So last night I attended one of the craziest sporting events I have ever been to. I saw FC Barcelona play Athletico Madrid at Camp Nou in Barcelona. Camp Nou is the biggest sporting venue I have been at to date. The place holds 98,000 when at capacity and I am going to guess there were 90,000 people there last night. All day I was stoked to go. I went with my boy Kyle to buy tickets in the morning. Tickets were expensive but I was prepared to drop money to have an incredible experience. From there we walked around Barcelona and I bought a jersey to wear for the game. I put the jersey on and I transformed into a crazed European futbol fan anxiously awaiting his team´s game.
I took it easy all day, just chilled at the hostel, read my book, napped, etc. When 5 o´clock rolled around we went to get some beer and started our night! After a few beers and a quick freestyle session we were on our way. We got on the metro and as we approached the stadium the train began to fill with more and more jerseys of my new favorite soccer team. The energy and atmosphere was palpable. We exited the train with a mob of people and began our march to Camp Nou. The streets were flooded with blue and red FC Barcelona jerseys. All the pubs were chanting FC Barcelona´s battle cry and we stopped in one for a drink. We went to the game. Our seats were at midfield. FC Barcelona won 5-2. Messi had 2 goals, perhaps he knew that I bought his jersey earlier that day and wanted to show me it was a wise decision. GREAT NIGHT.
This morning I woke up and packed up my room. My train was at 3 so I checked out and chilled at the hostel for a while. It´s a bummer to leave Kyle and the ladies from Seattle but I know we will keep in touch.
Now I´m in Madrid and I got a facebook message from Mike Mallers.... He´s going to live here for a year and is coming today to try to find a place and a gig. We are staying at the same hostel. I was pumped to see him at reception because it is always nice to see a familiar face. We are about to head out and try and find a place to watch the Bears game tonight. Wish me luck. PEACE AND LOVE.
Sean Reilly Murphy
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Barcelona
TONIGHT I AM GOING TO SEE FC BARCELONA! For those of you who do not know that is the number one soccer team in the world. I bought a Messi jersey. This is going to be dope.
Yesterday I wandered the city with my english mates. Barcelona is gorgeous. The gaudi architechture is amazing. We walked down to the port and walked around Las Ramblas. Spent the day walking walking and walking.
Apparently after reading my post yesterday Patty (my mother) was a tad worried and after receiving a message from her on facebook I decided to take it easy. It was nice, got a good nights rest and woke up early. Went down to La Segrada Familia which is a church that was designed by Gaudi. It was stunning. Perhaps prettier than Notre Dame.
I´ll keep you guys updated on my whereabouts, not much to write about today. Just kicking it at the hostel with some peeps. Peace and Love.
Sean Reilly Murphy
Yesterday I wandered the city with my english mates. Barcelona is gorgeous. The gaudi architechture is amazing. We walked down to the port and walked around Las Ramblas. Spent the day walking walking and walking.
Apparently after reading my post yesterday Patty (my mother) was a tad worried and after receiving a message from her on facebook I decided to take it easy. It was nice, got a good nights rest and woke up early. Went down to La Segrada Familia which is a church that was designed by Gaudi. It was stunning. Perhaps prettier than Notre Dame.
I´ll keep you guys updated on my whereabouts, not much to write about today. Just kicking it at the hostel with some peeps. Peace and Love.
Sean Reilly Murphy
Friday, September 18, 2009
Estoy en Barca
This post will probably be rather half-assed as I am only running at quarter-speed right now. Took the train yesterday from the south of France to another place in the south of France (Montpelier) and from there to Barcelona. It was a beautiful train ride. Tons of mountains and beaches and other things that people think are pretty.
The second I got in from Barcelona I met some kids who were actually on the same train in as I. They were a bunch of blokes from England and after some quick introductions we were off to find some beer. We found some really cheap liter bottles of some beer that I couldn´t pronounce. We came back to the hostel and went at it. As we guzzled our brews in the hostel common room I met my roommates. Some beautiful girls from Seattle and one of their friends named Kyle. We sat around and talked while the englishmen and I drank up in preperation for our night on the town. These girls made me feel more at home than anybody I have ever met on this journey. They use words like tight, dope, and sick..... Everytime they say something that is American slang my ears and eyes perk up and a warm tingly feeling shoots down my spine. I have not met anybody from America let alone people that say things like tight, dope, and sick! lol.We had an hour before Tommy, one of the employees, took us out to a club. I have heard many good things about clubbing in Barcelona so I was excited.
Six or seven of us met in the lobby at eleven and Tommy led the way to my demise. The club was called Shoko. I think it means ¨club on the beach.¨ It was very nice. Much more upscale than any club I have been to in the states. Lots and lots of people, the place was a madhouse. Tommy and another bloke by the name of Raphael work at hostels here in spain and there job is to take kids around and get them intoxicated. Not a bad gig but these gentleman certainly arent going to see the likes of heaven. It started off with Simon and I (one of the englishmen) taking a couple shots of tequila. I got a beer and wandered around. I found a girl that I stayed with at the hostel in Nice. It was like some sort of lightbulb went off and although never hanging out we were so happy to see each other. I continued to wander and drink with my english mates and before I knew it the time was 2:30. It was time to move on to the next club. I met Raphael outside, he was waiting for all the people from the hostel, and we went to the next club. I dont know how long or what I drank at that club. I do know at like 4 am a canadian girl named Rebecca and I took a cab home. I don´t know how much it was, but being the gentleman I am I´m sure I paid for it.
The girls from Seattle were still awake and we chatted for a bit. This morning I woke up and as I sat down to write this blog a beautiful young girl in the room next to me asked me "are you the guy from last night." This was either a really good thing or really bad thing. Upon further questioning it ended up being the latter. She told me that I kept going on and on about R Kelly when I was talking with the ladies from Seattle. She heard me through the wall.... etc. LOL Barcelona is good craic. Every night here in Barcelona the people from the hostel organize something for us backpackers. This place is going to be trouble. As much as I want to I will probably have to refrain seeing as how I´m out of money.
Today is a rainy day in Barcelona. The rain seems to follow me wherever I go this week. I will probably just hang out at the Hostel, get some mickey d´s and sleep til siesta is over at 4:00. After that if the weather turns around I´m off to explore the city. Thanks for reading. Peace and Love
Sean Reilly Murphy
The second I got in from Barcelona I met some kids who were actually on the same train in as I. They were a bunch of blokes from England and after some quick introductions we were off to find some beer. We found some really cheap liter bottles of some beer that I couldn´t pronounce. We came back to the hostel and went at it. As we guzzled our brews in the hostel common room I met my roommates. Some beautiful girls from Seattle and one of their friends named Kyle. We sat around and talked while the englishmen and I drank up in preperation for our night on the town. These girls made me feel more at home than anybody I have ever met on this journey. They use words like tight, dope, and sick..... Everytime they say something that is American slang my ears and eyes perk up and a warm tingly feeling shoots down my spine. I have not met anybody from America let alone people that say things like tight, dope, and sick! lol.We had an hour before Tommy, one of the employees, took us out to a club. I have heard many good things about clubbing in Barcelona so I was excited.
Six or seven of us met in the lobby at eleven and Tommy led the way to my demise. The club was called Shoko. I think it means ¨club on the beach.¨ It was very nice. Much more upscale than any club I have been to in the states. Lots and lots of people, the place was a madhouse. Tommy and another bloke by the name of Raphael work at hostels here in spain and there job is to take kids around and get them intoxicated. Not a bad gig but these gentleman certainly arent going to see the likes of heaven. It started off with Simon and I (one of the englishmen) taking a couple shots of tequila. I got a beer and wandered around. I found a girl that I stayed with at the hostel in Nice. It was like some sort of lightbulb went off and although never hanging out we were so happy to see each other. I continued to wander and drink with my english mates and before I knew it the time was 2:30. It was time to move on to the next club. I met Raphael outside, he was waiting for all the people from the hostel, and we went to the next club. I dont know how long or what I drank at that club. I do know at like 4 am a canadian girl named Rebecca and I took a cab home. I don´t know how much it was, but being the gentleman I am I´m sure I paid for it.
The girls from Seattle were still awake and we chatted for a bit. This morning I woke up and as I sat down to write this blog a beautiful young girl in the room next to me asked me "are you the guy from last night." This was either a really good thing or really bad thing. Upon further questioning it ended up being the latter. She told me that I kept going on and on about R Kelly when I was talking with the ladies from Seattle. She heard me through the wall.... etc. LOL Barcelona is good craic. Every night here in Barcelona the people from the hostel organize something for us backpackers. This place is going to be trouble. As much as I want to I will probably have to refrain seeing as how I´m out of money.
Today is a rainy day in Barcelona. The rain seems to follow me wherever I go this week. I will probably just hang out at the Hostel, get some mickey d´s and sleep til siesta is over at 4:00. After that if the weather turns around I´m off to explore the city. Thanks for reading. Peace and Love
Sean Reilly Murphy
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Nice, France
What up yalls?
Im chillin like a villain in the south of France. Nice is freaking rediculous and when I win the lotto Im purchasing a mega yacht, keeping it 20 minutes away in Monaco and I'll have a crib somewhere around here.
Last night I signed up for Canyoning in the mountains. It looked like a riot (picture of flyer posted on facebook). I spent the whole night drinking in the hostel bar with two of my german roommates. Some very nice young ladies with stories galore. They have traveled together for years. They were annys in America and had tons of stories about crusing the states in there VW. In addition after 6 days traveling Europe they had stories to keep me entertained for hours. Very nice young ladies, sad to see them leaving today when I woke up. But i had some canyoning to do!
So I was restless last night. Tossing and turning with anticipation. I felt like a kid on Christmas! I must have told everybody I was with about my canyoning excursion hundreds of times and im sure they were sick of me but I couldnt hold it in. I kept telling them how I'm from Chicago, the closest thing we have to canyoning or nature for that matter is the forest preserve. When I woke up this morning I was ready and roaring to go. A bit apprehensive due to the mass amounts of rainfall we have been receiving and the forecast looked bad but if the trip was going, I was going.
We all waited anxiously for our guide to come pick us up. He came and tried to persuade us to go tomorrow but this was my last day and everybody was ready! It seemed as though I was the only one who was a bit reserved. I was a little sketched out how we were going on this dangerous adventure and we did not have to sign one piece of paper or contract or anything like that. The guide arrived and he fit us with wetsuits. I have never felt so violated in my life. Every part of my body was abnormally snug, but if this is what I had to do I was ready! We piled in the van for our one hour drive to the canyon. We got there and went at it. It started out with two repels down 30 foot waterfalls into pools of ice cold mountain stream. From there it was off to the races. We hiked the cliffs and canyons for ages. Once again it seemed as though I was the only one who was hesitant. I was very careful of my steps and often found myself toward the back of our 8 person pack. We came to cliff after cliff after cliff. He kept telling us to jump. This guide wasnt jumping and was barely communicating.... just pointing in the water where we should land and waving his arm to follow him when it was time to move on. I was freaked to say the least. Cliffs ranged from 10 feet to 40 feet tall with rocks jotting out all over the canyon waters. I wasn't going to be a sissy though and I went outside my comfort zone and was an all-star canyoner by the end of the day. Sliding down waterfalls with ease and jumping off every cliff that came my way. It seemed like we hiked forever (probably about two kilometers). At the end I was extremely fatigued and it hit me..... now that we climbed down this crazy canyon how am I supposed to get back up to the starting point where the van is? My worst fears had come true..... hike some more. All that work I did to get down the canyon and I had to climb back up? PSSSHHHHH In the end though, I was a pro! Felt good. Accomplished something I have never done nor had the opportunity to do before. My french guide was hilarious, he spoke no english and gave us little to no guidance. Every jump I was elated to come up with a head on my shoulders and both legs! Definitely an experience I will never forget.
Tonight I am just chilling at the hostel. Going to Barcelona tomorrow! I'm hungry so I'm going to go eat. Peace and Love
Sean Reilly Murphy
Im chillin like a villain in the south of France. Nice is freaking rediculous and when I win the lotto Im purchasing a mega yacht, keeping it 20 minutes away in Monaco and I'll have a crib somewhere around here.
Last night I signed up for Canyoning in the mountains. It looked like a riot (picture of flyer posted on facebook). I spent the whole night drinking in the hostel bar with two of my german roommates. Some very nice young ladies with stories galore. They have traveled together for years. They were annys in America and had tons of stories about crusing the states in there VW. In addition after 6 days traveling Europe they had stories to keep me entertained for hours. Very nice young ladies, sad to see them leaving today when I woke up. But i had some canyoning to do!
So I was restless last night. Tossing and turning with anticipation. I felt like a kid on Christmas! I must have told everybody I was with about my canyoning excursion hundreds of times and im sure they were sick of me but I couldnt hold it in. I kept telling them how I'm from Chicago, the closest thing we have to canyoning or nature for that matter is the forest preserve. When I woke up this morning I was ready and roaring to go. A bit apprehensive due to the mass amounts of rainfall we have been receiving and the forecast looked bad but if the trip was going, I was going.
We all waited anxiously for our guide to come pick us up. He came and tried to persuade us to go tomorrow but this was my last day and everybody was ready! It seemed as though I was the only one who was a bit reserved. I was a little sketched out how we were going on this dangerous adventure and we did not have to sign one piece of paper or contract or anything like that. The guide arrived and he fit us with wetsuits. I have never felt so violated in my life. Every part of my body was abnormally snug, but if this is what I had to do I was ready! We piled in the van for our one hour drive to the canyon. We got there and went at it. It started out with two repels down 30 foot waterfalls into pools of ice cold mountain stream. From there it was off to the races. We hiked the cliffs and canyons for ages. Once again it seemed as though I was the only one who was hesitant. I was very careful of my steps and often found myself toward the back of our 8 person pack. We came to cliff after cliff after cliff. He kept telling us to jump. This guide wasnt jumping and was barely communicating.... just pointing in the water where we should land and waving his arm to follow him when it was time to move on. I was freaked to say the least. Cliffs ranged from 10 feet to 40 feet tall with rocks jotting out all over the canyon waters. I wasn't going to be a sissy though and I went outside my comfort zone and was an all-star canyoner by the end of the day. Sliding down waterfalls with ease and jumping off every cliff that came my way. It seemed like we hiked forever (probably about two kilometers). At the end I was extremely fatigued and it hit me..... now that we climbed down this crazy canyon how am I supposed to get back up to the starting point where the van is? My worst fears had come true..... hike some more. All that work I did to get down the canyon and I had to climb back up? PSSSHHHHH In the end though, I was a pro! Felt good. Accomplished something I have never done nor had the opportunity to do before. My french guide was hilarious, he spoke no english and gave us little to no guidance. Every jump I was elated to come up with a head on my shoulders and both legs! Definitely an experience I will never forget.
Tonight I am just chilling at the hostel. Going to Barcelona tomorrow! I'm hungry so I'm going to go eat. Peace and Love
Sean Reilly Murphy
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
NICE is nice!
So I arrived in Nice yesterday at about 6 PM. They train rolling along through the hills and beaches of the Cote D'azur was incredible. The south of France has a landscape unlike any other landscape I have seen before. Rolling hills and mountains all lead into beautiful beaches that line the cost of the mediterannean sea.
When I arrived at my hostel I was stoked. The hostel offers all sorts of fun day trips such as canyoning, sailing, trips to St. Tropez, water skiing, wakeboarding, etc. I really want to go scuba diving as I have never been before. I was actually going to go today but unfortunately most of the daytrips have been cancelled due to rough waters.
Last night I took the tram down to Old Town which is like the rich part of Nice where all the really expensive restaurants are located. The sidewalks are lined with cafes and and tents with people eating dinner. Most of the menus I looked at were very expensive. Like 20 euro for just a regular meal. I contemplated eating at one place but I was wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt and everybody was ballin in their sunday best, so I turned around walked along the beach and went home.
I'm having trouble meeting friends here. It seems as though everybody down here is already traveling with mates and its hard to find people to yuck it up with. It sucks but it doesnt bother me as much because either way I will be relaxing on the beach.
Also I am SICK! I have caught a cold at one of the hostels and cant seem to shake it. My mother would tell me to take some wheat grass capsules but unfortunately I have none left. I was up all night last night and because I could get no rest I slept through breakfast at the hostel.....bummer. Today Im going to take the tram to the bus station and take the bus to a nice quaint beach on the other side of Nice. The views here are stunning, cant wait to see my view from the beach. If my camera on my iphone can do it any justice I will take a picture and post it on facebook. I'm going back up to my room to put on sunscreen because I dont want to return as a tomatoe, then I am off to the beach. Peace and love.
Sean Reilly Murphy
When I arrived at my hostel I was stoked. The hostel offers all sorts of fun day trips such as canyoning, sailing, trips to St. Tropez, water skiing, wakeboarding, etc. I really want to go scuba diving as I have never been before. I was actually going to go today but unfortunately most of the daytrips have been cancelled due to rough waters.
Last night I took the tram down to Old Town which is like the rich part of Nice where all the really expensive restaurants are located. The sidewalks are lined with cafes and and tents with people eating dinner. Most of the menus I looked at were very expensive. Like 20 euro for just a regular meal. I contemplated eating at one place but I was wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt and everybody was ballin in their sunday best, so I turned around walked along the beach and went home.
I'm having trouble meeting friends here. It seems as though everybody down here is already traveling with mates and its hard to find people to yuck it up with. It sucks but it doesnt bother me as much because either way I will be relaxing on the beach.
Also I am SICK! I have caught a cold at one of the hostels and cant seem to shake it. My mother would tell me to take some wheat grass capsules but unfortunately I have none left. I was up all night last night and because I could get no rest I slept through breakfast at the hostel.....bummer. Today Im going to take the tram to the bus station and take the bus to a nice quaint beach on the other side of Nice. The views here are stunning, cant wait to see my view from the beach. If my camera on my iphone can do it any justice I will take a picture and post it on facebook. I'm going back up to my room to put on sunscreen because I dont want to return as a tomatoe, then I am off to the beach. Peace and love.
Sean Reilly Murphy
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Just some thoughts
Getting tired of touring around. I have done everything in Paris except for go to the Eiffel Tower. I am not sure if I will even be going. Just tired of tourists and being a tourist in general. Looking forward to getting to Nice and just laying on the beach for a few days. I cant wait to see how tan... er i mean red... i can get. I'm stoked that the internet cafe has books in english. I'm finishing up Angelas Ashes and moving on to High Fidelity. I was never a big fan of the movie but I wanted to give it a shot. I'm just going to soak up the sun read my book and chill out once I get to Nice tomorrow evening.
Another thought.... Americans are sheltered. Hardcore. Everywhere I go and everybody I meet I am the least worldly. It is funny, it makes me think. The only thing I know is the states. That is it. People here are from all over the world. Very few from the states, that may be due to the weak value of the dollar but I dont think Americans really value traveling as much. Everybody I seem to meet here is Austrailian. Everywhere I go Aussies Aussies Aussies. They are a fun bunch cause they like to drink like Americans lol. But they believe in gap year. So at a very young age they go out and travel for a year at a time. Don't ask me where they get the $$$ cause I keep wondering that.
Met some Jordanians. They are staying in my room at my hostel. There names are Fuad and Saad. GREAT DUDES! Last night they bought a bottle of tequila and I had a couple drinks with them prior to embarking on the pub crawl. One of the first things they said to me and Trevor (my mate from Toronto) was "see we are not all terrorists!" It's very funny the way people have these preconceived notions of what other people or nationalities are like but when we get together and we meet and we chat, WE ARE ALL THE SAME. We like the same things, we all have the same things in mind and goals. Its just a very good and comforting feeling. I have met tons of people from all over on this trip, I have not met an unkind soul. Maybe it's the spirit of the backpacker, either way I hope people read this and realize.
A final little sidenote, there is a saying I heard in Ireland that has been ringing in my head throughout my little trip and I have been meaning to post it.
In life there are only two things to worry about. Either you are well or
you are sick. If you are well, there is nothing to worry about. But if you are sick, there
are only two things to worry about: Either you will get well, or you will die. If you get
well, there is nothing to worry about. If you die, there are only two things to worry
about. Either you will go to Heaven, or you will go to Hell. If you go to Heaven, there
is nothing to worry about. But if you go to Hell, you'll be so damn busy shaking hands
with friends you won't have time to worry. LOL
Until next time....
Sean Reilly Murphy
Another thought.... Americans are sheltered. Hardcore. Everywhere I go and everybody I meet I am the least worldly. It is funny, it makes me think. The only thing I know is the states. That is it. People here are from all over the world. Very few from the states, that may be due to the weak value of the dollar but I dont think Americans really value traveling as much. Everybody I seem to meet here is Austrailian. Everywhere I go Aussies Aussies Aussies. They are a fun bunch cause they like to drink like Americans lol. But they believe in gap year. So at a very young age they go out and travel for a year at a time. Don't ask me where they get the $$$ cause I keep wondering that.
Met some Jordanians. They are staying in my room at my hostel. There names are Fuad and Saad. GREAT DUDES! Last night they bought a bottle of tequila and I had a couple drinks with them prior to embarking on the pub crawl. One of the first things they said to me and Trevor (my mate from Toronto) was "see we are not all terrorists!" It's very funny the way people have these preconceived notions of what other people or nationalities are like but when we get together and we meet and we chat, WE ARE ALL THE SAME. We like the same things, we all have the same things in mind and goals. Its just a very good and comforting feeling. I have met tons of people from all over on this trip, I have not met an unkind soul. Maybe it's the spirit of the backpacker, either way I hope people read this and realize.
A final little sidenote, there is a saying I heard in Ireland that has been ringing in my head throughout my little trip and I have been meaning to post it.
In life there are only two things to worry about. Either you are well or
you are sick. If you are well, there is nothing to worry about. But if you are sick, there
are only two things to worry about: Either you will get well, or you will die. If you get
well, there is nothing to worry about. If you die, there are only two things to worry
about. Either you will go to Heaven, or you will go to Hell. If you go to Heaven, there
is nothing to worry about. But if you go to Hell, you'll be so damn busy shaking hands
with friends you won't have time to worry. LOL
Until next time....
Sean Reilly Murphy
PARIS
So as I finished up writing my last blog the other night I mentioned meeting a lad from Toronto named Trevor. Good Canadian fellow. I went to meet him in the lounge and really didnt want a beer. He coerced me into sharing a pint with him by saying "what your just going to sit there and drink your american coke and wear your im American remember 9/11 hat." I had a beer, and retired early to read some more of Angelas Ashes. I'm almost finished and it is a remarkable story.
The next day we decided that we were going to hit up all the spots that Paris had to offer. To do that it would really probably take weeks but we saw the highlights. We took the Metro to Sacre Coeur which is some sort of monastery or chapel or holy grounds of some sort. The Sacre Coeur was an architectural masterpiece. Beautiful gargoyles adorn the tops and accent the gorgeous dome shape that sets the building off. On our way back to the metro was where I fell into a stupid tourist trap and lost some money to a street performer. Sacre Coeur is not in a dodgy part of Paris far away from other tourist attractions. Everywhere there are people accosting you for money or to play into their little tricks or selling you little eiffel tower replicas and things like that. I fell victim to a "find the ball under the shell" type game. The second I whipped out my wallet he was off to the races. I managed to clutch my wallet away but he got a chunk of cash I had in my hand. The other people playing in the game were part of his ploy and they circled around me and circled Trevor and I as the man made off with my money. I was not even upset that my money was taken, just upset at how STUPID i had been.
After Sacre Coeur we took the metro to the Arc De Triomphe. It was an arc built in the middle of Paris by napoleon after conquering Europe. It is crazy, a big circular intersection that has something like 11 streets all leading into the middle of it. There are no lights just yield signs with a constant stream of traffic and many near accidents. It is said you are a true Perisian when you learn to drive around the Arc De Triomphe.
From there we walked the Champs Elysse. This is the strip in downtown paris where you find all the high end stores and restaurants etc. It is very funny the cafes line the sidewalks and all the seats face the street, so when you eat you are not looking at the person you are eating with. It is because Champs Elysse and Paris are places where to be seen is everything in life. Very funny indeed. From there we went to Invalides. Invalides was a palace originally built for soldiers returning from war. It is now the home of Napoleons tomb as well as the Arms museum. Very interesting. The architechture of the building is marvelous, as with all of Paris. Everywhere I go im constantly looking up at the buildings.
We continued our tour of Paris by making our way to Notre Dame. Along the way we wanted to be seen so we stopped at a cafe on one of the side streets and ate some parisian cuisine (club sandwiches and croque monsieur lol) at one of the outdoor cafes. From there it was onto Notre Dame. Notre Dame is incredible. You have to visit it to truly appreciate it.... The size of the cathedral is overwhelming. Once again stunning architechture and swarms of people everywhere you look. I almost stopped to give confession there in Notre Dame but Trevor is not catholic and I didnt want to make him wait long. Lord knows I have not given confession in quite some time and it would probably take me a while lol.
After that we walked and walked and walked some more. Making it back to the hostel just in time to do a backpacker pub crawl. The pub crawl was very cool. They took us to 4 bars and then we ended up in a club on Champs Elysse. The club was hilarious. 25 euro entry and drinks were 12 euro each. For us because we were with the pub crawl they only charged us 7 euro or 10$ USD for drinks. LOLOLOL it is there that I decided to call it a night.
Woke up this morning a tad bit late. I just missed breakfast and when backpacking breakfast is vital. It is the only time you have to stock up on free food. The breakfast here even has Cocoa Krispies!!! So breakfast in Paris consists of those and baguettes with butter and marmalade.
Today I made my way to the louvre and marveled in its beauty for hours. The building itself is a work of art. There are so many things to do and see! I saw Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, Louis XV crown and sword, the Victory at Samothrace. It was beautiful. I wandered into the medevil Louvre which is part of the Louvre from the olden days that was unearthed during a renovation in the 80's...... i think. Either way crazy good times there. Tons of hot sophisticated chicks and lots of things that I have only seen in movies and pictures and textbooks etc. Very awesome!
Chilling tonight. I'll continue to keep you all updated. It is a pleasure sharing my stories with you. Until next time......
Sean Reilly Murphy
The next day we decided that we were going to hit up all the spots that Paris had to offer. To do that it would really probably take weeks but we saw the highlights. We took the Metro to Sacre Coeur which is some sort of monastery or chapel or holy grounds of some sort. The Sacre Coeur was an architectural masterpiece. Beautiful gargoyles adorn the tops and accent the gorgeous dome shape that sets the building off. On our way back to the metro was where I fell into a stupid tourist trap and lost some money to a street performer. Sacre Coeur is not in a dodgy part of Paris far away from other tourist attractions. Everywhere there are people accosting you for money or to play into their little tricks or selling you little eiffel tower replicas and things like that. I fell victim to a "find the ball under the shell" type game. The second I whipped out my wallet he was off to the races. I managed to clutch my wallet away but he got a chunk of cash I had in my hand. The other people playing in the game were part of his ploy and they circled around me and circled Trevor and I as the man made off with my money. I was not even upset that my money was taken, just upset at how STUPID i had been.
After Sacre Coeur we took the metro to the Arc De Triomphe. It was an arc built in the middle of Paris by napoleon after conquering Europe. It is crazy, a big circular intersection that has something like 11 streets all leading into the middle of it. There are no lights just yield signs with a constant stream of traffic and many near accidents. It is said you are a true Perisian when you learn to drive around the Arc De Triomphe.
From there we walked the Champs Elysse. This is the strip in downtown paris where you find all the high end stores and restaurants etc. It is very funny the cafes line the sidewalks and all the seats face the street, so when you eat you are not looking at the person you are eating with. It is because Champs Elysse and Paris are places where to be seen is everything in life. Very funny indeed. From there we went to Invalides. Invalides was a palace originally built for soldiers returning from war. It is now the home of Napoleons tomb as well as the Arms museum. Very interesting. The architechture of the building is marvelous, as with all of Paris. Everywhere I go im constantly looking up at the buildings.
We continued our tour of Paris by making our way to Notre Dame. Along the way we wanted to be seen so we stopped at a cafe on one of the side streets and ate some parisian cuisine (club sandwiches and croque monsieur lol) at one of the outdoor cafes. From there it was onto Notre Dame. Notre Dame is incredible. You have to visit it to truly appreciate it.... The size of the cathedral is overwhelming. Once again stunning architechture and swarms of people everywhere you look. I almost stopped to give confession there in Notre Dame but Trevor is not catholic and I didnt want to make him wait long. Lord knows I have not given confession in quite some time and it would probably take me a while lol.
After that we walked and walked and walked some more. Making it back to the hostel just in time to do a backpacker pub crawl. The pub crawl was very cool. They took us to 4 bars and then we ended up in a club on Champs Elysse. The club was hilarious. 25 euro entry and drinks were 12 euro each. For us because we were with the pub crawl they only charged us 7 euro or 10$ USD for drinks. LOLOLOL it is there that I decided to call it a night.
Woke up this morning a tad bit late. I just missed breakfast and when backpacking breakfast is vital. It is the only time you have to stock up on free food. The breakfast here even has Cocoa Krispies!!! So breakfast in Paris consists of those and baguettes with butter and marmalade.
Today I made my way to the louvre and marveled in its beauty for hours. The building itself is a work of art. There are so many things to do and see! I saw Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, Louis XV crown and sword, the Victory at Samothrace. It was beautiful. I wandered into the medevil Louvre which is part of the Louvre from the olden days that was unearthed during a renovation in the 80's...... i think. Either way crazy good times there. Tons of hot sophisticated chicks and lots of things that I have only seen in movies and pictures and textbooks etc. Very awesome!
Chilling tonight. I'll continue to keep you all updated. It is a pleasure sharing my stories with you. Until next time......
Sean Reilly Murphy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)