UK July 2017

And now for something different.

An early start today. Up at 4am so we can be at Kings Cross St Pancras station to get the Eurostar to Paris to spend Bastille Day 2017 with the French. Check in, UK border outgoing and Euro border incoming all without a hitch. Boarded the Eurostar and your realise how similar to a aeroplane it is, with a little more space and roominess. Sitting two by two is a bonus. Reasonable leg room even in second class. The seat could be a little more comfortable by way of better adjustment and padding. It's about a two and a half hour journey so a blink of an eye compared to cross-continental travel. The train reaches speeds of around 160 MPH. More on that later. The trip was smooth and uneventful. Paris is one hour ahead of London so you loose an hour and pick it up on the way back.

Getting out of Gare Du Nord (Paris train station where the Eurostar stops) you notice the difference in architecture. And of course the drive on right which is a shock the first intersection you come to cross - which way do I look!!!!!!! The area around the station is chaotic. We had gone not 20 steps before a hooded woman holding up a scrap of paper with written in English 'money'. Beggars are ever present. We had to get some Euro so headed to an ATM. Off putting were beggars in close proximity to the machine. Sure enough as soon as the cash was delivery they were harassing us for some ready cash. Opportunists. Many of the beggars weren't the usual local kind, but rather refugee types. Whether they are refugees is a debatable question. It is the card they are playing.

The real Paris. This is a beautiful city. Certainly beautiful architecture. Some words I would use to describe Paris: stylist, ornate, opulent, graceful, open spaces, spectacular, flowing, structured, and planned. In the city heart at least that we traversed, the streets were wide. The building well kept and matching and complementary. There was no 'old' buildings set against 'new'. No highrise. The architecture is definitely different to London. The French have done an excellent job of controlling development to preserve the city's uniqueness. If a building was under construction or repair a tasteful scaffolding and facade complete with mural was erected so it looked less out of place. There is centuries of history, mostly preserved for current generations. We did a hope on hop off bus tour and a river cruise to take in the sights. It's not a cheap city to explore, eat or stay in. They see you coming and you will pay.

Being Bastille Day the usual vibrancy of the city was different. If you were after retail therapy you would be disappointed as many of the stores were closed. There was an exceptionally heavy police and military presence. Some roads were still closed off from the procession early in the day and the Eiffel Tower was cordoned off. No terrorist or radical was going to spoil this day. The military even had rocket launchers in the city center. Getting around was relatively easy. We didn't use the Metro but in hindsight should have. Stations are positioned at all the major attractions so it is easy to pop up where you want to. Driving around I was struck by how wide and open the city was, then it dawned on me, there were no overhead powerlines. No visual dis-amenity. Everything is underground and the lamp posts are old world stylish. It made a big difference to the feel of the city. The wide boulevards and promenades designed by or for previous kings and presidents. Remove the cars from the streets and you could imagine being back two, three, four hundred years.

When in Paris do the the Parisians do, eat out. Well being day visitors we had to. Coffee at an independent cafe. Not that we could find a Starbucks but I'm sure they are there. Lunch was baguettes - literally the best ever anywhere - and dinner, well dinner was a functional thing. We had thirty minutes until check in and by now everyone needed a loo, so Burger King was the chosen one. It did the job but not even french fries. The food was different though and in keeping with the French quality tradition.

When we checked in, got through Euro and UK border checks and customs we were told our train had been cancelled. There was an electrical fault in the channel tunnel so we would have to see staff to be rescheduled onto another train. Now I certainly didn't like the thought of being stuck 75 meters under the English channel with an electrical failure, so fix it and fix it good Chunnel people. In the end we were shunted onto a train leaving two hours after our scheduled service. We ended up getting to London three hours late. The train ride back touched speeds of 344 KPH which is the fastest on land any of us had been. There was a slight delay at Calais due the the 'Chunnel electrical fault' but we got through. Tired and weary. Home at one after being up at four made it a long day. It gave us a taste of Paris and a framework should any of us decide to return and explore further. It is not a city you can see in a day, or a week for that matter. Yes you could do the usual I've been to the Louve, Eiffel Tower, etc sort of stuff pretty quickly but there looks like so much more to explore, see and do, and not just in Paris, the city of love. It would really help to learn and speak a little French, especially if wanted to get off the beaten track.Read more