Disenchanted

I will never again promise a more exciting blog.

Day two started off fabulously with a croissant and a café au lait that was delicious and I don’t even like coffee. Maja and I went to look at an apartment for her. It turned out to be an absolute dump. I just kept thinking, “But where’s the rest of it?” If you had your arms outstretched you could touch both walls. The “bedroom” was more of a top bunk to the bunk bed of a one room apartment, with two really thin mattresses right on the wood surface less than three feet away from each other. The girl showing it to us explained that her old roommate had clogged the shower. I asked if I could use the restroom (free AND non-disgusting bathrooms are few and far between in Paris), and she said no, that was clogged too. Really?! How do you manage to clog every orifice of a bathroom?

We headed back to the apartment. Maja was going to make some more calls, and despite being jetlagged I wanted to get my run in for the day. It was really awkward because the streets were so crowded, and I had to run in place a lot while I waited to go around people or to cross the street. But, I did it. Day two in Paris and I ran! I was pretty proud of myself. So, I get back to the apartment and buzz Maja. She came down to let me in and we’re chatting on the way up the four flights of stairs. She pushed on the door, and then turned around to me with a look of panic. “Oh crap! I didn’t bring the key because I thought it was unlocked!” Nope. This one locked automatically. Easy mistake to make when doors do what you tell them back home. We were locked out with nothing except my iPod, which I couldn’t access the internet on. We spent a couple of hours knocking on neighbors doors trying to access Maja’s e-mail to get the phone number of someone who might have a key. The concierge of the building was completely useless. She didn’t have a key or a contact number for the lady whose apartment we’re staying at, and she was rude to boot. Finally a nice lady let Maja call, but no one answered so she left messages. We sat outside in the hallway for a while, me making friends with the building’s cat and hitting the light switch every five minutes because what surely saves electricity became extremely irritating when you’re stuck in the hallway. Finally the old couple took pity on us and tried to help. Maja was able to get a hold of someone with a key, and we finally got in!!

So, we get in, eat some food, and decide to get online since the internet here doesn’t work. The café we’ve been going to was fine but it’s kind of pricey and only gave you an hour at a time, so we decided to try McDonald’s. If I could turn back time, I never would have gone. I don’t even LIKE McDonald's, they just had free wifi. I have to preface this story with the important detail that I had been harassed ALL day on the street. I was not wearing anything provocative. It's like I had creeper magnet written on my forehead. That and there are beggars everywhere and the Parisian variety are a lot more aggressive than back home. I was on my laptop, and it had five minutes left on the battery. I was desperately trying to finish a conversation with Dave when this kid (15 or 17 maybe) and shoves a sign in my face in a language that I don't know. This happens all the time in Paris, usually they want money. I couldn't believe the security guard wasn't around, and really wanted him to go away. I told him to go away twice, and made direct eye contact with him. I told him I was going to get security, and he finally walked away. I finished my conversation, my laptop died, and then I realized...my iPod was gone. It had been on the table in front of me because I was adding phone numbers to it, and the little shit must have grabbed it under the paper. The security guard was utterly useless and wouldn't even call the police for me. I found a police officer outside and he told me to go to the police station, but it was late and after the day I had I wasn't about to wander around looking for something that I wasn't sure it's exact location. I decided to wait until the next day. It's just AWFUL because Dave gave it to me as a gift specifically for this trip, and it got stolen on day TWO in Paris. That and I had an app to text home for free, and any connection home is extremely valuable to me. Alas, my computer is dying again, so let's call this a "to be continued..."