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Before we get started, we would like to suggest that you maybe grab a drink and something to eat, as this is going to be a long one!
We'll start off by explaining an incident on the train from Brussels to Paris that we found rather amusing. It really has nothing to do with us, however, we simply found it be kind of funny.
As we were sitting on the train waiting to depart for Paris, we noticed two young guys sprinting for the train. One quickly hopped on the train as the doors closed behind him, splitting up the poor guys. The one on the train was frantically yelling "my cousin! My cousin!" He repeatedly tried to open the doors, as his cousin pleaded with an employee of the railways to open the doors. From what we could see, her reaction was nothing more than "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do." We were both snickering at this situation, but then as the train started to pull away with only one cousin onboard, our snickering turned to shock that the railways would actually do that. There had to have been something that lady could have done!
That
always seemed like something that only happened in movies. If it did happen in real life, you'd never think you'd actually see it happen.
Anyway, a couple of hours later we arrived in Paris, checked into our hostel, and ventured out to start checking things off our lengthy to-do list. Since we had a concert to go to that night, we ended up only having time to hit one museum: the Picasso Museum. Luckily for us, it was Student's Day. We showed them our "ISIC Student Cards" and walked on in.
After being dazzled by the works of Pablo Picasso, we decided we should make our way to the concert venue because we wanted to be there early. Our hotel receptionist had told us what area it was in, but again, being me (Rob), I forgot to get the actual address of where we were going: Le Trabendo.
We hopped on to a subway and made our way to the general vacinity. After realizing we had no clue where to go, I decided I would ask the subway information desk, in my best possible French, "Ou est le Trabendo", or "where is the Trabendo?" He quickly gave
us the directions in French, and I replied with a confident "ok, merci." As we were leaving the subway, Sarah asked me "so, where do we go?" I replied "I have no idea. I know the building is black and red, but I have no clue where to go. He was talking too fast and I was too embarassed to ask him to repeat the directions."
After wandering around aimlessly for a while, looking for a black and red building, I decided to ask some more locals. We eventually learned that it was located in a large park and that we should ask the security guards in the bright orange jackets where to go. We did just that and ended up finding a larged black and red building with what seemed to us, a lineup of people standing outside.
As we neared the building, we realized that the people in the "lineup" were very shady looking characters. We knew that Dan Auerbach (lead singer of the Black Keys) was becoming more popular, but these were not your typical blues/rock fans. We sat down on a nearby bench to observe the crowd and try to figure out if we
St. Chapelle Cathedral
Well-known for its 14th century stained glass windows.were in the right place. These "shady characters", combined with tons of security all over the park, made us feel a little uneasy. After some careful consideration, we decided that this couldn't be the venue and we would keep looking.
We eventually found the right concert venue and made our way inside. There weren't many people inside whatsoever, so we easily claimed our spot at front-row center. We won't go into too much detail about the show, but we will say that Dan Auerbach absolutely blew our minds. This man can rock out the blues with the best. As soon as the set ended, I did something that I have never done before, as I've always deemed it "lame": I reached for the set-list and quickly shoved it in Sarah's purse.
Immediately after the show, Sarah and I both looked at each other, ran towards the merchandise table, and each bought a shirt. As we were leaving, we noticed that Dan was signing a couple of autographs beside the stage. I giddily ran over to be next in line and to get my set-list signed. I left on a euphoric high. The high quickly faded as we made
St. Sulpice
Massive organ. our way through the park, which we recently found out from a local was in the middle of a ghetto. The security guards wandering the park were now armed with incredibly large attack dogs. Surprisingly, this didn't make us feel any safer. We eventually made it home later that night for some much needed rest. Tomorrow would be a day filled with walking, tourists, and plenty of sightseeing.
We woke up early that day, filled up on free croissants, and headed out on the town. Since all of the museums are closed on Tuesdays, we decided that we would see as much of everything else as we could.
We started off by seeing the Notre Dame Cathedral, St. Chapelle Cathedral, and the St. Sulpice Cathedral. The Notre Dame Cathedral was especially impressive with its extensive history, high archways, and beautifully sculptured exterior.
After spending most of the morning touring churches, we decided to switch it up a bit and explore the expansive catacombs of Paris. Forunately, this ended up being the only line we had to endure in all of Paris. The catacombs were very interesting, and surprisingly very large. It took us over 45 minutes to
Dan Auerbach
Blues/Rock god. I almost shed a tear at one point by this man's ability to play guitar. walk through the tunnels filled with the bones of more than 6 million Parisians. This had much more of an eerie feeling to it than the Ossuary in Kutna Hora, as it was poorly lit, very narrow, and water was dripping from the ceiling. Not to mention, there are piles of bones on either side of you.
After the catacombs, we were both itching for more death! So, we made our way to the Pere Lachaise cemetary where Jim Morrison, along with Frederic Chopin, Edith Piaf, and Oscar Wilde were buried. After a brief moment of reflection at Jim Morrison's grave site, we made our way to what is said to be the most romantic picnic spot in all of Europe - the park at the feet of the Eiffel Tower. We stopped along the way to pick up a bottle of wine, some crackers, and our first chunk of "stinky cheese." We had heard much about this "stinky" cheese, but we had no clue how stinky it actually was! It really does smell awful, and all of your senses are pleading with you not to eat it. However, we gave it a try and one of us was
Dan Auerbach T-shirts!
Matching shirts. We've come to an agreement to NEVER wear them within two days of the other wearing it (Except on this trip, since we have limited clothing). pleasantly surprised. Sarah found it to be quite good, but I, on the other hand, thought that it tasted the same as it smelled: god awful.
Here, in the park at the Eiffel Tower, is where we realized why Paris is called the city of romance. Everyone around us was completely in love, and weren't afraid to show it. Up to this point, Sarah and I both thought Paris was about as romantic as New York City. This was the first part of Paris that truly resembled how you see it in the movies. This is why we returned for two more picnics in that same park. Wine, fresh bread, cheese, and the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop are the perfect setting for a perfect afternoon.
We made our way back to the hostel later that evening in hopes of getting up early to tackle the largest art museum in all of Europe: The Louvre. We woke up at 6:30AM, filled up on our continental breakfast, and headed to the museum. We arrived at around 8:00AM, which was an hour before opening time. All of the guidebooks we had read had said that the Louvre has some of
Paris Catacombs
Piles and piles of bones on either side of you as you walk through the tunnel, the longest lines in Europe. So, we wanted to be there early to get in at a reasonble time to beat the crowds.
It was definitely a good thing that we got there early, because by 9:00AM, there were at least 200 people in line. That was only at the entrance we were at, too. There are several entrances to the museum, all with similarly long lines. Inside, we saw the famous Mona Lisa, which Sarah was absolutely smitten with. I, on the other hand, don't see the big deal about it. I'm sure it was a big deal in its time, but I don't see the genius behind this painting. Some of the other big displays in the museum were the Winged Victory sculpture, the Venus De Milo, and Michaelangelo's Slaves. We were there for just over three hours, but only saw a small fraction of what the museum has to offer. You could literally walk through the Louvre all day without stopping to look at a single painting, and you still wouldn't see all of it.
Since we had bought a 2-day museum pass that day, we were really under the gun to get in as
many museums as possible in those 48 hours. So, after the Louvre we went to two different impressionist museums called The Orsay, and The Orangerie. Sarah is a big fan of most impressionist art, such as Van Gogh, Monet, and others. I am not a fan at all. After going through three major art galleries, everything really starts looking the same to me. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate and love art, but not all kinds. It was just a little too much impressionism for me for one day.
Walking from the Orsay to the Orangerie, we experienced something we could only hope for: a scam artist. We had read about several different kinds in Paris, but never thought we'd be a target. As we were walking, an older lady reached down in front of us and picked up a "gold" ring. Typically, what they would do is ask the unsuspecting target if the said ring is theirs. She would then explain that the ring is real gold, using certain markings on the ring as proof, and then try to sell it to you for a "reasonable" price. Thanks to our trusty Rick Steves guidebooks, we were well
Jim Morrison's Grave
There was originally a bust of Jim on his grave, but someone stole that years ago. aware of what she was trying to do when she said "excuse me, sir." I laughed and said "I don't think so..." Rob & Sarah: 1 - Paris: 0.
After the third museum of the day, it was around 4:00PM. That's right, we had been staring at art for around 6-7 hours. We decided to go find a bottle of wine, a nice patch of grass to sit on, and finally give our feet a break. While looking for wine, we stumbled across the Arc de Triomphe, which Sarah thought was only around 500 meters away. I figured it was a good 2kms away, but agreed to make the trek anyway.
About 45 minutes later, we made our way up the Champs-Elysee and arrived at the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc de Triomphe is a massive stone archway, which was created by Napoleon to honor those who fought for France under his command. Despite our aching legs and feet, we climbed the 288 steps to the top for some great views of Paris.
Now, we were finally going to find a park for a little R & R. We decided to use the subway, as neither of
Picnic spot!
At the amazing Eiffel Tower. us wanted to walk anymore than we had to. We went underground, got our tickets ready, and just as we neared the platform the subway pulled up. We both ran down the stairs and I quickly yelled at Sarah "quick, this is ours. Get on!" We hopped on, and I immediately realized that we were on the wrong train. I yelled "quick, get off! This is the wrong one!" Sarah jumped off, I tried to follow, but the subway doors immediately closed between us. There I was, inside the subway, frantically trying to open the door with Sarah staring at me from the other side of the doors. I yelled at her "the next stop! Meet me at the next stop!", much the same as the young lad yelled "my cousin! my cousin!". However, the subway was pulling away as I tried to communicate with her. Neither of us could believe what had just happened to us. Now THAT's Karma. Rob & Sarah: 1 - Paris: 1.
Many people on the subway were laughing at me, so I had no choice but to do the same. I simply hoped that Sarah had understood what I was yelling at her.
I hopped off at the next stop and anxiously waited for the next subway. Those 3 minutes felt like an eternity, because I had no clue what I would do if she didn't hear me. Do I go back? Do I wait here? Do I go back to the hostel, or do I go to the Eiffel Tower and have my own picnic?
All Sarah heard from my bellowing was "next stop!". So, being the smart girl that she is, she made her way to the next stop where I was waiting with open arms. The second she walked off the subway, we both bursted out laughing at the irony of the whole situation. We then realized that we were on the right subway the whole time.
From here, we made our way back to our favorite picnic spot (Eiffel tower) with a bottle of wine, some FRESH cheese from a local cheese shop, and a baguette. Neither of us had ever tried fresh cheese before, so needless to say, we were absolutely stoked. It didn't let us down! It was much better than the stinky cheese and tasted like nothing you would ever find back at home.
Winged Victory
at the Louvre. It must have been the liquid courage from the bottle of wine, but we then decided that we would walk up the 400ft to the second level of the Eiffel Tower. We had been on our feet all day and our legs were killing us, but we felt this was something we had to do. Sarah turned to me and said "Rob, this is our Everest." We walked towards the Eiffel Tower ready to take on this massive feat, but to our dismay, the stairs were closed that day. Fortunately, for some weird reason, there was absolutely no lineup to get up the elevator. Every other day that we had been here, the lineups were huge. So, we took this opportunity to take the elevator to the top level for some breathtaking views of the city of romance.
The top level is 900ft high, and looking down gives you a slight feeling of vertigo. However, the views are definitely worth it. Unforunately, after taking a few pictures, my batteries decided they had had enough. What perfect timing... We did, however, have Sarah's camera, so we do have pictures!
We then headed back to the hostel and called
Arc de Triomphe
288 steps to the top. it a day, as tomorrow would be just as busy as today. When we arrived at the hostel, our legs were actually quivering from walking all day and climbing many sets of stairs.
We woke up early again and made our way to the Palace of Versailles. This palace is considered to be one of the grandest and most beautiful palaces ever built. King Louis XIV had it built in 1669 and spent half a years income of Europe's richest country to afford it. We won't go into too much detail about it, but it really was absolutely stunning. We walked through the different rooms all still in tact as how they were hundreds of years ago. Walking through the Hall of Mirrors and Marie Antoinette's room were probably the highlights of the palace. In Marie Antoinette's room, we got to see the "hidden" door she used to escape as the riots neared the palace during the French Revolution.
After touring the inside, we ventured out into the 800 hectares of the lavish gardens, complete with fountains and classical music. The Grand Canal is in the center of the gardens where we rented a small boat and paddled
around for a half hour. I paddled most of the time, but Sarah, being the strong-minded woman she is, demanded that she have a turn paddling. So, I graciously obliged, sat back and relaxed. Immediately, another boat with two older French couples pulled up beside us with both men each rowing one paddle. They all looked at us and the men said to me, in French obviously, "you've got it right! Ladies, learn by example." The women yelled something along the lines of "that's just the younger generation!"
After Versailles, we headed back to the hostel for a quick bite to eat then made our way to our last art museum on our list in Paris, the Pompidou. This was one of the art museums that we were both equally excited to see. It's a modern art museum which can be a little more fun to look at. The building itself is even a work of art. It was designed in such a way that all of the insides of the building were on the outside. The pipes, heating duct, and escalator are all on the outside.
When we arrived, we were greeted by a lineup that extended
Sarah being a pirate!
At the Arc de Triomphe all the way to the surrounding cafes and shops. Since we had our museum passes on us, which allowed us to bypass the lineups, we headed right on in. Rob & Sarah: 2 - Paris: 1.
This art museum was filled with a lot of abstract and obscure paintings from the early 1900's and onwards. Much of the art was very entertaining and enjoyable to decipher, or try to at least. However, there were two particular pieces that really frustrated me. One was a large canvas painted completely blue, and the other, completely orange. I stood there for a second trying to figure out if I was missing something, like maybe a hidden image or something. There was nothing. These "works of art" were simply colored canvases. NOTHING MORE than colored canvases. I know there are some pieces of modern art that I truly just don't understand. However, I do believe there are some that are simply nothing more than pretentious childs play. This was one of those pieces.
The best part was, after ranting to Sarah about these two pieces and the sillyness behind them, we saw a young couple walk up to them and discuss the
Ah, our perfect French picnic,
Baguette, fresh cheese, and a fine bottle of French wine. The wine ended up tasting horrible. That's what you get for 2 Euros, I guess! magnificence behind them. What magnificence? Ok... I'm going to stop myself there because I could write a whole blog on these two paintings alone. (Is that the point of them? To confuse people? Maybe they are magnificent.... YEAH RIGHT!)
That night, we had a "romantic" dinner at the hostel, which consisted of a couple bottles of fine French wine, instant rice and noodles, soup, and a can of green beans.
The next day, our last in Paris, was our first chance to sleep in in several days. We took full advantage of this opportunity and stayed in bed until 9:00AM! We spent most of that day trying to figure out the last leg of our trip and booking hostels. We ended our time in Paris with another picnic in the park by the Eiffel Tower, and another "romantic" dinner at the hostel.
That night we said au revoir to Paris and took a night train to Toulouse, in southern France. This is where we would be meeting up with Sarah's cousin, Krysten, for the weekend. She is currently living just outside of Toulouse with a family as a live-in nanny and her family generously invited us into
their home for a few nights.
We arrived in Toulouse at around 6:45AM and dragged ourselves off the worst night-train we had ever taken. Since we were arriving so early, we had agreed to have Krysten pick us up at around 10:00AM, rather than 7:00AM. Due to the lack of sleep on the train, we took this opportunity to get some rest in the waiting room. We propped our bags up against the wall and used them as pillows as we laid down on the cold, tiled floor. We managed to get some sleep in between the blaring announcements on the intercom.
10:00AM arrived and Krysten pulled up to the station. After hugs and introductions, we made our way to her home, about 30 minutes from Toulouse. When we pulled up, we were initially greeted by our new favorite friend: Torque, a beautiful and massive Boxer. Now, if you've ever actually spoken with Sarah, you'll know that her favorite breed of dog is a Boxer. Over the course of the next few days, I heard many times how perfect this European Boxer was, compared to the average North American Boxer. I quickly became good friends with him and
Us being upper class snobs
In the Palace of Versailles Gardens. played with him almost every chance I got, even if it did scare me when he would gallop towards me, with his jowls flapping in the wind.
That afternoon, the three of us explored the beautiful city of Toulouse, had another picnic, and ate some delicious French crepes. I had absolutely no idea that the French ate crepes for dinner. I thought it was only a dessert option, so I was pleasantly surprised to experience this delicasse.
After dinner, we met up with some of Krysten's friends and hit up a couple bars. Since we were both extremely tired from the brutal night-train, we made our way home relatively early, by
European standards, and went to bed at around 3:30AM.
The next day, Krysten took us to an absolutely stunning little medieval town perched on a steep hill, called Cordes sur Ciel. It was the most picturesque town we had seen to date, and we took full advantage of that by taking plenty of snaps.
The next night we wanted to thank the family for having us by making them our signature dish, a stir fry. They had never even heard of a stir fry before, so
it was up to us to give them a good first impression. Despite having limited ingredients for the sauce at the grocery stores, it turned out great. They were all pleased with it, and even went back for seconds.
Following dinner, Phillipe, the father, helped us make our necessary reservations for the trains to Barcelona. All we would have to do is pay for them once we arrived at the station.
The following morning, we said our goodbyes to the family and Torque and made our way to the train station. As we said goodbye to one of Sarah's family members, we anxiously awaited the arrival of another in Barcelona: Lyndsay, her sister. Lyndsay would be joining us for three weeks starting tomorrow.
The first of three trains would take us to Narbonne where the real adventure would begin... We hopped off the train and made our way inside to check the departure board to find out what platform we would be on. We became quite concerned when our departure wasn't on the screen. We double checked to make sure we got off at the right stop and quickly searched for someone to find out what was
View from the Eiffel Tower
My batteries died immediately after this picture. going on. We were then told that our train was cancelled due to a strike that had started that day, and there would be no more trains going to Barcelona. We asked if there were any buses that we could take, to which she replied "nothing. There is nothing more going to Barcelona today."
We frantically searched for car rentals, buses, flights, anything that would get us to Barcelona in time to meet Lyndsay at the airport. When there were no cars to rent, no buses to take, and no airport in the city, panic quickly set in... There we were, completely helpless, desperate to find any means of getting out of this country... Should we hitchhike? Should we hijack a car? Or do we wait it out in hopes of getting there the next morning?
Do Rob and Sarah make it to Barcelona in time to meet Lyndsay at the airport?
Does Lyndsay end up stranded in Spain?
Does Rob end up showing some shiny white leg to hitchhike?
Do Sarah's parents vow to kill her and Rob for leaving their youngest daughter stranded at a foreign airport?
Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion to this wild adventure!
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Krysten
non-member comment
Oh No!
Oh no, don't leave me hanging guys! I feel strangely guilty for the French's absolute disregard for the well-being of others in the irresponsible frequency of their strikes, being a pseudo Frenchie myself! lol! Hope it worked out!! Fill me in!