Finalement, je suis ici!!! En Paris!!! Mais, Je ne la crois pas. Maintenant je suis dans mon auberge de jeunesse, attends pour mon ami Ashley à arriver. Il y a à près de le Moulin Rouge!!
Ok enough of my attempts at speaking French and enough of you all being in utter confusion...lol. Basically...I am finally in Paris!!! And right now waitin for my dear friend Ashley to arrive from Dublin in our hostel which is near the Moulin Rouge!!! Getting here though was quite an excursion and rattled me a bit too...sigh so much to catch up on and I'm sorry for abandoning you all for so long..
So I've been researching Paris, my dream city, the city of lights and love and beauty, for weeks now- I looked up directions and places to go and my train information; I was so ready. I took ballet class yesterday from 10-11:30 and then caught my train to Köln at 12:38 (the first leg of my journey). The train ride wouldnt have bothered me so much except for the fact that my back was irritating me quite a bit and sent me into a downward spiral of anxiety and nerves... I couldn't get comfortable - let me back up..see upon my return to Kiel from Hamburg about a week ago, I started taking class with Nik and the company again. All was well until after class on oh I say Tuesday or Wednesday i was changing, bent down to put my socks on and BAM my lower back freaks out and goes into almost complete and utter spasm. I gripped the couch for balance and breathed through it as I was simultaneously talking to another girl. "oh god oh god oh god" was going through my head like a broken record...I just sucked it up and tried to finish dressing with the least amount of pain possible. Then my brain reels back to what Michelle (my chiropractor) told me in regards to my back and how basically I've acquired a "tucking" issue and that I need to release my pelvis without pushing my ribs forward though... Well inwas her the day before flying overseas and honestly didn't disregard her information but also didn't really think too much about it- obviously I wasn't being active with the info at hand and this is how my body decided to take action..by force. She also said when my body gets pushed to the limit I basically shut down and wot stand for it soooo I'm taking this as a big sign but it's been freakig me out. Since then I haven't really been able to bend forward without pain and doing grand battement to the front is a little troublesome as well...and certain jumps...but not arabesque or archit just rounding (which makes sense since I'm doing that too much). So I've been Rolling out my body and hot showering and praying it gets better before my first audition February 12 in Hannover!!! So I was very distraught on the train yesterday.
Finally I arrive in Köln, find my next platform, pick up what the Germans consider Chinese take out =S (not greasy thank god..just bland heh..even spicy to them is incredibly mild), and then I board the train. I stake out an area when this couple arrives and tells me it's reserved for them- ok I understand this and then ask which seats aren't taken? They tell me the whole train is by reservation only!! I ask even with my Eurail Pass?? They didn't know the answer so hurry off the train, find a DB worker and he's not even sure! He tells me to find the conductor - so I ask the conductor and the train THA that I wanted to take wouldn't accept my Eurail- so I'm freakig out a bit because he's telling me I have to buy a ticket at the station ahead of time for €33 but then he's looking through his seating chart and sees a few empty seats in the last car. He says I can pay on the train but it will just be €43 instead but MAN I was rattled but he was very helpful and kind. Then I embark on my last major train towards Paris Gare du Nord.
As I'm entering the city I only see the bottom of the Eiffel Tower lite up and ts ouch black f course since its about 10pm now...I get of the train and successfully find my next connection and bought my ticket - line 5 towards P. Picasso get off at Hoche. Although inside Gare du Nord I already felt totally out of place being that I was what looked like not the best of areas...well whatever I get on the train and immediately I'm sent back to my adventures in New York City, taking the train uptown to 186 st...the kind of ghetto...and where I am definitely the minority...so I exit the metro and walk upstairs - daunting indeed and there's a group of guys hanging right outside the stop - empty streets, I cannot find my street, I cross the street a couple times to get away from them and to also find more light to look at where I am. Then I see this young girl around my she with a bike - We make eye contact, I pass here, and hen decide to ask here where my street is. I approach her and (here we go French) "pardon, j'ai une questionne. Vous savez cet rue, le rue 7 Arpents?"she looks at my directions and then leads me to the bus map but cannot find it. She asks a couple other guys around her and one knows - we are still speaking some French and then she asks if I speak English which if course i say yes. But she was so kind and helpful and I'm glad I attempted the language.
So...finally I reach my hostel which was only A blocks from the metro but I felt uneasy for sure...I enter the run down looking hostel and speak again some broken French to the front rest clerk. I check in but there are only lockers downstairs for €2 a day and wifi you have to buy in a card that they are all sold out of and don't know when they'll be getting more. I just felt uneasy...I mean it was clean but I could only stand being there for one night. I didn't want ash and I having to walk around that neighborhood late at night after our adventure in the city and inwas worried our belongings wouldn't be so safe...and especially since we are here for like 6 days! So I turned on my roaming data to figure things out and messages ash - thank god she replied!!! So she said just to relax and sleep there tonight - she also told me to turn off my data and took care of finding a new hostel. She is AMAZING and a life saver. So while she looked up things I spoke with my parents and really tried to hold back tears...just so rattled yesterday..and now I am a this wonderful little hostel or so far wonderful with this free wifi =].
Ok well I shall return later with more updates and excursions about Paris! Back do far is feeling better today than before so I hope it stays that way =].
À bientôt!
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