Today was mostly a travel day— we took the Eurostar train that travels under the English Channel to get to Paris. Although many people refer to it as the “Chunnel”, neither the French nor the English like that term, so it is simply “the Eurostar”.
The train station was at King’s Cross/St. Pancras— the exact same place we were at yesterday for Harry Potter. It was not only terribly busy, but also rather chaotic. But we managed to find the right line and actually boarded with plenty of time for an on-time departure. We were in the Premium section ( a Tauck advantage) and given a decent little lunch during the two- plus hour train ride. Except for the ear popping as the 200+ mph train sped through different tunnels underground and through the water, it was a relaxing experience.
Arriving in Paris at Gare du Nord station was even more chaotic than boarding. And Paris traffic is even uglier and worse than London.
Due to an hour time change, the late afternoon time and rush hour, we didn’t arrive at our hotel, the Marriott Ambassador until nearly 5:30. It is centrally located in the Opera district ( Opera Garnier is right around the corner).
Our room is lovely, huge king bed and a very comfortable cot for Stella — an actual bed, not the typical lightweight rollaway. But we had little time to relax as we were headed out to Le Madeleine C restaurant for dinner. Despite written directions, it took us a little while to find it, all the while enjoying the walk past the Galleries Lafayette, a huge triple-building department store around the corner, several churches and window shopping (or in French faire du lèche-vitrines, which translates literally to “window licking”) at other stores along the way.
Dinner was good— I had escargots which are made and served differently than we are used to, tiny, with butter and some pasty green sauce in a round dish, but still delicious, and Jim and I both enjoyed our veal chops.
We decided, along with other families, to walk down to the Tuileries Jardins where we could get a great view of the Eiffel Tower lit up and sparkling at night. It does so after dark and on the hour for 5 minutes. We were also hoping to see the Olympic balloon that held the lit torch in last year’s Olympics.
We passed a death defying gravity ride in an amusement area that excited all the kids, and walked along until we had a decent view of the Tour Eiffel. They are getting the Place de la Concorde ( which we were above) ready for both a huge parade on Bastille Day ( July 14) and the end of the Tour de France so there were stands, coverings and other equipment all around the area.
It turned out it was still too light at 10 pm so no sparkles. On the way back, we passed the balloon, lit on the bottom ( now electrically) and ready to rise a bit off the ground.
We walked home, pretty much the same way we came but a little change of direction near the end. We passed an unusual site— what I think was a Jewish orthodox night club or some kind of reception where young people were celebrating enthusiastically. Paris at night is a lively place!