Journal Entry: City Blues - Paris

Today felt kind of wasted. I got up at 7:30a and had breakfast downstairs. It was free. I talked to a girl from New Zealand, her name escapes me. Amy maybe? Or April? Had a nice chat with her.

I went to the Museé d’Orsay. It was very nice, but it got really hot in there, so I wound up rushing the last bit because I wasn’t feeling so hot. 

 

Museé d'Orsay

Then I went to Les Halles. I ate at a Chinese place and paid way more for lunch than I intended. It was good though. Cost €12 with a drink. Then I found there was a whole underground shopping mall at Les Halles, but my knee really started hurting so I came back to the hostel to rest. I wrote out post cards. I found them 10 for €1.50. 

I may need to withdraw some more cash. The Museé d’Orsay wasn’t taking credit cards as their system wasn’t working. 

I took some more aspirin and then felt some better so I went back out. I went to Notre Dame and it was extremely crowded. I was going to go to St. Chappelle but it cost €8.50! So I skipped it.

 

Notre Dame - Paris

I then came back to the hostel and got a burger at the bar downstairs. It cost €12. I spent too much on food today. Then I came upstairs to the room and called Andy. I need to see about how early I should be to Orly for my flight. Ugh. I have the long flight part of the trip. It is worth it though. Otherwise how could I see all these cool things.

Some new arrivals came after I got off the phone with Andy. They were from New Zealand too. I can’t remember their names either. They are backpacking for three months. They were in Asia for a few weeks. Nice to have conversations with people. 

Dorm at St. Christopher's Paris - Canal

I have a lot to do tomorrow so I’m going to hit the hay.

Journal Entry: Journey To Carcassonne

Today was glorious! I checked out of the hostel about 8:15 and found the rental car place in Marseille Gare St. Charles with little difficulty. Finding the A-7 was another matter! After going the wrong way [and taking a detour through an apartment’s parking lot] and doubling back to ask one of the rental car ladies how to get to the A-7 I was on my way. 

 

Gare St. Charles in the Morning Light

I went to the Pont du Gard, and that was really all I had time for. I spent about 2 ½ hours there, and then headed for Carcassonne. I wanted to go to some other sites, but reception is only open until 7pm here, so I would have been cutting it close. 

 I checked into the hostel and they gave me a private room! No ensuite, but private nonetheless!!! I need this. It is nice. I also have an amazing view. I can see the walls of La Cité from my room! I had dinner at Le Trouvere, the same place where V. and I ate three years ago. I had their House Plate, which was a three course meal and a pitcher of wine, which I finished this time. It was a bit much and I was quite tipsy for over na hour, but now I am fine. I had bacon salad, then cassoulet (duck + pig stew) and a scoop of ice cream (chocolate) for desert. The cassoulet was delish! I need to find a recipe for that.

 

Window of Private Room

Private Room - Yay!

 

Bacon Salad - Needs more bacon!

Yummy Cassoulet

Le Trouvere - One of my favorite places

Oh, and the Pont du Gard was amazing! Cost €18 for the whole site, including parking. If you could have walked in, it would have been free. The museum was a little hokey, but interesting, and the aqueduct itself was beyond anything. I don’t know how they built it. It is huge and beautiful and marvelous. 

The Aqueduct is very impressive

It's survived floods for over two thousand years

The aqueduct from above

It would be nice to go back there some time with swimming gear and a picnic lunch.

Back to Carcassonne, I walked around the walls as the sun was setting. Gorgeous doesn’t even begin to describe it. I also hung around after it got dark. Beautiful! 

Carcassonne Lit Up

I need to plan where I’m going tomorrow, and hit the hay. I’m quite tired.

Oh, and all the highways were toll roads. Cost me €24 in tolls to drive here from Marseille. 

Journal Entry: Florence is Over-rated

Florence is completely over-rated, unless maybe you are looking to buy leather goods. The Uffizi and the Accademia are both way over-priced for what they have. I was totally unimpressed. There were three paintings in the Uffizi that were worth paying for, Boticelli’s “Primavera” and “Birth of Venus” and Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Judith Beheading Holofernes.” However, those even were not worth €15! And at the Accademia, the famous Michelangelo’s “David” was nice, but I hate to say it, I’ve seen better! Yesterday in fact, Roman sculpture at the National Museum (well the day before that actually). And the price was just ridiculous. The Louvre is cheaper. The Louvre that would take a week to go through doesn’t cost €15!!!**

The Uffizi took me about an hour and fifteen minutes. The Accademia took forty-five mintues, and I looked at every piece! The National Museum in Naples took longer and I thought it was small. In fact, I would bet the Asheville art museum is bigger than the Accademia. 

The only cool thing in the Accademia, besides the “David” was a room full of plaster casts. The gift shops were also extremely over-priced. 

All in all, I don’t think I’d bother coming to Florence again. Unless I want to buy leather goods.

There was a leather coat factory outlet I went to. They had some nice coats for €149. They were originally €400-€700. I would have bought one, but all the ones they had in my size were either too short or not my style. There were two longer ones I liked a lot but they were too small.

 

I really wanted this coat, but I'm not rich - it was €1700(!)

I went to another store and the salesman was uber-pushy. He gave me a good price on a jacket but I didn’t really like it. I think he was offended. I hate pushy sales people.

The hostel is okay, but I just about froze last night. I am going to ask for an extra blanket tonight. I woke up with my hips hurting this morning. 

 

There was a leather outlet store on this piazza where the salesman was obnoxiously pushy

Oh, and I finally got my eggs for breakfast! €7 for two eggs, 2 sausages and I had asked for two pieces of Panchetta (which is bacon) but the waitress must have heard “pancakes” LOL because they brought me pancakes. That also included a Cappuccino.

I wonder how many miles I’ve walked this week. It seems like a lot. 

**[I love art, I'm an artist, and I think the Accademia and the Uffizi were rip-offs. You have to pay extra in advance to secure your ticket or wait for hours in line to get in. You cannot take pictures, even without a flash. Currently as of 2014, the price to do this is about €42 for both. I call BS.]