I woke up in Brussels, Belgium about thirteen minutes before my alarm went off.  I was still tired but it’s getting better.  Shower, repack, head to Brussels Midi train station to take a Thalys train to Paris.  I board the train and someone is in my seat.  Not only is she in my seat, she is completely settled in.  It looked like she had some manual, a lot of paper, a calculator, highlighter, pen and phone all out.  She appeared to be working very hard.  I’m not sure how she had the time to get all of that out since the doors had opened two minutes earlier, but there it was.

I stand over her, she doesn’t look up.  I say “You are in my seat.”  Nothing.  Again, louder “YOU ARE IN MY SEAT!”  She looks up and says something in a language I don’t understand.   I put my ticket in her face and point to the seat number.  She repeats whatever she had originally said that I didn’t understand the first time.   Someone trying to pass by tells me “She is willing to exchange seats with you.”  Oh here we go again.  No.  I have the window seat.  I chose the window seat.  You could have done so just as easily.  But no, you decided to take my seat.  This is so obnoxious.  Not even the part about wanting to switch seats.  The part about getting all settled before even asking.  This is disgusting human behavior.  So I make it clear, NO.  She then has to gather up all her stuff and get out of my seat.  Ugh.

I passed out as soon as the conductor checked my ticket.  I woke up in Paris.  Today’s walk to the hotel is three minutes.  Get this.  I do not get lost not even one time.  Not even for one block. I found it no problem.  I am psyched!

My hotel is Nord du Champagne.  I booked it last minute.  I had a hotel originally booked.  That hotel was right on Luxembourg Gardens, with a balcony and a DOG.  It did have a shared bathroom but the room had its own shower.  I figured I could tough it out.  Well one week before I was supposed to check in, I get an email that they are renovating the hotel and that they will upgrade me to a new hotel.   I look up reviews of the new hotel.  It does have its own bathroom but the reviews were really bleak.   There is a loud bar across the street that keeps people up.  I still thought I would be okay and kept it.  Then I had to redo all the directions I had leaving from my hotel and I discovered that the new hotel wasn’t exactly near any sort of useful transportation.  So I am faced with sucking it up or getting a last minute hotel.  Have you ever tried to book a last minute hotel in Paris?  Don’t.

I lucked out I suppose.  This hotel isn’t that bad at all. Keep in mind that I am a 2-star hotel kinda gal, at best.  I do love that it has a bathtub rather than a claustrophobic shower.

My only gripe so far is that upon arriving, I asked to leave my luggage because it was too early to check in. They have a common room where you can leave it.  But there is no staff in there.  I was worried something might be stolen.  But I guess I wasn’t that worried because I did leave my bag in there, complete with the keys to my apartment which no one, not even the landlord, has a copy of.

With my fingers crossed that nothing went missing, I went out to see Paris.  Today is Monday so just about everything is closed.  Sacre Coeur is open though so I go here.  Have you ever seen pictures of Sacre Coeur?  Here is what it looks like in pictures:

Here is what it looked like when I saw it:

It was just so overcast outside that it made it look nothing like I was expecting. Even the grass didn’t look green.  I actually thought I was at the wrong place for a second.  But it is okay because there is a funicular. I LOVE FUNICULARS.

I take it to the top and have my first sighting of the Eiffel Tower.  I loved this view.

Other views from the top:

Close up of Sacre Coeur:

I went into the church.  There are signs everywhere, no pictures.  Lots of people were ignoring that rule.  One idiot was actually taking pictures with a LAPTOP.   I kept hoping he would get kicked out.   I am sorry but if anyone reading this takes vacation pictures with a laptop….oh wait, forget that.  If you are stupid enough to be taking pictures with a laptop, then you probably haven’t mastered the fine art of READING so the point I was about to make is moot.  Moving on…

After wandering around up here for a bit and then having lunch, it was time to check into my hotel.   I had booked a single, got what I believe is a triple.

Once I am all settled, I go back out.  I went to Notre Dame, which was open.

And the line…because really nothing else is open:

 Inside:

I walked around here a bit and the exhaustion just got the best of me so back to my room I went.

My hotel doesn’t have free wifi.  Wifi is 5€ per day and once you pay that, you still don’t have wifi in your room.  Only in the common areas.  For 5€, I can go across the street to McDonalds and have free wifi and food.  So this is what I do.

I end up going to bed early.  Tomorrow I still haven’t decided what I am going to do.  I want to go to Versailles, but I also want to go to the Catacombs.  Neither were open today, neither are open Wednesday.  Both are only open tomorrow.  I do not know if I will have time to go to both.  I am here on really bad days.