Hello, I'm alive, I promise :) Just having internet issues. Here is a recap of the past few days:
Day 1
11 pm Detroit to Paris. Met up with other 2 members of the group. Long flight, but no major problems getting through security. No pat-down, strip search or fancy scanners for me. Guess I look innocent.
Day 2
12 hr layover in Paris = sightseeing trip!
Unfortunately, not realizing this earlier, I didn't have a coat. Weather about 35 deg F and foggy. Thank-god for hoodie sweatshirts. We took the metro into Paris. Tried to meet the 4th member of our party at a Crepe place in Cluny. Had espresso and a crepe with "Chocolat and Chantilly," which is whipped cream. Food was excellent, but no sign of our friend. The computer we brought apparently doesn't speak French or any other internet language at the moment, so we were unable to send her a message. After leaving a note, we left and started walking.
We saw Notre Dame and made our way to the Louve. The museum was closed, which was a major disappointment. Still, the glass pyramid and outside architecture were stunning. Hopefully, I'll have enough of a layover on the way back to stop by. We went on walking, saw half of the Eiffel tower due to the fog.
Day 1
11 pm Detroit to Paris. Met up with other 2 members of the group. Long flight, but no major problems getting through security. No pat-down, strip search or fancy scanners for me. Guess I look innocent.
Day 2
12 hr layover in Paris = sightseeing trip!
Unfortunately, not realizing this earlier, I didn't have a coat. Weather about 35 deg F and foggy. Thank-god for hoodie sweatshirts. We took the metro into Paris. Tried to meet the 4th member of our party at a Crepe place in Cluny. Had espresso and a crepe with "Chocolat and Chantilly," which is whipped cream. Food was excellent, but no sign of our friend. The computer we brought apparently doesn't speak French or any other internet language at the moment, so we were unable to send her a message. After leaving a note, we left and started walking.
We saw Notre Dame and made our way to the Louve. The museum was closed, which was a major disappointment. Still, the glass pyramid and outside architecture were stunning. Hopefully, I'll have enough of a layover on the way back to stop by. We went on walking, saw half of the Eiffel tower due to the fog.
As a side note, it no longer costs a penny to go to the toilet, but 50 cents (Euro).
When we were walking toward the Eiffel tower, it appeared out of nowhere behind some residential buildings. Wouldn't it be crazy to have the Eiffel tower in your backyard? Anyways, the weather was still foggy and we weren't able to get a good picture.
We continued walking and stopped at a coffee shop (I got hot chocolate) to warm up. Still no sign of friend. It had gotten dark, so we walked back to the Eiffel tower and we're able to see it at night. The fog had gone, so we could to see the full length all lit up. It was the highlight of that day by far. After that, we hopped on the metro to the airport, where we ran into our friend. Apparently there are two crepe places on the same street with the same name, go figure. We boarded our next flight and I got to cross Paris off my bucket list.
Day 3:
We flew from Paris, France to Johannesburg, South Africa. Flight was about 10hrs :S. Still was trying to recover from the time difference and jet lag.
Once we landed the next morning, another person and I realized that our luggage was missing. Apparently it did not leave Detroit. Luckily, both of us had packed a spare change of clothes and toothpaste. We met the 5th member of our party at Jo'burg's airport where we picked up a rental car. From there we drove to Kruger National park (about 6hr). Somewhere along the way, I realized it hurt to put weight on my L foot. To make a long story shorter, we think I have a sprain. I'm not 100% sure how I got it (I'm always clumsy and seem to injure myself somehow on every trip...crowbar in New Orleans and then drywall ceiling in New Orleans the 2nd year).
The good news, in all this, is that we weren't as crammed in the small sedan with 3 missing luggage and that I sprained my ankle around medical students. One girl has a lot of experience in sports med and can tape my ankle if needed and one of the guy wants to do orthopedics.
Anyways, I'm just glad we made it safely to our destination at Kruger View. I could not have imagined a better place for this environment. It's on the edge of the park and is a cabin with a rustic feel. You can sit out at night (we have a patio to our room) and look at the stars without any light pollution. We have been able to get a room for 5. The only downfall is that there isn't a door to the bathroom. So we are constantly aware of where everyone is and always announce when we're going to use the bathroom or if we are going to walk through it. No funny stories, yet.
Which brings me to today:
Day 4:
I've already typed a lot, so will give more details later. To give you a hint, we went on an African safari in the search for lions and other wildlife.
Day 4:
I've already typed a lot, so will give more details later. To give you a hint, we went on an African safari in the search for lions and other wildlife.
