostel here in Paris with the idea I would head for the airport in the morning either to catch my flight or else pick up the car from the guys headed home, depending on whether I stay here another week for work or not. I then walked up to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica where, on the way, the scammers tried to get me in this thing where they tie something to your finger and charge you to let you out - definitely the most uncomfortable I've felt since getting here and I cannot believe how brazen they are about it - can not believe it. I mellowed out listening to a street musician playing violin then enjoyed the view from one of the highest points in Paris, perhaps the highest, then headed back to the hostel where my Paris crew and I said our goodbyes.

I then headed for the Metro and the Centre Pompidou to see the collection of modern, post-modern, and contemporary works. Decided to take the opportunity to have a crepe between the Metro and the musee and also take in some Eastern European street music.

Unfortunately, not long into the museum my feet started to ache like they have never ached before in my life. Not a blistery ache like I had been feeling, something totally different. I longed for a bench to sit down on and take my shoes off but there really wasn't a good spot. So, I trudged on. Which kinda sucked because I was seeing all kinds of great stuff - Matisse and Picasso and Kandinsky but I couldn't stop feeling my feet, even my fingers were swollen by the end of the visit. I sorta wished I had gone to the big museum with the Impressionist stuff just because I felt I could sit down and stare at some of those pieces longer than the newer stuff. If not that, I wished I at least had started with the stuff I really was looking forward to instead of the temporary Eileen Gray exhibit and the contemporary works. C'est la vie; I still enjoyed it.

As soon as I was done there, though, I made for the Metro and home to the hostel - where my Paris crew was just then finally actually leaving! We said another round of good-byes and they were off for real this time - I presume.

But, then I sat down and chatted with a new arrival, Nick, and we decided to go grab a very over-priced Heineken together at the place around the block where I had that great salmon, right across the street from the Sacré-Cœur. He grabbed dinner but my final mission for Paris is to have some foie gras, which I will head out for presently but wanted to get this down first.

I didn't get to see La Grande Jatte (from my favorite painting) nor did I see the big museum with the impressionist stuff in it. Otherwise, I feel I had a most excellent first visit!

Sacré-Cœur Basilica

Grand tour of Paris

This hosteling thing is all right.

Kyle, Allen, Phillip, and Susan invited me to tag along with them today and check out the sights. We walked from the hostel down to the river, saw the Arch d'Triumph with the Tour Eiffel in the background, Notre Dame, the Louvre (from the outside), the Paris Opera, the Hotel DeVille, the Beaubourg Museum, and all sorts of other things. Phillip knows quite a bit about the city so he led the tour - it was spectacular. They have one more friend arriving presently and we're all going to check out the sunset from la Defense. So generous of them to let me tag along but Philip says, "No, we're tagging along with you!"

My room - I'm top bunk on the left.

Stepping out the door of my room.

View from the terrace outside my door.

The soir part of my first full day in Paris

Okay, past time for bed so... why not write a blog entry?

My roommate and I ended up striking up a conversation (buying a guy a small bottle of wine from the hostel probably tends to work, eh?) and then headed out for dinner - my description of my burger last night was more than he could resist. He confirms, however: Paris has outdone les Oo Ess Ay when it comes to burgers - time to up your game, America!

We also picked up a couple more roommates - thought they are out hitting the town with a friend from another room.

Here at the hostel there is mostly foosball with some Chilean guys. Kyle's friends showed up so they are making plans for their upcoming adventure to Amsterdam, Switzerland, and Italy - they leave tomorrow. What new friends will I make in the coming couple days?

Oh, I almost forgot the best part: Kyle said the best view of the city is from the Basilica up the hill from the hostel so I walked up there. On the way, I chatted with a nice couple of Nigerian guys who have been living in Paris for the past three years attending University, "Phillip" and "Dennis", they call themselves. They offered to provide me with things not available just anywhere but I politely declined and wished them well when our paths separated a few blocks later. The view wasn't that great at night - I'll check it out again during the daylight.

Now, 'tis time for bed. My main priority attraction aside from the Louvre is the modern art museum here - not sure what it's called. Kyle says that the Eiffel Tower is also more than worth it and near to Notre Dame. I'd also like to see the Arch d'Triumph, especially the "square" it's in. We shall see what we shall see.

Buenos noches, in honor of my new Chilean friends in Paris.

The jour part of my first full day in Paris

What a day, what a day.

Woke up, tried to compose myself to face the day, grabbed some waaay overpriced breakfast from the hotel, decided on a nostel to try out, bummed a bandaid for my (minor) blister, and checked out of the Hotel du Parc with general directions on how to get to the hostel using the Paris Metro and directions from the hostel's website from the stop there.

Took the 1? from Montparnasse to ???, switched to the 2 for one more stop: Anvers, walked up rue Steinkerque on the right (I admid, that took a little hunting with my eyes), walked towards the Basilica for one block, turned right on rue d'Orsel, walked past #20, but only a few steps, and finally found the Le Village Hostel at #20 - no big deal. Bonus: they were even able to find me a bed.

Once I got the lowdown from the hostel, I took the bare minimum I needed for the day and put it in my fancy Stingers backpack, stashed my bags in the secure storage area, and made my way for... the Louvre, baby! (They're closed on Tuesday and I didn't want to miss it so took the safe bet and did it today.)

Back down to the Anvers stop 2, took it towards National, got off at Stalinburg, switched to the 10 train, towards Ivy?, and got off inside the entrance to the museum - reminded me of my visit to the Natural History Museum in New York City when I was a teenager - you pop right off the train and you're there - in NY, though, I think you have to take an elevator to the actual entrance.

The automated ticket machine took my wimpy American credit card (with no chip in it), I passed my bag through screening, and spent the next seven hours wandering around the Louvre. What can I say? It's everything you've heard. One thing that surprised me was how difficult it was to keep your bearings. They need to change the map so the same room number doesn't show up in different wings and on different floor. But I saw ancient Egyptian stuff until I almost couldn't take any more - and then I realized I'd missed a section! They have large sections on two floors of the stuff! It was heaven for me - I minored in Humanitites with a focus on ancient Egyptian studies.

Then I saw the Venus d'Mile, the Mona Lisa (well, from a ways back and in the middle of a throng of people, most of them trying to take a stupid picture), and all that stuff - even the Code of Hammurabi. I took a couple breaks and actually took my shoes off for a couple minutes to hopefully prevent more blisters.

After closing the place down at about thirty minutes past their official closing time of 6:30, I perused their gift shop, where I found something for my Xmas list - see photo. Then I reversed the train route like a pro, checked in, met one of my potentially-three roommates (Kyle, from Texas), and grabbed a shower. And now I'm writing this. For you. Well, and for posterity for myself. But for you, too! ;) Now I need to gather the energy to head down to the social area of the hostel and grab me some wifi - handy tip: it's pronounced "weefee" over here. You're welcome.

What will the evening bring? Well, it had better bring some food. I don't feel particularly hungry but, then again, I didn't feel particularly hungry last night, either, but when they set that burger down in front of me, I found myself ravenous!

Bonsoir!

For Daniel - I had her tune in my head throughout my visit - it was perfect.

For Tasha - to show even Pharaohs lose their sequins.

Dear Santa...

It's a fact - the world is ending - there is a Starbucks in the Lourve.

The view out my new door.

Welcome to Paris

Such a bizarre evening.

I arrived in Paris with no idea where to go. I stopped at the information booth and the kid looked at me like I was nuts, then suggested a "new place" called Novotel. "Up the stairs, turn left, you will find it." Well, I didn't find it.

I walked left and kept walking. When I didn't find it I started trying to find wifi. No luck until half-way around the block when an "orange" network popped up that worked with Skype Wifi - nice. 19c/minute.

I put out a plea for help on Facebook not expecting much if anything in response. What do you say to such a thing?

So, I kept walking and eventually decided to approach a woman with a son probably about six years old - I told her it was my first time in Paris and I needed to find a hotel and had no idea at all, just that I wanted to pay "in the middle". She suggested I try walking down a road away from the block we were on and find a two-star place I like and try it. I almost just took her up on it but hadn't been all the way around the block yet and I was pretty curious if the guy at the booth was just messing with me.

I eventually did find Novotel just to the right of where I'd come out of the station. Well, they're a four-star place and the man behind the counter told me 170 Euro - yowza! I said too much and he eventually came down to 144 - still about $200.

So, I walked back over to where I'd spoke to the woman and checked my FB post - wow! I'd received much more assistance than I had hoped for! One was from Phil suggesting a place called Hotel du Parc and it just so happened to be in the district I was in. Putting my trust in the universe, I jokingly made my way down the road the woman had pointed me to and looked for the Hotel du Parc. And there it was, a block down.

I walked in, asked for a room, it's 80 Euro/night - just a hair over what I'd naively hoped/expected to pay. Nuts, I tell you, to walk down a nigh-random street in Paris and come across the very hotel that had been recommended.

Only bummer is that there are no vacancies tomorrow night so I need to find other accommodations. Going to worry about that tomorrow, however.

Just now, after showering and lying down for just a few minutes, I went out and had the very best hamburger I've ever had - the Burger Aveyronnais at Kamelo Brasserie - along with fries, a small salad, and a 25cl Pelforth Blonde.

And now, it is almost midnight and I am in desperate need of some quality Zs!

Bon nuit!