London to Paris

The streets of London were fairly quiet as we rode in our taxi to St. Pancras.  It would have been a different story if it was any day but Sunday.  There is a lot of construction work going on in the City, and many streets are cut off or changed to one way.  Driving in the City must be a nightmare during the week.  It is also clogged with tourist buses.

After going through Customs and Security at St Pancras Station, we had a brief wait for our train, then it was push, rush to get our luggage on board and find our seats. 

St Pancras Station

Comfortably seated, we sat back to enjoy our brief train ride.  No sooner had we set off than we were quickly underground and under English Channel.  After twenty minutes, we were in France and in no time at all, the train pulled into Gare Du Nord in Paris, two and a half hours after we left St Pandras. 

Our Eurostar at Gare Du Nord 

Doug had managed to buy RER tickets on board so we were able to find our way to St. Michel station near where we were to be staying. A short walk alongside the Seine brought us to our accommodation where we have a studio apartment.  We have done well here as we are on the sixth floor and overlook the Seine, across to Ile de la Cité, and right across Paris.   From our window, we can see the Louvre, Sacré Coeur and Notre Dame Cathedral.

View from window toward Notre Dame

A desire for a few necessities sent us to search for an ATM and a Supermarket, few and far between on a Sunday afternoon but eventually found what we wanted.  We wandered through St. Germaine des Pres, an area known for its outdoor cafés and restaurants, and its artist’s studios.  The area was alive with people, locals and tourists enjoying the day and the sunshine. 

Typical street on left bank

We strolled along the Seine, taking everything in: the book sellers and artists peddling their wares on the footpath; the multitude of boats sailing the tourists along the turbulent waters with multi-lingual commentary blaring out for all to hear; the youthful jazz band in their quirky outfits enjoying life as they performed on the Pont des Artes; the bridge curiously adorned by thousands of padlocks, signed tokens of love, attached to its fenced sides causing it to glow golden in the sunshine.

Scene on Pont des Artes Bridge

View from Pont des Artes Bridge towards Ile de la Cite

Summer is the season for protests, and as in London, there was a parade of vehicles going round and round the streets, horns blaring, with pink and blue flags flying.  It was orderly and controlled, but noisy, and went on and on.  I think it was sponsoring gay marriage rights.