A day in Paris

I’ve set my alarm for 9 so that I wake early enough to shower, leave my Couchsurfing host, check in to my hostel, and then visit the Louvre and the Paris Catacombs.

It’s raining, so museum day it is.

My CS host gets up to have a coffee with me.
Free.

I check Louvre ticket availability. Lots available, but decide it’s best to book. Choose the 13:30 time slot.
€17€17

His flatmate has left me a message on Toiletbook, an offline and immensely better version.

I take the metro from the nearby station.
€1.90€1.90 single trip, cash or card.

Check in to my hostel.
€27€27 + city tax €0.88€0.88

Shortchanged €0.02€0.02 as they don’t have the coins.

Find a bakery and ask for a sandwich.
€3.90€3.90 It’s a baguette with ham, lettuce and cheese. Also easy to pronounce.

Take Metro to the Lourve.
€1.90€1.90 again for a single trip.

Ten trip tickets available, and a transport card if you are planning on staying for more days or getting around more.

I join the Louvre line by the pyramid at 12:39 in the rain. I’m inside by 12:48 so not too wet, plus I had a rain coat.

There are free lockers, but it’s not warm inside so I decide to take everything with me. I have a bottle of water and some walnuts.

The fine print on my ticket says I can enter the exhibits from 13:30, but decide to try my luck and I get in fine at 13:05.

Wander around, quite easy to get lost. But find toilets and later the Mona Lisa.

I line up to see the Mona Lisa, and I’m the only one who just looks at it and doesn’t get a selfie.

The view outside.

Take a quarter tab of acid. All goes well and paintings start looking more intense. Set a timer and message friends. Feel good and safe, museum isn’t too busy, so take the rest.

Some paintings are huge!

And some a little strange.

Enjoy discovering more sections randomly, but also consult the wall maps and a paper map I pick up off a seat.

Roof art looks amazing.

Stare at a big marble bowl for ages. People come over to see what I’m staring at, and then look disappointed haha.

The photo you take. Followed by the same spot after people see you take the photo.

Decide to leave the Louvre as there are a few tour groups.

It’s now rain snowing. It’s quite magical and I just follow people and wander the streets towards my hostel.

Was going to just walk to the hostel and chill, but decide I can still make it to the Catacombs. I’d forgotten.

But my phone battery is dying and it’s difficult to charge with my powerbank and navigate in the dark and cold.

Find a bakery to shelter in and sort my phone out.
Purchase a sandwich and a pain de chocolat.
€4.45€4.45

Next I find a metro station, there’s no ticket machines, have to wait for the counter.
€1.90€1.90

Arrive to the station after a somewhat long subway ride. I eat my food on the way.

Get my bearings, cross the street and arrive just as they are pulling the doors shut. The Catacombs are closed. It’s 7pm, they officially close at 8.

I am slightly dissapointed, that I am missing one of the main reasons for visiting Paris, more not looking forward to the subway ride home.
€1.90€1.90

Hostel rooms are tiny and barely any room to put anything. Bathroom is inside the room and also small. I have a shower then go for a walk.

Sit in the hostel and charge my phone. There is zero atmosphere. I decide to make a CS hangout for doing some street art. A couple of people join but aren’t serious about coming.

I get my cans and stencils ready and go solo. I head towards, Sacré-Cœur where I went for views of the city the night before. There were paste-ups and stencil art around there. You can see the Eiffel Tower from here.

I wander and scope the scene. Then go for it. It is very quiet, only cars make any noise. People walk past every now and then, but I just go for it.

Walk back down and look for more spots.

Stop for warmth and a crepe.
€2.50€2.50 crepe with lemon and sugar.

Walk in the other direction and find spots for a couple of rats, and a place where I can stay longer to do my happy chocolate ice cream. Every taxi with red light on the roof freaks me out.

Successful I head back to my hostel to sleep.
€27€27

Total spent:  €65.35€65.35