PARIS! Jour Deux!

Bonne soirée à tous!

Its been a 'fantastique' few days. I have learnt and seen so much. I am literally in love with Paris. There is so much to see and do. Each alley and lane way seems to have its own story and beauty...

Unfortunately i have no pictures because katy and I (leaving the apartment in a massive rush on Sunday morning to catch the Eurostar to Paris -- after getting home at 3am the night before!) left the cord at home. Actually, we were so unorganised -- particularly me. I stumbled out of bed trying to ignore Katy's yelling (apparently she'd been trying to get me up for ages), 20 minutes before i was supposed to leave. I realised that i hadn't yet packed or done any of the last minute things which are neccessary. So as well as leaving the camera cord behind, i forgot my headphones (biiiiig mistake), a power adaptor and because i had forgot to take my washing out of the machine the night before, all my clothes were wet... good one nick.

I just had to stuff everything into my bag - wet clothes and all (don't worry, i at least put them in plastic bags) before we jumped into the cab -- me still rubbing sleep from my eyes. It certainly didn't help that the night before i consumed a little too much of the old 'alcool'..

Speaking of the night before, (i know i did briefly in a post before) it was a deliciously enjoyable night. Not so much for Katy (who was still recovering from the night before); but the rest of us enjoyed the catchup.

The night got a bit blury after that...

And a bit more blury.

Until it was time for bed - which still didn't come for too many hours!

But anyway, we survived. And the trainride to Paris offered some opportunity for rest.

In the last few days though, Katy and I have had a pretty good overview of Par-ee. We are staying in a really nice Hostel -- St Christophers Inn for those playing at home -- which is in one of the dodgier ends of town (the 19th arrondissement i think) but it is still a nice area right on the canal. But all the sights and sounds of Paris is only a tube stop away. On the first real day (we crashed pretty heavily Sunday evening) we did a sweep of the major attractions - the Lourve, les rues petits, the Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame... im beginning to forget.

The highlight however, was a tour we took which focused on Montmartre. It is an amazing area of Paris and it was really worthwhile hearing about it's history. We only paid 7 or 8 Euro and we got so much more out of it than we would have. We saw all the Amelie film locations, saw the living area's of Van Gogh, Picasso and heaps of other artists whose name has escaped me, also the last vineyard of paris, the last windmill (on sale for 2.5million euros -- bargain!) and just heard about the stories which underline their significance. The tour started at 6 which meant that by the time we reached the top of Montmarte and the magnificent church Sacre-Coeur, it was dark and we had a fantastic view of Paris. It was a dream. Absolutely amazing. I wish that i could upload the photo's we take - but even they wouldn't give it justice,

After the tour Katy and I ate at a buzzing Parisian restaurant in the Place d'Artist in Montmartre. We had a beautiful, cheap meal in a packed restaurant with live music. It was a great evening.

It was only marred by our walk home, which after getting lost quickly became frustrating. Katy and I exchanged 'terse' words to put it nicely! haha!

But we made it home to tell the story.

Im getting tired of typing so i'll make this quick.

Today we went on this amazing 4 hour FREE tour of Paris. It truly was amazing, covering heaps - in way more detail then we could possibly have got from a guide book. The guide, Rowan, was really animated (so obviously a drama student!) and made it really entertaining. Even I felt like it was worth a significant tip!

Anyway, I'll go into more detail when i can be bothered. We've had a fantastic time so far though.

Looking forward to another day tomorrow!

Comment, keep in touch!

Nick

Only the beginning!

So much has happened since our exciting trip to the airport only three days ago (three days ago?! Feels like weeks) and as you have already heard from nafan, we have fit a ridiculous amount into our time so far.

The plane trip was surprisingly comfortable - sleeping and a building excitement dominated - and we were lucky enough to sit next to a flight attendant, whom after charming, gave us freebies and extras.

20 something hours later we arrived at London. It was an amazing feeling. Our new found friends from the plane waved goodbye - not before expressing their concerns about nafan - "That boy is a walking disaster" after nafan nearly lost his passport before even going through customs. Despite the troubles that could have been caused, nathans clumsiness caused much laughing in the line and a few people told the line of their own lucky escapes. After passing through customs (i was interviewed by a bored Indian who only really cared about who was paying for my trip - i had a feeling that if my parents had payed for it i would have had some kind of 'extra screenings'...) we caught the tube to Katy's flat and relaxed - the only distraction being Katys landlord Poppy who, obviously not caring that two strange teenagers were the only people in the apartment, barged into the apartment after a tentative knock and launched into a story about Heritage Surveyors and her desire to reduce tax.

Katy's apartment is really nice, and surprisingly big but Poppy still hasn't fixed the heating and so it is freakin freezing -- practically as cold as the outside (we just crawl in our sleeping bags whenever we're at home). Similarly, i am never going to take the showers at home for granted again. I thought that our 'water saving' shower heads were shit, but that's nothing compared to the dribble that comes out here. But apparently Katy defends it saying that it's "good for London" and in her other apartment it was just like a "stream of piss". Nice. But hey, i'm not paying anything so i'll put up with anything.


Anyway, it was only day 1 and i already felt like so much had happened. Soon after our conversation with Poppy, we decided to walk around Islington and take in the local scenery -- it really is a beautiful area, complete with these awesome local pubs and cafes. Even though we were only 20 metres from the apartment when we realised we hadn't brought the map, we decided against returning for it ("Nah, there's no way we'll need it"). Similarly, when we realised we couldn't remember the street name, we came to the same conclusion. Well, we were wrong. And what seemed like hours of walking around the same streets carrying bacon, 18 eggs and bagels soon taught us not to be lazy. We had a few frustrating moments when nathan and i were both "sure" that the apartment was "this" way - our fingers pointing in, literally, completely different directions.

But hey, we made it -- and discovered the true London -- strangely complete with canals and gypsy boats.

But moving on, the night was truly complete with a local London beer and some very appreciated relaxation in massive armchairs.

Day 2 began pretty early - i was surpised. We had another beautiful day (we were told that just hours before we arrived excessive rain and wind dominated).
As with the last, the day began with problems as we tried to exit Sainsburys only to be stopped by those annoying security beepers, and nafans irregular train pass which only lets him through the gates sometimes (I swear that there is some bored security guard watching the CCTV cameras laughing as he continually denies nathan access, before randomly granting it).


We did all the usual things - got photos of the sights, stopped in piss smelling red phone boxes and talked to the guard people with their massive hats. It was a fantastic day marred only by the massively heavy backpack - which i blame entirely on nathan.
"Why would we need so much water?" i remember asking at Sainbury's as he attempted to convince me that the 2Litres was so much better value that we just "had to take it". After finally agreeing we noticed that for just "23 more pence" we could get another one. As if we would need 4 Litres?? But some how nathan convinced me that we literally "Couldn't go passed it. 23 Pence?! It's nothing"
Bad decision.
4 Litres of water PLUS another 2 litres of energy drink - another intelligent buy..
Its funny though, everyone complains about how expensive everything is here, but food and drink is damn cheap. Damn Damn cheap. It's awesome. Rice "Krisps" for only one pound and "Wodka" for like 5 pounds! I say it again, its awesome!

Well, we are about to embark upon another day.
Still a lot to see - the British Museum in particular.
Comment us. Interact. I like it.

Hello Ladies.