Oh, My Aching Feet!

I haven't written about how much I've walked, truly miles and miles and miles!!  Arriving back in Paris from Geneva meant walking from the grande lignes, main trains, to the RER around Paris trains.  Oh I was exhausted!  Found the right RER, the D, but the train didn't come and didn't come.  Finally I asked two young ladies next to me what was going on and they explained that it is one that has much fewer trains on the weekend, but at least it wasn't RER A that wasn't running at all.  Yes, good thing!  One of the others I was on was packed and it didn't go and didn't go, and someone said that one of the lines was on strike so more people were packed on this one to get where they needed to go.  So I feel lucky the strikes and shut downs didn't effect me, I hadn't mapped out alternative routes not knowing what could happen.  After that I picked up a map in case I needed to make alternate plans in the future.

So as I was standing with hundreds of people, as much as I LOVE Paris, I was honestly thinking I would be happy to be home where I get in my car and get where I need to be...but alas, there were/will be miles more to walk before arriving home to my easy transportation.  The trains work great in Paris and I'm getting quite good at managing them, but my feet, my legs and many of my muscles are paying a price for my free spirit!

Eventually the train arrived and we climbed aboard, having to stand packed in and oh so hot, for the two stops to my hotel.  That is a huge station and it was a long way to walk to get out of the station and across the street to my hotel, but no choice, I had to make it.  When I arrived, there was a long line to check in...was there not going to be any break for my weary body?  Apparently not!  One man started talking to me in Portuguese, I spoke back in English and he apologized for thinking I was with the big tour group from brazil, no apology necessary.  Everywhere I go, I meet Portuguese speaking people, usually from brazil, but sometimes from Portugal...this trip was no exception.  Met a whole family from brazil on the train to Giverny and now the big tour group.

When I first arrived at the hotel days before, I was given a 'nice' room.  Really?  Do I look stupid? It was right in front of the busy train station and the noise was horrible!  Loud honking, sirens, shouting...not going to work for poor me who desperately needed sleep after about 36 sleepless hours.  So down I went to the desk and requested another room.  Went in to look at it before moving all my things and the toilet was constantly running, very loudly, nothing stopped it...so I went back down to the desk and requester another room, a QUIET one!  Next room I walked into, faced an indoor courtyard and seemed very delightfully quiet, thank goodness!  Well, or so I thought...moved all my things in, and a loud banging started...then scraping and screeching?  REALLY?  I went back to the front desk and the lady said that they were almost out of rooms and something would be wrong with any room I would get, it is an old hotel.  The room was so hot, I requested a fan, thinking I would be cold and it would cover the noise of the banging.  I fell asleep for a couple of hours and no fan ever came, so I slept very little with the noise coming from the wall, damn, horrible night!  And so hot!  I knew the hotel was full, imagine paying almost $300 for that, not to mention the room was so small I could barely get around the bed!  When I left the next morning I told the reception girl everything.  She wrote it all down on the computer and promised that she would make a note for me to get a quiet room when I returned.  Well, when I finally got to the desk this time, there was no note, no nothing and the first room they tried to give me was next to the one that had the banging pipes, I refused and the man just stared at me.  Do people really think they can abuse the guests like that?  Apparently!  I continued to refuse and he realized I meant NO, so he gave me a room on the top floor that he guaranteed was quiet, yep, I was really going to trust them!  I went up, and up, and walked into a room so small I would trip on the desk chair getting to the bathroom whose door couldn't open all the way because of the toilet, you had to close it before sitting down, crazy...but other than a constantly dripping tub faucet, it did seem quiet.  I requested a fan and left for my evening.  When I returned no fan, and they didn't know where to find one.  At least the concierge/bellman turned the switch down for me and the room ac went on, cooled me off and drowned the sound of the running faucet.  Finally a good night's sleep!

(still on train to Amsterdam...we made it to Brussels.  I went back to be sure no one walked off with my luggage that is just in an open compartment by the doors, such a strange concept, to put your luggage in and walk away.  So funny, when I went back to check on my luggage two men were back there checking on theirs too...guess what, we had to laugh, we are all Americans, apparently the only ones who don't trust that our luggage will remain when people leave...one more stop, in Rotterdam, and then to Amsterdam central station.  There I will have to find the train to the airport and from there find my shuttle to the airport hotel where I'm spending the night before my early morning flight tomorrow.)

(wait, there is an announcement, free meals to everyone in 2nd class because of the delay.  Decided to walk up the 5 cars to the Bar car and see what the meal was.  Well, I was given two boxes.  I told him I was alone and he said to save the extra one.  I said I was going to the US tomorrow and he said take it, it was good for years!  That wasn't great news I decided.  It contains a cold tomato pasta which isn't bad, with veggies and tomatoes, some jarred tuna I didnt open, applesauce compote, a tiny plastic cup of water, some crackers, snacks and cookies.  I gave the second one to a lady who didn't go get hers.  One was quite enough!  But the tomato salad was good, especially with a slice of the delicious olive bread I bought at a boulangerie in Paris before leaving.)

So back to my night in Paris...after resigning myself to the tiny closet like room, I headed out for something I've really been looking forward to, my cup of the best hot chocolate in the world!  I had better directions this time so back to the station I went and boarded the first train, there would be a change, but what is that inconvenience and all that walking when the best hot chocolate in the world awaits?  I got to the station and only needed to ask directions once and there it was, the little old street that holds the secret of the divine hot chocolate.  The restaurant was packed, I'd read it had wonderful food too and watching it go by as I waited for a table, I realized I'd not eaten all day.  So when I was seated, I decided on the beef stew made with wine and olives, it was excellent!  After that nice hot meal and the 'to die for' hot chocolate, it was back out in the cold for two more metro changes to see the Eiffel tower, a must for me.  I did it, and after much walking to and between metros, I turned the corner, and there was the tower lit up in the dark.  Such an amazing sight, the sheer size alone is unbelievable.  I wished I could go closer, but it was late and I knew my feet wouldn't make it, so I stood for 20 minutes waiting for the sparkling that would start on the hour.  For five minutes that extraordinary monument sparkles in the dark, absolutely beautiful!  And finally, it was time to head back to the hotel, two more metros...more walking.  I made it safely and am quite sure I was asleep within minutes and finally, for the first night here, I slept the entire night!

This morning was short.  I ended up not having enough time to get to the Sacre Couer, I probably had time, but if the buses didn't run right, I would miss my train, so painfully I passed up that plan, next time!  I stopped at the boulangerie and bought a delicious tartelette (?) with cheese, tomatoes, bacon and olives, a small loaf of olive bread, and some macaroons, and my trip was complete, time to move on...to the current train I'm on now.  The sweet young lady at the boulangerie gave me the gift of a pastry, kind of a large donut hole, truly delicious, on the list of things to eat next trip too!

And now...next stop...Amsterdam!