I hope this post isn't a let-down for you! If you're picturing a romantic swirl through Paris, Jim and I hand-in-hand, as I wield the camera in my other hand, snapping perfect photos to showcase all the highlights that the City of Love has to offer ... well then, I apologize in advance. haha! But let me back up to the beginning ...
On Monday morning, May 18, we said goodbye to Karen and Brooke. It had been so great sharing the journey with them that far! But they were staying on in London for a few more days and then going to Paris for nearly a week. Jim and I had our Gate 1 Travel tour to catch in Germany, which would start tomorrow evening actually. At this point, I couldn't believe the whole trip was going by so fast, but at the same time it seemed like we had lots of time left because we had the tour to go ... which was the initial reason for the whole trip anyway. Yay!!
After breakfast at the hotel, we hopped in a taxi and went to St. Pancras Station to catch the Eurostar train to Paris!
I haven't talked much about the taxis in London, but we loved them. They are kinda box shaped, and very roomy in the back with actual seats for six people, three and three facing each other (which would be too tight for me), but with a good amount of floor space in between for luggage. I snapped a photo of one the other day from the Big Bus ride, so I'll show you here. They're historically black cabs, but today come in different colors, and some have advertisements, like this one did.
Okay, so back to the story.... thankfully our taxi ride from the hotel to the train station Monday morning wasn't too far. Our driver was nice enough, and I didn't have any problem with his driving, but he himself had problems galore! Poor fella. From the moment we got in and greeted him, he let us know that it had been a terrible morning. We were the first passengers he'd had. He'd gotten to town, I dunno, before the sun came up, and hadn't managed to get one rider besides us. The cost of renting the vehicle, the gas to run it, and sacrifices working the job were too high. The government was all messed up. He wasn't happy with whichever side was in charge of his money, his taxes, his lot in life. Whew, it was a lot to listen to for first thing in the morning. When we finally got close, and he was still complaining about not being sure why he even drove a taxi anymore, that he'd be better off at home walking his dog ... it was there that I found a window of opportunity. I asked him about his dog. And from there he did manage to perk up a little bit I think. :) Hopefully his day improved after we said goodbye.
The St. Pancras station in London was busy busy! We had gotten there in plenty of time with probably two hours before our train would depart at 12:01. For those who don't already know, in my relationship, Jim is the one who makes sure we're early and have all our paperwork and ducks in a row! haha! Now I'm not going to miss a train or a plane (haven't yet anyway), but he doesn't like to leave ANY doubts. So actually getting to a place we're supposed to be, with enough time to spare, does cause him some stress sometimes. (My Mama is exactly the same, so I've had years of practice with this kind of thing.) So I'm okay just navigating myself to the bathroom and back again (so that we can go ahead and stand in line), and not wandering in and out all the shops along the way ... although I wanted to. LOL! He called me on the phone (during my absence to find the bathroom) and was asking where I was. I told him I was on the way back. And he said, yeah, I think I just saw you walk past me. Yep, I lost the spot where he had waited and I had to turn myself around! haha!! He's my "Mr. Safety"! Always looking out for me!! :)
The Eurostar is a high speed train to Paris, making the trip in just under two and a half hours typically.
Ours was the 12:01 to Paris!
Jim had gotten the upgraded Eurostar Plus seats, and a meal was included. It's chicken with noodles and I believe mozzarella balls covered in the green. It was tasty.
Jim had gotten us the upgraded "Eurostar Plus" seats, which were really nice and roomy. It was just about a two and a half hour ride on the high speed train and they were going to provide us lunch too! So I was perfectly happy, getting comfy in my window seat, and proceeded to pull out the travel journal that my Mama had made for me. I had been so busy the last few days til I wasn't able to record anything in the journal, but I had been collecting tidbits for it. I thought the train would be the perfect time to add a few things. I had brought my ink pens, a little roll of tape, a mini glue bottle, and small scissors. I even had a tiny printer in my bag for photos. About the time I get everything set up around me, the train begins to move .... BACKWARDS! Backwards?!
I never thought for one minute that there was a possibility that I'd be on a train going backwards. All the seats were backwards in that car. And it's a high speed train too. I felt like I could feel the pressure in my chest. I could only think of being on some high speed roller coaster that zooms one way and then plunges you backwards in the opposite direction. My ears were popping too and I was constantly trying to keep them clear. There was no way that I'd be able to work in my journal. I had already started to feel bad. I had Dramamine (motion sickness pills) in my suitcase, but I couldn't get to them now. And it was too late anyway. I should have taken one that morning. Ugh.
Lunch was delivered (photo above) and I tried to eat, but I just couldn't do much. I ate most of the chicken, a green mozzarella cheese ball, and the majority of my bread and butter. No more.
So I did the best thing I knew to do. I got Jim's jacket, mashed it up into a pillow shape, turned sideways in my seat, and tried to sleep. Closing my eyes and sitting kinda sideways helped. I made it! Whew!
But even getting off the train, I wasn't feeling 100% yet. I barely remember what that train station looked like. We did do a restroom run and I was learning quickly that Europe was all about paying to pee. Not having the right currency, I had been using my South Georgia Bank debit card a few times and laughed at the thought of a teller possibly seeing all my $1.00 charges to go to the loo. haha!
Anyway, feeling a bit better, we headed in the direction of the taxis. Outside the train station, they had a line for everyone to stand in as we awaited our taxi. And they had taxis lined up and ready to go too! It seemed very efficient. The man at the front would ask how many in a party, he'd either put them in that taxi or wave another up. It moved pretty quickly. Soon we were next and it was a nice looking larger van taxi. Great, plenty of space for just the two of us!! Our driver loaded our suitcases in the back, opened the side door for us, and I KID YOU NOT ... the available seats were BACKWARDS facing. I mean what are the odds of that?! I don't even know what made me get in there except that he had already loaded our suitcases, and there was a line of people still waiting, and taxis waiting, and everyone in a hurry. Strapped in with a shoulder seatbelt that was too tight, I thought I was gonna die. Okay, not literally, but dang, what are the odds that once again that day I was zooming along in the opposite direction? I really wanted to enjoy my first glimpse of Paris. But no, I could only open my eyes when we were stopped at a red light. Otherwise they had to be closed in order for me to keep my stomach from churning too badly.
Sorry this has turned into a novel without accompanying visuals, but I couldn't open my eyes long enough so far that day, and sure wasn't thinking about taking photos. Thankfully the taxi ride wasn't too long ... maybe 20-30 minutes.
Whew, that was over. He unloaded our suitcases. We thanked him. And Jim asked him how much he owed. And not blinking an eye, the driver said $140. Now I can't remember if that was in euros, or dollars, but it was too dang much. We both knew it too. Jim was upset about it, but what could we do? Jim questioned him, but the guy said yeah, that's the price. So standing on the street corner, Jim went ahead and paid him so we could be done with it.
We went inside the Courtyard Marriott, still feeling ripped off, and the girl at the counter, Julie, smiled at us, welcomed us to the Marriott, and asked how we were. Jim wanted her opinion on the cost of a taxi from the Gare du Nord train station and she said around $60 maybe. When he said he had just paid $140, she agreed that we had definitely been scammed. She asked if the guy had started the meter when we got in the taxi? Of course we had no idea because we'd been sitting backwards. We didn't even think to check since it was an official taxi in the official taxi line. She sympathized with us, saying she was sorry we went through that. She was very sweet. Jim thinks she gave us the room we got because she was trying to make us feel better.
The view was fantastic!! I mean, WOW, right? We loved the room, obviously!
So we decided to just relax for a bit and enjoy the room. I was still making sure I felt okay, so I laid down for a bit. It was so nice to just "be still" after the morning of travel. We didn't have any desire to try and "go do" something around the city. We could see all the high points from our window! And we knew that we had lots more touring coming up during the next few days. So we rested and then we started thinking about dinner. I did want to go out to a local restaurant for dinner. We didn't have to go by taxi, but I just didn't want to eat my one meal in Paris at the Marriott. haha!
We went downstairs and talked to our desk girl, Julie, who recommended Cafe L'Arrosoir, which was only a seven minute walk from the hotel. The walk was nice, and the restaurant easy to find. It had some cool old world vintage vibes going on inside and the food was tasty. Jim got a chicken dish (Belle milanaise de poulet) and I got a steak kabob (Brochette d'onglet de boeuf).
We had wanted to be back at our hotel before dark since we didn't know that area of Paris very well. Jim's only other Paris trip was years ago when he was in the Army, as an 18 or 19 year old. He and his buddies had gone to Paris on a quick trip during leave and while there, a pickpocket thief got his wallet, although later a guy conveniently "found" his military ID and returned it. After the taxi ride scam this morning, our combined success rate in Paris isn't very good so far. LOL!
So we ended the night with dessert at our hotel and it was wonderful. We were excited about Germany (to come), happy with how all of the rest of the trip had gone so far, and really enjoying being with each other and off on a big adventure together in a foreign country!
That night we could see the fireworks from Disneyland Paris in the distance, and then the sparkling, twinkling light show of the Eiffel Tower before it went dark for the night. Feeling the love! Thanks, Paris!
