Hey Cool People!
So we went to Tours, France and I will be honest, we did nothing here. When I say we did nothing, I mean we did nothing, and I am not upset about it. It was nice to have the time to relax and recharge for the next two weeks ahead of us; Paris, Switzerland, and Oktoberfest.
I have been getting a little worn out from constantly traveling. Living out of a bag is getting old. I am excited for the next two weeks, but I am also excited to come home, stop moving and be in one place for awhile. Tours was also the last time we would have a private room to ourselves, so we took advantage of the privacy. We were staying in a hotel and it was best room we have stayed in on this entire trip. We were all happy to be sleeping in a comfortable bed for the next couple of nights.
Here is how we spent the past couple days in Tours:
Day 113 Tuesday, September 8th - We woke up in Biarttz, France and got ready to hop on the bus to Tours. We had a little bit of extra time the morning, since the bus was not picking us up until 9:30 am, so we ran to the supermarket to grab some breakfast and snacks for the bus ride. The day was pretty uneventful; we watched a few movies on the bus, Rush and Hamish & Andy's Euro Gap Year. Hamish & Andy's Euro Gap Year was pretty funny.
Our guide for the day was Morgan and she had a stuffed animal bunny as her personal Busabout mascot. Well, she got a kick out of the fact that I was wearing a Bugs Bunny jumper, so she made to take a couple of photos with the bunny.
We arrived in Tours around 5:00 pm where we checked into our hotel room. Like I said before, it was our last private room together and being a hotel, it was very nice. We enjoyed the comforts of a private bathroom and large comfortable beds. Helen, who we were hanging out with in Biarttz, was also staying in Tours, so we made plans to meet up for dinner.
At around 6:30 pm we all got together and walked down one of the main streets in search of a restaurant to sit down at. It was kind of exciting ordering off a French menu, only guessing what you are getting. Some of the words look similar to english and spanish, so it wasn't impossible to guess what we were getting though. I got marinated chicken, Helen got beef and Lydia and Jess got duck. We even stayed and enjoyed some creme brulee and chocolate mousse. Yuuummmm!!!! Tours was a bit more expensive to eat out in, but was well worth the price we paid. After dinner we just went back to the hotel room and lad around until we went to sleep.
Day 114 Wednesday, September 9th - This morning was nothing special. We took our time to wake up and get ready. Helen was not feel so great, so she stayed in bed most of the day. Me, Lydia and Jess walked around for a little bit; found a street market. For lunch, we decided to go to the supermarket and pick up a few things and have a picnic in the Park to save some money.
We really didn't do anything the rest of the day. We relaxed in the room and went to the supermarket to grab stuff for dinner. We really did not have any ambition to see any of the Chateaus or the Botanical Garden or explore Old Town or go wine tasting. It was nice to just stop and take some time and recharge for the next weeks ahead.
Day 115 Thursday, September 10th - The bus wasn't coming to pick us up until 5:00 pm, so we had a full day in Tours. We took our time, again, in the morning to get ready and pack. We checked out and met Helen at around 11 am. We all decided to go to a cafe for some coffee before grabbing a bight to eat.
Couple thoughts: I miss good coffee. Like a proper cup of black coffee. And FREE refills.
We sat and chit-chatted for a little bit before heading to a creperie at around noon for some lunch. After lunch, we relaxed in the park for a little bit before making our way to the supermarket to do a little grocery shopping. Our plan was to buy some groceries in Tours and bring them with us to Switzerland since the prices in Switzerland are insanely expensive compared to the rest of Europe and the US.
Around 5:00 pm we hopped back on the bus and started making our way to Paris. We drove into Paris around 9:30 pm. The drive in got me all excited and energized again. It was almost magical to drive past some of the most iconic places like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Moulin Rouge, and all lit up at night.
When we got to our hostel, we checked-in right away, got to our room and decided to do some late night laundry. I am really hoping I can make my laundry last until I go home! After our laundry was finished, it was straight to bed to rest up for a full day of exploring Paris