Then we decided that we wanted to do some shopping. We had heard that there were a lot of shops/vendors around the Pompidou. We didn't find many shops, but we did find lunch. We ate on the ground outside the Pompidou--it was sunny and so nice outside!
Getting to relax in the sun made me really happy. We spent a lot of time sitting outside, at various fountains and stuff. There were so many pretty buildings and churches--but we didn't know what most of them were. It was still a beautiful walk, and I enjoyed it.
We wandered down some random streets, looking for shops. I bought a few little gifts--one for Lissa, and one for Bec. I didn't intend to buy any souvenirs, but sometimes I can't resist. We tried to meander back toward our hostel, but it took forever. We have a really terrible map. It's not much help, plus the Paris streets seem to have a billion different names. Navigating them in definitely a challenge. Eventually we found the river, and were able to cross back over. We went to the Luxembourg Gardens. Not really gardens, let's be real. There was a lot of grass, some statues, and a little bit of water. But it was pretty, and we got to sit for a while.
The "gardens" ended up being a lot of fun. These French guys tried to flirt with us, but it was a definite flirting fail. They spoke no English, and we knew NO French. It was hilarious. Two of them walked up, and asked us if we spoke French. We said that we didn't, and one asked "English?" We agreed, and there was a long pause. They smiled, and walked away. The group of guys took turns coming back over. One sat next to me, and said hello. My response was "hey, how's it going?" but I (unfortunately) got no response because he didn't understand. It was pretty funny--plus one of the guys really liked Noelia. He kept telling her that she was beautiful...the one word that he knew.
Finally, we made our way back to our street. There are a ton of food places on Rue Mouffetard. We chose a small cafe--for 9 euro, I got vegetable soup (entree), steak with potatoes and green beans (plat) and chesnut puree (dessert). It was very good. There was also a nearby theater, and tickets are on sale for a few fays--but we didn't want to see an entirely French movie, which was all that was playing after dinner.
So we returned to our hostel--checked our email, etc. Tomorrow will be a long day. I have no idea what exactly we'll be doing. We've seen quite a bit of Paris already! Noelia leaves tomorrow--and we're all checking out. Our flight is the next morning, but we need to be there two hours before it leaves to check in--which is BEFORE the first metro...so we'll be spending tomorrow night in the airport. I'm not terribly excited, but I'm not going to stress about it.
I'm getting much better about not stressing over things I can't control. It's good, because I usually stress far too much. Things don't always go as planned, and there is a lot I can't control. I feel like I lost all control of my life when I left for Wales. But I do think that things tend to happen for a reason--and happiness depends on how you deal with what happens. I'd rather accept things and move on, without dwelling on all the crappy stuff.
I've been loving Paris--but I'm so ready for a new adventure. Rome will be so exciting--I think it's the city that I am most excited to see. And to be honest, I know this is the adventure of a lifetime, but I can't wait to go home. I think I'm more homesick here than I was in Bangor. It's probably because I can't really talk to anyone, and when I left Bangor, I wasn't on the best of terms with everyone. At the same time, I don't really WANT to talk to anyone right now. It might be selfish, but this trip is for me. I'd rather not think about everyone else right now...and I think that's ok.
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