So the last time i left i was headed to mont st michel which is supposed to be really pretty deal on the coast of the north in france.......i get to the train station and remember that whole buying tickets ahead of time deal well i hadnt and i kinda lost track of time so it had gotten late......looking at the line in the train station i was never gonna make it so i figured i would give the automatic ticket macines a go......with some aid of the nice man at the ticket machine next to me there was a train leaving in 5 minutes and i could just make it.......we figure out which ticket gives me my discount for being a student and which ticket i need to buy and i put my CC in and it jams.......what......it was kinda like it was already jammed with something cause it would start to take my card and then stop.......i feared the loss of my card and i supose that is the huge plus that it did not get stuck but the machine was not happening and 2 minutes latter the train schedual changes on the big board and i will not be going to mont st michel......well most of this trip has been whatever happens happens kinda additude so bust out the map o france and find a new place......it needed to be leaving soon as i didnt want to arrive late......the choice was clear.....caen offered not many other options so paris it was.....in fact a direct train to paris was leaving next in a half hr.......good enough......and with the olympics at the end of my trip i didnt know if i would have time to hit paris on the way back so now was as good a time as any.....besides i had been in countryside towns and it was time for another city.......i grabbed another sandwich at the trai station and i was off.....coincidently i would think this sandwich would be greatly overpriced and poor in quality being at the train station but it was really good and only 2,90......while waiting for the train to arrive a guy asked me for a smoke......being the hge smoker i am i had nothing to offer him but when finding out i was american he decided to chat it up with me......and as always i was a bit skeptical cause i am thinking hummmm maybe he wants to rob me or something and is just asking nice......again i reference 'backpacking europe' which has some of these stories.......so the whole time we are talking i am kinda battling in m mind being nice and chatting it up with him and telling him things of myself and my journey but i am also trying not to reveil too much so i become vulnerable......but i also dont want to miss out on anything because i am being reserved......then i figured eh go with my instincts common sense and be safe......all of which said he was asking a lot of questions (and his extremely hippie look didnt help).....but he was nice enough and tried to help me out with finding what i needed in paris.....and there was nothing sayign we had to talk about me so i asked him many questions as well.....so that was all good......we arrived in paris after 2 hrs in which i slept most of the ride....so upon arriving i asked one of the info booths for the youth hostels and the guy had no clue.....then it was like a light went off and he remembered some old flier in the corner that he went and got.......it was an ad for a hostel and had directions within the metro.......it was a little confusing at first basically cause remembering the words in french can be rough and you have to remember which direction you want too.......but the subway isnt that bad to use after the first two times and it is in really good condition......fairly clean for a subway and their are signs above many of the tracks telling you how long until the next two subs arrive.....my one thing is they should put a few more signs up pointing to which tracks you should go to......it wouldnt be that hard and make it dummyproof for silly americans like me......well all was well.....i made it to the hostel but it was full again.....this one was less my fault cause you cannot reserve rooms ahead of time in paris hostels.....so i figure there are others hostels and a campground my only concern was the limited time i was operating on.......i didnt want to be walking around searching in paris at some crazy time of night......well the guy at the desk says wait a few minutes cause he thinks he has a room for me......so i wait and wait......a group of backpackers was leaving and one of them gives me his leftover internet ticket which i am currently using at no cost.......so that was a plus but i really needed a place to stay and it was getting later......to take my mind off of the wait there was an american girl near me that had just arrived as well so i chatted with her.....her name was krissi and she was from michigan......she had been studying in london and had some more time to travel a bit......she is a student at central michigan st and is gonna be a teacher......she totally reminded me of rachel tach......so finally the guy had found me a room and i was delighted.......i made my way to the room and there were just two beds and no one in site.......it would be amazig to have a single but i figured no chance.......i wased my clothes andwent downstairs to meet up with krissi and the other people she had met, eric and rob from NJ and andrea from canada......well we had oursleves a little group......the other three were cooking dinner and krissi and i walked around and found a pizza place......we brought it back and all had a nice little chat...then we walked tot he convience store for cigarettes for a few of them......it was fun but i just wasnt really feeling the social thing and needed to figure out the next days accomodations and activites.......so i find out to get my hostel i need to get there at 8am and book it.....and it is expensive.....hummm i had no other choice so i needed to go to bed to get up.......krissi knew no french and seemed a bit overwhelmed and i just felt like she really wanted to go around together so i asked her if she wanted to do a few of the sites with me tom........we agreed on a meeting point and off to bed i went.......and no one else was there.....i went from having no room to getting a single out of the deal......hey i wasnt complaining.......asleep i went around 130.......but i had to wake at 630 to eat, shower, pack, etc......i woke up at 530 and rolled back over and didnt get up til 830.......i only have the alarm on my watch and it is just not enough to wake me......no one else was i the room to wake me up, and all the people from last nigth were getting up later, and no wake up calls in a hostel so there wasnt much i could do anyway.......i needed the sleep anyway so eh.......i went to take a shower and as i walk out in the hall small pack towel barly cover me though i did have a t shirt on and i lock myself out......this single was a mixed blessing......i had to walk down 6 flights of stairs to the lobby and ask for another key......whatever i wouldnt see these people again......it was funny and i laughed the whole way with what prolly looked like a way too short skirt on......eh all was good and i got back into the rooma nd got a shower......the hostel even had lockers i could use for my pack so i didnt haver to lug it around.......i headed for the spot to meet krissi and was about 5 minutes late but not bad timing......she was about 15 minutes late and it just reminded me why i didnt want to be traveling with someone......i dont like having to ask what the other person wants......well at least not a stranger......and i think it was just bad timing cause i had just been hanging out with steve and now this.......i was ready to be on my own doin my own thing.......we hit up the sacre coure and the arc de triumph......both cool to look at but lot of people.....on the way to the SC there were some street artists that tried to haggle you into bying a personaled cartoon pic....i was not about to but krissi coudlnt seem to say no.....as they started drawing i was like i am not paying and the guy finally got the point and finally i krissi said no....again just something i wouldnt have gone through if i were alone....the church got me because it was such a contridictary place......you walk in to a bunch of signs no cameras, dogs, video, etc and you had to be silent.....ok cool it is a church.....but then you get in and they beg you to buy candles....asking you and talking when they just told us not to.....there was even a guy to enforce the silence as you walk in but it is ok for them to sell candles.....and the candles there are sations to buy em all around the church as well as two gift shops attatched to the church.......it just took so much of it away for me......but it was nice looking and an incredible marvle as to how they used to build these huge stuctures......so a few pics and off to the arc.....that again is huge and just like it looks on the post cards.....haha.....but the round about around it (rotary) is insane......i dont know how anyone could drive it.....12 streets merging and a 7ish lane round about......they had these traffic gals as well helping to get people around.....they used their wissles constantly and i wondered how nessesary it was but it was quite intresting to watch.......the museum was not happening for 16 euros and the ride to the top for 8 euros wasnt either......i was saving the ride to the top for the effle tower.......we took some pics and looked around and then headed back tot he hostel cause i had forgot to leave my keys, needed my pack, and needed a place to stay.......a quick frenchbread snqdwich for lunch and then i was gonna finally without a doubt go camping tonight at a campground in paris......the dublin girls i met earlier said it was good and it was a bit cheaper (5 euros less) then the hostels so i would give it a go.......but before i made my way for any of them i needed to use the free internet.....i wish i wasnt here on the weekedn cause of the busy nature but eh.......i will stay for a few days and see what i can and then head to the tour de france.....it is not far from here and will be not far from here for quite a few days......then that nigth maybe i can still make it to mont st michel and to the bulls..........but as we see maybe the plans will change who knows.......for now i am off to camping and some groceries and yeh....til then