Settling in

 So these past few days have been intense. It has really been a lot to take in. There's always something going on and the traffic here is a lot more stressful than I'm used to. I haven't really gotten out to explore Orgeval properly yet and I haven't really been speaking any French yet. 

Saturday we went to sign up the chaps for activities. Everyone is in this big hall and there are tables with people sitting there. Above the tables are signs so you know what activity they're offering. There were a lot of people there. After this we went back home to grab some dinner.

After dinner I was to go into the center of Paris and meet Hannah. The plan was for me to get my pass navigo so I can travel as much as I like within certain zones. Sadly the offices were closed which means we'll have to do it sometime this week. Anyway I got a weekend ticket and I was off. 

Hannah was already there waiting for me. There was people everywhere again. We got out of the station and we just walked. I had brought my jacket just in case but France is a lot warmer than I had anticipated.

The park

We went to this little park in the middle of everything and sat down. My jacket was of use after all. We were there for a while trying to recover from the overload of people. After taking a few deep breaths we started to think about what to do next and where to go. So we crossed the river Seine in search for food.

We walked around a bit and saw lots of people everywhere. There was this artist on the street who was drawing things and selling them. He was making portraits and he was actually quite talented. We were tempted to get him to draw us but we didn't have any proper way of transporting it so we decided to do it later.

Hannah at the river Seine

 

Hannah and I continued into this place where the streets were filled with different restaurants. There was lots to choose from but we settled for french cuisine. It was a nice little place where we got three courses. I ordered their homemade burger and it must be one of the best burgers I have ever had. We sat there for quite a while and had a great time. 

After this we decided to go over to a park and then continue on to the Eiffel tower. We went down to the metro and realised that there was something wrong with the ticket. We took it to the information desk and told them and they gave me a new one. We went to the other park and sat there for a few minutes. It was a pity that the park was closing and everyone had to go out. I never realised that a park is a place that you would close. 

Since the park closed we went off and found a little open restaurant and had a glass of wine. We checked the timetables to see when we had to leave. After a nice time at the restaurant we headed to the metro so we could catch the train. Again there was something wrong with the ticked and the information booth was closed so we had to find a different metro station. There we told them the problem and they gave us a new one. Hannah figured there must be a problem with the system since that ticket is supposed to work all weekend with all types of transport. Anyway since we had to walk more than expected we missed the train I had planned on taking so I got onto the next one. We had to skip the Eiffel tower since there simply wasn't any time. 

Today I haven't been doing much. I had planned on going into Paris to church but I decided to prioritise rest. If I'm to survive another week I couldn't go stressing myself out. So I stayed home and slept in late and waited for Hannah to arrive. I went to pick her up from Poissy. We watched the Holy Ghost movie that was streaming for free. After having watched the movie we decided to get something to eat. We arrived at the pizza place only to realise that it was Sunday and nothing is opened on Sundays. To our disappointment we walked back home and got something there instead. Before we knew it it was time to drive Hannah to the train station in Poissy. 

It just feels like my mission here is a lot bigger than I had realised. I see a lot more than I had expected. This wasn't the most pleasant realisation. This is what I came for and this is what I want to do, but it's not going to be easy. At least I can be happy that I'm not alone in this. 

The picture says it all