Don't Be Scared of Anything At All, Everything We Have is All We Need

NOTE: Two posts in one day. Be sure to check below.

Wednesday September 14th

Today, we leave for Paris. But first, I must get a little shopping done. I did a little bit of looking on Thursday the first day we got to London. I just wanted to do more and I knew Chad did not need to be with me. So, after a long day before, I get up early to hit the streets. I eat breakfast, pack my bag and head to the tube station. I only have til noon, so I need to make it work. The place I really want to go is Topshop. If I have extra time, I will also go to H&M. I make it to the tube station for about 10 and get to my train all by myself with no problem. The tube is rather empty. I get off the stop and the shop is right behind me. Perfection! I walk right in. It is definitely crowded for a 10:30 on a Wednesday, but not like it was last week. There are definitely more Americans milling around the store as well. I start to look around. Ok, I definitely want something hip and trendy from London. I don't want something I can find in the Gap in Austin. I find three really cool pieces. One is a boxey gray tie cardigan. Jerry asked me if I can wear it alone or with a top. It definitely needs a camisole underneath or it would be obscene. I also buy this really cool scoop back top. It is black and blue and has a low scoop back. The really cool part is that it buttons down the back, not the front. Awesome. And the last piece I am definitely jumping on the trend. It is a long tunic/dress top to wear over pants. I know some people don't necessarily agree with this trend, but I am doing it. All I need now is a big belt to wear over the dress. That I actually did not find at topshop. I check out and am complete. I also must add, Dashboard was blaring over the radio in there. Awesome! I finish up at Topshop a little after 11 and then head across the street for some coffee. I stop at Cafe Nero (the coffeeshop of choice for us here in London) for a cafe au lait. I only have 30 minutes left, so I decide H&M will have to wait. I jump on the tube and head back to Portobello Road. On the walk back to the Gold, I stop by a quick boutique to look at their tunics. There are cute, but I have already spent my limit. I continue back to the hotel. One boutique on the street is blaring the new Justin Timberlake album. I should probably check that out.

I get to the room at precisely noon. Chad and Jerry are finishing packing and cleaning the room. We are set to go to the train station to catch the train to Paris. We jump on the tube at Notting Hill and ride to Waterloo station. Jerry will buy his train ticket to Paris here and meet up with us on Friday. Walking through Waterloo station, we just pop into a market and grab a few sandwiches. We only have time to eat on the train. We walk to the train station with about 20 minutes to spare. Jerry eats his wraps, then Chad and I board the train. We sit about 30 seconds and the train leaves exactly on time. NOTICE: TRAINS LEAVE EXACTLY WHEN THEY SAY THEY WILL! BE ON TIME. Five minutes later, Chad and I would have been SOL. The train gives us time to sit for three hours. I begin to read my latest Vogue and listen to my ipod. Wow, haven't done that for a while. The train trip is three hours long. Wow, this is my first train experience cool. The French countryside is wonderful, for people who haven't seen it.

We arrive in Paris at 5:20 pm. We got off the train and I am immediately overwhelmed again. Different country, different language. Wow, ok, stay calm. We need to find an ATM. That takes a little while, but we do manage to find one. Now we need to find a cab. Chad keeps asking me what are certain french words he can use. I immediately whip out the dictionary to help. Some words I can remember, others not. I am trying to jog my memory from those three years of french lessons at MCA. We get to the hotel just fine.

We are staying at the Hotel de 7e Art. Quite a cute place. Old time movie pictures everywhere. We flip on the TV to see no channels in English. Wait, except for the BBC. Thank you BBC!! Next dinner, what to do? Chad wanders us down towards a little square with about 6 restaurants. All have seating outside. We choose a cute little one where I can kind of read the menu. We sit to dinner at 8 and leave around 10. Dinner in France is an all night affair and it is wonderful. It is a Wednesday night and the entire quarter is packed with people. I love it. I got some fish and Chad got steak. The waitress spoke a little English so it worked. SECOND NOTICE: Everyone smokes in Paris. EVERYONE! You feel out of place when you aren't smoking. We get back to the hotel around 10:30 for bed. We are actually exhausted and get to bed before midnight for the first time in a week. WOW!

On a side note, I learned today my brother Chris and his fiance, Bridget will be married on January 26, 2008. To the Captain, the CED III's and the LeSaicherre's will have an issue on that day! :) As they say in London, Cheers!!