So after purchasing tickets for Paris by train, we left Thursday afternoon at approximately 1:30 in the afternoon. I had my picnic all packed up ready to roll and hopped on the train. Our plan of attack was to take a train up to Cerbere right on the French, Spanish border and then on up to Orleans. The trip from Valencia to Cerbere was 6 hours if I'm not mistaken which put us in around 7:30 or 8. Cerbere...let me describe this place. If you've ever seen the movie saw where the two guys are stuck in a horrible bathroom with nobody around, you've hit cerbere. In fact, lower the temperature 60 degrees around 20 degrees and you'll be close enough to the temperature. By this time we were somewhat hungry and decided to venture out into Cerbere to find some food. The only way out of the train station was a under a bridge where a group of bums had set up shop. So we decided that the muffins and chocolate I bought would do. We got on the next train which was actually a sleeper(ette) which means it's almost enough room to not get comfortable in. This train ride was fairly long and was going to put me in Orleans at 6:45. Along the way a group of French soldiers (yeah I googled it too, they do in fact have an army) got on the train in which I gladly told them "you're welcome". So after a full night of train riding, Orleans arrived. And then passed because I'm an idiot. I wrote down on a piece of paper the word Orlean and then showed it to a French lady that was standing at the door with me. She nodded yes and when the train stopped she waited in front of the door like an attendant needed to open it up or something. So I waited as well until the train started moving. So I hopped off, got yelled at by a French police officer and literally ran to jump back on the train. So I rode into Paris, had to hop on another train back to Orlean, adding another hour and a half of travel to put it to more than 18 hours on trains. Mere and Justin were eagerly waiting at the train station for me (round two waiting...) and we drove back over to their apartment. It felt so great to be around family. It was also an added bonus that Justin fixed me a huge plate of eggs with onion and peppers and I had cold milk. God bless America for having huge refrigerators of milk. After the meal, I took a short nap to re-group. We decided to tour Orleans, the downtown section in the afternoon. We stopped by the best bakery in town for some sweets (apparently the French have good bread and stuff...who would have thought). Justin had a practice so Mere and I walked on back to the apartment. I met a few of the other players in the complex and their wives and had a vision. There is a nice long divide between the apartments and while sitting on the porch I proposed a question...Why aren't there cornhole boards here? It's genius. We set our idea into motion and headed to the local hardware store. Europeans need a home depot, the place we went to had chickens in cages you could buy. The guy behind the counter at the "lumber" department was to say gently confused. He told us we have "big imaginations", which I guess he is technically right, who wouldn't want Hawaiian punch to come out of a water fountain in your house. We couldn't manage to get the proper boards cut but had the name of a new place, Mr Bricolage. It would be our mission tomorrow. For dinner we had a roast. By roast if you've ever seen the Flintstones, when Wilma brings Fred the house slab of meat it was basically like that. We had roast, mashed taters, delicious French wine and a salad. It was amazing. I have to comment over and over that Mere and Justin are the most hospitable people I've ever met. Day 1 was over but the fun was just beginning.
Friday Pictures: Mere in the den, French Sunset and Pastry domination.
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