Je vous ai manqué, de belles peuple français.

I miss you, Barcelona.

It's great to be back in Paris again, even if it's for less than 24 hours. My circadian rhythm is jacked...it's 5:30 am, & I can't sleep. I'm supposed to be up at 7 am to get breakfast with Hugo & catch my train to Cherbourg, France at noon, so looks like it's an all nighter for me...unless the drunk Porteguese man that insists on talking to me through our language barrier using Google translate on my laptop comes back again. I don't care about you having to go to sleep by yourself alone last night & have absolutely no thoughts about the situation. ಠ_ಠ On a side note audience, if you ever decide to go to Barcelona, you MUST stop by Cafés El Magnífico to try their locally roasted coffee. They roast it 5 feet away from the counter 3x a week & have all sorts of beans from different regions to choose from. Some of the friendliest people I have met in Barcelona.

Doing what we do best...getting lost

The 6 hour train ride to Paris was quite scenic as we passed a bright, blue body of water with people lining the sand with their colorful umbrellas on one side & mountains in the distance on the other. As soon as I arrived in Paris, there was a mishap with the hostel that I booked, so I met up with Hugo, my French Canadian friend from Barcelona, who had already been visiting Paris. Thankfully, his hostel had some last minute availability. We went to a less touristy, more authentic French restaurant, Chez Fernand, where I had my first Parisian cuisine. The mushroom smothered chicken with mashed potatoes, paired with a French pink wine (there is such a thing) is the best meal I have had since I left the States. It was complete with a delectable, gooey chocolate cake & salted caramel ice cream.

Midnight in Paris

Once I realized I couldn't suck in anymore, we made it to the river (I waddled) & walked along before finding a spot on the wall to sit on. The beautifully lit bridge was picturesque as the moon sat above it & boatloads of people drove by waving to us. Because of our inability to navigate the streets, we had to make sure we made it to the Metro by 12 am since it shuts down early...otherwise it would be a long walk to the hostel. Once I head out tomorrow, no more wifi for me until I reach the beautiful shores of Ireland, which will be a nice break. I'm not quite sure which city I will end up staying in first, but there is plenty of time to plan for that...a whopping 16 hours on the ferry. I booked a reclining chair again & can feel regrets in the near future. But it was cheap! Adieu l'Europe centrale. Je serai de retour! Hey look, the sun is coming up. Crap.

6:21 am
I just realized I spent 27 euro to play on the interwebs for a night. That was a poor decision on my part. Beeeeddddd.