Paris!

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In a couple of hours, Susie, Phoenix, and I will board our train for Paris! Blog to follow this afternoon.



Wednesday morning was a little rushed as we gathered all our gear and humans and headed to the underground. After a short ride on the tube, Phoenix, Susie, and I left Travis as he headed to the south Victoria line to Victoria Station and on to Brighton, and we headed north on the Victoria line to St. Pancras International train station. Luckily, we planned well and allowed enough time for slow walking with several heavy and cumbersome bags and a wiggly toddler. With about 40 minutes to spare we arrived at St. Pancras (with sore shoulders and backs) but all together and ready for the Chunnel.... After boarding our train we settled in to entertain a very tired Phoenix for a two-hour train ride. Phoenix did great and alternated between enjoying the scenery (when we could see and we weren't in a dark tunnel) and wanting to go home (beginning to sound familiar?). Generally though, Phoenix is a champ at traveling and adjusting to new situations--he did however go an entire day without a nap. Poor bird.

We arrived Gare du Nord right on schedule and we left the train for the station. The difference between Britain and France's train stations is obvious. St. Pancras was very modern--all metal and glass; Gare du Nord was not. After locating the signs for Le Metro and information (and Billets) we headed downstairs to get our Metro billets--a very easy process made easier by a friendly and English-speaking attendant. We followed the B line signs down two escalators into a hot and extremely crowded train platform loading area--our train was 8 minutes long. We waited, cramped in a dirty and hot metro station for the train to arrive. I wasn't sure how we were all (everyone waiting) going to fit in the train--but ALL aboard and we were off. I had to crouch down on the ground and hold Phoenix because there were no available seats and bodies were packed tighter than sardines. After a couple of minutes a very nice man got up and offered me his seat and held it for me as Phoenix and I made our way through the overly crowded car.

Our metro sortie was only 4 stops from Gare du Nord, but a lifetime away in terms of chaos. We exited at Port Royal and came up from below ground to find ourselves smack in the middle of a Parisian neighborhood the likes of which I've only seen in pictures. The walk from le metro to our apartment was about 2 1/2 blocks and in those blocks we saw cafes, patisseries, boulangeries, boucheries, tabacs, a bijoux shop, and more!

Once in and acquainted with our apartment, we headed back out with Phoenix to grab some dinner--we needed fast and to-go since we had a baby that was EXHAUSTED, so we got a pizza from a place across the street La Pizze. Nothing too exciting for our evening except a fabulous view of Val de Grace from our apartment, a great neighborhood, and a baby that slept for 12 hours overnight.



More to come!

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Photos

View
Val de Grace as seen from inside our apartment

Val de Grace
The front gates of the Val de Grace from Rue Saint Jacques

Rue
The street our apartment is on

Rue deux
Our street, Rue Saint Jacques

Parisian housing in the 5th
Houses on our street

Phee and a fountain
Phoenix and a fountain on Rue Saint Jacques.

Street lamps
Street lamps and houses.