A Year in Salamanca, Spain: Bounjour, mademoiselle!

Had quite a lovely weekend in Paris with my good friend Lauren! Flew into Paris on Friday morning after taking an early bus from Salamanca to Madrid, then took the Metro from the bus station to the Madrid airport. Now, let's get something straight: there are two airports in Paris. Which I knew. What I didn't know was that one of the airports is an hour and a half bus ride away from the city, and that it costs 15 euro to take the bus. And the bus is your only option for transportation...Guess which airport I flew into???

But any resentment I had all melted away when I stepped off the bus, strapped on my backpack and hit the streets of Paris. The sun was shining, the streets with alive and full of cute Frenchmen (nothing like those short Spanish boys!), and everybody was speaking FRENCH! As I headed in the direction of the hostel where I was to meet Lauren in a couple hours, I caught a glimpse of the Eiffel tower as I made my way around the Arc de Triumph. I felt like I was on top of the world! An hour later those feelings of euphoria wore off as the sun went down, I started getting hungry, and realized that I had forgotten to write down the name of my hotel...and of course, I only had the small map that was in my Europe guidebook. So, against my cheap-traveler self, I hailed a cab and managed to communicate where I was staying.

And it was this point that I realized two things: 1) I suck at French. Ergo, 2) I am pretty good at Spanish. I mean, aside from, "bonjour," "merci," and "parle vous ingles?" I have not a single clue how to communicate in French! Just a minor detail, though, because from my experiences, the Parisians were all quite friendly. Needless to say, though, this gave me great confidence in my Spanish; I mean, I could easily hail a cab and get directions, order a meal, and hold a conversation. Yay!

The next morning Laure and I woke up around 9:30 on the top floor of our small French hotel and found a place around the corner to get coffee and a delicious French croissant for a light breakfast before taking on Paris! Here's everything we did:

Saturday:
10:30 - Montmarte! (I was SO HAPPY to be here; it brought back good memories of seeing in 4 years earlier with my sister, mother, and grandmother. Glad I remembered how to find it!) Lauren and I toured the inside of the beautiful church, the Sacre-Coeur, that sits on top of a hill in the north of Paris. Plus saw lots of art and good views of the city. Had the chance to do some touristy shopping (gloves and postcards). Took the Metro into the city.
11:30 - Lunch (French onion soup!) at a small restaurant by the Eiffel Tower.
1 - Wander into the huge garden/park that surrounds the Louvre. Sit on the reclining metal chairs around the giant pond and watch all the people enjoying the sunny Saturday afternoon.
3 - Wait in line for twenty minutes to get into the Musee d'Orsay. Have to pay the 5 euro charge because they don't believe that I am actually a student. Got super tired from walking so much, so bought a snack at the cafe to recharge. Soak in all the beautiful art until we get kicked out at 6:15 (not before buying more postcards and art!).
6:30 - Take the Metro to Champs-Elysees in search of the red coat that Lauren so badly wants to find in Paris. No such luck. Also try to find a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Again, none to be found! Take the Metro back to the Left Bank at the advice of an English-speaking concierge, where all the cheap food is.
8 pm - Stumble upon cheap Mexican food! Delicious!
10:30 - Long Metro ride back to our hotel where we both proceed to pass out after a long day of walking and touring.

Sunday:
9:30 - Wake up, pack up, strap on our backpacks, say "au revoir" to our hotel owner and his fat cat, grab croissants for breakfast, then take the Metro to the Eiffel Tower.
11 - Buy a huge, overpriced nutella and banana crepe and coffee. Bliss; I am so happy. Get all sweaty walking up 600 steps to the 2nd level of the tower, backpacks and all. Beautiful views, except for the slight smog/fog settled on the city. Paid the extra 5 euro to take the elevator all the way to the top; very exciting!
12:30 - Buy cheap sandwiches and bread for lunch and eat on benches while gazing at the tower; can't get enough of it!
3 pm - Decide to finally head toward the Arc de Triumph, close to our bus station. Sad to say goodbye to the tower! Tiredly sit on the steps of the Arc de Triumph, watching all the cars drive by, killing time before we have to say goodbye to this wonderful city and head back to Spain.
7:30 - Hop on the bus back to the airport. Fall asleep. Very sad to say goodbye to Lauren in the airport, but am excited to see her again in 2 weeks in London!
10 - Fly back to Madrid. Until next time, Paris!

So, I ended up spending WAY more money than I anticipated on museum passes, Metro tickets, souvenirs, and yummy food. Of course, it was all worth it. Next time, though, I will be more strict with myself! I did travel cheaply, though; I mean, I slept in the Madrid airport Sunday night before taking a morning bus back to Salamanca. Why pay for a hostel when there are perfectly good benches in the airport?!

Whoever said travel was glamorous certainly wasn't traveling on a budget!