We’re sitting on the Eurostar travelling through the rolling hills of the french countryside, as I try and catch up on the travel blog. We have all been so so tired at the end of each day in London that (despite trying) we have not been able to keep our eyes open to blog. Having said that, Sierra's journal writing is showing everyone else up! I am writing about today now - on the train, because as we travel through the french countryside, I feel a real sense of excitement about what lies ahead. Its been many a year since I have visited continental Europe, and after years of staying up late watching the Le Tour de France, I am very excited to be here, and experience the beauty of France and beyond. Already the train is slowing down as we get closer to Paris and I haven’t gotten very far with the blog because my eyes are constantly drawn out the window to the beauty of the french countryside. Watching the quaint little villages and towns pass by, with the little windy country roads - it would be hard to tell what century it was, except for the occasional cars driving on the (wrong side of the) road. We’ve seen locals sitting on the banks of rivers fishing, and farmland as far as the eye can see. There was even a lot of wind farming happening closer to the coast. It seems so peaceful passing through the countryside that you could be forgiven for thinking that the french live a simpler life. I’m sure its not the same everywhere, but it is really calming and tranquil watching the world pass by out the window, seeing age-old villages and housing.
The day started with no sense of urgency, and for the first time we didn’t make breakfast until about 9:00am. After breakfast and still with no sense of urgency we packed our bags, checked out and headed to the tube for what we thought would be an easy trip around the Circle Line to Kings Cross/St Pancras station for the Eurostar to Paris. We chose the Circle Line because we didn’t want to get stuck in a predicament like we had getting from Heathrow into London. We chose the long way around to St Pancras so that we could board the tube at a station with lifts to the platform and get off at another station with the same, and not have to change trains anywhere in between. Little did we know that after 30 minutes on the tube and only 3 stops from St Pancras, the tube Circle Line was closed for maintenance and we had the choice of making 2 train changes and staying on the tube, or abandoning the best laid plans and jumping in a Taxi. After talking to a London Underground staff member and realising that we had to be at St Pancras 30-45 minutes before departure we piled into a tradional London Taxi with only 30 minutes to our Eurostar train's departure time.
When we got to the station we were greeted with long queues and quickly realised that with 15 minutes to spare it looked like we wouldn’t make the train. Sure enough when we went to scan our boarding passes, we were told that checkin had closed and to go to the ticketing office to purchase a ticket on the 1:22pm service instead of our booked 12:24 service. There were many people in the same boat and we could hear them telling others that for a GBP44 fee per person, they would be swapped to the next train. Nervous and angry all at the same time, we waited our turn hoping that we could get on the next train, as the train after the 1:22pm had been cancelled and that would make for a very late arrival in Paris. Then just as the couple in front of us in the queue were handing over their credit card to pay to get on the next train, a member of staff came in and said that our original 12:24 departure had been delayed and to come with her to board NOW. Finally it seems our run of bad luck with trains had changed.
So here we are, on the Eurostar and about 10 minutes from arriving at Gare du Nord in Paris. The train ride has been quick, smooth and hassle free. Even had questionable WIFI reception onboard and in seat power.
We have arrived safe and sound in our lovely accomodation in central Paris, after a relatively trouble free Uber trip from the train station. Our driver didn't speak much english, but was most accomodating when we couldn't fit all 4 of us and 4 suitcases in his "C" class Mercedes Benz. 1 big suitcase in the front passenger seat, 2 suitcases in the boot and all 4 of us with 1 suitcase on my lap in the back, of off we went. When we neared our accomodation the driver pulled over and said he could not get any closer - despite the Uber app showing that he could. The cobblestoned streets surrounding our accomodation were all pedestrian precincts, so out we got, and I could see from the Uber app that we only had a few hundred metres left to go through very busy streets. The driver was nice enough to start walking us to our address before I said "Merci" and let him get back to his car.
We have only just arrived and already we feel like locals because we are staying in an apartment in an old building, built around a courtyard, tucked away behind a big door that has a smaller pedestrian door within it. This door is shielding us from the hubbub of a busy tourist/retail precinct beyond. As described, on Airbnb, we did have 5 flights of stairs to climb to get here, and despite feeling absolutely stuffed by the time I'd ferried 3 of the 4 heavy suitcases up the stairs, we already appreciate our location so much that the stairs are a small price to pay. We are right over the road from the
Pompidou Centre which is building that looks like it has been turned inside out. Designed this way with all its plumbing and piping on the exterior of the building, I feel it is an ugly building - but then again I'm no artist. The building houses France's Modern and Contemporary Art Museums and is a landmark building in Paris.
On arrival we met our host - Frank, a lovely man who lives in the adjoining apartment. We think that once upon a time, the two rooms that we are staying in, were probably part of his apartment. While our apartment is small and is really all one room with a bathroom, it meets our needs, and as I have already said, makes us feel like we are living like a local. The kids sleep on a very good pull out sofa bed, us in a double bed behind a dividing wall and there is a little kitchen and bathroom. Equally as important, we also have modern world fast WIFI.
Bags open and scattered across (the little) free floor space we have, it was off to see some of Paris before it got dark. We walked down to the banks of the Seine to try and see some Paris landmarks. We caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in the distance, and the liveliness of the banks of the Seine. Quite hungry from not really having had anything significant for lunch on the train, we stopped for some dinner at a typical Parisian cafe on the square just outside our accomodation with the Pompidou Centre behind us. Not the most typical or spectacular french cuisine, but nice enough, in a lovely atmosphere.
Comments