Day 34

Finally in Bruges!  Had a wonderful time in Paris sightseeing and seeing a friend I hadn’t seen in a couple of years.  So thanks to him for being such a gracious host when it was a busy time in his schedule.

My day began around 9 a.m.  I had to check out by 11 a.m. and yet I didn’t need to be on the train to Bruges until 6:25 p.m.  That meant I had almost a full day of sightseeing.  What to do oh what to do?  I decided to make my way over to the Cimetiere Du Pere Lachaise to visit the grave of Jim Morrison.  Not only did I go there for his grave, but I also visited the graves of Georges Bizet, Frédéric Chopin, Auguste Comte, Molière, Édith Piaf and Oscar Wilde.  I spent about 2.5 hours in the cemetery and enjoyed every minute of it.  Well, except when I saw crows.  While I love cemeteries, I do get a little freaked out when I see crows.  Crows in a cemetery represent souls that have not yet passed on…and there were a few crows today in certain areas. 

When I was done with the cemetery, I sat on a bench to rest my knees and feet and tried to decide where to go next.  Cobble stone roads and walkways are not good on my poor little knees.  I was hurting just a little when I was done with the cemetery yet had about four hours to still kill before needing to be at the train station.  After looking at the map of Paris and the Metro…I chose to head over to the Pantheon.  The Pantheon is … 

After the Pantheon, I was finally done and tired of sightseeing.  I was hungry and ready to get to the train station for the next part of my journey.  Or as Nick in London would say…”the next leg of my tour.”  Oh how I miss the boys at Watering Can Media already.  I do hope that we can all get together next Saturday when I have my stop over in London before heading home on Sunday. 

Anyways…back to today.  I got back to the hotel around 4 p.m., grabbed my luggage and hailed a cab to Paris du Nord train station.  The cab driver kind of laughed at me when I told him where I needed to go.  I know it was close enough, about a 20 min walk, but that I had been on my feet walking for over five hours and I needed a cab at that point.  LOL.  Call me lazy, call me a lazy American, I don’t care.  Ha ha ha ha.  Finally after 2.5 hours of waiting at the train station, I was on my train to Bruges in Belgium.  If any of you have never seen the movie “In Bruges” do watch it, it’s what drew me to come here.  Not a very happy movie but there are some funny parts in it. 

I got in at 9 p.m. tonight and quickly hailed a cab for the hostel.  The driver was extra nice and showed me a few of the best restaurants to try out.  Being overly anxious to get some beer and the internet, I checked into my single room here at the hostel, packed up my laptop, and headed down to the common area and t.v. room.  The only outlets available for my computer were in the t.v. room.  In there I met a nice young boy from Holland traveling with his father, a couple from Melbourne, Australia and a nice young man from Argentina.  I think I’m gonna like this hostel situation.  I have a single room with a locking door for privacy.  I didn’t want to risk dealing with others in a dorm like room since I’m a very light sleeper.  I also didn’t want to risk my snoring and keeping anyone else awake.  The room isn’t up to hotel standard but the bed is comfy and I have my privacy so that’s all that matters.  I’m only here to sleep anyways so as long as it’s clean and the bed is comfy…who cares.

So after three beers and a long day of being on my feet and traveling, I think I’m finally ready to head off to la la land (zzzzzz).  Tomorrow I have a big day ahead of me by walking around town, walking up the Belfrye Tower, getting some damn good frites, looking for Belgium chocolates for friends and family in the States, and going to the Heilig-Bloedbasiliek, the Holy Blood Basilica.  I would say goodnight in Flemish if I knew how…but I don’t so…Good night and sleep well.