Day 9

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Day 9: Tuesday, June 30, 2009

LONDON, ENGLAND

Woke around 8:00 am. Was still tired as I'd stayed up late last night cruising the Internet using the Wi-Fi in the hotel lobby. Unfortunately, that was a waste of time as I didn't find what I was looking for.

Today taking the EuroStar to Paris. A friend decided to come along, so we agreed to meet at St. Pancras station at 11:45 am. That should give us plenty of time to catch our 12:29 am train.

Got up, dressed at 8:30 am. Went downstairs to eat breakfast (scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee). Coffee was terrible as usual. Afterwards, headed over to Queensway Street to see if I could get Underground ticket for less at discount ticket shop. No. Nothing less than the 4.00 pounds (5.64 USD) for a single one-way ticket. Cheapest card they had was for 5.60 pounds.

10:00 am - Checked out of hotel and off to Queensway station. Took the Underground to Kings Cross / St. Pancras station. Had to change trains at Oxford Circus. Someday I need to research the origin of some London stations. I'm not so much talking about the ones I just mentioned, but there are some that must have good back stories.

Arrived at station around 11:00 am. One of the display boards was showing todays weather as sunny, with low of 13 C and high of 32 C (89.6 F). Not sure of temp now, but I was sweating. St. Pancras station was ok, though, it seems to be air conditioned. Thank you! After days without airconditioning, it was a blessing. Normally it's much cooler in London, so airconditioning isn't needed. But this heat wave has been something else. Very hot and humid.

EuroStar ticket place was first thing you enounter on left when entering St. Pancras from Kings Cross. I used Kiosk to enter the reservation code I was given, then it asked for credit card that was used at time of purchase. No problem. The first time I swiped the card it didn't take it. That had me a little worried. Fortunately the second swipe worked fine.

My friend showed up right at 11:45 am. They didn't realize we had to go through security like at an airport. Sorry, but the coffee has to go. Security was quick and efficient. Now we just had to wait for the boarding call.

Train left a little late (12:34 pm). Once the train got going, we tried to find seats together, but that didn't work. My friend had a first class ticket and I was in second. Though there were a few seats open at first, they all filled after the train's first stop. Oh well, see you on the other side of the English Channel.

Note: The EuroStar travels between England and France through a tunnel dug under the English Channel. As such, it's often referred to as the 'Chunnel Train'.

The trip went smoothly. Beautiful day out, but hot. Working on my notebook computer made the time pass quickly. After crossing into France and above ground again, all one sees for miles is farm land. Often times the view is obscured by trees or embankments along side the train tracks. Not much to see.


PARIS, FRANCE

When we arrived in Paris Noord station, it made sense to purchase two day metro (subway) passes. We took the #4 line to St. Germain station. Very easy and quick, didn't have to transfer. The subway exit comes out right under the St. Germain church. When we got to the top of the steps, I almost immediately started remembering my last trip here two years ago. I recognised the sulpture across the street and knew exactly where we had to go. The sculpture is,... well, it looks like the side walk has been blown up. Under the uplifted portions is a little fountain underneith.

We'd each gotten rooms in the same hotel, one which my friend had recommended to me two years ago. Last time I was given a single room in what seemed like the attic. I was hoping for something better this time. I wasn't disappointed. I got what appeared to be a double on the second floor with a window facing the front of the hotel. Nice view of the street out front. My friend go the room next door, which didn't have a window, but did have what we jokingly called a private terrace. It was essentially a mini courtyard within the center of the building that had only enough room for a table and two chairs. It was there mainly for show as it had a window into the hallway. I guess you could sit there, but you'd basically be on display for anyone walking the hall.

After dropping off our things and taking a few minutes to relax, we were off walking around Paris. Didn't really have a plan. Both of us had been to Paris and done many of the tourist things, so we didn't have anything we absolutely needed to do. We took a left around the side of the hotel. It occurred to me that I hadn't been this way before. Along the street were a couple restaurants. Wish I knew this last time I was here. Took a right at the next intersection. More restaurants. We worked our way north to the Seine River.

Crossing over the Seine River, we walked around Musée du Louvre (or the Louvre for short). Didn't go in, but even without doing so, you can see some of the sculptures. The museum has two large sculpure areas, between which is a walkway with windows that allow those passing to look in. Going through the archway into the inner courtyard, you see the glass pyramids. There is a very large one, which houses the entrance to the museum, flanked by smaller ones. If you haven't been to Paris, maybe you've seen the glass pryamids in "The DaVinci Code" movie starring Tom Hanks.

Note: "The Louvre is the national museum of France and the most visited museum in the world. Nearly 35,000 objects from the 6th century BC to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet). The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are still visible. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1672, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of antique sculpture." (1)

The day was hot and sunny, looks like the heatwave followed us here.

Walking along the Seine, we headed west towards the Eiffel Tower. Along the way stopping to admire the sights, of which there are many. The old center of Paris is truly beautiful and the only way to enjoy it is walking. Every few minutes another tour boat would pass on the river. I haven't done the boat tour and really have no desire to. I think if you are able, walking is a much better option.

The Eiffel Tower is a commanding steel structure that towers over the Paris skyline. There are tall cathedrals, like Notre Dame, but the Eiffel Tower rises above everything such that you can see it for miles around the city.

Around 7:30-8:00pm, we started looking for restaurant. One after another we looked at menus, but opted to pass each by. We worked our way back towards our hotel where we agreed on an Italian restaruant which is located on a side street next to our hotel. It was perfect. Quiet, we could eat outside, and as we found, food was excellent. Our table and chairs were on a slim raised portion of sidewalk, no wider than the two person table at which we sat. Very narrow road, cars would come past every so often. If a limb was sticking out, you might lose it. But no injuries to report. It was still plenty light out, but the buildings gave us shade. I had a little scampi, a little wine, some nice conversation, life was good.

By the time we finished dinner, dusk was falling and it occurred to us that they'll be lighting up the Eiffel Tower soon. So we made our way back towards the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower was lit up and Paris takes on another look at night. Near the tower is a park where people take food and wine to picnic. On either side of the Seine are stands selling crepes and icecream. There are also two carousels. Then all of a sudden, the Eiffel Tower puts on a light display with flickering lights going off all over it. We later learned that the lights go into this pattern at the top of the hour and last for 5 minutes. They use to go for longer, but word is they cut it to 5 minutes in an effort to "Go Green".

It was a good day!

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Notes & Misc Information:
• USD = United States Dollars.
• Currency in England: The currency in the United Kingdom is the British Pound (GBP). The exchange rate was 1.64979 USD = 1 GBP as of June 25, 2009.
• Currency in France: The currency in France is the Euro (EUR). The exchange rate was 1.40042 USD = 1 EUR as of June 25, 2009.
• Sunrise = 4:47 am (in London, England)
• Sunset = 9:58 pm (in Paris, France)
• Temp Low = {unknown}
• Temp High = {unknown}

Sources:
• Louvre: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louvre#cite_note-2

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Photos

Arc de Triomphe
Looking along the Champs-Élysées at the Arc de Triomphe.