Fantasy vs. Reality/Success vs. Failure

Wednesday evening, after my last blog entry, it started to rain (and rain, and rain, and oh yeah rain.) It is very diificult to manoeuver a bicycle and an umbrella at the same time. I finally made it to the RER train which took me to the Gare du Nord, which was the closest stop to my hostel. I asked about paying to store my bike in baggage claim, but they said no. There were several shady characters around so I decided not to lock up my bike outside. I walked the bike in the rain several blocks to the Gare de l'Est and again asked about paying to leave my bike. Again they said no. Outside the train station, but inside the gates were about a hundred bikes chained up. It was well lit, and there were police around, so I decided to leave my bike there because it was too far to go in the rain to my hostel. I locked it up with my super thick and expensive new chain, then caught the metro to my hostel.
The next morning I check out of the hostel. I wasn't feeling well, probably from walking in the rain the night before... so, I decided to kind of take the day off and treat myself to a real hotel. I checked on my bike, it was perfectly fine. I wanted to stay at the hotel at the train station, but they were booked. So I went to the tourist bureau and they found me a hotel nearby... with a bathtub and a double bed. Ahhhhh!!!! =0)
To make a long story longer..... when I went to check on my bike this morning.... you guessed it.... it was GONE....STOLEN!!!! Au revoir, Monsieur Velo! =0(

You know, I had this FANTASY about biking around France this summer, then REALITY slapped me in the face.... several times in fact. And, I realized that the fantasy was not going to happen... at least not the way I had envisioned. I did a reality check,and what I realized was that this journey was not just about riding a bicycle around France. It was about seeing new places, experiencing new things, learning about the culture, history, art, people, etc. of France, AND practicing my French. The reality is that I don't need a bike to do any of those things.

So here we go with plan B. (Because I am nothing if not flexible.) I went to the Latin Quarter today and bought a backpack. Then I got together almost everything bike related to ship back to the states tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I will leave Paris and BACKPACK through France for the next 57 days. When I get to an area where I would really like to bike around the countryside, like the Loire Valley, I will rent a bike for the day. Then I can return it at the end of the day and not worry about someone stealing it or bringing it on the train. It will be more expensive to travel this way, BUT if I budget myself, I can still make it happen. The first stop on my backpaking adventure will be Chartres and its infamous cathedral.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY: The thieves may have SUCCEEDED in stealing my bicycle, BUT they have FAILED to ruin my journey. Au contraire, if anything, they have succeeded only in strengthening my resolve and determination to make this the best trip possible. LA GROSSE TOURNEE DE FRANCE will LIVE ON!!!!! =0)

June 10th - Wandering around Paris

Hi guys! I'm in an Italian restaurant near the St. Suplice cathedral (from the DaVinci code) and the Palais du Luxembourg. Ivisited the cathedrale and a Renaissance Art exhibition at the Musee du Luxembourg. I tried to take pictures in the museum, but the man guarding the exhibitionscoldedn me. I picked up my bike today. It cost 138 euros for the repairs and a new seat and chain. I actually rode my bike in Paris.... ALONE! That was an adventure especially when you don't know where you're going. I'll have to ride it again later to get to the train station. I'm hoping that riding will be more enjoyable outside of Paris. Either way, I am realizing that this voyage is going to be more difficult than I could have ever even have imagined. We'll see how it goes.

THE HOSTEL

June 10, 2009
THE HOSTEL
I am staying in a hostel here in Paris—l’Auberge de Jeunesse Jules Ferry. It’s a little small and antiquated, but cute in it’s own way. I am in a double room which I am sharing with a 22 year old French girl from Mulhouse, near Strasbourg. Her name is Emilie and she is here in Paris to go to 2 concerts—Social Distortion and UME@6. Today she is camping out at the concert hall to make sure she gets a spot up front at the concert. Crazy young people….lol. She is very cool and very funny. Last year she worked as a teacher’s assistant at an English high school in Suffolk, so her English is excellent. Together we speak Franglais—half English, half French. Her parents are from Martinique, but she was born in France.
Our room has bunk beds, a sink, 2 chairs, and a small table. It may not be pretty, but it’s comfortable enough, especially for 20 euros a night. The staircase is a small and spiral with murals painted on the walls. The restrooms are… INTERESTING….=0) Thereare 2 showers and 2 toilettes to share between 6-7 rooms on a flooor. There are both guys and girls sharing the restrooms. My room is on the 2e etage or 3rd floor. Downstairs is a little living room area and a kitchen/dining room where we eat breakfast.
Across the street is a park and there are lots of shops and cafes all around. It’s nice.

June 9, 2009 - Le Musee d'Orsay

June 9, 2009
Today I woke up @ 7am (even tough I didn’t go to bed until after 1 am). I ate breakfast downstairs in the hostel; it comes with the room. We had applesauce, bread (of course) with jelly and butter, orange juice, and your choice of coffee, hot chocolat, or hot tea. After breakfast I went back to the bike shop to see if my bike was still there. It was (kind of). Someone did try very hard to steal it. They had managed to get off one of the chains; but, in trying to take of the second chain, they did more daqmage to the handlebars and brakes, bent the front tire, ruined the locking mechanism on the chain, AND broke my cushy, comfy seat that I had special ordered for this trip. NOOOOO, NOT MY SEAT!!!! =0(
Anyway, the bike is in the shop. I can’t wait to see how much that will cost. We’ll see tomorrow.
After the bike shop, I went to Bon Marche to buy a towel. I forgot that in a hostel you have to bring your own towel. ( I had to more or less drip dry last night...lol.) I found the perfect towel… thin, absorbent, and fast drying for 11 euros.
While riding the metro this morning, I realized that the bike shop was only 2 metro stops from the Musee d’Orsay. Soooo, I went to the Musee d’Orsay, which is a mostly modern art museum here in Paris. I had to wait in line for a half an hour, but it was definitely worth it. I am very glad that I bought an umbrella on the way there because it did start to rain again. THew museum has 5 levels and each area is dedicated to a different style of art: realism, classicalism, romanticism, ingrism, fauvism, pointillism, other various –ism’s, and on level 5 (my favorite) impressionism. There were tons of paintings by Renoir, Monet, Manet, Degas, Pissarro, Morrisot, Gaugin, etc. It was incredibly awesome, I bought a book to bring back to show you all. All in all, I spent 3-4 hours in the museum. Then I went back to the hostel to rest a little because my feet hurt from all the walking.

June 8, 2009 - Une soiree sauve

June 8, 2009
Une soiree sauvee.
After finally making it to my hostel, I took a long nap (I was soooo exhausted and frustrated.) from about 2:30-5:30. Then, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself. I got dressed and took the metro/RER to the Eiffel Tower to ride the Bateaux Parisiens one of many boat tours on the Seine River). I bought a croquet monsieur and a bottle of water off the street and ate while I was waiting for the metro. It was the first thing I had eaten since 6am on the airplane. The metro at 7pm is soooo crowded. I felt like a sardine, but at least I found a seat, most did not. To my surprise, when I exited from the metro, it was pouring rain. It was not raining when I entered the metro, but it was when I exited. By the time I made it to the boats and the Eiffel Tower, I was soaked. Luckily the tour boats are enclosed in glass—good for rain, bad for pictures. ( Please forgive my blurry, spotty pictures...lol.) The bateau was definitely the turning point in my day. I found myself remembering how beautiful and charming Paris could be. I started to relax and enjoy. After the baot ride, I went to the gift shop and bought 50 postcards to send to my students. Then I took a few pictures of the Eiffel Tower before heading back to the hostel. I an impressed that I remember how to maneuver the metro after more than 15 years. Before going to the hostel, I decided to really enjoy the French way of life and I am ,at this moment, sitting in a café (Café Republique) eating quiche and French bread, and drinking hot chocolate. I have to keep reminding myself to slow down, to savor the moment, to enjoy life. The only thing I wish is that I had someone to share my birthday with today. It is a little lonely spending my birthday by myself. Well back to the hostel… it’s almost midnight after all. Bonne nuit, tout le monde!

June 8, 2009 - Happy Birthday to me!

June 8, 2009
Bienvenue à Paris or Happy Birthday to Me!
Well, I’m in Paris. I wish I could say that my arrival was wonderful and glamorous, but it wasn’t. The flight was fine, no problems at all. I got all my luggage, then found somewhere to sit down and reassemble my bike. As I started to reassemble, I realized that my bike was broken. Something was not right with the handle bars and the brakes were broken. (I am sooooo glad that I paid a professional to pack my bike for me…. Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice...lol.) I decided to take it right away to the brake shop. I walked the bike all the way to the opposite end of the airport, then took a train to as near to the bike shop as I could get (which wasn’t very close at all). Then I walked the bike about 2 miles to the bike shop…. Only to discover that they were closed on Mondays. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! I actually left the bike chained (with two chains) near the entrance of the bike shop. Hopefully, no one will steal it before tomorrow. I took all of the bags off the bike, then took the metro over to the Place de la Republique. I was so tired by that point that I paid for a taxi to drive me the last mile with all those bags.
What and incredibly long trip! I left for the airport at 11am Sunday morning and here it is 2:30 pm Monday afternoon and I just got up to my room. I am soooo tired. I think I am going to take a little nap then do something fun this evening. Tell you all about it later…. =0)

June 7, 2009 - LIVE, LIVE, LIVE!

June 7, 2009
Well, here I am sitting on an airplane waiting to take off. It’s 3:01 CST (10:01 in Paris, Paris is 7 hours ahead.) I am pleasantly relieved. I had a huge fear that the seats were going to be too small for me and that the airline was going to force me to buy a second seat and/or wait for another flight. BUT, no one even mentioned buying another seat, and the seats are larger than I remembered, and the seat belts longer than I remembered. I was also worried about checking my bike, but that went off without a hitch as well. A skycab worker met us at the truck. We unloaded the bike box right onto the cart, added the saddlebags, then he rolled me right up to the special services counter. I didn’t even have to wait in line. Security went relatively well also. A word to the wise: Take laptops out of bags before sending them through the scanner. Well, we’ve finished taxiing and here we go. We’re taking off. I love the feeling of taking off in an airplane. It’s such a rush, so exhilarating. The sudden burst of speed as you go racing down the runway, building to the moment when the wheels finally lift off the ground. Then climbing, climbing, till buildings, people, responsibilities are but a memory. You enter a cotton cloudy world where anything is possible and all goals are attainable. I want so badly to be successful at my venture. Of course I’m afraid and nervous, maybe even a little petrified and terrified. BUT, I am NOT going to let my fear keep me from trying, succeeding , and LIVING. Several quotes and thoughts have been going through my head in the last couple of days:
1. We should work to LIVE, but for the last 15 years or so, I have been living to work. I want to LIVE.
2. “LIVE, LIVE, LIVE! Life is a banquet and most poor bastard are starving to death.” - Auntie Mame.
3. Jeffrey Chen, Valedictorian, DHS—”You deserve to reach for your dream. You deserve to be successful.
I do deserve to reach for my dreams. I deserve to be successful. I deserve to be thin. I deserve to be happy. I deserve to LIVE!!!!

The Final Countdown

Only 21 days left until I leave for France, I can hardly believe it. I still have soo much that needs to be done before I leave. Of course I still have to diet and train. I also need to make sure I have all the necessary tools for my bike, adjust the angle of my new bike seat, attach the frame that holds my saddlebags and panniers. I need to figure out how I am going to fit every thing I need into the bags on my bike. I need to attach the odometer to my bike and set up my pedometer. I need to go to continental and get a box for my bike. I need to have my journal pages copied and made into a book, and finish my agenda book with maps and directions from town to town as well as a wish list of sites to see. I need to have my t-shirts made too. Al of this is in addition to writing reviews and final exams, grading papers and planning lessons, and cleaning house. I am going to be one very busy little bee for the next 21 days. I'll keep you posted. =0)

Flickr: Your Photostream

Here is the link to access all my photos of "La Grosse Tournee de France".
I leave June 7th for Paris....I can't wait!

Flickr: Your Photostream

Training for Real

Since I found out that I did indeed recieve my grant, I have definitely stepped up my training. This past week I was able to cycle over 16 miles in 45 minutes and today I walked 6 miles to and through Oyster Creek park. Boy am I sore! I soaked in the tub for an hour afterward. I can't wait to see how I feel tomorrow morning...lol. Oh well, I must go prepare my salad for lunch. Toodles!

GAB