Madrid and Overnight Train #1

first, in advance, be aware that french keyboards are totaally different than ours and i am terrible at typing and since we have to pay, this will not be perfect.

that being said, perhaps you have deduced that we have switched locations and are in france-- hooray paris. ok, wow, we have not written for awhile and there is so much to tell, but we will start with our most recent adventures.

we left Madrid last night after some lovely museums and a beautiful park. the architecture is gorgoeus there and so was the weather, as it was not quite as hot as the south of spain. We then boarded a train to Hendaye, France and then to Paris fro, there: The direct train would have cost us an extra 77 euros on top of our eurail pass (reservation fees etc.) Luckily the awesome guy at the station in >Sevilla figured out a way to take an indirect route which only cost us 8/euro. sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yeah, we are still retroactively psyched about that one.

The train ride to Hendaye, was pleasant and comfortable. Then came the next leg of our adventure. When we boarded the train in France, the lights were all off and there was no air circulation. Did I mention it smelled horrible? It was only about ten o clock, which in Spain means that B and I were ready to eat our dinner we packed ( the usual baguette and fruit, this time with cheese!) , which had to be done by light of keyring flashlight that Mr. Hibbard gave me the other day bc everyone else was instantly asleep and silent.

We were fortunate to have the man-of-extreme-stench-and -creepy-eyes next to us across the aisle. did i mention that this stench lasted nine hours, in a tight enclosed space with over sixty people laying on top of each other? let me tell you, you have never experienced anything comparable. money belt stayed on that night to protect our most beloved possessions from his wandering eyes. We were comforted by the large, friendly texan in front of us, who we deemed our protector in case of emergency. B also ended up being our guard dog bc she got ZERO sleep, while i curled up in the smallest ball ever humanly possible and used the underneath layer of my skirt to cover my legs, and the top layer to pull over my arms bc it was negative twenty degrees. To recap, Spanish trains, while expênsive are SO MUCH NICER.

Now in Paris, just happy to be rid of THE MAN, THE STENCH, and THE GREAT FREEZE, we wandered without direction trying to locate an internet cafe; using our single french phrase from the guidebook: ooo ay (this is the pronunciation, cant recall the spelling) which means where is...(insert internet cafe). After a few attempts, some coffee and a croissant later, a nice lady led us not to an internet cafe, but to her shop. She was just opening for the day, and allowed us to use her computer and internet as we tried to book a hostel. She also bought us orange juice and found a friend on the street that spoke english. At one point there were about four people trying to help us. After we found the cheapest possible place, we moved on to wait til checkin in the plaza near the hotel de ville. Some nice Canadian travelers helped us out and gave us a map. In exchange for all the nice things people did for us, we constantly offered this really delicious galletas, or cookies we bought in Madrid.

Now we have half-checked in to our hotel, and popped in a clearly labeled internet cafe while we wait for our room to be cleaned. ( It still had molded strawberries and orange juice on the table and dirty towels on the floor, but we are excited to give it a second chance once cleaned.) Tons to do in Paris, so we will hardly be there anyway.