Photos

I must figure out how to put pictures on here
I managed to upload them to my facebook
I will work on it

more Paris (but really only the airport), Detroit and home again

Up bright and early for my 11am flight back to Canada
arrived at the airport a few minutes after 9
along with 100,000 of my favourite Americans
youch!!
the lines were long
the grumblings were loud
the lines felt longer
the stress levels were getting higher as we approached one hour to boarding time
then we had to go through security
if they were tense through the first line they were through the roof during this one
but we all made it
I managed to do some quick shopping
and still have time to sit before the flight boarded
we were about an hour late finally leaving Paris
but we made good time and arrived in Detroit on time

which was good, because you have to go through about 5 different check points for American travel
which was all fine
I wandered through arrivals hoping to catch sight of Dad and Em,
who were coming to spend some time with me to help ease my 8 hour layover
I wandered for a while and then finally asked about International arrivals
headed downstairs, and there was Emilie they had just arrived, so perfect timing
we had  a nice lunch together
and I got to share my pictures with them
and it was lovely

headed back to the airport,
no great lineups

it started raining and there were thunderstorms rolling through
many flights were delayed (mine, an hour)
and many more were cancelled altogether (not mine thankfully)
finally after 'travelling' for 21 hours I was home

thanks Brock for picking me up

and that is it my adventure is over

Paris

Well, after an adventurous time in Paris I am back home
Let's see, where did we last leave off?
Oh yes, heading into Paris
arrived at 2ish
wandered around trying to find the correct shuttle service for my airport hotel
lots of fun in the heat
and miles of walking and getting nowhere
finally got a cab
he had no idea where the hotel was
and was on a round-about heading the wrong way when I saw the hotel and directed him back to it.

I took the shuttle back to the airport so I could venture into the City
headed to the trains so I could get there quicker
however there were camouflaged machine-gun toting guards all over the place
I could not get near the platform
I wandered over to the edge (oops, there was a metal bar at shin height, ouch!!)
and the platform below was pretty vacant of people
I headed over to the information desk to see how much the train was
and asked what was going on
oh, a stray piece of luggage, they were waiting for the bomb squad to come and blow it up
could be an hour for them to arrive

ok, so she directs me to the bus to get into the City
an hour and E34 for a round trip
caught the bus straight away (after a 2k walk to the stop)
and we were in the city within an hour

dropped off at the Arc de Triumphe
fabulous

headed over to the Eiffel Tower with my little map

it was a beautiful afternoon

they were setting up carts with kebabs, onions and tomatoes frying away in very hot pans
lots of cold drinks
candy by weight (little scales with actual grams and assorted measurements for weighing)
crossed the river
travelled along the river with lots of people doing the same thing
lots of picnicing along the grass
lots of people gazing out into the water

I finally got near the Eiffel Tower and noticed that lots of Gendarmeries were pushing people back through metal gates already set up at the entrance of the streets
they directed us down a street, and at every intersection were more of these guards not allowing anyone through
I asked one guard and she said she thought that the tower was closed today
really??
ok, so I was not going to get any further than six blocks away from it
but I could purchase all kinds of Eiffel Tower souvenirs from the shops surrounding me

so I wandered back down the river
headed towards the Champs Elysees
again, lots of people
lots to watch and see and do

headed to a restaurant and had some fabulous Brussel's mussels
totally yummy

I noticed that people had shopping bags with them
it was about 7:30 on a Sunday night
and when I got out of the restaurant I noticed that the stores were open
I hadn't expected it earlier, so I didn't pay attention
so, I went through a few of the shops and did some unconventional souvenir shopping
you can shop at many of the stores until 11:30 on a Sunday night, yay tourists!!
and yay Bradley Cooper and his yummy Haagen-Dazs commercials!

headed back towards the bus, which was waiting at the stop
and within 20 minutes I was back at the hotel
and ready for a good sleep

back in Santiago

Woke up at 5:30
It was completely pitch black outside
(I was not on the lighthouse side of the hotel)
Read until about 7:00
And fell back asleep hard until 9:30
What a nice treat
And my body really needed it
Breakfast
Some souvenir shopping at the little kiosk down the road
And a taxi to town to catch the bus to Santiago

Three hours later -- arrived
Tried to find a Laundromat
Did, but damn, siestas every day?
It was just after 3:00 of course they are closed

Hanging out until dinner hour (8:00)

Italian food, a really nice Spaghetti Putanesca
Totally yum and nice to have something other than Spanish Pilgrim food

I cannot quite believe that I will not be strapping on the old hiking boots
and boogying on down the road for a 20k walk tomorrow
or that I didn't do it today

Must make a plan to do lots of walking when I get back home!

Off to Paris tomorrow at noon

Finisterre

I think it is closer to 90k than 97, but they feel the same
It was a great misty walk from Cee (which is apparently pronounced Say) to Finisterre yesterday
I found a bank machine, was down to my last €10
Then I circled the town for an hour before I found the trail
I was looking for a sign, any sign, that would get me out of walking the last bit
I was dying to take a cab, and I was just about to grab one when I spotted a sign, you know those things you beg God for?  Well, I was begging for a taxi sign and there in front of me was a freaking yellow arrow!!  Piss off!!
OK, so that was my sign, off I continued on my last 12k into Finisterre

It was a lovely day
Met a nice German couple who rescued me from a wrong turn
for which I was most grateful, it did mean a long walk through a beautiful path
instead of along the highway (much nicer through the green lush path)
Then it was an amazing 2k walk along the sandy beach
A lunch of beautiful mussels on the wharf
And off to the Semafaro, the converted seminary and fire pit at the end of the earth

It was very misty so no good views
The Germans told me that there are amazing sunsets here, but  it just couldn't break through the mist

Great sleep
Now am on my way back to Santiago by bus

97k in 4 days?

What on earth was I thinking?
I am very comfortable walking 15-18k, but the mental and physical barriers of more than 20 are daunting
I have been starting earlier, which helps some, as it is very pleasant in the mornings, but by 9:00 the sun is beating down and it is brutal
Yesterday was a very long, lonely walk
Instead of 4-5k between refreshment spots it was 15k
I passed two women I have seen before, so we chatted a bit
Then another very fast gentleman passed me, no chatting there
which was fine, I was huddled underneath a very small bit of shade, right in the brambly bushes
hunkered down eating my three hour old Serrano Ham Bocadilla (which was sweating and hot and quite horrid)
And then finally I was in the town, there had been signs posted all along the road for my hotel
4k
3k
2k
then -- no more signs
However once I was in the town -- nothing
How disconcerting
It is always annoying to think you may be going the wrong way or missed a turn
But I didn't,
Finally there it was
In all of its 80s glory
Shower didn't work, which is a real bummer after a hard day of walking and sweating
But the bed was comfy and I got a good sleep
and that was sufficient

12k in to Finisterre today
Walk in the park. (lol)

Finisterre

Have I complained about the heat?
It is pretty unbearable
I walked from 8:15 until 5:30 yesterday
Covered over 22k and it was just a sweat-fest
Beautiful
But not much shade cover
Lots of uphills
Met a great mother/son from Alaska
They were absolutely out of their comfort zone
If it had snowed on us we would have loved it
Alas, it didn't and so we soldiered on

Today was to be 27k, absolutely no way,

I happened to meet up with the Alaska people again, even though they left an hour and a half before me, and I phoned my hostel from their dropoff point,
My hostel was 10k off-route, so I was to be chauffered anyway
it was still another 22k day for me

It is still 90° out there now
Whine whine whine
Moan complain

At least I have no blisters
But do have sore achy feet
So I should be grateful

I am showered and refreshed,
Off to find dinner

Santiago

It was a very quick walk this morning
The guide book warns about the huge hill (Mount Joy of all things)
And I arrived before I even realized it
I was with a couple from Texas and I embarrassed myself by crying in front of them
It was quite an emotional moment
Then a 5k walk to the cathedral and I arrived at the same time as a very cool Danish grandmother I had met the other day who was walking with her 9 and 11 year old grandsons, again, very emotional
I got to the Pilgrims Office by 11, got my certificate (no Latin name for me though) and arrived to a very full cathedral by 11:45.  An interesting, long, service, no butafumiere though, bummer.
Then off to the post office to dump some clothing that I don't want to throw out, but didn't want to carry around anymore.
And off to shop ( I just dumped 5lbs worth of stuff, now I have room).
It is incredibly hot again, so back to the hotel for a great shower and some screen time.

Heading out to find some dinner.

Lavacolla

Slept much better last night
It was a short walk today
Thankfully because it is brutal in the sun
Fortunately there was still Lots of shady spots in the trees

Only 10.5k to get to Santiago
Then I have arranged to go to Finisterre
Another 87k

Then my trip will be almost over
I still have to make my way back to Paris
I cannot believe that it has been almost a month.

a Rua

I had a terrible sleep last night
It was hot and the air conditioning in the room was not working, but making plenty of noise
So I opened the window, after it was finally dark
It gets dark really late here, after 10:00
But the sun also rises really late (like 7am)
Anyway, I was worried about someone taking my money belt while i was sleeping (weird thoughts)
So I got up to put it under my mattress

Was up early (for me) because I knew I had a very long day ahead of me
I had gone to the post office yesterday to get a box to send home some useless stuff, that I don't really want to give up, but don't want to schlep around
The post office doesn't open until 9:30 on Saturdays
So I was deciding whether to delay leaving until then --  um, no
So I loaded the packed box into my backpack and headed down for breakfast
Left the hotel at 8:30
My earliest start time yet
Wandered through town, about 1.5k in
And I start to think about where am I going to get my pilgrims stamp today (you need two every day to get your certificate at the end) since I am not so competitive I tend to forget about them
So then I think about passport. And of course realize that my money belt is back under the mattress. Crap!!
Back I go, it is warm enough already and I have just added 3k to my 19k day
So I grab a cab
And got my money belt
Phew

It was a brutal hot day
Lovely scenery
Nice people
I had to take my shoes off and change into sandals, but I knew that, that's why I had them the me.
Tried new socks that are just not up to the challenge.

I thought I would be at the hostel at 2:00 and I pulled in right at 2:00.
Showered and now relaxing with my sore feet

Oh and it is presently 97° heading up to 99° and I don't even want to think about what those are with a humid ex reading.
Fortunately a lot of today was through trees, but that sun is just waiting to take you down when you step out of the shade.

Melide to Arzua

It is stinking hot out today.
Going up to 93 (which it is right now)
Going to be 98 tomorrow and I have 20k to walk, better get out there early
I finished today by 1:30
And that was a good time to get  out of the sun
Fortunately there were lots of trees and shade along the way
A few hills though, just when I thought we were done with them along comes another
Lots of downhills with those ups though

A walk into town to get a box from the post office
And a horrid lunch of plastic hamburger and lousy fries
oh, my goodness, this was the most disgusting meal of my life
and not only was there one freaking hamburger on the plate, but there were two patties
I tried to make it look like I ate a lot of it
but it was very difficult to choke down
and the amount of French fries was just ridiculous
but a least it wasn't another Serrano bocadillia
Which are fine, but getting boring.

Resting and watching Spanish news

Palais de Rei to Melide

Long walk today
It is very hot outside
 Fortunately there was lots of shade
But it was a long time in between refreshment spots
I had lots of water and some apricots with me
And had a big breakfast

just arrived at the hotel

Melide

Last night was Melide
Nothing interesting
 However it is getting very hot

Ventas de Naron to Palais de Rei

A very quick walk,
The hotel was part of a new complex
There were about 500 young adults around,
The hotel I was at was cabin style, just like being in the Adirondacks
Met some interesting Americans
Had massive prawns for dinner
And a late night

Portomarin to Ventas de Naron

Quick walk
Beautiful day
Another need to ask for the phone to call for a pick up from my hotel
Another 'no'
Hmmm
They have a pay computer
So I send a note to the hotel (not all of my contacts have email info on them, I was lucky)
Anyway I had to walk to the next cafe and there was a taxi there to take me to my next hotel
Which was beautiful
And way out in the country (not that this whole trail isn't out in the country)
A very quiet relaxing evening
And hearty breakfast
Drive back to 1k before my pick up spot from the day before
And off we go again

Sarria to Puertomarino

The bus to Sarria is done in two stages, you go to Lugo first, about two hours, then a transfer of about half an hour for a half hour drive to Sarria.

I fell asleep ( up at 4am is not my usual waking time) and panicked that I had missed the stop, not to fear, we were fine.

Pulled into Sarria around 7:15, time for some tylenol shopping and dinner and of course finding the hotel

Hotel was great, now, to get a good sleep for my first real day of walking the Camino.

Up and had breakfast, baggage was being picked up by 9am, so I had to decide how much I was going to carry. Water, water, snack, sunglasses, raincoat, tablet, guidebooks, hotel vouchers, camera, glasses and money. Still weighs a considerable sum, and so I was off.

First day was supposed to be about 15k, turned into 23, which was fine, although I wouldn't want to do that every day.

I was supposed to head to the Municipal Albergue and ask to telephone my hotel. The lady at the desk said no. I was pretty surprised, nobody has said no to me in a while. But no she was not going to let me use her phone if she had one, she pointed outside to a pay phone. Which in tried to use three times, and which two young Spanish boys couldn't figure out.

No problem, the guy at the pizza place called for me and the cook came up with his 4x4 to take me back to these cool rustic cabins along the river.

Great sleep

Up and ready the next day to go again, however my hotel is about six feet from where the driver drops me off, so I take a break for the day. Get some laundry done and relax.

catching up

Catch up time, it has been a few days
I finished at Corfe Castle at the very beginning of a huge rain storm
 It rained all night and stopped just before I caught a cab to the train station
I travelled to London by the milk run and had a day to get myself organized to be at Gatwick for a 6:45am flight
I stayed at the holiday inn right beside the airport and it was perfect
Up at 4am
There was more than a bus full trying to get to the airport, so I caught the second trip at 4:40
Huge honking lineup to check in
So by the time I did that and went through security it was about five minutes before we boarded

Took off on time and landed in Santiago del Compestella by 8:30, which translates to 9:30 Spanish time
I was hoping to catch up with Melanie at the post office, which she thought opened at 10:00
So I took the bus from the airport to the city centre, had a taxi driver tell me where the post office was (and pray I was at the right one)
I was at the back of the building, and while in was on my way to the front doors I sensed (seriously, I did not even see her, I just knew she was right there. -- and she was --  we literally bumped into each other.

She was heading to Portugal, and hoping to get the noon bus, I was heading to Sarria (beginning of 100k to Santiago) so we headed to the bus station.

Mel could not get onto the bus until 6, so I took the 4:00 and we got to catch up with each other. How awesome is that?

back to Corfe Castle --last day of walking

137k of walking (and that doesn't include extras like up and down to dinner)
 what a week it has been
I finished about an hour ago
And it is now raining
How perfect has my trip to England been?
The weather has been absolutely spectacular
My host b&bs have been awesome
People along the way have been great, welcoming, smiling, friendly
My feet are very sore and tired, but not blistered!
Off to London by train tomorrow
Then off for a new adventure

Studland

Another beautiful walk along the coast.
Swanage has a beautiful beach area
And these very strange huts along the beach
They are about 8x8 or so and butted up against each other
They are little cabins with kitchen areas, sitting areas, and closet areas
Some are rented, some are owned
They have strings of about 20 of them together all along the beach
Today's walk took me to Old Harry's Rock at the point of Studland Beach and then on to Studland itself
There are in fact no studs there

I had lunch at a tiny shack on a small beach
There were lots of boats anchored offshore
Then these two octogenarians pulled up in a pontoon
They were lots of fun to watch, one was getting out and didn't want to get his feet wet, so they threw out the oars, which he stepped on to reach the beach. It took quite a while and the small crowd at the cafe cheered and clapped when he finally accomplished his feat.  Up he came to buy some ice cream and back he went to do it on reverse. it took quite a while again, and he almost fell in the water a few times, but he made it, and off they went.

Today was a loop, so back to town (4miles) a quick trip to the bookstore (nothing worth carrying) and the drugstore

Fish and chips (yum) and a climb back to the b&b

British Big Brother (a hoot --  they are almost impossible to understand) and an early night

since Weymouth?

i have walked miles and miles and miles
into Kingston, not one jail (yay)
onto Corfe Castle, pretty ruinous
through cow pastures
and cow patties
through sheep pastures
and sheep pies
along the coast
up the ridges
down the ridges
around beautiful coves
through lovely shaded woods
past prickly scrapy thorns
into sleepy seaside towns
and bustling seaside towns


had amazing fish and chips
yummy oysters
prawns (not so much fun peeling and eating those)

beautiful weather
and comfy beds

off to breakfast
and a spin through town,
for an 12mile walk
and to find a printer for my next set of trsin/plane tickets

more readable

i love the look of the other blog format
but it was a bit hard to read
hopefully this will be easier on the eyes

Weymouth, if you haven't been -- go

It is seriously a beautiful town

great promenade along the beach

beautiful historic buildings

lots of character

amazing beach, and the Brits are a hardy bunch, they were all swimming away, it is cold in that water

it was a breezy sunny evening, 

great for a stroll and findinf the perfect fish and chip shop

and it was very good  

my next stop is Lulworth Cove

walking along the cliffs 

with amazing views

but fierce winds

i have never experienced winds like that

i had to stop to brace myself against them

i worried that i would be impaled by the barbed wire fences or thrown over the cliff into the sea below

but perfect weather again for walking

it was a long walk today 10.5miles to the cove, then another mile to the b&b

i fell on the sidewalk when i was almost there

no blood thankfully

but an old man on the other side saw me

came over and then turned his back on me 

good thing, my pride was seriously hurt and i could feel the tears coming 

nice comfy b&b

fish and chips forndinner 

Abbotsbury to Weymouth

this one gets lists:
how many cattle fences was I zapped by? One, but that is definitely all it takes,
how many farmers laughed about said zapping?  one (prick)
how many backtracked routes?  at least 6
how many extra miles?  at least 5
how many stinging nettle patches?  three and those suckers are aptly named  -- capris are not the way to dive through them, thank goodness I thought to put on my raincoat
how many muddy bogs -- two, very nervously -- kept worrying about slipping and losing a boot
how many helpful strangers slipped on a cow pie, got covered in said cow pie and almost took me out with them?  also one, and again, that's all it takes, poor woman, she was a mess, but I am so glad it wasn't me, it was a long way to a laundry spot
how many wet soggy boots?" two, and it is 6am, they aren't dry yet, it is an easy roadway kind of day, think the sandals will have to do
how many sleepless nights?  one, not sure why  -- although the nearby bar seemed to party late into the night

West Bay to Abbotsbury

breakfast was bacon sandwich
really embracing my inner bread eater

a perfectly drizzly day for a walk
first i had to make it over the cliff
which I did, yay me
then another one,

it was misty and just the right temperature for walking
it was pretty easy going
and i didnt have too much trouble following the guidebook

had lunch at the Hive -- another bacon sandwich
i love british bacon, yum yum

i did walk into Abbotbury at about 2:30
and discovered that my room would not be available until 5
so off to the Swannery, where some cygnets are in the midst of hatching

great way to kill a few hours and add another 4 miles to your day

back into town and dinner at The Swan, baguette with BLT, yes more of that british bacon and it was a very yummy baguette

if i had read my guidebook clearly i would have seen that it was 15k, plus the extrabfor the swannery, i was bagged

the b&b was ready for me
by 9:00 lights were out and i was out as well

Charmouth to West Bay

ok, so this is the day
another first day of walking
it is absolutely beautiful out there
walk is only 7miles
but lots of uphill over the cliffs
beautiful views
interesting people
it was hard and

so worth it

lunch was at The Anchor Inn in Seatown
a very busy spot
but it was nice to sit inside out of the heat (which was very hot)

I have had to give up not eating bread

the risk of starving to death is very real; between France with their baguettes, cheese, wine and the peas and haricot vert I have been very restricted

feet are holding up fine
had a nice dip (feet only) into the English Channel at the end

staying in a great small old hotel
the bathroom is almost the size of my room at home

off to have dinner--fish and chips for sure!

There is a great harbour here, they were pulling in bags and bags and bags of mussels or clams
there are all these fabulous huts that sell seafood
there are lots of people wandering around
the weather is beautiful

Back in Bayonne??

so we last left off at Refuge Orisson

met some really great people

a foursome from Ireland
a couple from Montreal who have travelled from La Puy in France and been on the road for over a month

the night was as expected
lots of snoring
not much sleep

early morning, breakfast (bread--nope, coffee--nope, hot chocolate--nope, tea --ok, orange juice--ok)

made the decision to not continue over the mountain
although had'nt decided what I was going to do

Dierdre and Colm were also heading back to St Jean to get a taxi to Roncsevalles and meet their other couple
so I caught a lift back with them
they mailed stuff back home (another 4k package)
I bought a bus ticket back for Bayonne and they arranged a taxi to Roncsevalles

back to Ibis Budget
and time to make a plan

which is -- walking tour in England
Jurassic Coast Trail
on the coast of the English Channel

off to the post office and train station (or bus station--as we had given our train tickets away last night in hopes of finding an earlier bus)
post office was a bit of a pain
we had to find an internet cafe in order to obtain a Brussels address for Mel to send her 7lbs of overload to
ended up taking an hour and we had 20 minutes to get to our bus
(I ended up heading over to the station for our tickets--which turned out to be bus tickets --no train service between Bayonne and St Jean until June 28)
and we were on the same bus as our new friends from Ottawa
the omes who had our tickets

total milk run to St Jean, but it kept getting more and more beautiful with the mountains in the background

we arrived at about 12:30,
had to make our way to the Pilgrims Office to get our Pilgrim's Passport and shell
they made a phone call to Refuge Orisson so that we had a reservation
good thing too, they did reply to my email but said we had to be there by 2pm  we didn't leave St Jean until 1:15 so we would definitely not have made it; and we did arrive just in time as the Pilgrim Office was closing as we finished
the girl behind us got into their 'overflow refuge' which was a kilometre down the road, a great annoyance at dinnertime when they had to come up and down

ok  the walk  what can I say about this torture
I thought i was in pretty god shape
I have been working out for months and did a special tone-up with Julie at the gym
I don't think that anything can prepare you for this hell

and it was absolute torture
it was stinking hot
I had not been eating
they said it was 2 hours up to Orisson (8k away)
after 2 1/2 hours we were about halfway there
I finally sat on the side of the road and sent Melanie on her way
I approached a vehicle and made him stop for me
I asked him if he would take me to Orisson and he said (in his lovely French accent -- 'if you wish'
as we drove up into the mountains I was so grateful to not be walking, it was freaking brutal



ß

bordeaux wineries

up bright and early

it is a grayer day here 

16° now

heading for 18° and rainy afternoon

packing up our huge and heavy backpacks

then off to visit two wineries

so we did the winery thing with five other ladies and a tour guide named Bruno
we went to the first one
it was lovely
has been around since 1760's
still family run -- not the same family
and it was a great tour

the 2nd one is owned by a huge conglomerate
and was big and nice
beautiful chateau
great tour
they served a tasting of a wine that cost €115

one was called Chateau Lascombes,

Melanie really enjoyed that

it was a horribly rainy day

we got back to Bordeaux
had a great lunch
then collected our bags for our train journey

our train was 45 minutes delayed
the two people directly facing us were coughing and blowing their noses and sneezing
I hope we don't get it (and luckily we didn't)

in Bayonne now
huge walk to the hotel
met a father/daughter set of hikers from Ottawa
they are staying at the same hotel as us  (turns out he is a friend/colleague of Kathy Armstrong, what an incredibly small world)

we are off to lose some weight from our bags
and set off for St Jean in the morning

bordeaux

we are in Bordeaux
we had a great train ride
except for the spot when they stopped the train and made a staticky announcement which we could not understand
our seatmate informed us that there was a suicide up ahead
holy crap  -- not how we expected our train trip to turn out
we were on our way very quickly and had one more short wait
we arrived about 15 minutes late  -- no big deal we don't have to be anywhere
we arrived at our hostel
it is beautiful
king and twin bed
4th floor (with elevator)
inside bathroom
we headed out to book a wine tour and ended up walking until almost 9:00
it is about 15° warmer here than Paris
we had an awesome day
now we are having parma ham, smoked salmon, olives, baguette and cheese

oh and this  -- picture a bottle of Bordeaux
i can't download it from my kobo
actually I just put it on facebook

ok we are bagged
eating
and we have a wine tour tomorrow morning
ttfn

well i managed to get up and about and headed out for a walk around the block
i bumped into some Brits who were looking for Sacre Coeur
unfortunately i had no idea how to get there
i wandered around a bit more and bought some amazing fruit
brought it back to the room
left a note for Mel that i was heading up to the church
as i was wanderimg back down the street another woman approached me
i preemptively  said 'sorry' anticipating that she was going to ask for directions to a location I didn't know
and it was Mel.
i didnt recognixe her at all

so off we went to find Sacre Coeur
what an amazing tour
another 112 stairs up
ffs
then we wandered around
went inside
it is beautiful
Mel noticed some people taking photos way up in a dome
and wanted to go there as well
so up we went
300 steps
we are so ready for the Pyrenees
what a spectacular view from the top of the church

we are off to Bordeaux in the morning
we have loved our time in Paris

Remember don't eat the bread

Jet lag has hit -- big
Melanie is off exploring on her own
as I was too blah to head out with her
caught up on some zzzz's
and feel refreshed
must remember not to eat the bread
it is delicious; but after two months of no bread it was a bit of a shock to the system
off to see some of the city

stairs stairs and more stairs

so there are 112 stairs at the Metro Station
which is fine going down
but we did come home
and it was still 112 stairs
then a frantic search for a rest stop (by which i mean toilet)
because weren't there another f**king 112 stairs waiting for us
thank you M Crepe guy

catching up on screens
going to eat
and then big sleep

paris and Champs Elysees

wow  what a busy day in Paris
arrived early
and by the time I took the train to the Gard du Nord I had about five minutes to meet Melanie's train

i stood on the other side of the glass from the Thalyse wondering how i would connect with her
i finally realized i could use my train ticket as a transfer
got to the arrivals with one minute to spare
her train was on the dot
we were so excited to see one another
it was a pretty surreal experience

we walked over to the hostel
which was supposed to be very close, at least by looking at the map
but i had to dump my used luggage first (I was worried about my backpack being wrecked on the plane and bought a $7 used suitcase from the Salvation Army to put my new backpack in)
turns out getting rid of an old unwanted suitcase is quite difficult to do in Paris
i put my backpack on and carried the used suitcase around empty for a while
i finally opened it up and left it under a suspended garbage can
then we walked the three block three hour zig-zag walk to the hostel
seriously
it was insane
we know every nook and cranny of Montmarte

finally into the room for some unloading of baggage

and off for an adventure
down to the Champs Elysees for some window shopping
and tons of walking

it is now 6pm here
we are heading out to eat

arrived in paris
haven't done much more than grab my bag, go through customs and signed onto the wifi
heading to the train station to meet up with Melanie

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go.
Well, my bags are overpacked!
and I'm not sure if I am ready to go
but countdown is upon us,
Just about 12 hours to departure time
so, ready or not, here I go
See you all on the other side.

Gearing up

Well, part of our journey has begun.  Melanie is now in Europe,  I am heading over very soon.

I was worried about how my knapsack would handle the travel, especially considering how my new Heys ended up after travelling to Windsor a few weeks ago.  Amanda and I went to Salvation Army yesterday looking for used luggage.  We found one that's a good size, the thinking is that the knapsack will travel inside the used luggage (and save on wear and tear), then the luggage will stay in Europe.  It was half price day at Goodwill, so for $7.50 I got a great piece of Samsonite (I think it is from 1950) but it will definitely keep my bag intact for the journey.  Almost packed now (must rethink taking the entire medicine chest, I know there will be lots of places to stop and shop along the way),  And, we are almost off!!

Countdown, less than a week to go.