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| St. Michael's Statue |
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| Inside from the pews in Notre Dame. |
It was only 10 or so in the morning so I wandered around the streets some more, taking photos. Around 12:30 I stopped for lunch at a cafe on the corner of some street. I got a table that overlooked the busy street to people watch as I ate my really good ham and cheese sandwich and French wine. It was a nice way to stop after being up for over 20 hours.
I continued wandering the streets and figuring out the metro until I could check into my hostel. After checking-in I was happy to get upgraded to my own room. I could take a nap and get ready for the night at my own pace. I was planning on going to the Louvre, but overslept, waking up just in time to get to get to the Eiffel Tower!
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| Le Seine |
Getting off the metro I looked like the lost American because I had to double check which exit it was towards the Eiffel Tower - gotta say the Parisian metro is a more confusing DC metro on steroids, multiple exits and entrances and
little signage for other lines to transfer to. But a really nice American woman saw me and helped me by pointing to the map of where to go, and even where the best photo ops were.
little signage for other lines to transfer to. But a really nice American woman saw me and helped me by pointing to the map of where to go, and even where the best photo ops were.
Happy to say getting "lost" (it might not be lost if you are clueless in the first place) was good.
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| Maddie - 1; Fear of Heights - 0 |
All in all I had a great time. Getting down from the tower was timed perfectly with it sparkling, and I went over the bridge for some great views and a yummy Nutella crepe.
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| The best view: Across the bridge with Nutella crepe in hand. |
1) Personal space is almost non-existent (Get ready for Italy mom!)
2) The most important: trust people. People are overwhelmingly good natured, don't be afraid of asking strangers for help. Got to say my broken French has come in handy, people who can't speak back in English will help and speak slow. Of course there are a few bad apples, beware of your surroundings, just don't be afraid to ask for help. Last night I had just put my phone into my jacket pocket after taking photos to take out my wallet to buy my crepe. The people in line behind me saw that I forgot to zip my pocket up and they let me know that I need to be extra vigilant because of pick-pockets in the area.
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| Make sure to cross the bridge for the best view. |
Flying into Rabat tonight I fell in love with the city. I always love flying at night and seeing the different features of each city. I have flown over Maryland numerous times at night. Each time I pick out the stadiums for each team in Baltimore and then again in DC; I can even find the ICC off of 95 and see what I think is my neighborhood. Flying into DC at night is very different than Rabat. Rabat is a well-lit maze that I think were the medias of both Rabat and Salé.
The owner of the riad, a Moroccan version of a bed and breakfast, picked me up at the airport and we buzzed around the streets. There were children playing in parks, people eating at restaurants and walking around in what is the newer medina. Then we came to this big stone wall that surrounds the Salé medina where I am staying. As we entered the medina it took me back in time. It's old, the roads are narrow, the storefronts looked smaller and everything is closer together. We continued on the road that circles the medina until we got to the riad.
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| Inside Riad Dar Jabador |
So, that my first few days abroad. Tomorrow I am meeting up with my group at the hotel we are staying at for the week before we get placed into host families.
See ya!
