Wake up.
No.
Yes, wake your ass up, you need to pack the rest of your things into your "day bag" as Jane calls it then go turn in your key and head down to breakfast.
No.
It's the last morning in Cannes, now it's off to Paris.
Paris?
Yes, the reason you came to France in the first place. You know that city up north you've been waiting all summer for....
Yes. Paris. Today?!
Now you're awake. You stand up a bit dizzy. Too fast. Feel around for your phone under your pillow, check the time 7:55. The others will be knocking on your door to walk down to breakfast in five minutes. They are always on time. Stumble on over to the sink fill up your water bottle and wash your face, shoot you packed your towel in your suitcase which was sent up to Paris last night. Oh well. You take off your t-shirt and use it to dry your face instead, then set about shoving the rest of your goods into your beach bag, even though you're sure there is still a bit of room in your back pack.
Now you think you can hear them grumbling down the hallway to you. 8:30 is a horrible time to have a group of young people meet. Change your clothes really quick then stuff the last things into your bag. Shit. L is still asleep, you should have woken her when you woke up. You call over the desk to wake your temporary roommate, only to remember that she is an own travel student, she left last night. There's a knock on the door just as your pj pants find their way into your bag. "It's open!" That was loud. In they come ready for the day, but just as unhappy as you feel.
You double check the room, force your last few Euro coins into your pocket along with your new French phone, and your ATM card, just in case then head downstairs. The others have already checked in their keys, so you split here as they head into the cafe. There's a crowd around the door, but luckily you spot Jane in the middle, you make eye contact and then she makes her way over to you, "Do you want to just give me your key and I'll check it in for you while you eat." she asks in her wonderful British accent. "Yes." You are still half asleep so it takes until you give her the key for you to remember to say please, then you throw in a thank you. "You can leave your bags down here if you'd like, some of the others have done so as well I'm watching them." When Jane talks you can sense that she has been to many places and lived a fulfilling life, which make you wonder why she is currently playing shepherd to a group of American students, although she does seem to enjoy it.
Her offer sounds enticing but it's too much effort to remove your backpack and computer case, plus your beach bag doesn't really close, so you mutter "No, merci." and head run up the stairs as fast as your tired body can, it's easier this way, with the momentum. You gulp down a cup of coffee, that doesn't taste like coffee, followed by the French equivalent of sliced white bread (looks the same, tastes/feels different) covered in laughing cow cheese, you'd think the land of fancy cheese could do better. Oh well.
Next thing you know you are at the train station in Cannes standing with your group, waiting for the train and trying not to pee your pants. The entire water bottle you drank, along with the coffee, were not good ideas, especially since the Cannes train station is so small that it doesn't have "les toilettes." You think Jane is both judging your bladder and laughing at your potty dance so you crack some jokes that are only funny because everyone is tired.
Train bathrooms are small, and less fun than airplane bathrooms because there isn't just a little bit of turbulence here and there, the whole effing thing is turbulence. But still so worth it.
The train ride itself is rather miserable. You are not one prone to motion sickness but today it's all you can do not to hurl your small breakfast onto J.
Perhaps you shouldn't have had so much wine last night.
It was only like three glasses spread out over the course of the night. I feel sick because trains suck, and I stupidly stayed out late.
It's probably the wine.
It's not the wine, it's the tired and the crap coffee and the cheese bread. Plus I am legal to drink here, and almost legal to drink back home, and it wasn't actually that much, AND it was the final beach party.
I'm not sure "beach party" and not drunk are compatible.
Yes, they are. I spent most of the night shepherding drunk companions back to school, or chatting with F and the others anyways. If I wasn't on a train/functioning on like four hours of sleep I'd be fine.
Touché.
You sleep through as much of the train ride as you can. You write a bit, add a couple of pages to the novel that will never be published, then pass out again. You find out that Jane has two extra "pic-nique" sacks and she heard you talking about your love for the little applesauce space pack things, so she saved you one. It's nice to know your almost peeing your pants a few hours ago didn't totally ruin her opinion of you. You slurp the applesauce down then back to sleep, computer open and headphones in, like a giant iPod. Sleeping around your computer on the small table is difficult but soon J is shaking you awake to show you the picturesque little towns with graffiti covered train stations. They do look lovely and you're a lot less motion sick now that you've slept a bit.
Eventually the loudspeaker turns on and a man jumbles through something in French, then in English he translates, apparently it's the conductors last ever day at work for the TGV, he will be retiring after today's trip, so don't feel alarmed if you hear fireworks of pops going off as we arrive. Good to know; don't freak if it seems like your train is being blown up. As the train starts to slow Jane comes by to give instructions for what to do once we de-board: follow her to the truck that drove all of our luggage up, here we will meet with Claire who will give us our housing assignments on a slip of paper, then with our roommates we will load in to taxis and embark on an adventure into the unknown.
As soon as you and A get off the train you realize that you both have to pee, but you stall too long deciding whether or not to just re-board real quick and go, so instead you hold it as The Group slowly navigates through the conductors celebration on the platform. You make it to the truck and ask Jane if this station has a bathroom, she almost smiles as she informs you that it does, but it's on the opposite side of the building and probably costs money.
M agrees to watch the potty groups bags while you, A, and two others all retrace your steps back inside behind Jane. You have almost lucked out, a temp bathroom has been set up close to the station entrance, but it costs 50 Euro Cents and there is a line that is not moving very quickly.
The first thing you buy in Paris is the privilege to pee.
Now you are in a taxi with J, heading off to your new home, trying to guess which street will be yours and navigating the route on the new little tourist map Claire gave you.
There's the Notre Dame, I think that one's The National Assembly? according to the map we are pulling up towards The Louvre. THERE'S THE OBELISK! You explain to J why it has been controversial lately, it bores her but she listens, you're both to dumbfounded by your surroundings to actually be aware of your surroundings. That road's the Champs Eyséese! This is cool.
Now you two are lost in a courtyard, there are two open doors leading to two staircases and the first doesn't go all the way up to your floor, while the second looks as if it is inside the house, you call Claire, AIFS calls your host mum, and in what seems like no time since you left this morning you are unpacked and lying on your new bed. You turn to J "Hey remember that time we were in Paris, and got lost in a courtyard?" "Yeah, good times."
A tout à l'heure,
Vicarious Paris
(No translations today, too tired, and most everything can be easily looked up if you don't already know them (which you should)).
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