I woke up this morning on Paris at 7:30am. The smelly couple smelt even worse so I left the train with haste.
As it was early and nothing would be open, I decided to take the metro to the north station as I knew it would be bigger and have somewhere to sit/sleep and waste some time.
As I expected, there was a mcdonalds near by so I went in to "borrow some WIFI". I needed to send an email to my hostel to try get a bed for tonight. I'd tried sending them an email from Barcelona, but my emails weren't working for some reason. It sent this time, but no reply.
It was about 9:30 and the hostel was about 30 minutes away so I set off walking. On the way I saw a gadget and DVD shop. The guy said they had a discount just for me.
I got to te hostel and it was pretty cool. It was part of a newly developed area on a marina (but quite a bit out of the centre). There was a "hip" Internet cafe and bar downstairs with "funky" chairs and "cool looking" people dotted about - you know the sort of place - I'd fit in. They didn't have any beds for tonight. They put me in touch with another hostel that did have one. The new hostel was more central than the other and is right next to the louvre. Which was perfect and fit right in with my plan. Today: see the sites. Tomorrow: go to the louvre. Friday: maybe visit mickey and minnie.... If the funds are right. I had estimated that I may need to draw out an extra €150 near the end of the trip and I've only drawn out €40 so far. That was in Amsterdam due to not been able to cash some travelers cheques because I'd left my passport with the bike hire people. I think I'll buy a ticket with the money I won in monte carlo and call it my birthday present. Although I've already uses that excuse for my new camera, and the holiday itself.
I went to the new hostel, paid, had a quick wash in a sink the size and shape of a bar of dairy milk (I didn't have a room yet and it wasn't time to check in) and then left. Then I went straight back in to get my England shirt because the match started at 3. The lady on the desk said all the matches were been shown on a big screen at the Eiffel tower. That sounded cool so aimed to be there for then.
I did notre dame first and then the panthion
Most sights in Paris are free if you are 25 and under, so I tried blagging my way into the viewing platform at notre dame and into the panthion itself, but they weren't having any of it.
I went in notre dame, but only saw the panthion from outside.
I then took the metro to the eiffel tower. It was about 2:45 when I got there and blisteringly hot. I started to queue to go up the tower as I thought I would make it back down again for the football. I was wrong. It was bigger and had more lifts than I had expected. It was 4 minutes to kick off and I was stuck at the top in a queue to get the lift back down.
I got out at about 4:20pm and started to run to where the football was being shown. I was like superman when he runs off and pulls open his shirt to reveal the superman symbol. Apart from I was like a crap version. Running across a busy square in flip flops, in 30 degrees + heat with a limp from a sore foot and a dicky knee, and rather than ripping my shirt open I was pulling off my tshirt to put on my England top, but got my head stuck in it and nearly got run over.
I got there just in time to see the confetti cannons going off and the music playing. England had just scored and I missed it. I sat and watched the rest of the match with my other tshirt on my head like a true Brit at the seaside with a knotted hankie. It took me about 10 minutes to realise we were playing in red.
Oh, and guess who was sat next to me. That's right, you've guessed it. The one, the only, chocolate biscuit salesman extraordinaire..... Gareth - P P P P Pick up a penguin - Gates. Not random at all!!
After the match I walked to the Arc de Triomphe
Then decided I was going to walk all the way back to my hostel down the Champs-Elysies. I needed energy first. I got a daim bar and hot caramel mcflurry, mmmmmmmm I've seen the future!!!
The street was packed full of Serbians and riot police. It was a nice walk though, with lots of good shops on the way. One was a peugeot one that had some concept cars in.
I walked all the way to the louvre and had a sit in the gardens on the way. I could have sat around there in that sunset all night. I know that's an oximoron, but you know what I mean.
I took a pic of the louvre when I got there, but I didn't go in as I'm saving that for the morning.
I'm back at the hostel now and the rooms fine. Some weird people though but I explain more in the morning. I'm off to sleep now.
Night night.
Ps - I saw this guy on the way round. I think he must be a student.
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