I drive into Paris and try and find somewhere to park. I have read on a web site of people parking in district 17e. I try near a hotel but everywhere is metered parking. Driving in Paris is not so bad. After 10 minutes I have the hang of it, even in a van. In fact it’s quite exciting.
I head towards a camp site in 16e, west of the city. As I see the signs for the camp site I see a massive road with spaces. I have found the massive Bois De Boulogne park. I decide that this is probably the best place to leave the van for a few days. I pack my bag and walk into the city. The walk takes about 1 hour. I pass the Arc De Triomphe on the Champs Elysees.
I call around and find a backpackers near the L’ouvre. It is ok, nothing special. Hostels with a bar tend to be better for meeting people. I decided to stay several nights here as the hostel is in a perfect location. My room mates are all good guys. Luigi and Guisepe from Italy speak limited Italian. Chiago from Brazil has good English. When chatting we end up using most of the languages we know to get words across.
I walk to the Bastille, which is not so good. I see many sites (Notre Dame) from the street, but will investigate over the next few days. Coffee and beer at the many cafes is great.
Metropolitan Paris is quite small, so I decided to walk everywhere. My legs hurt though.
