Day 4

Day 4:

Tuesday, March 24, 2009: Today was horrible. I began by waking early to shower and check out of my room and move my bags back to the luggage room. I needed to be at the airport to meet my friends with whom I was staying. We had a room for four but could not check in until 4pm. I had all these plans for the day that I would soon find out would not really happen.

So then I walked to the metro at Place d’Italie and used a child’s ticket. I had to change lines so I figured that I would only go a few stops and buy my ticket for the airport then. As I’m walking to the train, I see controllers verifying tickets. And who is there? The Frenchman who stopped me the day before and told me I would be fined if I used the half-price ticket again. Great. I panicked and did a 180 and went back and bought the full price fare for the airport.

So I’m on the train and transfer and am on my way to the airport and my French cell phone rings – it’s Zoe’s dad (one of my friends I am meeting; Zoe, Melissa, and Shawna). He tells me that Zoe is sitting at baggage claim waiting for me (keep in mind that it is 4:30am in Ohio) I explain that I am on the train and on my way to meet her.

Well my first problem was that I went to the Delta arrivals because I found my way back there because that is where I arrived. She flew with American Airlines and was on the complete other side of the airport. Charles de Gaulle is a huge airport too. And so I walked there. I finally found her about a half hour after talking to her dad.

So then we needed to find Shawna and Melissa who flew on United and US Airways, respectively. And so we needed to go all the way to Terminal 1 now on the free airport train. We dragged her bags all the way over there and found the arrivals, but not them. So what should we have done? My American cell phone did not work; they did not have their French cell phones activated yet; the airport internet was not free so they did not email me to tell me where they were; the airport staff would not page them on the intercom. We were starting to freak out.

By now it is noon. I text my mom and asked for advice; I text Shawna’s boyfriend at 7am Ohio time with no response. We finally decided that we would go check the RER station because maybe they were waiting for us there.

So we are on the train back to Terminal 2 and my cell phone rings – it’s Melissa. They are waiting for us where I met Zoe because another member of the group said that she was there waiting for me. Melissa had to use an Israeli Frenchman’s cell phone because other members of our group would not let them use their cell phones for two seconds to call me. Ridiculous.

So after that fiasco, we bought RER tickets for Paris. We boarded the train and took it all the way to Denfert-Roucherou and then had to transfer so we could exit at Place d’Italie and walk to the hostel. Well transferring is much easier said than done with three girls and three-months’ worth of baggage. Zoe got stuck in the exit with her bags and the automatic door closed on her! Hilarious!

So then we dragged the bags the block to the hostel and by now it was 3pm. What a wasted day. Even though they were nervous about doing it, we left all their bags in the luggage room. It was safe but no convincing would have reassured them. They wanted to wait in the lobby for an hour so we could get our room and drop the bags off before doing out. I talked them into walking down the street to activate their French cell phones and walking back and waiting.

The same Frenchman was working in the Orange store and only spoke French. So I explained that they were my friends and needed the same thing I got on Saturday. It took about a half hour to get the three phones all ready, partly because the batteries were all dead. Then we walked back to the hostel and got on the internet to pass time. The girl at the front desk allowed us to check in a few minutes early.

So we were in the room and the girls wanted to change clothes and do this and that so I gave them a half hour to get their shit together before we were going to do something. Finally we were out the door with no ideas or motivation to do anything.

We walked down Rue Mouffetard again and looked in the shops and I took them to the Pantheon for their first view of the Eiffel Tower. On our way back to the hostel, we found a little restaurant at which we ate. We each had a three course meal for 10E! It was very good too! I had escargot, lamb, and crème brule. After we ate, on the walk back, we stopped and bought a bottle of wine to drink in the room even though it was against the rules and we could have maybe been kicked out for doing it.

Thanks for the corkscrew Mom! It came in handy! We got plastic cups from the woman at the shop and relaxed after a hectic day. I did not get a chance to write in my journal.

During the night, we turned the air/heat on. Well I had the top bunk and was roasting during the night. I opened the window during the night but Shawna and Melissa were on the bottom bunks and were freezing. Melissa closed the window and I woke up burning later and opened it again. It was the cherry on top of a perfect day!

(Google any proper noun that you are unfamiliar with)