Cyclomoteurs et les pigeons prennent sur ​​Paris.

Train Ride to Paris

View from my room

My first full day in Paris...I'm finally getting the hang of this backpacking thing. I showed up in Paris around 9 pm with the sun still shining. Naive me goes up to the information desk asking where the nearest hostel is...the lady looked at me knowing I was new at this & immediately informed me that they're quite expensive (100 euros/night starting off). Luckily she found me a cheaper place a few metro rides away for 49 euros per night. If I never learned how to navigate the Boston train system, this trip would have been finished. France has the Eurail (cross continent which I came in on), RER (more like commuter rail, for the outskirts of town), & the Metro (local) train systems. The Metro has 14 trains just inside the city!!

Lock up your scooters!

The Boston explorer in me kicked in, & I made it alive! Only problem I had was my inability to understand gibberish words. I got off at Place de Clichy instead of Porte de Clichy (same train line!!) & accidentally made a lady miss her bus as she was helping me out. People have surprisingly been either out of their way helpful or the exact opposite. I walked into the hotel without a reservation, but thankfully they had a bedroom with 2 beds (can't complain) available & breakfast in the morning, which I slept through. Of all the people I've encountered, only 1 has not been able to speak English.

Salade Tomate Feta & Tartelette Fraise

Midoré's Fun Toilet

Today was my day to explore and get a feel for the city & decide what to do for the rest of my adventure in Paris. I had a lovely brunch at a bakery on a busy street corner called Midoré. All of the restaurants including this one have their ?window walls? completely open with everyone sipping on espresso & eating a baguette or some leafy course. I hate to make French people sound stereotypical, but hey, this is what they do. It's relaxing to be in this kind of atmosphere. THERE ARE SO MANY MOPEDS. Too bad I couldn't bring The Green Monstah to join me.

Tra la la-ing in Paris

This is a statue.

I walked around for the rest of the day, got lost, found other Metro stations, & when heading back to the hotel I stayed at last night, I stopped to look at my map. Mandel Silaf stopped & asked if I needed help in his broken English. We chatted a while & walked to the next train station while he gave me some life hacks for the city. For example, for the RER line, DON'T EVER BUY A TICKET. There are too many stops & people within a short amount of time that they don't check them but once in a blue moon. Even then, they write you a short fine, & you rip it up! I wondered why they didn't check for my Eurail pass when I jumped on from Cherbourg to Paris like they did in Wexford, Ireland,  but he is right! That'll save me $2+ each time. We parted ways, exchanged e-mails, & now I'm back at the hotel feeling much better about this trip.

Mr. Fancy Pants

My first hostel stay is tomorrow night through Tuesday to which I will head to Barcelona, Spain & the nude beaches! Extremely excited to stay in a hostel with 5 random people...I need some help with this backpacking!  I'm off to wash my clothes in the sink & get ready for the Eiffel Tower & Louvre tomorrow. Dun dun dun.

Btw, look at the price of gas. Nice! Tomorrow's will have much better pictures...