The morning started off weird when we started walking to a nearby cafe that Nirvi had found online. Funny how you can go to one end of the street where you're staying and find it has a completely different look that the other end. That was the case here, except I didn't notice until later because for the 15 minute (it felt like 30) walk, I had a severe back spasm and the pain was really bad. Like, the worst I have ever felt when I get a back spasm, which are fortunately infrequent. The pain from my back creeped around to my ribs and caused a severe stomach ache. I breathed my way along, knowing that it would pass as it had in the past.
I had to stop and sit a few times actually! I broke into a sweat from the pain and managed to make it to the restaurant and tried to bull my way through the pain. I wasn't actually sure what was causing it, but as Nivri suggested, lugging a giant piece of luggage (they don't call it LUGgage for nothing, it turns out) up five flights of stairs after sitting in a plane for seven hours might mess up a person's back. True.
The pain passed momentarily and then returned, and I actually got nervous that I may have to go to the hospital. I ate slowly for fear I might get sick, but eventually, it did dissipate and aside from a slight soreness in my mid-back for the hours that followed, it was no issue. Ibuprofen was my friend for the next few days, as was yoga stretching.
It was on our way back to the apartment that I made this observation about the change in environment from one end of the street to another. From this direction, it was much quieter and more neighborhood-like. The other end was much more urban. And did I mention our street was entirely cheap shoe, belt and bag stores? It was fabulous!
After breakfast we headed to the Eiffel Tower via the Metro and it was easy enough (she says knowing Nirvi did all the navigational work). Buying a Nutella banana crepe on the way was a requirement of course. And when we arrived at the tower, the hoards were huge! Being me, I stated that it would be great to get to the other side of the Tower because of the light (it was back lit where we first saw it from the Seine).
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| the best food group while in Paris - crepes! |
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| Dorks at the Tower |
So we wandered through a beautiful park and the better lit side was worth the detour - lots of people were there laying around on the lawn beneath the tower. A much more interesting view than crowds navigating around people selling crappy plastic souvenirs.
From there, we found the Batobus, and bought a ticket to ride down the River Seine to where Notre Dame stood and also near a bookstore I wanted to go to because of the movie Before Sunset. Riding the Batobus was very touristy, but still, when will you ever take a ride on the Seine again? Finding the Shakespeare and Co shop was a surprise to me. I somehow had no idea how famous it actually is - it's history is long and interesting, as was the place itself. There was a line to enter the store and an employee would wave you in as another person left. Nirvi and I entered. I was disappointed to find that I couldn't take pictures inside, but it's tricky to even describe how it looked. It used to be a monastery, which might make someone think high ceilings, lots of room. Nope. It was a tiny series of cave-like spaces, and the walls seems to be built by books the way they climbed up to the ceiling. That's the best way I can describe it. The books were in every nook and cranny of the dark rooms and it's almost like you could hide in all the little spaces.
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| Group of Americans registering other to vote. |
I let Nirvi know I was going to go outside to look at the postcards. Once I was out, the line to re-enter got so long that I knew I wouldn't be going back in anytime soon. I waited outside for her. After about fifteen minutes, I gave up and headed to a nearby souvenir hop. I returned to the books store but Nirvi hadn't come out yet. I did not buy myself a data plan for my cell before leaving the states (something that I rectified soon after this day), so I couldn't text her. Another five minutes went by and I wandered down the street in the other direction, looking at another shop.
When I returned and she still hadn't come out, I got in the long line to go in and retrieve her. It took a while but I got back in there and there she was, completely engrossed in "The Vegetarian". "Are you gonna read the whole thing here or what?" I teased her and she looked up and laughed. It turns out she had thought I said I was going to look for postcards in the shop, and then just deiced to wait for me to find her when she couldn't find me. She told me later "I also read parts of Bossypants, Putin Country, and even Fahrenheit 451. I was in there a long time!"
No kidding. Too funny.
That evening, Libby's plane was to land from Florida, so we decided we'd go to the airport via train to meet her there.
There was lots of interesting people watching at Gare du Nord, the main train station, starting with lines of men selling peanuts at their feet on blankets (yummy AND sanitary!). We were walking past a line of them when suddenly, these men grabbed the corners of their blankets, scooping up their product and taking off. Not far behind them was the security on foot who quickly stopped running after seeing their targets disappear. The other fascinating thing? Corn sold from bags. We're talking HOT corn on the cob sold out of those rolling cart bags you see some people shopping with at markets. It's done very stealthily because obviously, it's not allowed in the station. Customers who clearly knew who to go to for their hot corn source would gather around the corn distributor and he would glance around before reaching into a rolling grocery bag and pull out a steaming piece of corn before ripping off the husk and handing it over to the customer.
We never could figure out if he was cooking them in there and if so how, or if he was just keeping them warm, and if so, how?!
We got as far as the train station when we got a text from Libby that she had her bags and was ready to leave, but the airport was a half hour train ride away. So we debated, should we go get her, or should we have her catch the train at her end and meet us in Gare du Nord (North Station)? I voted that we stay put. Otherwise, Libby would have to wait a half hour for us to get to her and then another half hour on the train back with us. This way, Libby travels to us for a half hour and we simply stay put for a half hour.
Nirvi however felt we should go get her because we said we would. Fair enough. Libby texted us that she would find the train station at the airport and make her way to us, and Nirvi texted her back to stay still and we'd come to her.
Nirvi texted a few more times to get a response from Libby that she'd received our text "Do not leave the airport! We're coming to you!" Libby never responded as we started towards the airport. We were about ten minutes from the airport when we got a text from Libby "I'm on the train!"
Of course she was. In the end, she didn't receive Nirvi's text until after she'd boarded the train heading towards us at Gare du Nord. So we basically passed each other on the train tracks.
Finally reunited, we headed back to the apartment to get Libby (who had flown from Fort Lauderdale to Paris with a six hour layover in Oslo) situated before heading out to an amazing meal and planning for the next day; our only really full day together.
Never a dull moment!
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