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