I made it to Paris.
I know it seems like no big deal, but there was a strike in Italy (par for the course in European countries, I guess, but a pain when you want to travel) when I was leaving Pisa on Friday, so I wasnt sure Id get here at all. But whatever – I made it, and its fine. More than fine, in fact, as I slept the whole way between Torino and Paris, basically, so I arrived well-rested and happy.
So the short itinerary for the last few days is as follows:
- Friday, I spent the day with Gabriele in Florence. Yay for Tuscany and its easy proximities, right? I didn’t do a whole heck of a lot (we only really had half a day because I had to make a 6pm train), but it was a lot of fun to wander around and pop into random churches and see things that I haven’t seen in years and didn’t think Id see again any time soon. And, as always, Gabriele is a wealth of information on art and architecture. Its very cool.
- Saturday was quite an adventure, as I spent the morning wandering around Paris looking for an internet cafe because I failed to check my mail for Kim’s information before I left Italy. My backpack weighs 20 Kilos (I think its like 45 pounds), so it was a great time. The internet cafe I finally settled on (gotta look into the guidebook earlier–remember that) was closed (okay, maybe guidebooks are overrated), so I looked around for another. Eventually, I got to Kim’s apartment. She shares a place on the Jardin du Luxemburg with a girl named Chantal, and they have a great view of Paris and a cozy little place. After I set my stuff down, Kim and I went to lunch and then wandered all over Paris on foot, stopping at the mini Lady Liberty way up the Seine. It was weird, and I cant wait to post my picture of the statue of Liberty with the top of the Eiffel Tower poking into the background.
- Sunday was Disneyland Paris! Can you believe it? Weird, but a lot of fun, as Kim and Chantal had plans to go already, and they wanted me to go along. Kim generously bought my way in, knowing how reticent I was to spend more than my daily allowance on admission alone. It was very generous of her and allowed me to eat (among other vaguely important things) yesterday. I think I got a dozen or so decent pictures, which is pretty rad.
- Today, I’m going to go spend some time in the Jardin du Luxembourg because its a nice day, and I’ll probably wander over to the Pantheon as well, because its close. Tomorrow might be Versailles, although I might choose to do some more Paris stuff instead. Well see.
It’s interesting, coming up on the last leg of my trip (I think I might have to fly to London because its the cheapest way to get there), because I’m not at all tired of traveling. Its much easier, of course, living with friends than strangers, in apartments and not hostels, but just traveling has its draw, and I can totally understand people that get somewhere and stay in the hostel, working for room and board. In a lot of ways its easy and enticing, as well as vaguely exotic and exciting.
I can’t do it because I keep thinking about the things I want to do when I get to LA, but I can see very clearly a world in which I COULD become a professional bum. In some ways, I bet its very liberating. For now, I’m off to get some french bread for lunch and to hang out in the sunshine in a park.
