In which we are trapped in Europe by volcanic ash.
The best thing about Paris so far, besides the baked goods, is the fact that our visit coincides with the trips of some of Sean’s friends from his old job. (I say that like it is a coincidence, but our trip to Paris came into being precisely because they are here). This is not just because of the free lodging in a big, airy, light-filled apartment complete with a hair-dryer and a washing machine (albeit a confusing French washing machine). It is also because it is fantastic to be able to socialize and speak English to someone other than each other.
Matt, Brad, and Velin are all “regulars” in Paris by now, so they’ve shown us some of Paris’ finest sites, including:
(1) The BHV, a French department store, where we bought an air mattress (It only took four tries to inquire where an air mattress might be located. Each salesperson pawned us off to the next floor. On the 3rd floor, we were told it was the 4th floor. On the 4th floor, we were told it was the 5th floor. On the 5th floor, we were told it was the 6th floor. We finally ran out of floors, but luckily, we finally found the air mattresses. Ours comes with a fun and funky backpack for sleepovers (or so we are told on the box). Here we are, sampling the merchandise, much to the amusement of the French people:
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| From Paris by day |
(2) A Grec eatery, where we dined on Super Ass Grec, accompanied by a Marathon Greek pilsner (which we can only assume is a Grec I.C. Light);
(3) Paris nightlife, where we learned that we have a friends, even outside of Pennsylvania.
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| From Paris by night |
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| From Paris by night |
Because we are determined to mooch off of hang out with our friend Matt as much as possible, we have decided to stick around Paris for another week. When I say “decided,” I mean that by procrastination and inertia, we didn’t book our plane tickets to Morocco until today. We fly out April 26, provided that the volcanic ash cloud dissipates by then. Apparently, the airspace above Europe is being besieged by volcanic ash, so we couldn’t leave Europe if we tried. Or at least, that’s what we keep telling Matt.
MMMM, crepes with Nutella! Love the purse (and the outfit). The GoCar was cute! Hope Eyjafjallajokull doesn’t hamper your flight plans – or you may be travelling by train for a while. Got the postcard – enjoyed the pics. of Gaudi’s work. He designed some of the Metro stations in “Pig Alley” in Paris. Hope you get to see Monmarte. Did you see any of Picasso’s work in Spain?
Hi Amy and Sean.
I’ve been following your travels and have thoroughly enjoyed them. You tell wonderful stories that are so entertaining. I was wondering if you were caught up in the volcanic ash situation and I see you mentioned it. It’s been all over the news here and I guess it’s still spewing tons of ash and debris and it’s like nothing that scientists have seen so far.
Glad to hear you are booked and will hold good thoughts for you to continue your adventure.
I love seeing your pics too, all of them and I can’t say I even have favorites.
Good luck to you.
Sandy in Ohio
PS: I know lots of your mom’s friends are following you too.
Danielle ~ what are they doing to your hubby Matty?? Delerium ~ my goodness!
Amy & Sean ~ waiting to hear if you’re still under ash ~ hope you’re able to travel when it’s time. We all need an update. 😉
Hi Karen! We plan to go to Montmarte this week. Sean’s mom and your dad highly recommended it. We didn’t end up seeing any Picasso in Spain. We tried to go to the Picasso museum in Paris, but we got there and it has been closed for a year for restoration.
Hi Sandy. Glad you are enjoying the blog.
The ash is big news here, of course. Our flight is next Monday, and it is going south, so hopefully things will be cleared up by the. If not, we’ll just have to change up the plans I guess.