Road Block

The other day we arrived in Paris in the mid-afternoon. I had a couple of hours free and decided to use it productively by not studying for our final test and going for a run. As to not get lost out on the roads, I like to just keep going straight on one road and then continue back down the same road. Unfortunately, the first road that I chose proved to be a popular one. Another problem is that we are in Hotel Ibis, but there are over 40 hotels under the same name in Paris. So, if I did get lost, it might be difficult to find someone who can point me in the right direction. Anyhow, as I was running, about every minute or sooner I would come to a halt at a red light, a big group of people blocking the road or the road would turn slightly making me concerned that I might get turned around coming back. In frustration, I turned around after only 15 minutes of running time (I was out much longer than that but I stopped my watch at every stoplight). I knew that the hotel had a fitness center and I decided to try there to complete my run. The woman at the desk of the fitness center spoke something in French to me as I was about to go inside. When it was clear to her that I only knew English, in broken English she said, "you need..." I hoped that this meant that she needed to see my key card, so I handed it to her. She said, "no it costs money." I asked how much it was and she told me 5 Euro. I asked if that was for the whole stay, or if it was just for one visit. She said that it was just for one day. I was not about to spend 5 Euro on a treadmill; to begin with, I hate treadmills. I made a second attempt at going outside and was much more successful on the second attempt. I found a park to run in, and after about 5 loops around it, I got completely bored of it, and moved on. I was confused when I passed a kid of approximately 5 years peeing on a tree right on the sidewalk. His mother was right there and seemed to be in approval. Then I thought of the statue in Brussels (the one of the boy peeing).

On a positive note, running through this city, I felt like you cannot go five minutes without seeing something famous. I ran by the Arc d'triumph and can see the Eifel Tower. One thing I really miss about being home is that there is no Gatorade here. I have been craving Gatorade when I get back from runs, but there is none to be found. Europe has yet to discover the electroenligntenment of Gatorade. The closest thing I have had to Gatorade was wading in the fountain filled with orange liquid in Holland.