Paris

Yesterday was our whirlwind tour of Paris. Joshua and I left our hotel at 6:00am to arrive at the Eurostar Waterloo station in time for our 7:00am departure. The train ride was a great experience. Travelling at 200 miles per hour on land was a first for the both of us. It is very fast.

Going through the chunnel was a bit unreal. I knew that we were going under the English Channel, but it felt more like an extended subway ride. About twenty minutes and we were in France. We arrived at about 11:00am.

The first challenge was how to navigate the transit system. Without a doubt, one of the most cryptic transit systems in the world. For whatever reason, the transit maps at the Paris Gare du Nord were all blended: train, trams, buses and metro. We could not figure it out and there were very long lines for the ticket agents. We took a taxi.

We covered a lot of ground during our time in Paris: Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, the Louvre as well as the Eiffel Tower. The weather was like the middle of summer: sunny and hot. The temperature was certainly above 25 degrees Celsius. An amazing day.

We spent an hour or so at the end of the day at a sidewalk cafe near the Eiffel Tower. The French Pastries we enjoyed there were quite memorable.

We took the last train back to London. Departure time was 8:40pm. A long day. My feet are still hurting.

Here are a few pictures from my son”™s camera.