My trip to France started on Wednesday 3 July. I packed my bag in the morning before going to work and went straight to the airport from DogPatch. It was my first time flying with Ryanair, who's reputation isn't the best, so I was a tad anxious. Everything went as planned in the airport, and after an hour and a half in the air, I found myself on a bus to Paris.
Arriving at 12 midnight, I didn't have much else to do but check into my hostel and get some sleep. Dinner consisted of crisps and gummy worms, as I mapped out the following day. Per usual, I woke up later than anticipated, so I had 5 hours to see as much of Paris as possible (which wasn't much).
My first stop of the day was La Tour Eiffel, or course. After wondering the streets of Paris and trying to figure out the metro system (which will prove to be troublesome later), I made it to the tower. It was breathtaking. In pictures and videos you have no perception of how magnificent it truly is. I took tons of pictures, was harassed by multiple gypsies, and meandered among the throngs of tourist, like myself.
As I was leaving the Eiffel Tower I asked another tourist to take my picture. Little did I know, I would end up spending the next hour with him, Jeff, and his travel companion Kevin. We headed toward the Louvre, making small stops along the way to take pictures and discuss the beauty of Paris.
Once at the Louvre I strolled off on my own again, trying to see as much as possible. After taking too many pictures of the outside of the museum and gardens, I set off towards my last stop of the day, Notre Dame.
Here's where things get sticky.
Notre Dame was a bit further away from the Louvre than I thought. I walked for at least 3km before I gave up on the cathedral and headed towards Gare de Bercy to catch my bus to Lille.
That never happened either.
My bus was set to depart at 4pm, but by the time I gave up on seeing Notre Dame it was already 3:15. I hopped on the metro, thinking it would get me to the station faster, which it would have if I hadn't gone the wrong way. One thing to know about Paris is that the metro is confusing as hell, especially if you aren't familiar with the city. I missed my bus by 10 minutes.
After this setback I had visions of myself being stuck in Paris for the night, or not getting to Lille at all. After 2 hours, and much confusion later, I found myself with a TGV ticket in hand and on my way to Lille on one of the fastest trains in Europe.
Despite all of the confusion, setbacks, and lack of time, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Paris. But I was so happy to be going to Lille.
