Paris Part 1

Paris!

So we got up mighty early to get to London St Pancras for the Eurostar. We love trains and it really is very exciting hopping on a 18 carriage train that can top 300km/h. This was the one Finley had been very excited about for months: “A very fast train that goes under the water in a tunnel.”

Great fun and within a couple of hours we were at Gare du Nord which we were told is the busiest station in the world. Can anyone verify this? That was the easy part. Then we had to get to the other side of the old city to the 14^th arrondissement for our hotel. It took as long as it did to get from London to Paris! We had to travel on the Metro with all our bags and Delia holding Maja and me holding Finley. As opposed to the Londoners, the Parisiens stood and watched as we maniacally shoved our bags through the turnstiles as Delia almost dropped Maja. And while I'm on the topic, hardly ever in our 3 days in Paris did people offer us seats. Nobs.

We did however, encounter many a fine quality of busker on the Metro and Ben insisted we give money to all of them. In fact when changing trains at one station Ben heard some music down one passageway and ran off to investigate. He returned, breathless:

“THERE'S A WHOLE BAND!”

Indeed there was, we listened for a while and then bought the CD as you do.

Anyhoo we eventually made it to Porte d'Orleans and a short walk to our fabulously French hotel next to the Parc Montsouris. An elevator that you could not swing a flea in let alone a cat, narrow, windy corridors, doors with doors immediately behind them and no bidet! Just what the heck has happened to Paris? No Bidet! Sacre Bleu! (Ben and Finley had become quite attached to the ole bottom spray in Thailand.)

After dumping our bags we had to head back out to make the most of our short time in Paris and decided a late afternoon trip up Le Tour Eiffel but maybe go to another museum on the way. So back down the Metro, swap lines a couple of times and popped out near the Pont d'Alma for wait for it: The Sewer Museum.

Finally a poo story!!

But when we popped out of the Metro we had no idea where we were as they don't have maps at the Metro stops or bus stops. Again, very unlike London where even the most out of the way bus stop has a great map. The Parisiens must be appalled London seems to have got its act together so much. So Delia and I were quickly lost in discussion about which way to go and I was calculating the angle of the trees' shadows, triangulating vectors, computating land gradient and river directions, when Ben piped up:

“Hey, there's the Eiffel Tower”

Ah yes, look up. Nice one Ben.

But first the Sewers.

Here we were in the Beautiful City and the first thing we did was go see where the poo goes! Not quite sure how that happened and to quote Ben as we walked down the stairs:

“Yuck, this place stinks!”

Indeed.