Happy Birthday Stef

Day 8 of our adventures. The day that Stefanie was born...so far the best part of her birthday is leaving Paris. Let me tell the story of three Canadian girls in Paris. So on Sept 2, 2011 after we checked into a different room with no one inside we headed down to the train station to book our ticket to Brussels. We also booked our hostel for Brussel, a private room for 29 euros a night. We are quickly realizing we need to book our hostels as far in advance as possible. So we booked amsterdam for 4 nights at 52 euros a night. OUCH! And Vienna for 3 nights a 22 euros which is much better. Clearly we need to book way in advance for the best deals. O well, we are learning. So we went to the train station for book the ticket to Brussel and validate our eurorail passes. After some issues finding where it is we are supposed to go we talked to the lady and booked our tickets. 27 euros to reserve a ticket!! I couldnt believe it!! She said every country is different and we are hoping its just Paris that is SOOO expensive. After we decided to go to the Bastille area and walk around a bit. After walking for awhile we found the seine. It was a hot day, hot and sweaty and humid. We sat by the seine with all the other frenchies and enjoyed the cool air coming from the water. Later we bought a couple bottles of wine for 2, 50 euros a piece....at least the wine is cheap. And sat by the river and relaxed. It was nice, we had a wonderful time and the wine was pretty good. The weather cooled off and it started to rain. Which was really nice considering it was sufficatling hot all day. We ran to a cafe and enjoyed watching the rain from the patio, had some wine and a cheap ham and cheese sandwich. By the way, if i never have to eat a ham and cheese sandwich again in my life it will be to soon. That night we went back to the hostel and went in to change for bed. There was two german girls who were very nice and kept to themselves. That night we got a wonderful sleep, cool with the window open and felt refreshed the next morning. The next morning we decided we would just stay at the hostel the next two nights. We asked to stay in the room with the two nice german girls but to no avail. So in two nights we have moved from room 600 to 500 to 400. We check in again to our new dorm and there is just one girl from germany. Again very nice and kept to herself. Feeling reassured we locked up our stuff and headed into paris for the free walking tour. The place was easy to found and our tour guide was AMAZING!! It was a two hour tour and all she asked for were tips...we gave her 5 euros from the three of us. She was so knowledable and gave such interesting facts about Paris. Instead of just looking at a building we got the whole back story of it. It was WELL worth our time. It only took about 3 hours, but the time flew and there was people of all ages that attended. The best part of the tour was our guide gave us the most knowledgable tip yet. While we walked by the Muse du Louvre, the line up was blocks long. Would have taken 8 hours! We took one look at the line and said forget it. Well, there is a back entrance that only the french people know about. But anyone can use it. Its on the back side of the Muse, with lions out front called Portes des Lions. Sure enough, we walked right in and because it was sunday we didnt have to pay! THe art work was incrediable, work from the 1300 on to 1800 it was amazing. I wish I knew more about art. We headed straight to the Mona Lisa. Sure enough it was there....a wall to herself, in a large room, with tons of people that surrond her, protected by bulletproff/spill proff/flash proff glass. Dont worry your allowed to take pictures to which we did. Its darker and smaller then one might think and still impressive. Its true her eyes follow you and you cant tell if she is smiling or frowning. From the Muse we went to the Notre Dame. Incrediable impressive!! We didnt go in the line was to long but we did stand infront where Point Zero is...point zero is what all of PAris is measure by and it is the heart of PAris. After, we headed back to the hostel for some supper. At the walking tour the said they also hosted Pub Crawls around Moulin Rouge for 12 euros and 5 euro beers. Me and christie decided to buy some brie and crackers for supper as well as some more cheap wine. THe brie was a 1,80 with a monk on front. We figured france is known for great cheese I'm sure any cheese would be fine. As you open it that most rancid smell feels the room. Thinking its part of the experience we bit in. Gross, digusting, worst taste ever!! Needless to say we went to the vending machine. Then after freshing up we headed to the Moulin Rouge which wasn't to hard to find. There were about 7 other people joining. Two guys from Germany, Two girls from Britian, One from LA, One from Australia and One from Ireland. The Pub crawl was a great way to meet other people and we had a wonderful time. It ended at a club were we danced the night away and took a cheap cab back to the hostel. (15 euros) It was a safe way to meet people and get home safely. Good Experience for sure! The next day we slept in a little and headed into town late to see the Pantheon. The girls waited outside in easily the most beautiful neighborhoods....cobble stone roads, nice square, pretty shops. It cost me 8 euros but it was well worth it. Very creepy though...you go down the stairs to a dark tomb like area with tunnels everywhere. And there are all these cement coffins....weird. I found Francious Marceau our ancestor and took some pictures. After us girls walked around the area and found a little cafe for an espresso. EAsily some of our favorite times are sitting, drinking coffee, and people watching. It just so amazing how well dressed french people are and how beautiful they are. Then we headed back to the hostel and picked up food from our pinic in the park infront of the effiell tower. This time we bought the 3 euro brie, crackers , some meet and apples and grapes and of course more cheap wine. We then got all dolled up for our photoshoot in from of the tour de effiell. To get there was a pain for it was all the way on the other side of town. So a good 45 min metro ride. However, to see it was so worth it. It is truly magnificent. So large and beautiful it was breathtaking. We stole some sheets from the hostel (dont worry we brought them back afterwards) and set up our pinic. Even got a candle. We then took alot of pictures and settled down to eat. Now in the park there were alot of police and military people around, so we felt pretty safe. Thre was also all the annoying people selling trinkets, which gets old fast but o well. Then these little boys( no more then 7 and 10) came up to our blanket with a piece of newspaper mumbling something to us. Knowing they were up to something we told them to go away. An hour later they come back put the paper over top of our stuff and start mumbling soemthing. I was able to grab my purse quick and tell them to go away or we will call the police. Then they run away. Confused and nervous we checked everything. Then we realize they stole our WINE! Whatever, at least they didnt get my purse (THANK GOD), but either way those little shits were good! After that we figured we should get out of there before soemthing more serious gets stolen. After a long train ride back we were exhausted. Excited to just get a good nights rest we went to our room and started getting ready for bed. There was three new people. Two girls from japan who were sleeping and a 45 something freench woman. I bet you can already tell where this story's about to head. We had the three beds on the one side of the room and there were five beds on the other side of the rooom with a bit of a divider in between. There are two windows as well. This older woman gets up, climbs out of her bed and comes over to me on our side of the room. She asks me to make sure the window on my side of the room stays close. After the first night in the hostel we realized that when the window is closed, you dont sleep cause your sweating to death. So I politled told her that it gets much to hot in the room when the window is closed and if shes cold there are cormforters on the top shelf. To which I proceeded to get for her. She says no, the window must be closed cause she does not want to sleep with another blanket. I told her I'm sorry there is nothing I can do, the window on our side will stay open. Then she says well its to noisy. So I offer her some never been used ear plugs. She says, no I want the window closed. I say, well I have solutions to your porblems and if you do not want to take them thats your choice but the window stays open. Then she starts getting angry and in my face, (by the way....rotten teeth smeel really really bad) Stef pips in and tell her we are tired we are going to bed, the window is staying open so you should just go to your side and sleep. Then she starts saying we dont respect her, the window should be closed, if we are hot in the middle of the night we should take a cold shower ( yes cause that would not wake everyone up and totally inconvient us just to leave a damn window open) then she starts ranting about how were ganging up on her and that the window must stay closed for her well being. etc etc etc. We tried telling her to go to bed, as me and stef angryliy stood there while we was getting dangerously close to our face. Stef went to the front desk to call security....cause clearly this was not going to end anytime soon. We ignored her and when the security guard came up we talked to her for awhile in french then said told stef that they have had many problems with her in the past, she is absolutly crazy and that they would move us to another room. Great! So then we had to pack up everything once again and move to ANOTHER room. By this time it was 130am and we demanded a room just the three of us. So in four nights we were in room 600, 500, 400, 331. Fabulous. This hostel was horrible,the location was in the ghetto. Projects everywhere, I've never seen so much dog shit and garbage in the streets, and alot of sketchy people. Every new room and bed we went to looked like it had been slept in, the ham and cheese breakie got old fast, and apparently there are a bunch of gypsy crazy french woman who have probably all cursed us. But alas, today is Stef's birthday and already things are looking up. The train was on time, we didnt have to check in, we had a wonderful cheap sandwich at the train station, and the train is very nice and corfortable. The best part? Were leaving Paris. Paris was not kind to us. I hope to never go back. The sights were amazing, but not worth everything else we went through. Dont worry friends and family, are positive bubbles are still there and we are all looking forward to time in Brussels. We are over the first week, which everyone says is the worst week, and the worst is over. Pray for sunny skies ahead, Auviour.