Europe adventure. Day 28 of 34.
Written in my suite at Lesley on day 6 of College Adventure.
I woke up to the sound of the city in early morning. When I checked facebook I had an unpleasant message from my boyfriend, which I returned with one of my own. We didn't talk very much during my trip, because of how busy both of us were (the time difference didn't help), and it was contributing to some feelings of paranoia and abandonment. We always work these things out, but it didn't start out my day very comfortably. I had a spark of angry adrenalin, though, and that did get me moving. Leftover crepe for breakfast also helped. It was delicious even cold. I told Sofiane when I intended to come back to retrieve my things, since it was my last day in Paris, and then I left the apartment.
As you can imagine, I felt like I had a million things I had to see in Paris and no time at all to do them. My train left that evening at around four o'clock, and I wanted to get there a little early. I figured the most important thing I had not seen yet was The Louvre, so I took the metro to a station pretty close by and walked the rest of the way there. I almost got lost getting off the metro, but I got directions from a really nice woman who was jogging down the street. I was in line for The Louvre by 9:30 and in the museum by 10.
So when people think of The Louvre, one of the main things they think of is the Mona Lisa. You can't deny that. When I walked in, that was on my list of things to check off, and I had never felt all that impressed by the painting. It's just that famous. But why? That's what I kept thinking as I walked through galleries of Near Eastern antiquities, Italian sculptures and amazing paintings from around the world. I looked at all the beautiful art and what went through my head was "This one is a masterpiece,"
"this one is absolutely magnificent,"
"this one is just unbelievable,"
"this one is brilliant art,"
"this one is... boring."
And oh my god the crowds of people pushing and shoving to get up to the barrier in front of the small painting, just wanting that one picture to show all of their friends. How can anyone possibly enjoy that experience? You can't even look at the thing, let alone appreciate whatever hidden appeal the piece has. I couldn't wait to get out of that wing. Soon after I left the museum. The last thing I saw was the first floor of another section of the building, which was a wide open courtyard-like room decorated with a myriad of statues. It was breathtaking. Still, I was glad to get outside.
The first thing I did was head toward the Ferris wheel. The walk there was through the beautiful park, which was a plus. The price of the ride itself was obscene, but I bought a ticket anyway. I just wanted to be up there, away from all the people, with a view of the city and some fresh air on my face. I took some nice pictures from that Ferris wheel, and when it was over I wandered through the park looking at the menus of all the outdoor cafes and trying to decide what to eat. I ended up getting a burger and fries, with cafe creme to drink. I liked the way the coffee was served with little sugar cubes.
On the way back to the apartment I bought two drawings of Paris. I picked up my luggage, said goodbye to Sofiane and then started on my way to London. I enjoyed the great band that played in the metro station hall, music ringing off the walls. I got off the metro at Gare du Nord, which was just full of people. Too many people. People speaking unknown languages, yelling at me when I bumped into their toe. People smiling at me. People getting in my way. I got a little lost trying to find my train and ended up being only eight minutes early after the line at customs. Eight minutes early was not early enough. My train was already leaving and I was told I would be put on the next one. I was grateful they made it so easy for me, but I was surrounded by others who had also missed their train and were a bit miffed.
When I arrived in London after a short but not hugely comfortable train ride, I instantly connected to wifi in the station. I was thrilled. I tried to get the directions to my host's house as I walked, but got snapped at by an unfriendly lady who clearly didn't think I was paying enough attention. How I was affecting her, I am still unsure. A couple of nice women chatted with me after that as I tried to find my way to the underground. They pointed me in the right direction and we parted ways. With my directions out I bought my ticket, somehow paying an outrageous price of over 5 pounds.
I got off the tube at Hounslow Central, which was a good hour outside of the city center. At a pub right by the station I was able to stop and get wifi, which made me remember all the trouble I had finding wifi in Paris. London sure was different. I got the map up telling me how to get to my host's house and was walking there when I ran into Sean, my host. He saw me as I walked right by him, looking at my phone and not the people around me.
Sean is great, and we got alone wonderfully. That night we met up with the other surfer staying with him, whose name was Nina. She was from Germany and I liked her a lot. The three of us went to another nearby pub and got a drink after all of our things were put away. I got Irish cider. I had missed Irish cider, and so much about England was making me feel a little bit at home. That night I got to sleep in a lovely comfortable bed of my own in a room I shared with Nina. Sean gave us the entire room and slept on the couch, which he didn't seem to mind doing. I can't believe how lucky I was to find such a generous host!
I'll write more about London later!
I woke up to the sound of the city in early morning. When I checked facebook I had an unpleasant message from my boyfriend, which I returned with one of my own. We didn't talk very much during my trip, because of how busy both of us were (the time difference didn't help), and it was contributing to some feelings of paranoia and abandonment. We always work these things out, but it didn't start out my day very comfortably. I had a spark of angry adrenalin, though, and that did get me moving. Leftover crepe for breakfast also helped. It was delicious even cold. I told Sofiane when I intended to come back to retrieve my things, since it was my last day in Paris, and then I left the apartment.
As you can imagine, I felt like I had a million things I had to see in Paris and no time at all to do them. My train left that evening at around four o'clock, and I wanted to get there a little early. I figured the most important thing I had not seen yet was The Louvre, so I took the metro to a station pretty close by and walked the rest of the way there. I almost got lost getting off the metro, but I got directions from a really nice woman who was jogging down the street. I was in line for The Louvre by 9:30 and in the museum by 10.
So when people think of The Louvre, one of the main things they think of is the Mona Lisa. You can't deny that. When I walked in, that was on my list of things to check off, and I had never felt all that impressed by the painting. It's just that famous. But why? That's what I kept thinking as I walked through galleries of Near Eastern antiquities, Italian sculptures and amazing paintings from around the world. I looked at all the beautiful art and what went through my head was "This one is a masterpiece,"
"this one is absolutely magnificent,"
"this one is just unbelievable,"
"this one is brilliant art,"
"this one is... boring."
The first thing I did was head toward the Ferris wheel. The walk there was through the beautiful park, which was a plus. The price of the ride itself was obscene, but I bought a ticket anyway. I just wanted to be up there, away from all the people, with a view of the city and some fresh air on my face. I took some nice pictures from that Ferris wheel, and when it was over I wandered through the park looking at the menus of all the outdoor cafes and trying to decide what to eat. I ended up getting a burger and fries, with cafe creme to drink. I liked the way the coffee was served with little sugar cubes.
On the way back to the apartment I bought two drawings of Paris. I picked up my luggage, said goodbye to Sofiane and then started on my way to London. I enjoyed the great band that played in the metro station hall, music ringing off the walls. I got off the metro at Gare du Nord, which was just full of people. Too many people. People speaking unknown languages, yelling at me when I bumped into their toe. People smiling at me. People getting in my way. I got a little lost trying to find my train and ended up being only eight minutes early after the line at customs. Eight minutes early was not early enough. My train was already leaving and I was told I would be put on the next one. I was grateful they made it so easy for me, but I was surrounded by others who had also missed their train and were a bit miffed.
I'll write more about London later!
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