Paris, You Got Beat by Bordeaux in Prices

I should not be surprised. I've been fretting about finding a place, a couch, a hostel, a hotel to sleep in when visiting Bordeaux this weekend, and I was surprised to find that Bordeaux is far more expensive than Paris to stay in, at least lodging-wise for a 23 year old looking for a hostel. I booked one for 30 euro a night, and it leads to about 50 something dollars a night. It's got free breakfast though!! And I planned only 2 nights instead of the original 3. Gonna do a 1/2 day wine-tasting on Saturday and when I get there Friday, I'll just hang out bc the nice thing is, the hotel I booked is right in town. And i think it's got a bar in the place, so maybe I'll meet some folk. I just have to suck it all up and bear with the fact that France is expensive. I think I should maybe have not booked that 2nd night in Bordeaux and just spend that Saturday in a beach town in southern France. Maybe it's cheaper??

In any case, I've booked another night in Paris, so shux, I've gotta waste a day in the city of ______(what's it called again?). Gonna go window shopping for things I want to maybe stock up on in Spain. Hear it's much less expensive. But hey, if I find a pair of boots, then I find a pair of boots because it's still really freaking cold here in France! The wind is intensely bitter, but at least it's sunny out!! Think my California aura is following me and I'm loving it. Every city I've been to since that first week in London, it's been sunny out and everyone keep saying how unusual it is. Though, they also say how unusual it is that it's still this cold!!

Here's some pics from yesterday:

All the pastries in this town you could ever want!

Since the movie, always wanted to go there....

Definitely could not make it inside on my budget.

Palace of Versailles.

Ornate as it is because of this man, Louis XIV.

Ornateness.

Hall of Mirrors, etc...

View from Louis XIV's room.

This painting is as big as a huge wall: _______(I forget)...getting crowned. Erg. I'm terrible with names....

Palace from gardens.

Gardens from Palace view. Note: too cold to fill fountains with water...

Pretty fountain.

And so I'm off to window shop, eat a crepe for lunch and eat a pastry for dinner. Bordeaux is next, followed thank gosh by Spain, where there is warmth, and hopefully some friends of friends to greet me! In the meantime, met some really cool people on my walking tour the first day in Paris. Had a good ol' time walking around my area, Montmarte, yesterday with them. Until next time, ciao! Au revoir!