Last Day, Last Entry for Eurotrip 2009

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So I wasn't sure that I'd be able to find internet usage, but here I am. I realized that I wasn't certain of what terminal in Charles de Gaulle airport I was flying out of, so I'd better look it up. And here I am!

Yesterday, Odile picked me up at the Lille Youth Hostel and we drove to Ypres. I was expecting to see more WWI battlefields and stuff, but instead, we saw a cute little city that had once been walled, and we walked the ramparts (tops of the old castle/fort walls) for a bit. It was quite pretty, and the ramparts seemed to be in fairly good condition, seeing as they dated from medieval times.

It started to rain shortly after our walk around the city, and we went for lunch. First we sat down at an outdoor cafe, but when I saw that the prices were around 15-20 euros for an entree, I told Odile it was too expensive for me. She agreed it was too pricey for her too. We went to a fries place, and had some fast food. Funnily enough, while we were sitting there, the Canadian guides that we had seen the day previous at Vimy memorial all walked in. They didn't recognize us, but I thought it was funny that they ended up at the same place in the same town, especially considering we were much further to the north than Vimy (which is south of Lille).

We headed back, and I had a hard time not falling asleep in the car. Once we did more talking I was better, but I was wiped! I hadn't slept well at the hostel in Lille, and speaking French constantly is quite tiring. Odile left me there to pick up my bags, and offered to come back to drive me to the train station, but since it was a 10 minute walk, I thanked her and said I'd walk over.

The TGV to Paris was pretty uneventful. I tried to sleep, though hard to do in an hour. I arrived in Paris, got a two-day pass for the metro, and headed to my hostel. No problems finding it this time! Dropped off my bags and went to the Eiffel Tower. There was quite a wait to get in and up the tower, especially since I didn't want to climb the stairs. I took the elevator up and had a great view of the city of Paris. I stayed until after sunset, and tried for some night shots. Hopefully something will turn out okay. On the way back to my room, I had a chocolate-banana crepe (dinner at 11:30 pm) and it was delicious!

Today I headed out to the catacombs of Paris. I wasn't sure what to expect, but an hour's wait to get in wasn't part of my expectation. Despite the long wait, I went in, and saw the weirdest thing. There were many stairs to go down, and a big maze of underground tunnels (formerly quarries, I believe) and then a large section of bones. Just a ton of bones and heads lining the walls in a pattern. It was quite creepy. The oddest thing was a large cistern that was created out of bones and skulls. I took photos (I know, creepy!) and hopefully something will turn out. It was all scarcely lit, and no flashes allowed, so I was glad I had my mini-tripod.

The rest of the afternoon, I've just walked around Paris, looked in shops, and seen a few places I'd never seen before. I'm planning to hit the Marais (pretty section I've been told) once I leave this internet cafe, and then grab some food and go back and pack! Home tomorrow! Can't believe that this is the end of Eurotrip 2009. It was a great trip and I've got a ton of photos to go through once I'm home.

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Comments

[michelle]

forgive me, sue....
...but i stopped reading this entry right after you mentioned chocolate-banana crepes......yummy!! (ok. i really did read the rest...always nice to return to a city you "know" and find new and interesting things to see...) looking forward to more travel stories when you get home!