May 22 Paris

We got off the train at 8:30 this morning. Last night was a pretty sleepless night. There was a misunderstanding at the train station. I wanted a sleeper for Joe and I. These have actual beds and some have private rooms for two people. What I got was two reclining seats, much like in an airplane. I´m not sure if there weren´t any available or if it was because of the language barrier (I don´t speak Spanish and the guy at the desk doesn´t speak English), however, we made to Paris just fine. Then we had to find a room. We went to about 6 hotels and hostels before finding a room. The hotel left much to be desired (by far the worst we had stayed at), but we were exhausted and, as we are winging it, we can expect some unhappy surprises. We laid down to take a long nap.

Later, we woke up and walked around the city. We walked along the river and went to Notre Dame cathedral. Notre Dame means ¨Our Lady¨. This cathedral was one of the first gothic cathedrals ever built. It is famous for it´s flying buttresses (arched exterior supports) and was immortalized by Victor Hugo´s ¨Hunchback of Notre Dame¨, later made into a Disney movie, and it´s free to tour. Be warned though, it is a tourist trap, so there are many many people who also want to see it, but it was an honor to be a part of something so important throughout history, so it was easy for us to overlook the lines.

After Notre Dame, we took a river tour. This was such a beautiful and romantic way to tour Paris. Though the commentary was in English, we still had a hard time understanding the guide. The view was beautiful and the tour was a decent price, €12 pp, which in Paris is very reasonable. It was a great way to start our time in Paris!