And where would you like to have lunch today Mmlle
Trip Start
Apr 05, 2008
1
23
54
Trip End
Jun 05, 2008
Paris,
France
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I head out and the take the metro to where I have to pick up my laptop, it is not too far from the centre of town but far from where I am staying, but the metro is so quick and effiencent, trains leave every 2-5 minutes. I try to sweet-talk them into seeing if they can have my computer ready by Monday as that is when my train is booked for. They are nice guys who speak english quite well but explain that the computer is in a warehouse and will not be available until Tuesday, there is nothing they can do. So it will be 4 nights I will be in Paris ohh it is soo tough.
It is almost lunchtime so the next step is to get back onto the Metro and head over to the Eiffel tower for some lunch, I steer clear of the toursit vendors and get a baguette from an Italian grocery shop, good move.
I then sit and watch and contemplate. Something I learned early on in my travels was that it was best to sit on the periphery of touristy sites and watch. By watching you see all of the gypsies, the pickpockets and the conmen. Of course they don't really notice me as they are playing their scams. But when I am approached by one very nicely dressed African man who whispers 'Bon Apetite Mademoiselle' I pretend not to hear him, he then says a few more phrases and intermittently speaks into his mobile phone like he is having a conversation with someone. Of course he is not. He then pretends to answer the phone, it didn't ring and its just a scam, not sure what the results are but I want no part of it. It is interesting to see that there are 5 other likely dressed men all with their mobile phones and they meet up intermittently. I did however notice the shoes were scuffed and not in very good condition. Scam avoidance perfected!
I decide not to climb the Eiffle tower I have been up there 3 times before and the lines are huge seeing as though it is a Sunday.
Oopps Youth Hostel
I spend a couple of hours just contemplating things at the Eiffle tower and end up with a burnt head but a clear mind.I then head up over to Trocodero, walking along the Seine to get there it really is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. As I climb the never ending stairs there are a group of performers, Break-dancers or B-Boys I sit and watch their first performace, they are hilarious and one little guy in particular is an absolute crack up.
There is another group further along I watch them for 5 mins but they are not as good so I move on. I then walk along the Champs de Elysee for 20 mins pop into a bookstore and buy a French language book just so I can learn some more when I am on the road. Its starting to get late so I head back to the hostel go to the shops and get some food for dinner as its cheaper than buying stuff out and then plan my Sunday. I decide that I will move Youth Hostels as this one really does suck and is out of the way so I think that I will stay somewhere a bit nicer while in Paris for my last few days. I find a Youth Hostel that is rated by the Guardian as one of the Top 10 in Paris it is called Oopps! And I can make a booking online for the next night. It is 8 euro more expensive which is about 13 a night more so in the whole picture if I can couchsurf a bit more then it will all even out.
I also go through my luggage to work out what I can ship back home. The common thread on all this travelling is that my luggage is obviously far too heavy. And I have bought new things so it makes it even heavier. When I get back into my room, I am all alone again and hopefully it will stay that way for the rest of the night.
Wish you were here - Penny
Market at Chalet
