Check, Check and Check!

Paris (week 2) continued to bring unexpected adventures and journeys which I suppose has my trip working out in ways I could never have planned had I tried. Please be reminded, if you weren't already overwhelmingly aware, I did not plan even one aspect of this adventure. And so it goes....

Participate in 70,000 person march to stop France from raising the retirement age and to prevent France from bringing further strife to worker's Unions - Check.

Spend hours at France's largest Flea Market with priceless antiques, endless books and paintings, vintage vinyl, touristy trinkets and literal garbage displayed as if it were finely hand stitched couture on display at a fashion exhibit - Check.

Watch France national soccer (football) team play in the World cup on television in France - Check.

Make use of wonderfully thoughtful going away gift from co-workers at McGregor & Ernenwein, walking photo tour of Paris - Check.

Ride the metro (btw Kelly you were right the metro actually smells like freshly baked bread, croissants and pastries) - Check.

Visit the Louvre and people watch, eat ice cream and nap at Les Tuillieries (garden/park at the Louvre) - Check, Check, Check.

Blend in (was asked for directions by 4 different French people in French) - Check.

Take metro to TGV (high speed train), walk 30 minutes to metro in order to take metro to train station, sweat profusely while entering rental car info instead of train info, curse at ticket machine, leave machine, come back, enter rental car info into train ticket machine again and ultimately realize even in English I can easily become confused - Check.

Visit the south of France (Avignon), participate in French reality TV show "Very Good Trip" and witness/study pigeon mating rituals on multiple occasions - Check, Check and Check.

Buy a beautifully handmade ring made from a silver spoon by a kind Peruvian man in Avignon and get a free hand woven bracelet from the kind man that grants me 3 wishes; all 3 of which I immediately wished for (still waiting for remaining 2 to come true) - Check.

Eat alone, a lot. Drink alone, not a lot, unless its in the privacy of my flat. - Check.

Spend $100 US for a dry manicure/pedicure (absolutely no water involved) while being forced to "rest" my giant boats on the knees of my dainty French pedicurist only to have multiple leg and foot cramps because I refused to actually "rest" my feet on her tiny legs - Check.

Translate from English to French for 4 American girls who wandered into the nail salon and did not know how to ask if they could get pedicures and take photos of the shop - Check.

Buy sneaks and in so doing convince the adorable 20 year old salesman that he needs to get the same pair, we modeled the shoes together, we probably wore the same size (sigh) - Check.

Continue to miss my friends, family and home while soaking in every detail and moment of my adventure - Check, Check, Check and Check.

-Jillian