On the banks of the Seine...

Monday was by far one of the most special days of my time abroad thus far (which says something considering how fantastic these four months have been). After a breakfast at home with Danielle, Marianne and I took the train into central Paris together to spend a day just the two of us. We had 7 years of catching up to do!

When we arrived just after 1pm, we began walking down many side streets, using the excuse of looking for a midseason coat, something that I’ve been anticipating needing as the weather finally begins to warm up in Copenhagen (though it is yet to happen). We had a hilarious moment trying to find our way out of the train station, but finally emerged into the beautiful Paris sunshine.

At the exact spot where the exit Marianne usually takes USED TO BE there was now a statue encased  in glass with a small card reading (in French): The head of a virgin. There was no explanation whatsoever. We found this hilarious.  

The view of the street right when we exited the train station

Only about 20 minutes into our walk, we decided that we were hungry and wanted to take a break for lunch. What followed was an hour and a half long trip through much of Paris in search of the perfect meal. The thing that I was most in the mood for was a fresh baguette with cheese purchased from a street vendor. The area where we had exited the train did not have this option (though we searched up and down quite a few streets). Marianne then proposed that we make our way to the banks of the Seine, where she knew many street vendors were located. She added the fabulous idea, which I immediately became attached to, to get our food and eat on the banks of the river. 

Along our [very long] walk we passed Notre Dame, many fountains, several old buildings which we could not figure out the importance of, and crossed the river onto the City Island and then the other side of the island to the other side of the river. Up and down streets and into little alleys: nothing!

Crossing the bridge

We thought this area looked promising to find a bite to eat, but alas, nothing 

Notre Dame!

Quick stop through a park

Notre Dame from a bit more of a distance

Finally, at about 3pm we found something! It was perfect!

Marianne orders our sandwiches while I do a celebratory dance 

With renewed energy from our find and the realization that soon we would actually be eating, we happily headed back in the direction of the Seine and located a good place to sit, went down the stairs and parked ourselves between many couples also enjoying a river-side meal. 

Crossing the bridge back over to the other side of the river

We ended up sitting right underneath this building along the river

Giddy with excitement about our meal

SUCCESS!

The view from where we sat

Marianne enjoyed taking a series of photos of me eating my sandwich 

We ended up talking for well over an hour and a half: we set goals for the coming year, reflected on the ups and downs of our high school experiences, and reminisced about the summers that we’d spent together when we were 11-13 years old.

After lunch we started in the direction of a mall where I was hoping to be able to find a present for my host family. Along the way we decided it was necessary to stop for ice cream.  

Marianne assesses which direction we need to go in

Finding ice cream proved only slightly easier than finding our sandwiches. I will add that when we had been looking for lunch, we found no shortage of ice cream stands. It was only when we were looking for ice cream that we couldn't find it! However, it was worth the walk and the wait... it was DELICIOUS. Once again, Marianne enjoyed taking a series of photos of me eating.

When I was handed my cone, I told Marianne there was no way I could finish it 

I am obviously concentrating very hard, trying not to drip

I was only mildly successful at staying clean, BUT...

I did manage to eat the whole thing! ;-)

We arrived at the mall and circled the basement for about 15 minutes looking for the bathrooms (it was the least well-designed mall I have ever been to). While we didn’t end up finding a gift for my host family, we did in fact find a coat for me and new sunglasses for Marianne (who had been horrified by the “bug eyed sunglasses” that she’d realized she wore after seeing my photos). 

We finally went to the train platform at around 7:30pm, which surprisingly is still right during the heart of Parisian rush hour. It was incredibly crowded. We braced ourselves as the train approached... we needed to get on (but so did the swarms of other people also waiting). 

I thought the platform was packed, but it was nothing in comparison to the actual train. I wish that I had gotten a photo, but it simply would have been physically impossible (in addition to completely socially inacceptable). I have never in my life been packed into as tight of a hot, sweaty, WAY overcrowded mob as I was in the train. Of course it didn’t help that Marianne and I both found the whole experience hilarious and were trying our best to stifle our laughter (which the people who were pressed into us and who were equally hot, sweaty, and tired did not seem to enjoy). The train cleared out about 30 minutes into the ride and we eventually got a seat.

Marianne in her NEW sunglasses

France 2004

Our last evening at home involved a nice dinner with both of Marianne’s parents as well as two of her brothers. I got to use more French and was able to understand and laugh along with their jokes throughout the meal. She and I knew that we’d have a very early morning today (we had to leave for the train/airport at 5:30am) so we attempted to go to bed early, but that ended up being just before 1am by the time we actually stopped talking. While I am a little exhausted as I sit here now waiting for my plane, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Marianne and I had SO much fun together and have vowed to stay in much better touch (which I am determined to make happen). One of the most profound thoughts of the day was something Marianne said on the banks of the Seine when we were reflecting on just how comfortable and easy things were between us: “It’s not at all weird, which of course is quite weird.” :-)

Last day together during my 2004 France trip

This morning the two of us got up literally at the crack of dawn. I used one of my best talents and was ready to go about four and a half minutes after waking up. We said goodbye (and a HUGE merci) to Danielle and all the pets, and got in the car to head to the train station where I would find a train to the airport and Marianne would take Eurorail back to London.

We got to drive right through the heart of Paris just as the city was waking up. The sky was very dramatic and we sped past the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre just before the sun came up. Marianne and I said heartfelt goodbyes and each went on our way. Now I am on the train home from the airport finishing this last post. I leave TOMORROW for Norway so it will be another very early morning. I definitely will not have Internet (or a computer at all) while I am trekking the fjords so there will be no posts until Sunday night. The itinerary for this trip sounds pretty amazing, but it does depend a lot on whether the weather is perfect for outdoor fitness. Fingers crossed and vi ses pa sondag (see you Sunday)!

Normandy 2004

Provins 2013