The blog post could end right there, that pretty much sums up our day. However, the story is much longer and more frustrating than that. We began our day with an Insanity-esque (plyometrics!!) workout at a track a couple blocks from the hostel (best find of the day). We showered and headed out to the nearby mall to speak with someone from the phone company Orange about obtaining 3G internet access in France. The saleslady was the nicest woman we met in Paris, she was very patient with our bad french and explained everything to us multiple times. We were about to make our purchase, but then found out we needed a French bank account (dommage). So, we went to try and meet up with Beth, but since we didn't have any internet access we weren't sure when/where exactly we were meeting her, so that was another fail. The rest of the day was similar, waiting around, trying to get internet, trying to get onto skype, trying to get onto facebook, trying to make phone calls, trying to buy a phone, trying to use a payphone, trying to ask for phones, until 6pm. We finally figured out how to make a payphone work (they don't just take coins here!!) and after contacting Beth we met up with her for second dinner. It was so fantastic to see her cheerful face after our rough day. She was so nice after having put up with us not being in contact with her. It was also fun to witness the Paris night scene. Everyone in Paris is all about loooooooong, late dinners. Way past our bedtime, we took the metro back to our hostel and surprisingly, hopped on the exact same train car/door as our three Spanish amigos. However, they were going to a party so we said goodbye and went to bed.
Sunday, September 19 - ONWARD! The next leg of our journey - Nantes, France to Bale, Switzerland.
This morning we biked to Paris Nord train station, only to find out after waiting in a long line that all trains heading south leave from Montparnasse station (on the other side of the city). So, we jumped on our bikes and bravely navigated the streets of Paris. Luckily, since it was Sunday morning, traffic was light and we actually really enjoyed our bike tour of Paris. We arrived at Montparnasse with plently of time, ate some lunch, and boarded the train to Nantes.
Nantes is gorgeous! It's 75 degrees and sunny, the people are very friendly, our hostel is right near the train station and a beautiful park. After checking in, we walked through town. Lots of people were outside at the park, or at a carnival that's taking place in front of a castle. Unfortunately, we didn't have the camera with us because we were not expecting it to be so picturesque. We bought Subway for dinner, the bread here is much better than US Subway and ate in the Park. Tonight we are taking care of our chores (blog maken, interneten, bike mechanicen, showeren, and route plannen... yes, we still like to pretend to talk in Dutch). We are looking forward to bking again tomorrow. We have a long day planned (about 75 miles to Angers, where the next closest hostel is located) and we aren't exactly sure what to expect of the bike route conditions and our french directions (which we are following backwards). Should be an exciting day.
Quote du jour: "(Parisian) MOTORISTS: Cyclists are not another species - most of them drive cars at least some of the time - and they’re not, by and large, wilfully stupid or reckless. But they experience the roads differently from you…So be patient. After all, it’s not as if getting rid of cyclists is a realistic option now - there are too many of them, and the numbers are growing all the time. And a few years down the line, as petrol gets more expensive, you might well end up as one of them yourself."-- Robert Hanks, ‘The Independent’, 12th June 2006
No comments:
Post a Comment