my journey from the south of France to PARIS

What a day.  I wrote down my thoughts as the day went on, I am currrently sitting in my hotel in Paris with my friends.       I LOVE PARIS so far!  Its really magnificent.  


today...

My journey to PARIS

As I write this, I am currently sitting on the train on my way to Paris.   Paris Gare  Lyon to be exact.  That is the name of the train station I will be arriving at soon!  Soon as in five hours.  

My journey to Paris started this morning when I left the de Dinechin's house.  I first had to take a bus from Valbonne, to a city called Antibes.   The train station is in Antibes.

Of course, nothing for me is ever "simple."   I have this kind of "inside joke" with my boyfriend that he has the BEST LUCK of anybody I know.  Good things just happen to him!  Granted, he deserves them all, but still,  We always joke about how terrible my luck is and how great his is.   (Of course I am the one living in Europe this summer, just sayin!)

So my bus was supposed to drop me off RIGHT in front of the train station in Antibes. Therefore it would be fairly simple.  I have never visited Antibes, and therefore did not know where the train station was, so I was glad that the bus would drop me off right there.

Road construction follows me everywhere.  From growing up with the constant road construction on I 75 from Cleveland to Chattanooga, to the huge road repairs Cannes is working on this summer causing much more traffic, to TODAY.  Due to construction, today, the bus was not going to stop in front of the train station.  It stopped in the middle of the city, in the middle of a big construction mess, not near the train station.

 

Thus begins my adventure.  

I get off the bus in Antibes.  A nice French lady noticed I had my luggage.  I was hoping there would be others with luggage that I could just follow the station--there wasn't.  She started speaking to me in French of course, and I told her I did not speak French.  She proceeded to speak French to me anyway.   Luckily, I know a little French by now and I knew that she said   "to the train station come with me"  or something along those lines.  I was so relieved!  I do not think I would have found the train station so easily without her help!     She was not going all the way to the train station, so I had to figure out the rest of the way, but I made it!   It was very nice having a head start.    We were actually sitting near each other on the bus, and I happened to make eye contact and smile at her.   It is just a friendly southern American thing to do I guess.   Turns out she ended up helping me later.   Always be kind to everyone you come in contact with!     That is something my boyfriend Spencer does so well.  I have learned a lot from him!    I am thankful the Lord was looking out for me this afternoon.   Because I ended up needing even more help later...

I had about one hour until my train left.  I had just enough time to run down to the boat dock and get a quick picture.   The boats were not beside the train station, but relatively close so I decided to go for it.    Finally made it back to the train station.  The Antibes train station is a very small station.   NONE of the signs were in English.  NO ONE spoke English.   Luckily I figured out where to get my little ticket stamped, where to grab some lunch, and head towards the tracks.  Now, your ticket tells you where you sit on the train, where you stand when you wait for your train, ect.  Except none of it is in English...I figured the workers could point me as to where to go or just look for the numbers on signs and go stand beside the corresponding ones I have written on my ticket.    Easy enough.   No.  None of the workers spoke English.  They just kind of stared at me.  They tried to help me but they were just speaking in French and pointing in all different directions.  I instantly thought of my first day in Cannes when all the employees told me to go to all these different places for my bus and no one really knew what they were talking about.   "GREAT" I thought to myself.  I am never going to find my train!    The signs all around the tracks just had alaphabet letters on them.  There were no alaphabet letters on my ticket.   APPARENTLY  there is some sign where you find the match of your numeric number for the letter.   On my ticket, I am number "16" and apparently I was supposed to stand where the "W" is because W is the same as 16...... I do not know.  It did not make sense to me, still doesn't really.    In America, everything is translated everywhere in Spanish.   How nice.   In France, most every where has English, but since this station was so small I was not so lucky!   The announcements about what trains are coming next and what train is arriving ect. were all in FRENCH!  The trains did not even have where they were headed written on them!  YIKES!

Finally found a lady who spoke French and English and assured my I was in the right place and let me know when it was my train that was coming next.  I spent the first hour on my train ride sitting next to no one!  It was not crowded at all and I was so relaxed.  About and hour an a half into my train ride I realized I was in the wrong seat.   Apparently my seat was upstairs.  In the crowded section!   Oh well, I enjoyed it while I could.  I was in seat number 16, and I was supposed to be in 93.  I have both numbers written on my ticket so I did not have a clue.    The  French women I had been sitting with thus far were saying "Stay Here Stay Here!"  over and over again, except they were saying it in French.    I understood they were telling me to stay, but then the one lady was getting so mad at me and saying I was in her seat.   It may be a good I did not understand what she was saying!   It was an intense moment.   I got up and eventually found my seat.  The other French ladies told me to leave my luggage in the little carrier where I had had it.   I was so stressed at the moment, I left it there.

A few hours later,  I decided it was time to get up and go to the little cafe in the station and get my afternoon coffee.  I drank a delicious cup, and enjoyed watching the scenery go by.   I decided it would be a good idea to go "check" on my luggage since it was not visible from where I was sitting.   I return to the spot, and it is not there.   I checked everywhere.  Up and down, and all around.   I tried not to panic, so I went and found a worker that spoke English.  The first thing they say is "Do you not understand French...."   No.  I have literally not met one person here that does not make a comment about me not knowing french.    If I were to really study and learn any second language, it would be Spanish.  It would be the most practical and relative to my life and my teaching.    Would I love to be able to speak the beautiful French language---absolutely!    I planned my trip here in a month, that it not exactly enough time to learn a language!  I studied as much as I could before I came, but there is only so much a person can do.   Anyway...... I told her "Not really...."

Then the workers told me there are so many robberies, and that I have to go to the police at the train station in Paris.  Then came the tears.   I will not even mention what all was in my luggage.   Luckily not my wallet or my phone.   I began crying and I prayed and I prayed "Jesus, please help me find me luggage."

I decided maybe I just checked the wrong car.   They all look so similar with the exact same layout.  I go further down the train, praying and praying, and I FOUND MY LUGGAGE!  I BREATHED THE BIGGEST SIGH OF RELIEF and carried it alllll the way back to where I am sitting.   No more losing luggage scares for me.   

I am not even to Paris yet and I am already having such an adventure!  

Now to try to relax on the rest of the train ride.   I feel like my mother.   I am hot so I am fanning myself with the food menu.  Everyone is kind of looking at me..... I  get car sick, and apparently I get train sick because I am slightly nauseous and really need some fresh air.

and now......PARIS!

from the RIVERIA train station.....