This morning started off not too good. Sylvia told about half of our group that she was changing the "be ready" time from 9.15am to 8.15am. Through some word-of-mouth, most people got the message. From the people who didn't get the message coming down to breakfast early, they were told the message. The only person who wasn't told the night before, and who didn't wake up early anyway, was me. FUN. So i woke up at 8am. Started taking my time getting ready... at 8.10am, Laurence (the sweetheart) knocks on my door and tells me.
FUCK
So i run around like absolute crazy, swearing my head off at Sylvia, unable to talk to mum, unable to have breakfast - run down and grab some rolls, the cook's like "the plates are over there" and i explained to her i don't have the time to eat breakfast, rush upstairs - looks like i'll only be about 10 minutes late... ana comes up. She was told. But not me! And ana had the instructions for how to get there. So i stopped trying to get ready, and we had a good convo and i took my time to eat.
Anyway, turns out Sylvia was a bit weird about it. She claimed she had told me specifically about it, when she never even mentioned today yesterday at all. Tone along the lines of my fault for being disorganised? Maybe she's getting senile. Then ana asked for the instructions in english - and she made a comment how ana has translation issues, when ana is sooo good at french, she's really good at it and making up sentences and the like... probably better than most of us, and then impliedly hanging shit on ana because ana speaks in english! we all speak in english! and french can be so frustrating because they waste so many words getting across a meaning which in english takes like 2 words to say. grrr sylvia. grrr
anyway, fortunately i still looked hot.
We caught the metro by ourselves - so much more fun than catching it with the group. Turns out the group left waaaay too early - they spent a lot of time doing rubbish because they arrived too early for the tour (it was run by a really nice french woman).
Ana had the chance to go to the toilet, i popped in and bought a black scarf - very nice, i like it quite a bit.
Then we walked up the stairs to Sacre-Coeur, which were long but i wasn't too tired - i guess we walk so many stairs, you kinda get used to it - also because it was freezing outside we weren't too hot.
The guys on the steps for sacre-coeur are creepy.. they reach out to you, speak english very well, and they actually grab your arm trying to sell you these "friendship bracelets" - the woven-wool kind you have in like year 4. One of them grabbed ana's arm. weirdos.
Anyway, then we were there. But we weren't allowed inside - it's a church where catholic sacraments are displayed, groups aren't allowed in there, and they only really allow people to come in if they intend to sit and pray etc.
We also went to the church nearby - forgotten it's name - but again not allowed inside.
The lady - conferencier - that took us was very very nice. She was very friendly, and she walked us around old Montmarte - no, that's not where we're staying. The streets are picturesque - beautiful cobbled streets, winding roads going up and down, etc. The information and things she said were both relevant and interesting - she made the history of the area actually fun and intriguing. She also finished about 45 minutes before we were told she'd finish. She was bumbling and really nice - she also spoke english absolutely perfectly. Only very minor traces of a french accent could be found in her voice. And she was useful in telling us not to buy anything from that area, it was all too expensive, and telling us her favourite café because they don't charge you exhorbitantly and they're nice.
It was also good that these two young girls who worked in a restaurant allowed us to use their toilets without paying.
After that, we walked back to the metro - there are heaps of tourist shops around there, some things are really cheap - value for money - although some are quite expensive. I think you need to have the patience to search through it all - which i do not.
Ana and I then went to H&M near le Chatelet (metro station AND building). Ana bought gloves to go under her leather gloves, and nail polish etc. I bought a pair of gloves v similar to ana's - only 1.90 euro! and also another umbrella (it's pretty! i swear!) and um what else? a pair of black flats.
Then i stopped into the Macdonald's on the way home (well, it was right next to H&M) and i got a McFlurry - with D'Aim (delicious toffee-caramel chocolate) and then caramel sauce. There was a freaky druggie there, i'll let ana tell you about him.
Then we went to the supermarket. I got diet coke, and mentos. Then we caught the metro home, and went to another supermarket, where i got water. And we saw the entire range of Haagen Dazs and Ben and Jerries icecream at Hyperchampion.. drool.
Then we came home on the bus, and it was all good. I'm going to spend a couple of hours cleaning my room. FUN.
So in conclusion: a lot of money spent, but much fun had while spending it. And montmarte is cute.
bonsoir tout le monde
