I'M IN LA LOUVRE!!!

(24/06/10)

I wasn't going to do a blog tonight because I got some shitty new from home, but I've done them everyday for nearly 3 weeks and there's only 2 more to go so thought I better man up and do it.

I'll start with the weird guy in the room last night. I heard some really heavy footsteps coming up 4 flights of stairs towards the room. A fat Chinese lad bursts in with a suitcase panting his arse off. Then a couple of seconds later he was followed in by his grandma. Now this was a mans only room so figured she wouldn't be staying. They both disappeared after about 2 mins, but he left his case. He'd be back. I was right, About 3 hours later he came back in panting again. No granny. He said (in broken English) "I walk around in my sleep at about 4am, and get up to stuff, so be aware!". O......K.... that wasn't creepy at all. I was a bit worried to go to sleep just incase I woke to find he had no clothes on and one of his fingers in my ear and another up his bum. Unlikely I know, but I've Learnt to expect the unexpected. Anyway when I did wake he had gone.

I was up early as I was going to the Louvre. I went and had the breakfast (which was free and not great) and then got a shower etc. I checked out and headed for the Louvre.


I got there about 9:50am and had to queue because it didn't open till 10am. The queue was long, but soon went down when it opened. I headed staight for the Mona Lisa as I knew it would get busy quickly. I had to push a few grannies out of the way and knee a few kids in the face en route, but it's ok, they were Americans.

There was a bit of a crowd, but people were constatly coming and goin so I got pleanty of time to look. Most people were just there to get a quick snap and leave. You might need to zoom in or something. This is a close as I was aloud to get.


Although I did want to see the Mona Lisa, I also wanted to see St John the babtist. I am actually quite scared by this painting and wondered if it was just as creepy in real life. It is.


I should have got one of those media guides for the way round really. There was so much to see and loads I wanted to know plus all of the text at the side of the paintings were in French. That didn't put me off looking though. It was nice to see that the Louvre didn't discriminate against disabled people in art and had a sculpture of a gladiator in a wheelchair.


Nearly all my holiday (especially since visiting Venice) I've wanted to do some sketching. I haven't drawn in about 4 years but I've decided I'm gunna start again when I get home and teach myself how to paint. I need a hobby.

I walked and walked and walked around. The place was vast. Even with about 25% of the place closed I didn't see all of it. I would walk round a corner thinking it was the exit and there'd be another mile of stuff to look at. It had everything from paintings, to pots, to mummys and even the remains of the original castle. There was even one wing that was as it was when it was a palace.


I had to leave in the end because I just couldn't go on. I want back to the hostel to collect my bag and go check into the one I was booked in for (the hip one from yesterday).

On the way a couple of things caught my attention. One was this table in an antique shop. Guess how much.


Nope. Nope. Higher. Higher. I'll tell you...€85,000!!! I also saw this....


I know I said I might go to Disney land, but if I was staying a bit longer, this would have really been the best way to finish a great holiday.

I eventually got to the hostel after going about a mile in the wrong direction. Someone had twisted a road sign round to face in the opposite direction. I followed it and ended up in a really dodgy part of town. It must have been a ploy to try and get backpacker going the wrong way so they could be robbed of their funds. To be fair, it's quite simple but cleaver and seemed to work well. Although I wasn't mugged, because as we've already astablished, I look as hard as nails.

I checked into the "hip hostel" and am pleased with it. Like I said in the last blog. It's purpose built and in a trendy part of town. The bunk is pretty cool too. It's a bit like sleeping in a tour bus compartment but with a full size bed and it has a light, 2 plug sockets and free wifi. This may sound pretty crap to some people, but my hostel in Rome only had 1 socket between 10 people and that had been taken over by the Chinese spies.


I've decided I am going to go to see mickey and minnie tommorow and just try to ignore the email I got. It's my last full day of what's been an amazing experience (this is my xfaxtor speach) and nothing is going to spoil it. Plus my super cousin is sorting some stuff out for me because she's brill. Cheers Vicky :D

Right, I'm going to finish eating my couscous with my room key and bid you fairwell. I know it's not exactly hygenic, but I don't have a spoon and I couldn't give a shit.

Toodles

I'M IN PARIS!!!

(23/06/10)

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.