We'll always have Paris ...

So I met this guy ... well you think that how it should be with a title like that. But alas, my life is no romantic movie. Instead, I met my beautiful and wonderful friends (Jenn, Brian and the kids) in Paris. They have been travelling around the world since late October 2010. And we promised each other that we would meet up before they returned to Edmonton for a break in May. I was not able to make it to Turkey, although I would have loved to. And with the days and months passing by, Paris was their last stop and only a 3 hour TGV train ride from Karlsruhe. Perfect!

So the crazy person that I am, I decided to book tickets just to meet them on the weekend - really just one day with them - Saturday. I booked a late train 19:32 on Friday (after work) to go there and to come back on a 7:00 train on Sunday. The cost was about 129€. If I booked earlier than the 2 weeks, it would have been around 99€. The earlier you book, the cheaper it is. It doesn't matter if it's high season or low season like the airlines.

The train ride was pretty fast. I got there around 22:35 at Gare de l'Est and made my way through the signs. I read up on some blogs and talked to Ursel a bit so I can make my way efficiently through the train system and catch the trains at the times I wanted. It was pretty easy as they labelled everything pretty well. Jenn and Brian was renting a place near EuroDisney so I knew I had to get to Marne-la-Vallée station from Gare de l'Est. I wrote down which trains I needed to take which saved me loads of time. I first had to take the M4 (metro-line 4) to Les Halles. Something to remember, the metro stops only for a very short time. You would have to get on and off as quickly as possible. No stress there! Then I made my way through to the RER A to Marne-la-Vallée.  Note that you have to buy the metro and RER tickets separately. Ursel gave me her old metro tickets (purple ones) and they worked. I wanted to save time figuring out the ticket machines and the stress of having to buy tickets with coins only (as I read). Worked like a charm. First thing you'll notice, the stations are dirty and a bit dodgy at times. But if you take the usual precautions, it's pretty much harmless. There are so many people taking the trains during every hour of the day, it seems like you're never alone. When I arrived to take the RER, I wanted to take the 23:03 one but I JUST missed it ... so I thought ... I was pretty lucky it was a bit late or else it would be another 30 minute wait and I was exhausted. So on I went, I told Jenn and Brian I would text them once I was on the train and that would give them 40 minutes to meet me at the station. But stupid me forgot that I was underground, so I had to wait for it to stop so I can get my mobile signal to send the text. They got it and off I went. The train took what seemed forever but then it stopped at Val D'Europe which was the second last top to Marne-la-Vallée. It waited there forever! Then Brian texted me, "Are you still on the train?" (see my response and Brian's below).
He asked the driver if the train came from Paris and wondered where the heck I was! Stupid me. I assumed it was the last stop at the Eurodisney. Trust me, I will never forget this stop. It made me chuckle every time I saw it.

When I arrived at their place, we talked for a bit and then went off to bed to start the next day full of things to see and do. The children woke me up with big smiles and hugs. It was so nice to see their lovely faces! We made breakfast together and then went out merry way to the city. First stop was the info booth in Eurodisney since Brian had to drop off the rental car there. We bought the Paris Visite (day) passes. You can get the passes for 1, 3 or 5 days and can use it in the suburbs as well. One day cost me about 20€ but but it was well worth it. The city is just huge you had to take the metro to get to places.

The kids were awesome in terms of staying with us. They hardly slowed us down; they were quite the bundle of energy. They were ok taking the metro and RER and were full of curiosity. Many people smiled as we made our way through the city. We started with the Arc de Triomphe (by accident) and walked our way to the Grand Palais via the Avenue des champs. You will find many shops along the avenue. Amazingly, we only stopped by the grocery store to get our lunches. We went on the Alexander III bridge where we saw the love locks again (like the ones I have seen in Köln). I found out from the kids that the keys are thrown into the river and that is why the locks are always on the bridge and near a river. The things you learn from kids :) And smart ones at that. So it was all over Europe as they say. On our way to the palace, we saw the guards with very unique looking hats. I wanted to take a photo with them and they were nice to do so even though they were clearly on duty! Well Brian had to nudge me a bit. Why not? We are in Paris! lol.

With Brian leading the way, we headed to the Eiffel Tower. There were sooooo many people sitting having a picnic, chatting, suntanning, and even doing Capoeira! The line ups to go up the tower was even longer with almost 3-4 hours wait and the top being closed due to congestion. Crazy indeed! But I just wanted to see the tower at night :) There were lots of people selling stuff so be prepared for that. But otherwise, they are harmless. We ended up taking the metro to the Louvre and the the Champs-Elysees because it's way to far from where we were. The Champs-Elysees was smaller than expected and we did wish the dirt was paved as we our shoes and pants got dirty really quick. There were even sun chairs where you can sit, have coffee and enjoy the sun and people. Right next door was the Louvre ... the famous Louvre. Again, many people but we were happy to just be there and sit and take in the environment for a bit before heading home. We were very very tired. We only went home for a bit, mostly to refresh and have dinner. Brian and the kids had a shower and stayed to relax while Jenn and I headed out to see the Eiffel Tower at night and oh what a sight to behold. A must see for sure.

It was a fabulous day with Jenn, Brian and the kids and I cannot wait to see them again when I get back to Edmonton for a short visit. But until then, we'll always have Paris.