And the French Adventure Continues

I can't believe it but the end is now in sight. Not that I am excited to finish my travels, but as I was telling mom and dad on the phone yesterday, I have developed an extreme hatred for my backpack. Its not the actual backpack itself (Katie, I am actually in love with the bag and have had numerous travelers tell me how jealous they are of it and all the little compartments) its more the putting on of the backpack and trying to manuver through the metro without taking down too many people. Oh, as well as the fact that I have 4 bags hanging off me at any one time...I think that I am going to get a picture of myself taken and post it so you can all laugh, just like all the Europeans that I pass.
But the end is near...not the end of days, I'm not a prophet or something! This Thursday I will be boarding a plane in Paris (or rather some obscure airport 80km from Paris) and traveling to Dublin. I am really excited and also kind of nervous. This is the real deal now. I have been dreaming of it for years and it is finally here. Holy Crap.
Before I get into too much detail though, I should bring you up to date on my travels up to now.
My last morning in Reims was a bit of crazy time. I couldn't fall asleep my last night there, so let myself sleep through breakfast in an attempt to get enough sleep for the day. Unfortunately by sleeping in I missed the bus by 30 seconds (I saw it pass the stop as I was scrambling with my 4 bags to get there) and realized that I was going to miss my Chapagne tour while waiting for another bus. So into the phone booth I squished myself and called to find out if there was another one. The woman was VERY helpful and said that I could do the French tour 15minutes later if I wanted to. So I jumped on the next bus, got off at the Train Station to store my bags, only to find out that the lockers are no longer available. I had 5 minutes to get to the Champagne cave, so I just grabbed a cab and went. Of course that used up the last of my Euros (I think Reims has the only train station in Europe without a Bank Machine in it!) and so when I arrived at the Cave I had to use my Visa, but they only let you use your Visa for purchases over 15€, and the entry fee was only 7€. The women working there took pity on me when they saw my sad face, and I was allowed entry. Welcome to Mumm's Champagne Cave!
The tour was really great, and our guide knew that French wasn't my first language so made sure that I understood everything she was saying. It took around an hour and we got to see the production from when the crushed grapes arrive to the end product. And my was it yummy. I was actually able to snag myself a second flute, and so without breakfast in my tummy, I was quite a happy girl indeed.
After the tour I put my baggage back on and headed to the bus stop to catch the bus back to the train station. When I arrived I had only 10 minutes to get on the train, but I was SO hungry that I stopped to grab a snack and watched the train leave without me. It was so sad. So I grabed my bags and decided to go for a wander around the Christmas markets for a bit, grab some more Euros, and kill about 2 hours.
When I finally made it back to Paris, I quickly got to my hostel, changed into my new going-to-the-ballet-I'm-so-cultured clothes, and headed out. The theatre was different from the other one I had gone to. It was beautiful in a tacky-gold-barfed-all-over-it kind of way. The seat wasn't as great as I had thought it was, so once again spent the night standing, but the dancing was amazing. I wasn't a huge fan of the music, it seemed like Jazz on crack, but it was still really enjoyable.
After the ballet I went to a restaurant down the street from my hostel, called Chez Justine. The food was really yummy (I finally tried Steak Tartar and it wasn't bad), the champagne was like liquid gold, and the music was fabulous. There was a 4 piece band playing, an accordian, two guitars, and a celo. I loved it and ended up staying until after midnight.
The next morning I jumped on a train and headed to Angers to see 3 girls that I met while in Rome. They are Notre Dame College students studying in Angers for the semester. Katy showed me around town, with guest appearances by Nicole and Kate. Angers is really cute and it was SO fun to see the girls again. Had a fabulous time!
Unfortunately, on the train ride back to Paris I started to feel a bit flue, and was convinced I was getting sick. So when I got back to Paris I went straight to bed, and luckily woke up with just a slight sniffle.
On Sunday I traveled to Bayeux, on the coast in Normandie. They have the longest Tapistry in the world (I think thats right anyway), which tells the story of William the Conqueror. Its 70m long and really cool to see, unfortunately the museum just keeps telling you the same story over and over again, first in a fake tapistry which explains in english and in french using copies of the images, then in a movie, and then finally with an audio guide while you are looking at the actual tapistry. I can now tell you the whole story if you want to hear it...although I'm sure you don't.
Yesterday I rented a car and drove to Caen for a bit, then out to the Juno Beach Centre. It was so incredible to see the Centre. I loved it all, and could have spent hours wandering around. If any of you are ever in Normandie it is a stop I highly suggest.
Today I am just hanging out in Bayeux because apparently the Ferry to Ireland from France was canceled today, whether because of rough water or the strike I'm not sure, so instead I had to scramble to find a flight over on Thursday. Its nice to have a day to chill out, but I'm anxious to get over there.
Tomorrow I am once again heading back to Paris for the night to catch the shuttle early Thursday morning to the airport and by mid afternoon, I will officially be Irish, for the next year at least. I'm SO excited.
That's about it for now. Its a long one I know, but I figure that its been a few days, so suck it up.
Love to you all!