- Shopping at Monoprix
- Get train tickets fixed
- Free tour of Paris
So I got some clothes on and headed out to the Canal St. Martin which is literally a block from my apartment. Since it was early morning shops were getting cleaned out and most people were on their way to work. The rain had cleared the air and it was blue skies. Beautiful. The canal at my end wasn't very interesting, but I walked about half and mile and back again. The killer is the cobblestone pavement! I noticed on the way back that the bakery two doors down was finally open so I made a mental note to come back.
I tried calling the apartment agency, but they didn't answer so I emailed instead. Of course, as soon as I send off my email I found a way to twist the cord and make it work so I sent an addendum to my email (Update: they replaced my shower head anyway with a brand new one. Hooray!) I quickly took a shower, grabbed the most wonderful pastry ever at the bakery and hopped on the Metro.
On my way to the Deutsche Bahn office, I had a realization. It's a Deutsche Bahn office in France...hmm...I wonder if they speak English. At this point, I began rehearsing in my head what I'd say in German if things got desperate. The office was on the "5eme etage" or 6th floor with no elevator...more spiral stairs!
The secretary spoke French and German so I was glad I had rehearsed in German. I explained about the tickets and she went to talk to her boss. He came out several minutes later and started rattling off things in German. I stumbled through something and then asked if he knew English. He did! He explained that they could not print off my ticket for Friday even though I had a reservation (what's the use of a reservation if you can't get a ticket with it!). The only thing he could do was sell me another ticket home. At this point, I was started crying again and trying really hard not to. He went to find me a seat on the train and the secretary, who suddenly spoke English, got me a glass of water and tissue. I paid for the new ticket, but the DB guy was taking a long time. He came back with my old reservations stamped with an explanation on the back as well as a computer printout from him explaining the situation in German (with my receipt) so I could bring it in to my local DB office and get a refund. I burst into tears again and thanked him in all three languages. I had a way home and a way to get my money back!
I looked at the clock. I had 20 minutes to get from my location in the 9th down to Saint Michel for the free tour. I took the chance and ran for it. Thankfully, my Navigo pass (kind of like an Oyster card in London) started today so I could just buzz right through. I made it with time to spare, but there was a huge crowd for the tour, so many in fact that they had to split us up in four groups. This free tour is done by recent university graduates who have come to live in Paris. They go by tips so it's good for people on a budget. I got Simeon whose accent and way of phrasing things reminded me of Eddie Izzard. After the first two stops, I realized I was the oldest person on the tour. They obviously cater to hostels, but I was very thankful that Simeon was super knowledgeable and funny(one of the other tour guides was just talking about clubbing and partying...sigh). He was a bit frustrated though as many in our group were slooooowwww...Because I kept up, he would explain cool bits of history along the way that most of the group missed as they were taking pictures of every. single. building.
The funniest thing that happened was at the Louvre right by the pyramid. There is a fountain that shoots up huge streams of water about 15-20 feet in the air. Simeon was telling us the history of the Richelieu wing when the wind suddenly changed and the water flew right at us! It was like someone had taken a fire hose and directed into our group. We scattered, mostly unscathed but Simeon just stood there in shock and said, "That has NEVER happened before!"
We hit the mid-way point of the 3.5 hour tour at the local Starbucks, but surprisingly right next to it was a restaurant I had wanted to try! It's called A Toutes Vapeurs. Everything is steamed in special high-tech cooking machines. I had the mini wrap taboule and the curry chicken. The chicken was a bit of a risk as I'm picky about my curry. It wasn't that great, but the steamed veggies and the wrap were wonderful. Around this time I started realizing my right foot hurt...alot.
I thought I'd just walk it through but once we started the tour again I knew something was wrong. As we started walking through the gardens right outside the Louvre, I pulled Simeon aside, explained the situation and gave him my tip (he was great!). He was bummed and asked if I'd be back later and I said I'd try if I was up to it (and I meant it to, I'd love to finish the tour with him). I bid au revoir to the rest of the group and headed to the Carousel de Louvre. I sat down for a while and then wandered into La Maison de Chocolat, but everything was so professional and pricey I thought I'd try another chocolate shop for my gifts. I hobbled onto the Metro and made it back to my apartment.
Now I'm just resting my foot and hoping it will improve by tomorrow. Tonight, I'm going to the ballet which is just a straight shot on the Metro so I should be fine. Never a dull moment here in Paris, that's for sure!
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