Bayonne Bound

Day two in Paris got off to a slow start. After eleven hours of deep slumber, I had to rouse the sleeping monsters so we could check out before they kicked us out. We enjoyed what may have been the best shower we will see all month, and we got busy dumping weight out of our backpacks. Our little Tour de Paris yesterday served as a reality check on the weight we can comfortably bear. Consequently, the housekeeping staff at the Hotel Voltaire was blessed with a treasure trove of discarded reading material, candy, camping odds and ends, and (the one I fear I will strongly regret) one spine-saving Thermarest sleep pad for the senior member of our group. We left our packs downstairs and set out to make the most of our remaining hours in Paris.

We looked for Quasimodo in the bell towers of Notre Dame.

We checked out one of Paris' romantic symbols on a bridge of eternal love. Lovers seal their fate by locking a padlock to the bridge and throwing the key into the Seine. I'm guessing the combination locks represent something a little less committed. Return to the bridge, unlock the lock, repeat the charade with new lover. Very practical. Do I sound jaded? 

We were serenaded by whistling clowns on the banks of the Seine.

And we enjoyed lots of sweet Parisian treats.

Then, just five hours into our fun, it was time to say goodbye to Paris and get busy with the real reason we are here.  El Camino beckons. We hoisted our packs for one more urban adventure - navigating our way to the outskirts of Paris to find the bus that would take us to Bayonne, in southern France, one step closer to our destination.  By tomorrow morning we will be in St. Jean Pied de Port, our jumping off point for our pilgrimage through Spain. 

Tonight, however, as we roll through the pitch black French countryside, we are engaged in less spiritual matters. "Mama Mia," subtitled in Portuguese, is playing on the television in the bus. Brianna and I are surrounded by snoring, Portuguese senior citizens who are oblivious to our glee and unperturbed when we belt out "Dancing Queen" on cue. Life is good.