Not long after my last post, I used Facebook to find Grant's address and Mapquest to get directions. Devin and I then took a stab at figuring out the closest subway stop, and off we went. After sitting in front of the building in which we were hoping that Grant lives, for forty-five minutes, I saw him walking down the street. Of course I immediately tackeled him and he picked me up and tossed me around. Devin and I were tired and ready to dump our bags. Much to our dismay, Grant lives on the eighth floor, and it is exactly 130 stairs to his floor straight up a tiny spiral staircase. This is not an easy feat carrying a 50 pound backpack! Up we went to Grant's 36 square foot apartment. It took us exactly two minutes to get to the top. Let's just say that we all got to know eachother VERY well.
We headed out in search of the Eiffel Tower, Arc du Triumph, and Nutella crepes (that was my idea). We had dinner sitting on the banks of the Seine River while watching the sunset.
The next day, Devin and I headed 300 feet below the city of Paris to explore the Catacombs: rock quarries dating back to the 1700s which were turned into mass grave sites after disease spread through the city because of corpses rotting in the cemeteries. We met back up with Grant and went to the market in search of fruit and baguettes for a picnic in front ofthe Louvre. Paris was great, and I am glad we got to see Grantly!
The next morning Devin and I headed out for Luxembourg. After getting off the train, we found a hotel just a couple of blocks away. After sleeping on the floor of a tiny apartment, we made sure to get a BIG bed. We wandered the streets of the city and thought it was strange that not many people were out and about. It just so happens that the king was throwing himself a HUGE birthday party that night, and everyone must have been resting up for the festivities. Devin and I headed into town for the festival. We ate dinner on the patio at Chi-Chi's (apparently the mexican restaurant has gone global). As we were finishing up dinner, it started raining cats and dogs. Luckily we were partially shielded by an umbrella! The rain let up, and like a dog being called by a silent whistle, Devin heard the distant beat of techno, and just like that, we were on our way to a dance party. It was crazy! We finished off the night with some wine from Luxembourg and a fireworks show.
Today we grabbed breakfast before some serious repacking. The tables were turned, and Devin was the one waiting on me to finish for once. We hopped on the train and ended up in Brussles, Belgium. That's country number five for the trip and number fifteen total for both of us! So far I'm not impressed with this filthy city. I think tonight we're headed out in search of the famous Belgian waffle. Perhaps that could change my mind!
