Parisienne Deluge

Day 14 - 7th June

We started the day off on a great foot with a shower, shit and a shave in proper facilities. Washing my hair seems to be such a luxury these days!

Eager to show Linda the sites of Paris, we set off for the big day.  We managed to find the local station with not too much difficulty and set off for the 25min train journey into the centre of Paris.   

As we ascended up the escalator from the metro we were greeted into the streets of Paris with a deluge of rain!  It was awful and we had to bolt to the nearest awning for shelter.  The original plan was to have a nice picnic lunch on the grass under the Eiffel tower and clearly that plan had now gone down the drain.  We scurried through the streets looking for a suitable lunch spot and settled for a corner boulangerie.

As we were eating our delicious baguettes, Linda had a breakdown. She was absolutely drenched and was unhappy with herself for being so underprepared for the day.  Too add to her distress, her chicken baguette appeared to be full of lettuce and had only a minor trace of chicken. To be honest, she had actually pointed at the tuna baguette and said Poulet (French for Chicken) so got that mistakenly.

To cheer her up we quickly navigated to a gazebo that had a view of the Eiffel tower and were able to enjoy the view while staying dry.  The rain subsided from a deluge to a downpour and we took the opportunity to take some photos (see below).

One advantage of a wet Paris is the lack of tourists in our photos (and Gypsies).

Just about to stop Mum from posing in photos like this with a cheeky crash tackle.

A river in front of the Gare De Nord after a downpour.

Unfortunately the rain returned with a vengeance, so we rushed to the nearest bus, without knowing where it was going- we got on!  Happy to be out of the rain we enjoyed seeing the wet sights of Paris.  We mutually decided that we had all had enough and it was time to go home to watch a movie and eat a delicious pastry so we started heading home until…. The rain stopped and the sun came out!!!

We detoured, caught a bus three stops to the Sacre Couer.  At the base of Sacre Couer we shook our heads in shame as we watched Linda getting stooged by an African when he lured her aside and proceeded to make a bracelet for her using her hand.  Luke had only just warned her not to engage with the ‘scammers.’  Linda said she was quite impressed as she got to have a chat with a Kenyan and it only cost her 4 euros! 

Finally the sun comes out at the Sacre Cour.

We proceeded up the stairs while we watched a young African guy do tricks with a basketball, standing upon a pedestal.  Luke and I had seen the same performance a few years earlier by another young street performer.  

We couldn’t help but say and sound like an old whining couple ‘he just not as good as the last time.’ We reminisced at the grassy hill beside the Sacre Couer where we had met our Whistler friends back in 2005 then pushed on to buy some Paris art costing a  total of 3 euros.

A quick look at the Moulin Rouge and we headed back to basecamp. 

I sit here now having a wine and it’s never tasted so good.  Lukes going to cook up a storm on the new BBQ, yummo!!

The inaugural cooking on the BBQ.

The Asylum Seeker wants to add that she is incredibly impressed with Claire and decided to rename her from Hawk Eye (as she has eyes like a shithouse rat) to Arch-angle Hawk Eye as she has exceptional navigational skills as well.  Her speed in the Paris subway was amazing! 

The new Arch angle needs to say that the Asylum Seeker is well sauced tonight!