Day 18 – The Journey Home

Normally, I would have had no problem taking the train back out to the airport, but after the experience I had on the way in with the stoner boys, I just wanted to get to the airport without incident. The hotel shuttle picked us up at 7:30. We enjoyed one last French pastry while waiting in the hotel lobby. It turns out, the shuttle was a good idea, since Matt and I were departing from different terminals that were very far apart. We had been together non-stop for 18 days and were now separating for the flight home. I was sad and as I hugged Matt goodbye at his terminal stop, I promised him that we would not fly internationally separated again. I know he was sad too, but a First Class ticket/experience home was waiting for Matt. I, on the otherhand, had an 8 hour layover waiting for me in Toronto, but I had plans on escaping the YYZ airport and seeing my friend, Pat.

Upon landing in Toronto, I was not allowed to exit through customs to the outside world. All Americans with connecting flights were routed through an entirely different customs control station that dumped us out in the Gate area. No one would let me out. I got a variety of excuses, but the bottom line was that I was stuck in the airport for 8 hours. Unable to get cell service and the pay phones not accepting my credit card, I had Matt contact my friend Pat to relay the news of my predicament.

It was a very long 8 hour layover. I had momentary distractions when Matt would send me photos of his seat in First Class that reclined, or texting with my mom. 

I finally arrived in SF at midnight and Matt was waiting there to drive me home. He had arrived 5 hours earlier than my flight. Our adventure had officially come to an end. We were both home safe and sound. I always love living out of my backpack and coming home can make me feel rather melancholy. However, returning home this time was different...a new adventure was just around the corner...planning our wedding and knowing that I would soon marry my travel trooper, Matt. I feel very happy.

Day 17 – Paris, France

Since yesterday had been fully planned, I wanted today to be much less scheduled. We began with a morning stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens. The gardens were in full bloom. Joggers exercised around the perimeter while Parisians with model boats raced them on pond. There was also a morning band playing under the trees. It was truly one of those places where you could be content, just hanging out, enjoying the views and people watching.

Our next stop was the Saint-Sulpice Cathedral, home to one of the largest pipe organs in Europe…7000 pipes! We had learned that the organist, Daniel Roth,  did a mini concert after Sunday morning mass. We arrived at 11:30 assuming 10:30 mass would be ending. Since mass was not over yet, we sat in the back listening to the music and watch 5 clergy members celebrating mass due to an Arch Bishop’s visit. Apparently, a 90 minute mass does not go over well with Parisian Catholics either, as I watched parishioners check their watches, and then scurrying out at Communion.

There was a constant stream of tourists entering the church, but fortunately, they were all respectful of the mass and did not aimless wander around the cathedral, but stayed in back patiently reading their tour books. The Saint-Sulpice was popularized when Dan Brown included the Cathedral in his novel, “The DaVinci Code.” The author took some major liberties with his facts regarding the church and the Rose Meridian. The parish actually has a small display which stated all the things from the book that are not real, so “Don’t bother looking for them.”

After mass, the Daniel Roth went off on his own personal organ concert. Everyone could feel every note played. 7000 pipes sure can produce some awe-inspiring music. The mini concert lasted 30 minutes and then a few of us were allowed to climb the winding staircase up to meet  the organist. In the depths, we saw the ancient peddle bellows that the organist’s assistants used to stand on to pump air into the organ. The organist was completely surrounded by keys and a red velvet curtain covered his view of the cathedral. We were able to speak to him briefly and share our experiences at The Stanford Memorial Church organ concerts. He knew Robert Hew Morgan (Stanford’s organist) and had played the organ there himself. I wish we could have watched him play, but it was more of a meet and greet with an Organ Rock Star.

Back out on the Parisian Streets, we located the Apple Store underneath the Louvre. The lines to get into the Louvre were insane. There was a line of 200 people, just waiting for a chance to get into the ticket purchasing area that was filled with never ending lines. However, with our Museum Pass, we walked directly in the side entrance above the sculpture garden for a bathroom break and to enjoy a short rest in the sculpture gallery. The museum center was in utter chaos, but the sculpture area was peaceful. We had both been to the Louvre before and neither of us felt it was a priority to fight the crowds in the gallery rooms. Our time was better spent enjoying the marble statues that looked like they were all on the verge of breaking into movement.

With our feet given a short rest, we headed for the Champs Elyse. The stores were incredible, but it was a level far beyond my financial means. We enjoyed window shopping until the Mother Store of all Sephora’s appeared. I was inexplicably sucked into it’s depth.  It is the biggest Sephora store in the world and I was having trouble processing it as my head whipped back and forth easily distracted by every shiny item. I think Matt had a good laugh watching me make my way through the store. I needed my friend, Debbie, with me. This store was too much for a female shopping alone. It  was so big that the store needed a attack plan in order to see everything.

At the end of the Champs Elyse is the Arc de Triomphe. With museum pass in hand, we once again bypassed the lines and started climbing the 284 steps to the top. The top of the Arc provides a great view of the 10 streets radiating from the biggest round about you could imagine. Aside from the view, a great deal of entertainment came from watching the cars below navigate their merge in and out of the round about. Some were successful and some barely escaped a fender bender. From our vantage point they all looked like match box cars below.

Our day had been full. We had walked miles and our legs and feet were ready to retire. Back at the hotel, we packed our bags for the early morning departure and then headed out to a little Italian bistro for dinner. It was probably the best meal we had the entire trip. Simple food, Pesto for me and Carbannara for Matt, but it was delicious. Our adventures were coming to an end and once morning came, we would be heading home.

Day 16 – Paris, France

I had a full day planned and with fresh pastries purchased for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch we hit the streets of Paris. 

First stop, the Rodin Museum. I read that there are 2 types of tourists in Paris, “Those with museum passes and those (losers) without.” A museum pass is 39euro and provides access to the majority of museums and various sites around the city. It easily pays for itself after visiting only 4 locations. However, the BIG advantage is that the Pass allows you to skip every line and go right in past the crowds. To me, my time while traveling is priceless and I don’t want to waste it standing in a line. The Rodin Museum was not crowded and I loved the gardens and how all the sculptures were so accessible as Rodin had intended. The house in the middle of the garden was Rodin’s home.  The cone shaped trees created a very surreal environment, but the a-tonic voices that were coming from the speakers within each tree was a bit unnerving.  At museums, I always find it interesting to watch how people react or interact with the artwork. Many visitors to the garden did not seem to realize that the bronze sculptures were meant to be admired, and not used as a bench. Even the statues themselves seemed to be saying, “WTF, don’t sit on me.”

Second stop was the Orsay Museum and with our passes, we bypassed the long ticket lines and went directly inside to visit with some inspiring artists.. The Orsay is one of my favorite museums. Ironically, 4 rooms of the museum was being renovated and some of the collection was on loan to The Doge’s Palace in Venice (we had not been able to get into The Doge’s Palace while in Venice).  Everything about the Orsay is wonderful.  In addition to experiencing some of the best that the impressionists have to offer, the architecture is beautiful. The Orsay is in the old train station and makes you feel like you are on a journey of discovery while exploring every gallery. There was also a special exhibit and our museum pass allowed us to walk right in which included “The Red Dragon,” by William Blake.

Third stop was Musee L’Orangerie in Tuileries Garden. There was no line and the museum was pleasantly quiet. The Orangerie holds what is considered one of the first art installations made specifically for a museum space. Monet painted eight  panoramic panels for the oval space (4 in each room) lit by the most perfect natural lighting. Nymphéas (Water Lilies), was painted in the Monet’s garden at Giverny during the last years of his life when his eyesight was failing. The scenes take you from sunrise through sunset. They are beautiful and being surrounded by the artwork was a very unique experience. You can sit a gaze at the panels but everyone is drawn to walk counter clockwise around the room while experiencing the change of light within the paintings. At one point, Matt asked, “How much paint did he go through to create this?” Normally, a question like this from Matt is meant to be funny, but the sheer size of the panels and the thick dabs of paint, made it a serious question to ponder. Monet died before seeing the final installation, but what a wonderful gift he created. Thank you Claude!

The fourth stop brought us to St. Chapelle for a Vivaldi concert. I had booked this far in advance at the advice of my friend, Vicki, who stated the concert was her best Parisian experience. The St. Chapelle is a chapel almost complete made of stained glass soaring high above, originally erected to house Christ’s crown of thorns and commissioned by King Louis IX. The concert was wonderful. It consisted of 4 violinist and 1 harpsichordist. The lead violinist was a virtuoso. I’ve never seen a violin played like that in person or seen Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed with so much joy and passion. He truly enjoyed every note he played while inspiring his fellow musicians. Being surrounded by the beautiful music and visually encompassing stained glass was a Parisian experience that I will never forget.

An Interesting side note, King Louis paid the equivalent of 35 million dollars to the Venetians for the relic in 1278. The Crown of Thorns is no longer housed in the St. Chapelle. They were moved to Notre Dame in 1801 during the French Revolution. They are brought out each year on Good Friday.

After the concert, we grabbed a couple of panini’s and enjoyed a picnic dinner by the river. In the distance, black clouds were rolling in along with flashes of lightening. Our final stop of the day was a 10:30 reservation to go up the Eiffel Tower. Matt nervously watched the lightening get closer and questioned if going up a tower in lightening storm was really the best idea. I assured him that it would be fine…no worries on my part.

At 10:30 we boarded the elevator to go up the Eiffel Tower. Those without reservations were basically out of luck and standing in long lines hoping for a chance to just climb the stairs. I love high places and it was a different experience going up at night versus my last visit which was during the day. Up top was a bit crowded, but there was always a spot along the railing to take in the views and. However, the lightening still flashing all around the city. Matt did not seem to be enjoying the heights or the possibility of being electrocuted. 

By the time we got down, the skies had opened up and the rain began to pour.  We had thought to take shelter at a crepe stand for an evening dessert, but that was disrupted when 2 of the most inept police officers tried to take down South African who was peddling unauthorized merchandise. Cop #1 (male) had no fight skills and looked like a little school girl flailing about. His partner, Cop #2 (female) was the most useless partner I have ever seen. She basically just danced around the altercation, refraining from physically helping her partner.  Their backup arrived 15 minutes after the action had ended and the seller had escaped into the night, leaving Cop 1 victoriously holding 1 small backpack of merchandise.

On the subway ride home, Matt remarked how his friend, Paul who is a cop, would have had the guy down within 5 seconds. Overall, not impressed with the French police.

Day 15 - Paris, France

It was going to be a very long day of driving…8 hours according to the on-board GPS. We had to have the BMW returned to the drop-off location in Paris by 4:30pm at the latest. They closed at 5pm and the drop-off date could not be missed. We were on the road by 7:45 and settled in for the long journey.

For the most part the drive went by quickly. We had the latest David Sedaris audio book, read by the author to keep us company. The only small hick-up was crossing the border from Switzerland into France. There were 3 officers at the post. One waved us through and the other gave a very fast signal to immediately stop. Apparently, a red BMW, without tourist plates or stickers, being driven by 2 Americans is a warning. They searched around the car, looked in the back seat and proceeded to ask Matt how he came into possession of the vehicle. It seems, just as most Americans don’t know or understand European Delivery, neither do the Europeans. You could tell it made no sense to the border office why we would fly to Germany to buy a car and then drive it around. When he asked, “What else have you purchased on this trip and are you traveling with more than $10,000 in cash?” Matt replied, “No, we did not buy anything other than this car and now we are broke.” The officer finally broke a smile and waved us through.

We made it to the drop off location on the perimeter of Charles De Gaule airport by 3:15 pm. Upon arrival, Matt was informed he had to was the car. We knew about the formality, but chose to skip it due to the long line at the airport car wash. We were directed down to a car was reserved for taxi drivers. After the car had a bath, it looked like new again and the car return went smoothly. Matt was also very relieved that we had arrived in Paris without a single scratch on the car. In total we drove 1,824 miles and 6 countries!

 We were dropped off at the train station and headed off for the Left Bank of Paris. I’ve taken the train from CDG to Paris before, and yes, it can get cramped, but it’s usually an uneventful journey. I got a seat on the train across from a woman obsessed with her phone. Matt stood behind me since there were no other seats nearby. About 15 minutes into the trip, the woman got off at her stop and 2 guys who looked like rap-gangster wanna-bees took her place directly across from me.  When in such close proximity to strangers that make me nervous, I think to myself of one nice compliment I could give them based on first impression looks, to counter the first impression negative response. By the way, when gangster guys start speaking French, they don’t sound very tough or scary.

Dude #1 had gorgeous eyes. He could be an eye model if there is such a thing. As I tried to think of something nice about Dude #2, he began to dig deep down into his underpants, moving his junk around. That did nothing to help my find something positive, especially because as he dug around, his knees kept touching mine. Then his hand emerged from his pants holding a small baggie of bud. He passed some of the fragrant bud to Dude #1 who empty the tobacco from a cigarette and began rolling a very impressive joint. I assumed they were making for when they departed the train, but I was incorrect. In a train stuffed full of passengers, with no smoking signs on all the walls, the guys totally blazed up. I had smoke wafting completely in front of me and it quickly filled the car. Passengers searched for the source, but did nothing. I just figured happily stoned French gangsters could not rob me if they had the giggles. When they finally rolled off the train, they were too very happy dudes.

Finally, we reached the Raspail metro stop and emerged to the Parisian streets. After dropping off our bags, we headed out to explore the city. It was already 7:00pm, but we still had 3 hours of daylight. The river was the happening spot, full of Parisians meeting for picnics along the banks. We explored some of the sights throughout the Left Bank. However, when it was time for us to foraged some food for dinner, all the cafés were inundated with smokers and were very expensive. The little Panini stands and bakeries had already closed. By 10pm, we found a Mexican restaurant that was still open and willing to serve us (we had been turned down by one restaurant earlier). We ordered some enchiladas that were seriously overpriced by California standards, but I was so hungry I did not care.  They were delicious by the way. After dinner, we profusely thanked the waitress for a good meal late at night. We learned she was from a small town near Acapulco, Mexico. She came to Paris to study French and hotel management. While in school, she met her husband who was also from Mexico and who was currently the restaurant’s cook.  I really enjoy listening to these type of stories. 

Day 14 - Interlaken, Switzerland

Today we hike! Ursula had directed towards the Neiderhorn mountain peak reached via funicular from the town Beatenburg. She had said it’s an area where locals hike on the mountain range opposite the JungFrau. Neither of us had every explored that area, so it sounded perfect. We caught the funicular up to the peak with the intentions of a 3 hour decent. We hung out at the summit watching the paragliders take off. Some did tricks and soared incredibly high above. It was obviously a team or club. They all knew each other and had radios to communicate with each other once airborne. Their “coach” did a final safety check prior to each flight. Next visit, I will be one of these flyers.

We had no real trail map, but had been assured that all trails were clearly marked and that at the most it would be a 3 hour hike. We hiked through the snow along the ridgeline, fairly certain we were following a trail. Ursula had been right, the views were wonderful and once on the trail, we were completely alone. There was some deep snow still on the trail and every so often one of us would be knee deep in snow. Crocuses were popping up through the snow and as we slowly descended  below the snowline they began to carpet the hillside. 

For the first 2 hours, most of the trail was indistinguishable due to snow and rocky terrain. By hour 3, we started finding trail markers painted on trees and rocks. However, when we would come to trail signage, they always seemed to conflict what the last sign said. At one point, there were 3 different routes marked to get back to Beatenburg. We chose the one that went down through the tree line, but as the trail started to ascend and snow patches began to appear, I was getting that bad feeling that we chose incorrectly. When we reached the next trail signage, it said Beatenburg was back down the trail we had just come up (round trip, that was a 1 hour mistake). 

Back at the mystery sign post, we chose option 2 for Beatenburg. Around the next bend was a marker nailed to the side of a cow hut pointing down the mountainside. Unless you were a local, most would miss it. The “trail” was not really a trail, but a guideline to get down the mountain. At some points there were no visible signs that a hiker should even be hiking where we were.  Some parts of the trail were just laughable, especially when we got to a pretty intense drop-off cliff to descend and the “path” consisted of logs pounded into the cliffside along with a cable to hang on to. 

Towards the end of the hike, we crossed through private farms.  They had signs on the gate politely asking hikers to close the gates so the cows would not escape. Many farmers were chopping and stacking wood. The wood stacks were the ultimate Jenga game!

 By the time we finally made it down, it had been 6 hours of hard hiking. My knees felt like jello. I had only brought 2 apples and 2 granola bars along with water for 3 hours of hiking, so by 5pm we were starving. The trail dumped us out at Beatenburg on the far east side of town. Our car was parked at the funicular at the far west of town (a 45 minute walk). We had bus passes, so instead of walking more, we waited at the bus stop for 20 minutes. When the bus arrived, I flashed my bus pass and heard a “No, No, Not Good.” It would seem our bus passes were not good and the bus driver wanted the equivalent of $7 to drive us 2 miles down the road. We did not have $7 in Swiss Francs on us so we had to exit the bus and hit the pavement.

On the way to the car, we found a market with a bakery who accepted plastic. As we sat outside eating our first real meal of the day at 5:30pm, a car pulled up to the abandoned hotel across the street from us. A mother and daughter got out and started digging up the landscaped plants that were in front of the hotel and tossing the plants in their car. I guess the nursery must have been closed? They seemed oblivious to anyone who drove by and only wanted certain bedding plants. 

Finally, we made it back to the B&B. It was late and we were very tired. Matt had 2 Francs in his pocket and bought a ½ litre bottle of diet coke from the gas station across the street for our liquid snack. What a long day, but it’s not everyday you get to hike the Swiss Alps!