Epic Transport Fail: Day 1

The whirlwind that was the Paris Trip begins... I was sharing a cabin on the train with a couple of guys who looked African, and asked me if I drank rum. They had a few swigs during the trip, and were kind enough to offer me some (which I politely refused). They were also kind enough to put my big suitcase up on the rack for me. :)

When I eventually got to Paris (everyone loves 7-hour train rides), I managed to successfully navigate the métro network (with my huge suitcase) and get to the closest stop to the hostel. It wasn't snowing, but there was a decent layer of snow on the ground, and I was feeling whingey after the long-train-ride-crowded-métro-trying-to-pull-wheely-suitcase-through-snow mission. Fortunately, the hostel wasn't far away.

Nicole, the Kiwi friend I was meeting, had texted me earlier to say that she and her friend Agnes were at a distant Parisian airport but couldn't get into Paris because of the snow.

And then, to top it all off, my dorm room was full of Australians! Nah, just kidding... I was actually quite stoked to see the Aussies and have a chat with them. One even let me use his laptop, which was much appreciated, internet-deprived as I am.

Nicole had been keeping me updated... they were now in a taxi, but stuck in traffic! So, I was advised not to wait for them for dinner! Had also met some cool Chileans in the dorm room and, when I went downstairs, they were going to have dinner, so invited me to eat with them. Mmm, pizza. Didn't practise my Spanish though (except for a little bit of listening!) as they were determined to speak English for me, lol. And they were all pretty good, too.

Finally, about 11pm, Nicole and Agnes arrived. They were, understandably, frustrated, as they'd spent most of the day stuck in an airport, then a 1-hour taxi ride had turned into a 3-hour, very expensive one. Lucky they were sharing the taxi with a couple of others (including a nice young Frenchman...).

However, they were still determined to see something of Paris that night, so off we went to the Champs Elysées, in the hope of getting something to eat at the Xmas market. It was just shutting... so, we ended up at a pizzeria. It was midnight by this stage. Nicole tried a very French steak tartare (ie raw: brave girl). As I had already eaten, I contented myself with an apératif.




We were in a hurry to leave the resto as we wanted to get the last métro, and were running off when a waiter came into the street waving a 5 pound note that Nicole had accidentally put down, and saying we couldn't pay with that. He then jokingly complained about being cold outside, so I had to hug the poor man to keep him warm.

Fortunately, we got the métro, and some well-earned rest!