This is me

Day 12, Heidelberg 2

I woke with, you guessed it, pain. I snoozed and kept waking until after 9 where I got up and did the morning routine. Breakfast at Steffis goes until half past ten so I want in any hurry, and then I would have half an hour to walk to the massage place.

I dawdled, but made it with plenty of time to spare. Inside the woman informed me that my masseuse was sick, and said they have a partner time massage place down the road, which I could go to, and they would handle me. I said sure and asked where was he walked me to the door and gave me and I said I think I come to which she replied that she would walk me to the end of the street. No, that’s okay, but she insisted, so I let her walk me to the end of the street, where she said she could hear that I wasn’t from Germany – she pointed to where I needed to go, and are used Google maps for good measure.

When I arrived I rang the doorbell and the woman let me in. She asked if I was from across the road, and I said yes. I describe what I wanted, and I went in for the massage. During that time when we were talking I mentioned that I didn’t know a word in German, so she switched to English and began to talk to me for the rest of the massage. It wasn’t nearly as awkward as I thought it was going to be, even when she had the back of my head wedged between the table and her breasts. The Thai massage portion where I was being twisted and contorted around her knees was quite funny for us both.

She finished and offered me a Tea, with a little coconut chocolate. I sat outside and I had my tea, and then I went back in to pay for it. There I remembered about the thing, which I had forgotten in the past couple of days. I had looked up the tipping culture earlier, and was about as confused as I normally am (this is a lot). So I just thought to myself how much I enjoyed it, and what extra I thought she should get from me. I gave her 40 for a €35 massage so that’s only €5 extra, which is like 10%, right? I said stimmt and she smiled so I hoped that was a good sign as I left. Relaxed. But also sore – for a small Vietnamese woman giving a Thai massage, she was surprisingly strong.

Not pictured, Matt Foster, the embodiment of serenity

From there I went into town and stopped at the department store. I tried on some pants, not quite finding the perfect fit – especially for €90 (like 130 NZ) so I left upstairs to use the toilet. I saw they have a bowl inside for putting money, but I had no 1 euro coins and I didn’t think it was worth 2 euros. Oh the loo, I heard people dropping lots of change, so I got our all my crap coins (which came to 49 euro cents) and paid as I left. The man sitting by the door thanked me, and as I wanted my hands I read the information above the bowl in the mirror. It asked for 50 euro cents. I mean close enough, right?

Out in the cafe I looked at the hot drink options and got confused, no one was there to take my order. I waited a few minutes, and ended up taking a seat. I talked to Amy on Skype for a wee bit, and after I hung up an attendant came by, I guess waiting for me to finish my call. She let me know if I want ordering anything I’d need to leave, so I told her I wanted to but I didn’t know where to pay for it. She said she brings it and I can pay her – so I did and age brought me a receipt and change, saying this way they know I’ve bought something here. I thank her and apologise, then ask if there are theatres in Heidelberg with current films, but she is from Mannheim and doesn’t know, suggesting I google it.

I stayed a little longer, both to finish my hot chocolate, and to show her that I wasn’t scared of her. Then I left, briefly googling the two cinemas in the area. They weren’t showing the movies I wanted to see, so I decided I would just go back to the hostel. On the way I spotted Rewe, so I went in to grab dinner on the cheap.
Of course i bought to much. Chocolate milk and other things. I helped an old lady reach something on a high shelf, and headed due the check out. In line, I saw everyone with their recyclable bags and I was like oh crap, will they even have plastic bags?? Fortunately being as well prepared as I am, I had a plastic bag in my side pocket, under my tissues and spare pair of socks. That sorted, I paid and went back to the hostel.

Back at the hostel I come down, I grab some leaflets downstairs about things you can do in and around Germany, and then I went upstairs to see about booking transport to Munich. I was hoping to see my high school German teacher in a town called Pforzheim, unfortunately after a bit of googling, it seems like it would be a lot cheaper to take a direct bus with a company called FlexiBus, straight from Heidelberg to Munich. This was €15, so under 30 NZ. So it’s like going from Dunedin to Ashburton, only about half the price. Good deal anyway.

I set back in counted of the days spending (almost €90! That makes up for the previous days…), and then had a relaxing evening looking after my sore, but well massaged, back. I had spent most of my time inside, but that’s okay because after breakfast and the massage the sun pretty much disappeared. But you know what? My back didn’t hurt that much this evening. Small victory.

I’ve eaten so many I’ve made a travel bag (and put the bag I bought today in my big bag). They are the Riesen why I’ll be fat one day

After I finally managed to book a room in a hostel in Munich for a few nights over the weekend, I was finally able to contribute relaxing. I watched many episodes of some series I needed to catch up on (all afternoon/evening), ate my bready goods that I had purchased, had a chat to one of my room mates, and finally went to sleep.

Day 11, Heidelberg

I woke up a few times during the night on my slightly sagging bed, a wee bit uncomfortable. Our third room mate never returned last night so we left the windows open to keep the air going, and I left the curtains open once my room mate had fallen asleep.

I woke at 8, had breakfast, and the morning routine until I was ready to leave. I then walk down the main road from Steffis hostel to the castle, going into a number of shops along the way. I made a mental note to myself that I would like to go back to one of the department stores because there were some clothes there I wanted to buy, but I really shouldn’t do that now because it is still early in the trip, and I would need to load those items through at least two more countries. I did pause in a convenience store to buy a chocolate milk, some Riesen chocolate (which is my favourite from here), and a two pack of hazelnut scrolls.

I went up the castle from what I think was a kind of side entrance, and paid for a ticket. Initially I wasn’t sure why I needed to buy a ticket, but I later realised that this was entry to the castle grounds – I guess you really need to decide for yourself it’s worth it or not, I went into the pharmacy museum which was good but not particularly my thing, you can also go downstairs into the food court area and have currywurst (German curried sausages), and there was enormous wine barrel. You also get a really good view of the other side of the city, but if you want to go inside the castle proper you need to take a guided tour, which is more money. The grounds themselves around the castle, and the gardens were free, so unless you really want to go inside and intend to take a guided tour, it would save you about seven euros to not walk into the castle area.

Looking up at part of the castle ruins, from the balcony

You do get a ticket which includes a cable car ride from the castle further up the hill (and I think down to the city?), but currently that is not running so at the moment you can take a bus, which I did not think would be nearly as exciting or scenic, so I walked back into the city after eating my pre-purchased lunch in the park, overlooking the city and a ruined part of the castle.

From there I went to a museum called Kurpfälzisches museum (no photos!), I’m not sure of the translation of this, but it was only three euros so I went and had a look around at the art, and downstairs to the archaeology section which I really enjoyed. It was about 4 o’clock at this point and I really wanted to do the philosophers walk before I left Heidelberg, so I mapped a route and began to walk across the old bridge. It was sunny all day so the walk up the other side of the hill was a bit nasty, but you get an even nicer view of the city and the castle. I sat for a while here and there to enjoy the view along the walk and calm down, and also to eat some of my chocolates.

I read the message Cathy sent me again and she talked about a place to go on Heidelberg mountain, which I found is called Thingstätte. Except the walk Google maps had led me to was just the beginning and I could have mapped it far earlier, and turned earlier for a much quicker trip. So I began to power walk up the hill as the sun was setting and, while confident in the skills Swang had attempted to teach me, light would have been preferable for a good photo experience.

They were everywhere. But I only knew where I wanted to go, and I think these are all names of walks you can do

Up the mountain in checking Google and looking at one f the stones with directions carved in them, and I hear a voice behind me:

Where are you looking to go?

I fumble to get my phone back out and tell him the name, saying ‘its called… uh….’ and he asks Thingstätte? He gives me directions which I understood (the things you learn early in language classes that you don’t care about learning WILL come in handy!), and set back of again. Eventually I reached it – as though I could miss it. It’s a giant amphitheatre which can sit something like 8000 people, built during the Third Reich (Nazi times). I took photos, and sat atop the steps, had my second scroll, the rest of my chocolate milk, another Riesen, and the rest of my water as I watched the sun set.

The view from where I had my late afternoon tea

But then of course, I had to get home. Now, the way that I chose to walk there was convoluted, so I thought the best rout down the mountain but be direct to the old fridge, where I could walk across the waterfront and then down to my hostel. Here’s a picture of the mountain to give you an idea of where I was, and where I had to go:

That green area for half the walk is like a forest!

So it’s getting dark and I’m walking down the other side (the dark side) of the mountain, just kinda squinting and being ginger with my steps so I don’t slip. Then I had a fantastic idea.

So I took my sunnies off, and that gave me an extra half hour or so of light – enough to get into the city at least. When I did I was starving, and so I searched currywurst on Google maps to see what I can find. I ended up going to a place that was kind of like a fast food restaurant – and ordered a currywurst with a bread roll. It was fantastic, not quite how I remember it, but I have been making my own since I got back from Germany, so it’s probably different because I’ve forgotten it.

I walked back to the hostel, wondering what I should do with Friday. I talked to Cathy about what I did, and she said I could it easy since I packed everything she recommended into one day. Just after that I passed by a massage place And carefully read everything outside, making sure that they offered nothing sexual (in France I was looking at a massage flyer and was informed by reception that it was offering massages for couples and other ‘sensual’ activities, so I decided I had better wait until I understand the language).

I walked in, used all the skills my German teacher and lecturers taught me, and I booked a massage for the following day at 11am. I then popped back to the hostel and booked my bed for one more night. Rest day was planned for Friday.

Once I lay down to rest (at 7:30 in the evening!) I worked out, if I take into account ALL euro spending since I got to France and came to Heidelberg (so that’s accommodation, travel, food, gifts), i have spent about 60 – 65 euros a day. That’s between about 90 and 107 NZ dollars each day. So I took a high estimate of €80 per day and found to survive until I’m back in London I will need something like €1700 (about 21 days, 3 weeks). So as long as I don’t lose any money or make any stupid purchases, I’ll have money left over as a safety net if I need it.

I had no trouble falling asleep that night, but I kept waking through the night, due to the light, noise, heat, and probably back pain.

The sun setting over Heidelberg behind me, the castle in the distance

Day 10, Paris – Heidelberg

I woke up ready to go. Did my teeth and hair and had breakfast with Swang, then checked out for the pair of us (just for the record, I owe him €4), and walked with my bags to Gare de l’Est where my train was to depart.

There I panicked for a little, unable to figure out which is my train based on name or number. Eventually I asked and the guy says 20 minutes. Blue screen. So I go and look at the blue screen again and I’m still confused. I go to a different information desk, this time with a woman, hoping for a little more friendliness. I did not find it there. Again she says 20 minutes, and responds with ‘i don’t know’ when I ask for the gate number. At this point I’m getting my translation app open but she asks the next person and I’m dismissed.

I sit down and translate the board, figuring out the bits I can’t guess and studying the numbers. Eventually I see that my train is starting service with another, which is why didn’t immediately register the number (that, and the train I’m on goes to Karlsruhe where I change, but it just said Stuttgart on the board). So with that sorted, and my assumptions confirmed that the gate will appear 20 minutes before departure, I waited. The number appeared, I went to the gate. I sat down. I saw each car was numbered and each seat too – but I had a lot of numbers on my printout which was only in German, so I asked a man.

The following occurs in German unless otherwise noted:

Excuse me, are you German?

Yes.

Do we have places we must sit, like numbers?

Yes, do you have your ticket?

(I hand him my ticket)

Ah ok… Are you French? (Speaks a sentence in French)

No, English-

(His wife interjects) he just spoke German to you. Speak German!

Oh right! You’re in carriage 21, seat.. 73.

A man in the row adjacent is laughing and I ask which direction that is – he tells me, I begin to go that way.

The first man then laughs as he makes fun of the fact he responded in French when I spoke in German.

I found my seat and sat down, and because of the recent pick pocketing was on edge even though the train was comfortable, spacious, and kind of empty. Eventually at Strasbourg I managed to start relaxing, and noticed I was connecting to Telekom.de which was exciting for me. On the way out of Strasbourg I noticed a couple of.. communities? Where there were ramshackle houses all over the plots. Maybe huts is a better word. In the second set I also saw greenhouses. Google did not enlighten me so I have no idea what they were.

Then as we moved through into Germany , 4 police officers who had walked to the front of the train began to walk through to check passports. I got a quick look and a thank you before they moved on.

We pulled into the station at Karlsruhe and waited around a bit, still not yet hungry. Got on the train and stared at the rail map inside until I was sure the train was going the right way, and sat waiting for the train to leave, rudely eavesdropping on conversations now that I can finally understand the language.

Eventually the train arrived in Heidelberg and I had pre-googled a place to stay called Steffis Hostel, which is really nice. Very homely. I got to the counter and asked to book a room, but once she asked for some ID and she saw my passport, she switched to English and says oh, you’re from New Zealand? She’s been there before she Australia, and is going to do a placement in Dunedin. So we chatted about Dunedin and New Zealand (this did not net me any discounts when it came to adding breakfast unfortunately).

I got up to my 10 person dorm, claimed and made a bed and had a bit of a sit. It was about twenty to 4 and I realised I was pretty hungry. So I unpacked all my laundry and took it to the desk where I paid €5 to have it washed and dried by someone else, so like 8 bucks. I left and walked across the bridge and sheen the waterfront in the direction of the castle, enjoying the view and taking some photos of the water and castle.

I must have worked up quite the hunger, or at least my eyes did, as I bought a full meal of schnitzel and cheese noodles called Spätzle (in a pepper- cream sauce, said the lactose intolerant), with a salad. Oh, and a boot full of coke. Which is a litre. He took my mostly empty plates away and left me with half a bit of coke for a while until I felt like I could do desert.

So I walked down the main street of Heidelberg, looking at all the shops and a couple of department stores, nothing what I would like to come back to later. I accidentally went into an ice cream store and got some gelato, Nutella flavor. I then walked back to the hostel and gave Amy a quick Skype (Happy Birthday!!) and got ready for bed.

One room mate was already there, and was very quiet. Then another came in and asked if she could open the window (she’s German, so in German) – the other guy manages a noise, so I’m not sure where he is from, but I say sure please do. Now I already knew this, but over here they have windows which open towards you from the top as though there hinges are at the bottom. But they all have a trick so you can make them open like regular windows… I just forgot that trick.

So I watch her open them and wonder how she did it, eventually plucking up the courage to say ‘so, this is a dumb question, but how did you open the window?’

She looks at me like I had just dropped my pants and begun to defecate in front of her. Then she laughs and repeats my question, her German maybe a little more fluent sounding than mine (on account of her likely German heritage).

I tell her I tried before but it came towards me, and mimed it working. She showed me what to do and I told her it’s not something we really have in New Zealand (throwing all of us under the bus, as though none of us have ever seen them before).

In case you want to know, usually a half turn opens them like a regular window. Turn it too far and it opens as though the hinge is at the bottom.

Matt’s handy hints number 2
…….
That’s a ploy. You see, now everyone will go hey, what was the first one again? And then scroll through my other posts looking for the first hint.
BUT THERE ISN’T ONE.

Day 9, Paris 3 (Paris thoughts)

We had to get up early on the morning, I ripped through a shower and then we ran downstairs and had brekkie. We caught the train to Versailles, and a tour guide took us around the gardens.

In one section, a modern grove, he described the below as ‘supposed to be Louis 14’s dance movements (his hands and feet), but looks more like something from the red light district in Amsterdam’

Good tour, better than just walking around the palace aimlessly. However I would say going in summer is better. There were covered over the stairs to protect the marble from the cold, the trees were bare, there were bugger-all flowers, and the fountains won’t go at all.

We looked at photos inside, and while it’s nice, it would just be for the photos. The tour was much more worthwhile. You can get a combo ticket of another set of gardens and the palace for two euros more than the price entry price itself (€18) so if you had all day, that woukd be perfect.

We left and went to get food because my back and hip were hurting (classic Matt) and stopped in a cafe, I believe called Creperie la place Versailles, where we wondered to ourselves, because of the rude server.

I have been wondering if it’s:

because it is the French culture,
because it’s the fact that we are foreigners,
because it’s the Paris way,
or because of the language barrier,

But I don’t think, other than one single cafe experience near the pantheon, have I felt welcome in Paris. If course unlike Swang I don’t think I’ll be experiencing France outside Paris, so my view is a bit skewed, but everywhere (even when I try to speak French, greet them, and order in French) I’ve gone has been harsh and cold in response to just sitting down for a bite to eat.

In Japan, even though I obviously was a foreigner, and at times we had a language barrier, I almost always felt like people on the other side of the counter etc. we’re friendly and hospitals, but here it seems like they are constantly against us, even if I don’t open my mouth in an attempt to fit in.

The other thing is that I’m probably biased, I was told by more than one friends to make sure I’m nice and polite because they can be rude to foreigners, which may already have me looking at them in a negative light, but also because of things like the server in the cafe who just seemed angry at everyone and everything.

Here’s a map of Versailles palace and grounds, to give you an idea of the size, and to break up my rant

Finally, at the train station this afternoon I got into a crowded train and checked that my pockets were all zipped up etc., and carried my bag at my feet instead of on my back. The train was very crowded, and one large man to my left was close. A pamphlet in his hands fell onto my coat and I hadn’t taken notice until I felt a light tugging on my jacket. He was unzipping my pocket, which contained my wallet – a pocket I had always seen as super safe given how it is on me at all times AND it’s a water-proofed zipper, which is a lot stiffer and harder to open. I reached my hand up and realised what he was doing in the commotion as the train was coming to a stop. I immediately pushed him away and he calmly walked into the crowd getting off the train as I told him loudly to get the fuck out. A few people looked over but just turned their heads away, indifferent. I immediately chose an empty seat and made it so no pockets couldn’t be monitored, but after that I started to think I was about ready to leave Paris for Germany, perhaps Heidelberg, which I’ve heard a lot of, from people I know.

I talked with Nikki and Swang the day before when we were downstairs having dinner in the bar after the boat ride, I was pleased to find out that Nikki didn’t really agree with the stereotypical opinion of Paris. And while I know people will pick holes in my reasoning for not liking my time in France, the fact remains that is how I used my time here and what I felt. I’m glad I did it, but I didn’t like it. I guess I should just be summing up Paris rather than France in general – so, it was rude and unfriendly for the most part, really I found it just a dirty, littered city, it’s lucky it has some incredible history and monuments. Yes I’m pleased I came, no I can’t say it was in any way a city of love as it has been painted as, and no I don’t think I would like to come back.

So I got back to the hostel and I tried to nap. I had a crisis, and called my girlfriend, ego sorted me out. Half an hour later I was sitting in the bar waiting on my Mediterranean salad, alone, sipping cola with a ticket from Paris, France to Heidelberg, Germany safely locked away in my bag.

Day 8, Paris 2

Got a good sleep in, and breakfast where I thought a little more on what I want and where I want to go. I think I’m really keen to get to Germany and re-experience the culture and things I learned during my time at uni, see places I talked about but never visited. I think it’s getting in the way of my enjoyment of other places. I’ve enjoyed Paris, but wasn’t overjoyed. Though I’ve never been overly interested in France or the language until getting here, and it’s partially by necessity.

On the way to the Notre Dame, stumbled into the NOTre Dame (heh, get it? Cause it wasn’t the Notre Dame), St Severin – took photos there of the faded paintings on the walls, because I found you can see the colours and images better on my camera than in real life. Very nice cathedral, if I’m honest that struck more of a chord with me than the Notre Dame, where we went next. Swang and I circled it and swang recalled going there in a video game about assassins, then waited in line to go inside. It was lovely, but I wasn’t overcome with joy. I didn’t cry. I didn’t have a religious experience (unless you count bumping into someone, almost dropping my camera, and shout-whispering ‘oh my God!’).

I actually found some of the smaller churches around to be more rewarding, but now I can say I went inside the Notre Dame

From there we walked to the Pantheon. It was fucking freezing, both in there and also downstairs in the crypt. It was also dwarfing. Paintings and high ceilings, it was also bright in there so you got a good look at everything, including the big drive slabs in the crypt downstairs (another place Swang had visited in that game). After, we had to sit on the steps of the Pantheon in the sun to defrost.

I forgot to take a picture with my phone in the Pantheon, so here’s one of a train with rubber wheels!!

Back where we came, I got a crepe and hot chocolate in a little cafe and the lady at the counter gave us a quick French lesson, which was really pleasant. She was lovely but I can’t recall the name of the place unfortunately.

We took the train to the Arch de Triompe and took some photos. Unfortunately we had a while to wait until it was dark so we could go on the boat tour, so we popped down the road to a cathedral.. but really we were just looking for a comfortable place to sit… so we got McDonald’s (I’m sorry, I will undoubtedly not have mentioned this to you Amy) and stayed for an hour or so (I wrote in my blog, Swang had a nap) and then we set of for the Eiffel tower again, where the boat tour began.

I also forgot to snap one of the arch with my phone, so here’s a snapchat we sent Chloe, who is terrified of birds

We ran around like headless chickens for a few minutes, going to the wrong pier, then having to wait in line for ages before finally boarding. But it was worth it. Was just heading to twilight when we started, and we passed by the Notre Dame all lit up, other buildings I couldn’t bene along the way, and by the time we got back the Eiffel tower was lit up. For her final trick, the Eiffel tower then began to flash like a Christmas tree. But it wasn’t tacky, I really liked it and snapped far too many photos.

We disembarked as the tower stopped flashing, and went back up to the plaza area where we originally took photos, and snapped some really good ones. Paris at night is well worth it if you’re a magpie.

Once that was over we were freezing, back into the subway and a couple of tired, confused trips later, we arrived back at the hostel and went straight to the bar for a feed.

A little story from that day: we noticed a busker putting cup too far out and a couple of people knocked his measly amount of cents over again and again, I wondered if this was on purpose. Make them feel extra sorry when your money goes everywhere. Apologise with more.

Day 7, Paris

Woke up in the morning and had a little sleep in until about 9:00, has a shower and meet Swang downstairs for breakfast. There were few seats so we sat with a couple of Canadian girls and chatted about booking tickets online as perhaps a cheaper alternative to booking at the attraction, or even booking at the hostel (spoiler alert, the cheapest way to book tour and attraction tickets is through the hostel).

So we went to the hostel counter and bought tickets for catacombs, Swang thought he was giving me change (gave me two euros for a nine euro ticket) and then stared at me blankly as I questioned his change and asked for more money.

The free walking tour was meant to be from 10 – 1, butwas more like ten until two. Someone leads you from your hostel on the train to the meeting point, and there we were introduced to Oliver, our tour guide from Birmingham. He took us all over the show, from the Latin District, the Notre Dame, lovelock bridge, the Luvre and more (pictures at the bottom). He was very theatrical and funny, which made the history lessons great as well as informative. He also told us about scams to watch out for, such as when people come up asking if you speak English and have you donate for their sick grandmother, where you find a gold ring, or where they tie string around your wrist and have you pay for a bracelet. I also told him about how I worked as a tour guide also and he gave me this little number:

“There’s a Cadbury factory in Birmingham, you probably already know. My grandmother workered there – they would give her a lot of free chocolate… and then they have her diabetes.”

He was the kind of tour guide I would have aspired to be. Acting as a king on his deathbed, talking to the to-be king below:

Once that your finished, Swang and I bought tickets to a boat tour and Versailles, the former we intended to do that evening. We grabbed a bite with a trio from our tour group and say by the fountain. Eventually we left, taking a New Zealander called Nikki with us to go visit the Eiffel tower. I’m glad I cansay I’ve seen it, but it was just a tall pike of iron to me if I’m radically honest. Still plenty of selfies were taken.

We then took the train to the catacombs, where Nikki didn’t have a ticket and there line was huge. As Swangand I pre-bought tickets, we jumped took the front of the queue and walked in immediately, we ultimately left Nikki to go down to the catacombs (which we felt bad about, but I forgot once it down there – it was incredible. I’ve you made your way through all the tunnels you got to the section with bones. Pre-booking at the hostel may have also netted is an English audio guide? Very informative, as we hard how the bones were moved and stacked there. We mostly saw hundreds of skills and thousands of femurs (not exaggerating, I’m probably underselling it if anything), many in formations like crosses (one in a heart shape).

All the stacks pictured are femurs, leg bones. Apart from the spherical ones, those are all skulls

We were there for over an hour – left and went to a bakery (unlikely a good French one as it had English translations for the food) and then began to take the train to the Eiffel tower to get ready for the boat tour. On the way Swang said he was kinda tired. I agreed, and we decided to do the boat tour the next day – so we hopped around the track and then got it back to where we came from, and then up to Gare du Nord to the hostel again.

At the hostel we had a really good chat with the two American blokes in our room, and started taking about where we will go after Tuesday and their plans. We then all decided to go to McDonald’s, and I got 20 chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce, which they seem to call classic Chinese.
Walked down the road looking for gelato or crepes, then into a corner store for drinks before dawdling upstairs to the room, where I realised my bag was missing and traced my steps back to McDonald’s where I forgot to pick it up. For maybe 15 or 20 minutes I hadn’t noticed it was gone – over a week of constant vigilance with my wallet, passport, pockets, and bags, and I still manage to have a tired lapse in concentration. So I sprint down the two floors, out the door and around the block, then down a couple of blocks, across the road, into McDonald’s and up the stairs to find…

…

my bag. Sitting where I left it. Still containing my camera. Overjoyed, I left McDonald’s to see Swang across the street, smirking. I joined him and went to the hostel to calm down and hit the hay.

The bridge opposite love-lock bridge, covered in love-locks, but not called love-lock bridge

Notre Dame (not pictured: me, acting like the hunchback)

Day 6, London – Paris (London thoughts)

Woke up bright and early, made my way downstairs to check, and yes – breakfast hadn’t started yet. So I gathered my things up and had a quick wash, then walked to Westminster because I knew there was a direct line to Victoria, and also I wanted to see Big Ben and the eye again as I crossed the bridge.

Tube to Victoria, didn’t realise how big the station is there – shaped a quick photo and made my way down the road to the coach station to wait for Swang. He popped up at about half past seven, we got directions to the Europe check-in, ran on down and got our tickets. As I hopped on the bus, Swang went to get food and I listened to the driver get into an argument with a previous passenger.

Victoria station, presumably before it gets busy

The driver and his… co-driver(?) were quite short with their responses to our questions, it cane across as rude but I think given they are both French it could just be a language thing (you don’t learn to mitigate speech the same as a native speaker) – but I have heard stories of them being rude to foreigners, so I talked to a couple of friends and got some kinda common sense advice really. Just greet them and be friendly and try to speak French when I can – so I downloaded some apps I used on the trip, as it took from 8 – 4 to get to Paris.

By 9:45 we made it to the port, where the the bus went a through checkpoint and our passports were checked. Eventually we drove into the train and it took us across the water – you’re in complete darkness, so nothing to see, but we were over by about half past 11 into Calais.

Which of course was half past 12 given the time zone change. I immediately noticed a difference in building style as we went through and into the countryside. But it was pretty much just greenery until we got to Paris. Refreshing given the concrete jungle you’re immersed in when you stay in London.

Artsy as fuck, or as we like to refer to it, AAF.

Though we were scheduled to arrive at 5, we stepped off the bus at about 4pm. We bought a pack of ten tickets for the train and a navigated couple of lines to Gare du Nord to get to St. Christopher’s Inn, our backpackers.

I’m photogenic 20% of the time, all of the time

Well what a difference to the backpackers in England. Each bed is a little self contained section with a curtain and powerboats, and personal light. It’s also a lot cleaner and there are proper places to lock luggage, which I didn’t have at the Walrus in London. There’s also breakfast!

Downstairs we grabbed a snack at the bar (read: 12 BBQ wings) and waltzed off to a cathedral called Sacré Coeur – it was pretty impressive, and you can go inside for free – but there’s no photography (which is a shame because the mosaic tiles and things would make for excellent photos).

So we left and walked the streets to find food, and came across a little bar/pub where we sat down in the back and had a fantastic time listening to a couple of guys play some excellent guitar and even sing a little. Swang ordered a Bordeaux, expecting a beer, so was shocked to find a wine delivered to our table.

Then sauntered on back to the hostel and I was out for the night. Well, after meeting our room mates, a whole group of Asian-American dudebros. The thrilling conversation included who was the biggest pussy, whether or not the hot water from the basin in our room could cook ramen, and what race has the craziest girls (in case you wanted to know the verdict, I believe they decided on Korean). So, you win some, you lose some.

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I don’t really wanna do the wrap up for London now since I plan on going back early (both to see Cathy and Chloe again, to check out some things I’ve missed, and to relieve the stress of traveling back home by being super prepared), but I thought it was excellent. There was lots of things to see and do, like we could have spent the whole day at the market. If I lived there I would have purchased so much more, and I would go there often. The waterfront busking was much more entertaining and professional than back home, and I barely scrapped the surface of what is out there. I think it’s going to be a reoccurring theme that I have enough time in each place as long as I want to fit in as many places as I do. Either I stay longer and visit fewer places, or I leave early. As it is I’ve narrowed my scope to a handful of places during my 40 days here.

Day 5, London 2

Friday morning, I woke and has a quick shower, then I went downstairs for breakfast. I spotted some food and things I hadn’t seen yesterday, so I gorged on toast and fruit and cereal and fruit juice. I used the ATM locator in my Cash Passport app to find a close ATM and got out some more money, for I was told we would be hitting the markets today – and I anticipated many unnecessary purchases. I then went to Boots for some shaving gear as I felt a little ragged, popped back to the hostel for a shave, and took the train north to Camden Town station.

There I met up with Chloe and Swang, and we walked down the road past a plethora of those cheesy touristy shops with knockoff Ray-Bans and Union Flag paraphernalia. We passed a sign saying Camden Town market, to which Chloe informed us that was NOT the market. Perplexed, we carried on until a sign on the left hand side of the road again said Camden market, which was the real deal. I didn’t get a lot of photos of the market, I was to enamored. There were also a number of things you were not allowed to take photos of, which I would have liked to.

Some of the beauty I did manage to capture. Except then Swang called them phallic.

Being from Dunedin and only really knowing the ‘farmer’s market,’ I was pleasantly surprised- nay, astounded, to seed the scanned of the Camden market. After a couple of floors worth of pop ups and shops, we went outside to find MORE. The food stalls were amazing, many offering free samples. Food highlight would be the Mac n cheese which I unfortunately did not purchase, in favor of halloumi chips with mint, yoghurt, and pomegranate seeds (which was fantastic, but a bit much, and made both Swang and I feel sickly). Inside, there was a store selling wallets made from leaves. They were coated in wax, but you could still see the leaves that made it up. There were also as number of stores which did painting. Either you could buy a pair of shoes and have it painted in any number of designs (ask of which charged the size of the shoe as payment, e.g. £42 for a euro 42 sized shoe), or you could have other clothing customised (such as hoodies or t-shirts), which were painted before your eyes.

The three of us continued into either the horse tunnel market or stables market, I forget the name. Again more unique shops, and we stopped to get our photo taken in a booth. None of us, even after reading the instructions, were ready for the first photo. The fish three however couldn’t have come out better.

Last of all was an odd store called Cyberdog – it was clearly not marketing to people like me, rather to rave enthusiasts. The whole store was bathed in UV light – everything glowed, and none of it was for me. It was an interesting experience, and we had a good laugh when we got downstairs to the sex store floor. There was also a bunch of interesting sculptures in there we couldn’t take photos of – but here’s one someone else snapped!

This sculpture was in the middle of Cyberdog, all lit up under UV light. An Android DNA Helix.

Back outside I grabbed some gelato and we caught the tube to King’s Cross Station, you know, where platform 9&3/4 is. The line was a but long so Swang and I passed on having a photo, but it is free to do (though the professional photo is available for purchase for a fee) – and you get to wear a house scarf and hold a wand!

We returned to the tube and went to Greenwich where one final market was. They again had some fantastic food there, which I declined with a heavy heart. We walked through the stalls (this market was much smaller than the other, but still housed some gems I made a note I’d like to come back for) and stopped behind a bar, where Swang and I googled and confirmed our accommodation in Paris. We are about an hour walk from where the bus drops is of in Galieni, but also an hour from the Eiffel Tower. So maybe 20 mins by bus. The only thing is that I literally know no French. I’ve downloaded numerous phrase apps to study on the bus tomorrow in the hopes I don’t appear as what I am, an ignorant foreigner.

We got a drink and sat for an hour before saying goodbye to Chloe and taking the train back to Waterloo, where we got off and went to the Horse and Stable, and shared a platter for dinner. We toddled on over to the bridge and took some night photos of Big Ben and the London Eye, and Swang tried to teach me more about the functions on my camera, and we parted ways.

Day 4, London

I woke up again throughout the night as send to be usual now – eventually needing to use my ear plugs to drown out both snoring in my 22-bed dorm, AND the construction work that was happening right outside my window most of the night. Oh, and the traffic, and the train that went religiously overhead every now and then. But I actually had a pretty good sleep. Once I couldn’t get back to sleep I had a shower, and has breakfast downstairs. Toast and nutella, with apple juice.

I then took the train to meet up with Chloe, and we shared a tender reunification. Swang followed shortly after, the reunification just as tender.

Chloe had a full day planned for us – we started by walking from Kensington South station to Royal Albert Hall and the memorial – we took photos (as you do) and saw some pugs. We then walked by the water and down to Buckingham Palace, a very pleasant walk through a park, seeing a whole bunch of wildlife including pelicans and squirrels. The palace was grand, as you’d expect, but also packed, as you would also expect… and we stayed there waiting for the change of the guards which never happened, so we took off again after a half hour of waiting.

Would have a hard time forgetting this. Get it? Cause it’s a memorial.

Down another lakefront and a winding path, we came to where Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye are. That’s a very happening place, and while it’s fantastic to see during the day, it’s also amazing at night when it all lights up.

My green tuft only adds to my natural camouflage

We had lunch at a place called the Slug and Lettuce just down from the eye (excellent guide indeed), then walked down the waterfront until we saw St. Paul’s Cathedral. It costs towards £20 to enter, so we continued or walking tour to Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, then to Trafalgar Square. There are plenty of buskers in these three areas as well as on the waterfront – you can see some amazing talent, from singers to those living statues, to magicians, to poet-oracles. On the way to St. Paul’s we met a man who had hundreds of letters named and laid out in front of him. For a donation you could take a named or unnamed envelope, and inside would be a kind of fortune in the form of a poem.

Swang choose a fire related fortune, Chloe choose love, and I decided on one called The Waterfall – which I’ve sealed and won’t open until I’m back in NZ. We asked if he knew what was in each poem, to which he replied ‘oh yes,’ so Swang asked if he would review his poem, the envelope still closed. The man then gave us a fantastic performance as he refused what was in Swang’s fortune word for word, and it really was a performance, his words, the intonation, the pauses, it was powerful to listen to. Well worth the few pounds we have him.

Underneath one of the bridges on the way to St. Paul’s, we came across a kind of pop-up book market. Many old books and comics, as well as prints and posters. I student a few pounds there too.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words

I also got a photo in front of the Globe theatre, unfortunate photos on my camera only. Finally we caught the train to Canary Wharf, which is right where Chloe works – waited a bit and her friend/line manager and girlfriend to finish work, and we went across the road to a Mexican place called Wahaca (which did kinda tapa like plates, I shared a bunch with Swang – all were good, but unfortunately I liked the spicy ones more even though I don’t like spice. The unfortunate post comes from the fact that my lips are kinda burnt from the day out and were cracking a little, so the spice really stung!).

The menu was funny, and we were served by a woman whose name was either Chris or Ghriz…

Then to finish off we went to a bar and had a drink, then got the train back to the hostel (passing by the supermarket on the way for $1 worth of chocolate, about 60p) – then I quickly got into bed and feel asleep, the sound of works, trains, and snoring not annoying me in the slightest as I quickly feel asleep, doing the usual waking through the night.

Day 3, Oxford to London (Oxford thoughts)

Not quite a full night of sleep, ended up waking again for an hour or so between 5 and 6. When I woke properly at 9am I eventually got up and had breakfast, and found I lost one of the buds for my earphones and packed a bit sad. I think I might be experiencing a little homesickness with my jetlag – I found my backup pair of earphones and called my partner, which made me feel better.
Cathy wanted to take me to feed the ducks at the park using Swang’s leftover bread, it had been raining all right and drizzled throughout the day, but we had enough time to walk through the park. I saw my first real live squirrel, and awkwardly snapped a bunch of photos on my camera.

Then we rounded he corner and Cathy began to feed the ducks. We had a laugh and threw bread at each other, trying to swarm each other with ducks – which was all fun and games, until the geese showed up. Then we walked through the rest of the park, saw another squirrel and admired the scenery while Cathy told me the story of a man who murdered his mother and sister, then killed himself in that park. Good times. On our way back there was a pretty pleasant looking cemetery just across the road from Cathy’s which I had never seen before, so I awkwardly snapped some photos of that.
I then had another couple of hours before I had to be at the bus station, so I walked up and down the main streets around where Cathy lives – I ended up going to the old Oxford Castle (it’s bow a series of other things such as restaurants and cafés, and a hotel. They do a tour through it, however the tour is guided and would take an hour (was £11 so probably worth it), I didn’t have enough time to go on a tour so instead I paid £1 to walk up the ‘Mound,’ a big hill. It was actually worth it for the views though, got some nice cityscape pictures.

Mound is another word for certain parts of the anatomy, so you can imagine the jokes I made over snapchat.

On the way back I was going to go to a café for food, but I passed by the bus station so I went by and noticed a square full of covered market stalls. Went around and looked at all the food, deciding it was too expensive (and also remembering a party I had been eyeing at Tescos), I went to the supermarket and bought what is now my new favourite water, strawberry flavoured, as well as two pastries and 5 Cadbury Creme eggs for just under 4 pound, so like 7 bucks NZ. If only living here were as cheap as the supermarkets can be. I also saw a pleasant little monument in recognition of Bonn and Oxford being sister cities for 60 years of exchange. Maybe if I go to Bonn there will be one there…

One book said Knowledge, the other said Freundschaft (friendship).

Popped back to Cathy’s and walked down to the bus station with my luggage and some things I picked up for Swang – said a sad wee goodbye and left Cathy for the 2 or so hours bus trip through the countryside to London, where I got off at the last stop and walked my luggage across the bridge and to the hostel.

Snapped a quick shot in front of Big Ben (Cathy’s fun fact, it’s the bell that is called Big Ben, not the clock!) and was too sore to do any more sightseeing. At the hostel, (Walrus Bar and Hostel) I checked in, I have 15% off vouchers for drinks downstairs, and food down he road, plus breakfast each morning for free!

The walk I did carrying my heavy bags. Sympathy please.

Big Ben. (Not pictured, regular-sized Ben)

Up in my room I tried to throw some more money on my cash passport – originally not seeing the benefit to these cards, I’m glad I asked at the counter for more info. As it works like a credit card (MasterCard) I can load currencies onto it and then pay for things online without any fees associated with it, had I used my westpac card. There were no fees during setup (some one time deal thing I didn’t believe), and if I use a standard bank transfer to load money onto it, it costs a dollar NZ.

Unfortunately my bank wasn’t as friendly and I had to input a text that westpac had sent to my phone into the gap to prove I am me and want the transaction to go through. The catch? I had my UK Sim in my phone and couldn’t find anything to use to remove the sim and swap to my NZ Sim in order to receive the text. I used a bunch of things I had, but eventually found a drawing pin outside which I used to swap it over (I had been logged out and had to do it all again, but got it sorted). I just threw a bunch more euros on to be safe, and a little more GBP for when I return at the end of my journey. This has me feeling pretty sorted – the only downside would be ‘accidentally’ locking in a bad exchange rate when you put the money on your card.

I feel like I’m advertising for Travelex now so I’m gonna stop going on about how convenient it was.

For dinner I decided to use my 15% off voucher at a pub called the Horse and Stable – I went and ordered my food and promptly forgot about my voucher and posted full price. So, was only about 15 dollars NZ, so no biggie. I then went down there road to Tesco and got a jelly doughnut, some muesli bars and my new favorite strawberry water, and went back to the hostel to relax at the very late time of 7pm.

My preference for this water has nothing to do with the brand name.

Once I settled down a girl was messing around with the plugs right after I plugged my USB adapter I bought special for this trip – there was a bang and a flash and now either the plugs aren’t working or she buggered my adapter, little dark about that as it was the only way for me to charge stuff in the UK. At least my phone is OK. Will need to buy another tomorrow – in the meantime using power from my prescious power banks. How dare she! I’m lying in bed eating my snacks loudly. That will teach her. Her, and the other twenty people in this dorm…

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I really liked Oxford – one and a half days was not enough to do even the main things in the city, spending a little more (both time and money) would have been good – plus there were lots of things further out of the main city where you really need a car or at least a bike to reach. I think I wasted my sunny day going around indoor attractions and then had a miserable day for the gardens and the mound, but it was still a nice introduction to England.