Paris – the city of love – the city of lights – a city of hidden alleys, surprises, and wonders!<\/p>\n
We arrived on the 13th and will leave on the 20th. \u00a0We have one week to explore and discover and delight.<\/p>\n
(By the way… I KNOW I\u2019m behind in the posts. \u00a0I have much to write about and many pictures to share. \u00a0I got quite behind while in Egypt and Jordan, and just couldn\u2019t get my mojo up and active again until now. \u00a0Sorry!)<\/p>\n
I HATE when our AirBnb \u00a0hosts ask us what time we arrive, because I can NEVER be accurate with our estimate. \u00a0I try VERY hard <\/i>to check all the maps and apps and guides to find out our ETA, and then I always add in at least an extra 30 – 60 minutes, and then we\u2019re STILL late! \u00a0I guess, for the next leg, I\u2019ll have to add on TWO extra hours (I\u2019m sure that will guarantee that we\u2019ll be early, but better than the alternative.) \u00a0If we do get in before our stated time, I\u2019m sure we can either sit on our backpacks ? \u00a0and wait, or find a cafe somewhere and relax.<\/p>\n
This time, we had our usual comedy of errors getting to where we were supposed to go. \u00a0We had booked a Flix bus this time, to take us from Lille to Paris, but we weren\u2019t absolutely sure where we were getting off! \u00a0The ticket had two destinations on it – Terminal 3 at the Charles de Gaulle airport (apparently, it\u2019s also a bus ? terminal) or the Quai de Bercy. \u00a0I THINK we were technically supposed to get off at the CDG terminal, but when I checked my google maps (love that app WHEN we can get it to work correctly), it stated that we would have to get off, find another bus or train, and take another HOUR to get where we wanted to go! \u00a0That didn\u2019t <\/i>seem like a good idea, so after some fumbled French with a woman seated near me, an eavesdropped conversation with another passenger with the same question, and exasperated sign language with the bus driver, we got back on and continued closer to our new home. \u00a0I was a bit worried, when back on the bus, I checked out where Quai de Bercy was (we had just taken it for granted that it was closer to the centre of Paris where we needed to go), and and mistakenly found a similar name 2.5 hours out of town. \u00a0STOP THE BUS! ?<\/p>\n
Quai de Bercy wasn\u2019t exceptionally close to our stop, but it was within walking distance of a metro, and so we made our first foray into the underground of Paris. \u00a0We found the metro, figured out where we needed to be, and bought our tickets. \u00a0Off we trundled – down the wrong staircase – and but up we trudged so we could descend once more, but this time, to the correct stop – just in time to see our train pulling away! ??\u200d\u2640\ufe0f<\/p>\n
That was okay, though, as we realized another was soon on its way, and so were we. \u00a0We \u2018landed\u2019 at Chatelet les Halles, and I tell you…. it is the biggest, most freaking crazy station we\u2019ve been in so far! I\u2019m sure there is an order, some organization, a system that all makes sense, but we certainly didn\u2019t see it! \u00a0There were renovations everywhere, gates and \u2018portes\u2019 and exits everywhere. \u00a0Arrows seemed to point one direction, but when you went there, they appeared to be pointing a different way! \u00a0Aaaiiiiyyyyiiii! \u00a0We were tired, bamboozled, confused and overwhelmed!<\/p>\n
Luckily, a lovely older man (yes… older than us!) helped point us in the correct direction, even though he had no English, and my French vocab consists of about twenty words – not all of which can be strung together to make a coherent sentence!<\/p>\n
After a few more assists from kind people, we emerged into the light – to find we were still completely lost! \u00a0We went back down to get some free wifi (wee fee for those of you who aren\u2019t Canadian), and tried to pull up a google map. \u00a0Armed and dangerous, we ascended again and lugged our backpacks and weary selves through the throngs of people.<\/p>\n
As we made our way through the streets, we marvelled at all of the sights. \u00a0The little shops, the bakeries, the creperies, the chocolatiers, the outdoor cafes. \u00a0 Man, the French (and the Amsterdammers and the Copenhagers …) love their outdoor cafes. They lined the streets and solidified the picture I had in my head, of people sitting outside, sipping coffee (or wine), reading the paper or writing the next great novel, watching as the world walked past. \u00a0Ooh la la… tres magnifique! I could hardly wait. \u00a0My spirits and energy lifted just a little…<\/p>\n
Until we realized we were lost… again. \u00a0?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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