Enfermedad en París

So just about everyone that lives in St.John's has decided to become a living, breathing human germ. We all knew it would happen. The question was when. Well, this week was the week for me to be bogged down, craving as many naps as possible, shoving Vitamin C down my throat, and finally giving in to going to the pharmacy for some magical drugs. Luckily, unlike my usual course, the cold like feelings passed quickly, and I still was able to make it outside for a day or two. I definitely started to feel my body shutting down on Monday, and by Tuesday I knew that I needed to nurse myself back to health quickly since I did not want me feeling yucky prevent me from enjoying the lovely Paris. Well, the drugs worked, and although I don't feel quite myself yet, I am ready to enjoy the wine producing, chateau filled landscape of the Loire Valley this weekend. It is a much needed break, since I have been bombarded by a lot of different things this week. Relationships with people, uncertainty about my job, and the realization that I will be leaving this beautiful place all too soon is starting to hit.

On Wednesday, I was completely prepared to adventure to the 4th district again, see the Bastille, the Photography Museum, and Victor Hugo's home. Well, all dressed, I laid down for 5 minutes, only to wake up about 2 hours later. Yup, still sick. But I managed to pull myself together, pump some diet coke into my body, and head out. I had even gone as far as to plan my Metro routes and stops out. Unfortunately, the Bastille metro stop was closed for reconstruction, so I just kept riding and popped out at the next stop, hoping that I could find my way back to the Bastille area. It wasn't difficult to find. Walking down the street I could see the July Column standing high above the tree littered areas. Being by myself, it would have been difficult to grab a picture of me with one. But wait! I heard American voices on the street corner. I quickly approached, and they were such great help. The man took multiple ones for me, just in case. I also found out that he was a Georgia Tech grad. What a small world. So, he got to poke a few "dumb dawg" jokes at me while I got to tell him how awful their football team is. After a thank you and good luck on your journey, I was on my way to whichever museum I could find.I ended up finding neither. After walking around for about an hour, I finally found Place des Vosges, which is the gated lawn area where everyone seemed to be enjoying the wonderful weather. I tried to figure out where Victor Hugo's home was, but couldn't.

I should have been more prepared. When I got home, I realized that I had probably walked by it 2 or 3 times. Frustrated, I started walking down random streets as usual, and this eventually led me to the Harley Davidson of Paris! Bikers literally look the same here. The store was huge, and I took a picture of it just to prove to my daddy that I was thinking of him, even in Paris. I continued walking down the street, hoping to at least find the photography museum. Again, another miss. I finally decided to catch the metro, and today printed maps and actual locations so next time I will be prepared when I venture out. I highly recommend this for anyone with specific visits for the day in mind. Luckily, no work on figuring out this weekend in Loire Valley will have to happen. It's all chateau visits and hopefully a bottle of quality French wine.