Paris jour deux!

I finally made plans with one of my friends in Paris.  She suggested I check out early out of my hotel and stay with her later on.  She wanted to meet after 8pm.  I told her I will message her once I get back from sightseeing.  Today on the agenda was the Montmartre neighborhood  to visit the Sacre Coeur.
AGAIN another hour and a half commute to this area.  What I found interesting this time is that I had to ride the bus to another train station altogether.  This bus stop was at a bus terminal which multiple buses passed through.  My bus ride took me on an expressway!  It’s amazing being able to view the Eiffel Tower along the horizon.  Once I got off, I went downstairs to catch my train on the metro.  I had to ride that line for 18 stops and then exit the station altogether.  Then I had to walk a couple of blocks before jumping on another line on the metro to head to Montmartre.  I was lost.  This part was frustrating for me because I felt I was not close enough to the area.  I contemplated on jumping on a cab to head towards Sacre Coeur but the Uber ride estimated this to be around 18 euros.  I figured a regular cab would have been over 20 euros and decided to save my money for later on when I would see my friend.  After a frustrating 30 minutes of walking in circles, I walked into Printemps department store to use the WiFi.  I had a migraine and decided to have a latte so I could calm down.  After carefully examining Google maps, I walked out and found the metro line I had to take.  5 stops later I exited  and saw a carousal.  I made it!!  What a relief!

I found the “wall of love” and joined the other tourists snapping away with pictures.  I immediately knew the neighborhood had a distinctive feel and started going in and out of boutique shops and specialty stores.  Once I found some stairs, I knew I had to hike upwards in order to get to the Sacre Coeur.  Luckily I was heading in the right direction and found it in time to join the line forming.  There were a ton of students around but I managed to walk in within a 10 minute wait.  I was completely blown away by the huge mosaic mural inside on the ceiling.  There was Jesus, extending his arms out!  I was moved.

I stayed and prayed for about an hour before I decided to venture out again.  This time when I exited, the line was wrapped around.  I did some souvenir shopping for a bit.  Unfortunately, it was nearing 7 pm and I knew I had to leave.  I had to meet up with my friend and in order to see her at 8pm, I had to leave now.  Another hour and a half later I made it back to my hotel and started packing my bag. 

I let my friend know I was running behind schedule and checked out of the hotel.  This time, I had to take the bus again, just like my first night here, and go back to the same metro line I used when I came in from the airport.  18 stops later I made it to the metro and rode that line for a while before transferring onto another line.  I grew upset when I noticed I was heading towards the wrong direction.  I had to jump off and make my way to the other side of the platform.  I was frustrated because this train was taking longer than usual.  It was now nearing 9:30pm.  I was running behind BIG TIME.

My train finally came.  I felt so bad rushing.  Once off the metro I had to jump on a tram for 5 more rides.  I noticed the familiar McDonalds and ran inside to connect to the wifi.  I called my friend to let her know I was near.  She seemed fine when I met her at her place.  I quickly got ready for our night out.

We took the metro and got off at Opera.  We made our way to Harry’s New York bar for some cocktails.  It was nice catching up with her.

Me and my friend went next door to a piano bar.  This place was crazy!  Everyone was dancing and singing along.  We stayed the rest of the night here because we didn’t want to leave.    

I probably slept for an hour and a half.  I was nervous about my flight again.  I decided to play it safe and leave earlier than anticipated.  I figured I’ll knock out on my flight home.  I rode the tram, jumped on the metro and headed towards the airport.

Luckily everything went smoothly on my way back home.  What a trip!  I had some bumps on the road but overall I loved seeing my friends in Italy and Paris.  I also got a chance to experience some new places.  I’m a lucky girl…

London/ Paris: Day 4 Part Two

I dozed off and on again during my train ride to Paris.  Unfortunately it was not vey scenic.  When the train pulled up I knew things were going to get chaotic.  I found my metro stop downstairs, but there were so many people.  Once the metro train pulled up people were shoving themselves on.  I was super nervous but I had to endure two more stops of this before I transferred over.  Paris metro system is a lot busier than London’s.  Maybe because London’s tube is much longer (?)  I got confused walking around the underground subway tunnels.  I couldn’t find my train stop to get on.  I had to find Metro 4 and I was lost.  I walked into an African man who asked if I was ok.  He spoke to me in English.  I asked for his help and we walked together.  He asked where I was from and I told him Chicago and that I just came from London.  He explained that he wanted to go to London to finish school.  Again, he applied for his visa and he got denied.  For the time being he is working in Paris, but his eyes were sad like the girl I had encountered at the mall earlier.  Once he showed me where to get on my train stop I gave him a hug.  He looked like he really needed it.

Two more stops later I got off the train.  Last time I was in Paris I got lost for over an hour once I stepped out of the metro station.  The rues in Paris run small and you are constantly looking for new street signs on the buildings.  I do not know how I managed to pull it off, but I found my hotel right away.  I lucked out big time!

Once I checked in I asked the concierge for help on directions leading me to the Apple store.  I couldn’t believe my luck again.  He told me there was a huge Apple store right down the street.  “But you need to hurry; they close an in hour!”

I literally ran out of there.  I wasn’t sure if they would be able to see me right away.  My anxiety shot back up again.  I was too excited when I spoke to the French associate.  I got some looks from the workers but I didn’t care.  I just really needed to know what was wrong with my phone.  I told the associate that I got it to charge in London but wasn’t sure what was wrong, the cord or the power adaptor connected to my cord.  It turned out to be both.  But then my luck ran out.  I realized I didn’t pack my European converter and needed to get that as well.  60 euros gone, just like that.

I decided to charge my iphone at the Apple store so I could finally calm down.  I messaged my friend and told her my status.  By this time, I was getting hungry.  Once I was fully charged I decided to venture around my hotel neighborhood.  I figured I would grab a sandwich to eat since I already spent my daily budget on the phone. 

I liked my hotel neighborhood.  I was surrounded by high end retail shops.  I knew I was in a shopping district although I felt I wasn’t around too many tourists with selfie sticks.  I felt safe.

Once I got back to the hotel I asked the concierge if I was far from the Louvre Museum.  I knew the train stop from the metro was around the corner but I wasn’t sure where I was from all of the tourist attractions.  I had to get on at another metro station down the street but he said I was two stops away.  I was curious if I could make it on time to go to their museum shop before they closed.  I really wanted to get the museum book of the Louvre.  I regretted not getting it back when I was in Paris 2 years ago.  It’s a huge book and at the time I figured I could order it online.  Unfortunately, the English version was sold out and it has haunted me ever since.  With limited time in Paris I wanted to knock this out the way.

I messaged my friend and off I ran.  Sure enough, there was a metro stop that landed you underneath at the Place du Carrousel at the Louvre.  I ran inside and tried to find the museum shop.  I was getting confused because there are other shops underneath, but none were the official museum shop.  It was nearly 8:40pm and I was worried they were about to kick people out since it closed at 9pm.

I got inside and ran to a shop.  I was in the middle of buying the book when I noticed another book in the background that looked similar.  I asked the sales rep if I could see the other book.  “Is that the official Louvre book?” and she quickly snapped back at me, “No!  THIS is the official book.  Can’t you see that THIS is the official book?  That is what is here!”  She motioned to my book on display.  I was fed up by now.  “I was ONLY ASKING!” I snapped back.  I was done with sales associates today.    I don’t think this lady knows what I went through.  Geeze!

Since the museum was now officially closed, apparently so was the metro station I tried to get back on to go to the hotel.  Great.  I had to walk outside to find another metro station.  Looking back at it now, I’m glad I got a chance to see the museum at night.  It is truly breathtaking.

I finally made my way back to the hotel and messaged my friend.  I was exhausted.  She joked if I was going to go out.  I forgot it was Friday night.  I told her I wanted to, but I needed to rest first.  I knocked out for an hour.  Once I woke up I messaged my friend again that I was still exhausted.  I wasn’t up for it, but I knew I would regret staying in on a Friday night, especially being in a beautiful city.  My friend asked again, what was I going to do?  I didn’t reply back because I FELL BACK ASLEEP.  Hahahaha!  Once I woke up again, it was now 11pm!  It kept getting later and later by the minute.  My friend thought it was hilarious, but I was perplexed.  I told her if I did go out somewhere, I would have to go to a club so I could stay awake.  I needed some good music to keep me up.  

I jumped out of bed and quickly got ready.  I looked for an uber but the rates were ridiculous!  70 euros for a 10 minute ride???  What a rip off!!  I told my friend I was stuck.  Now what?

I made up my mind.  I messaged her that I was going to go back to where the apple store was.  Out there were a bunch of bistros and bars surrounding the store.  I’ll go and walk down there and have a glass of champagne.  I just had to.

She told me to be careful and off I went.  There were people on the streets so I wasn’t worried about my safety.  Plus my hotel had a 24 hour concierge which I liked.  I looked for a busy bar and quickly found Le Germain.  From the outside window I could see people dancing and enjoying themselves.  My kind of place!

I went inside and made my way to the bar.  I waited and waited.  The bartender did glance at me but he continued to talk to a group in front of him.  Another woman walked up beside me and was waiting as well.  He looked over and again continued to talk to the group.  I felt shunned but wasn’t going to walk out of there.  The music was too good.  Lol.  Finally he walked over and asked if I needed something.  I ordered my drink but waived to him to take care of the lady next to me before he got back to his group.  I joked to that lady about the bartender but she replied back in French.  I told her I didn’t understand and she spoke to me in broken English.  We were getting along well.  She told me she got into a fight with her boyfriend and that’s why she was alone.  

After our drink she asked if I wanted to go somewhere else.  I said sure.  “It’s around the corner”, she said.  We walked around onto a busy side street.  There were a bunch of pubs and people were all over the street.  We walked into a pub and headed downstairs.  I’ve never seen so many happy-go-lucky French people singing along.  I was surprised but I loved it!  I like seeing people having a blast.  I bought a drink for my new friend and we walked in the other rooms.  At one point we headed to another area downstairs where they had dance music.  I really liked it in there!  One thing about Parisians is their love of dance music!  I ended up meeting more people and we were all dancing and having fun.  My new friend went upstairs to talk to some friends she knew.  My new group wanted to go to another club.  They asked if I wanted to go and I said yes.  We went to look for my new friend and we exchanged Facebook information to keep in touch.  I was excited to see where the night would take me.

We took a cab to the other club.  It was at the riverwalk by the Seine river.  We walked into Faust nightclub and I was blown away!  Disco led lights filled the ceiling.  People were going crazy for the music.  I felt I was at a rave but filled with beautiful people.  Lol.  I got what I came for; good dance music and a night out in Paris!  I’m so glad I met such wonderful people.  They made my night!

London: Day 1

Last night my mom cried to me.  I felt bad.  She cried because she knows how much I love to travel and go to concerts.  After the scare in London’s tube recently and the horrifying ordeal in Las Vegas, she cried telling me how much she prays for me and my brother's safety.  I cannot imagine a mother having to worry about such incidents.  I confessed that I am not going to stop doing the things I love because of terrorists but I know it’s not the words she wanted to hear.

London is not immune to terrorism as are other large cities.  I know from experience that my mom does not like me traveling solo, but for me, I NEED this.  I need these experiences for ME, for my personal growth, to toughen me up and to learn from.  I may not be traveling down the road to motherhood (or marriage for that matter) but in the meantime I NEED to go out and LIVE. 

I flew out on Monday on September 11^th .  I even went to work that day to get my mind off of flying.  My anxiety was in full swing that Sunday getting my suitcase in order, but as usual, I forgot to bring my European converter plug.  Trust me I write this stuff down but I was more concerned about having my chargers for my iphone and BlueTooth ready.  HELPFUL TIP:  My mom advised me for future travel to leave the converters in my empty suitcase and not store them away in some drawer.  Good tip mom!

My flight was late in the evening at 10:30pm.  I had time to go home from work, shower up and head out via blue line on the CTA.  I’m not far from the airport so I don’t mind at all.  But my nerves kicked in BIG TIME.  I knew I had to have my glass of red wine while I waited.  Unfortunately, I did not see the foreign currency exchange since I was flying out of a different terminal.  I hate it because it meant I would have to do this in London’s Heathrow airport.  Hey I’m a city girl at heart and I always think the worse.  I don’t want anyone following me out of the airport (anxiety worries) knowing I was carrying cash.

Since technically I was flying into the future (landing in London at 12:30pm) I knew half my day was going to consist of finding my hotel with limited wifi.  I ALWAYS print out my Google maps and although I do purchase travel packages through my phone carrier, I use my data for emergency only.  Most of the time I search for hotspots like Starbucks and McDonalds to help me out along the way.

I figured out the tube (London’s metro train) and found my hotel.  I knew immediately by the length of the tube how much London was bigger in comparison to Chicago.  Close to 9 million people in population!  Holy cow!

I checked in and quickly freshened up.  I purposely chose my hotel near Earl’s Court station which consisted of the Piccadilly line and the District line.  These Underground lines helped me get to my points of interest.  First stop- Victoria and Albert museum!  

I thankfully made it in the museum around 3:30pm.  Most of the museums closed at 5:30pm, so I knew right away this was going to be it for me today.  I enjoyed this museum very much and even had time to charge up my phone a bit before it closed.  I couldn’t help myself!  I took a ton of pictures inside.

Once the museum closed up I went to a nearby café.  I normally take 2 cups of coffee a day, and had one earlier on flight.  But I was already feeling sluggish.  I knew from my Google maps that Harrods luxury department store was nearby and wanted to see for myself this iconic retail shop.

Never in a million years did I imagine such a department store!  I must have seen every designer’s full collection!  I also was surprised by the number of visitors shopping inside.  I wanted to get some souvenirs for friends and family and decided on tea from Harrods own line.

Afterwards it was close to 7:30pm.  I decided to head back to the hotel to take a nap.  I knew I wanted to go out for a cocktail later on, but since it was a Tuesday night, my options were limited.  I decided to head to Sky Garden around 9:30pm.

By this time it was pouring raining!  I ran back to the hotel to grab my umbrella.  I had read about London’s infamous showers but this was a sight to see!  Most people on the streets were barely carrying an umbrella.  I assumed they must be used to it.

I had to ask around but luckily found Sky Garden and headed up to their  rooftop terrace.  I LOVED the view, I just wish it wasn’t raining so much.  Regardless I made some friends right away and they showed me to the other bars that were in Sky Garden.  The space was impressive.  So far, London was sweet!