BYOB

Two of our loyal readers have been anxiously awaiting news of our trip to Ikea (ok, probably not anxiously, but it sounds more exciting that way).

This afternoon I ventured outside of my comfortable three zone Paris region into the depths of zone 5 to go to the bank with Erik. Except that I never made it. The train got to Lozere (Erik's stop) and announced that it wasn't going any further, and was heading back into Paris. There were some mighty angry people in the station after that happened. The only solution that they could come up with was to take the train back three stops towards Paris and get the bus from there.

As much as I was looking forward to spending the afternoon at Societe Generale, we figured it was too far to walk to Orsay, and it was already 4:30, the time we were supposed to be there. When Erik called to cancel, it turns out the guy we were supposed to meet wasn't even there, so I guess everything worked out in that sense. It also meant that we had more time to spend at Ikea.

Approximately one hour and three trains later, through what seemed to be the countryside, we arrived at the Ikea. Or close to it. Picture any Ikea you've ever been to. Picture the parking lots sprawling as far as the eye can see. Maybe you're lucky enough to have some big box stores nearby. Conveniently situated in an area as unhospitable as posible for pedestrians. We didn't think this kind of suburbia existed in France, but low and behold, it was waiting for us as soon as we stepped out of the station. It was like being back in North America.

Well, Ikea is a big box store like any other, and was pretty much exactly the same as every other Ikea I've ever been to. Complete with ball room, and snack bar, there were many moments when we felt like we were in Ikea Etobicoke. We cruised through the store pretty quickly, glancing fondly at familiar peices of furniture, that are now living happy lives in other peoples homes.

The highlights that I'm going to share with you, though, occured at the end of our trip, when we stopped at the snack bar for a bite to eat. They have the 1euro hot dog/pop combo, which I had. The bun is a nice whole wheat bun, and the dog is the most tasteless peice of rubbery pink meat I have ever had. Erik was pleased to see that they had Swedish beer, which of course he had to try. The eating area was, of course, mostly smoking, and we were the only ones who weren't lighting up. Seemed kind of weird because WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORE!

The bathrooms. I still can't figure this one out. This was a picture inside one stall. Not sure why someone would need two toilets....

And now for the 'B' of BYOB. Bags. They don't provide them. They were 20cents a pop. Not a big deal, but a bit of a surprise. You could also buy the big blue Ikea bags, like the ones they provide in the store, for the low price of 60cents. But who wants to carry one ridiculously heavy bag? Erik didn't so we went for three smaller ones, so I could get in on the fun.

As with any good trip to Ikea, we spent more than we had intended, and need to go back because there is just so much good stuff to be had! Next time we'll have to rent a car....