day 4
i had planned on heading to versailles today, so i set my alarm for 8:30, so i could get an early start. it’s basically an all day event. anyway, i woke up then and it was still dark out (which is super weird), and i was so tired, so i slept, again until about 12:30. maybe i just need to force myself out of bed.
i felt kind of weird when i got up, a bit of a sore throat (which i still have, but it’s not so bad), and my stomach was still feeling weird. i think it’s because i’m not eating normal meals, or how much i normally eat.
so since my plans for versailles weren’t going to work, i decided to walk to the eiffel tower, since it was fairly sunny out, i figured there would be a good view. i got the directions on my ipod and headed out. i intended to get something for breakfast but the patisserie down the street was closed. i figured i’d find something along the way.
eventually, i did - a huge macaroon (you can see the picture). it was quite delicious. now i just have to try the normal sized ones. maybe once the patisserie is open again, they had some.
anyway, the walk was about 3 miles and was quite nice. i finally reached the seine, which i hadn’t seen before today. it’s so beautiful! if i don’t head to versailles tomorrow i may have to head back to the seine and explore, and visit the musee d’orsay and the musee rodin and saint-germain.
i ditched my directions, because at this point i could see the tower. i crossed the river and round rue l’universitie, which happened to lead right to the tower. it reminded me of the first and only other time i’ve been to paris. we just sort of stumbled upon it, and that’s just how i felt today. walking towards it, it’s hidden by buildings, and then all of a sudden, there it is. it’s such an amazing thing.
the temperature today was probably around 50 degrees, so i didn’t wear a jacket, as i’ve been warm the other days. i didn’t think about what the weather on the tower would be like, though - windy. in any case, i figured i’d “man up” and deal with it. unfortunately (or not), the top of the tower was closed, probably due to wind, so i could only get to the second area.
it was chilly, but not that bad. and the views… so hard to describe. amazing. i think one of my favorite things to do is view cities from high-atop places. i just love looking at all of the buildings and see things in a different way. i stayed up there for a bit and grabbed a hot chocolate, which was the best i’ve ever had, i think.
i decided to walk to the nearest metro line that led to my apartment, which was about a mile and a half away. it was another nice walk, and i walked by the invalides, where napoleon’s tomb is, which i’ll probably explore at some point.
so the train station i went to, the woman selling tickets said something i couldn’t understand, but she wasn’t able to sell a ticket. i waited for a bit until someone who spoke french talked to her, and that led me to a free metro ride. i like riding the metro, it was a pretty quick ride, and my stop is only a couple minutes from the apartment.
i wanted to eat at a restaurant for dinner tonight, as i haven’t had a real meal in a couple days. i found this place that looked good - they had burgers, and that just sounded delightful at the moment. unfortunately the kitchen didn’t open until 7 and it was only about 6:15. i decided to get something from the supermarket instead and try eating out someplace tomorrow. i bought some gnocchi and sauce as well as some potato chips, and just finished eating. it was good! and gnocchi cooks so fast, i didn’t realize.
so now, i’m catching up on dawson’s creek in french and trying to decide what to do tomorrow. pictures to go up shortly!
