I began this post last night but the internet played up horribly and I had to give up. I am trying again. Hopefully, it allows me to finish this post and today’s
8 July 2013
I am having the most amazing adventure in Paris. Linda and I both suffer from the same malady of direction disfunction so we are enjoying getting lost together. Well perhaps she is not quite a seriously affected as me she has some notion of how to read a map – but I – I have no clue and I don’t even care! I just wonder around enjoying the sights and only worry about getting back to where I should be much later – much, much later.
We were up at the crack of dawn this morning and it was just a tad chilly. I donned cool clothes and added a long cardigan. Linda wore jeans and long-sleeved shirt. We parked at Hitchin and caught the train to St Kings Cross. Crossed over to St Pancras and had a cup of coffee and croissant before passing through customs and onto the Eurostar train. It was enormously comfortable and the trip to Paris Nord was quick and painless. I slept most of the way but did get to enjoy the journey through the French countryside.
St Pancras Station
Me with my Eurostar Ticket
Arriving at Paris Nord we tried to orientate ourselves and make sense of the instructions to the hotel. A certain French lady tried to help us but in the end we got a map from a nearby hotel and navigated our way with only one or two wrong turns.
Hotel Victory Glaou is not The Hilton nor The Savoy – but our room is somewhat bigger than the one Nicholas and I shared in Arras. We have a double and single bed and a table and chairs! The bathroom though small boasts a bath with a shower over it. The people are friendly and speak reasonable English.
After checking in we negotiated the streets of Paris once more and found the place where we had to get our Paris Pass. We then went shopping and Linda found something she liked, but I am still looking! We then returned to the hotel and had a nap before going out to look for a place to eat. We decided to find Sacre Coeur Basilica and this took a bit of navigation and by the time we’d found it and climbed the steps to visit it we felt we deserved a good dinner at one of the fashionable pavement cafes in the area.
Climbing the steps to the Basilica
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris is known as Sacre-Coeur Basilca. It is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus. It is located at the summit of Montmartere, the highest point in the city. The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War 1 in 1919.
The View was worth The Climb
It was not easy finding a pace to eat. The weather is stunning. Every Parisian and Tourist is out enjoying the balmy evenings but finally we found a tiny hole in the wall restaurant among all the other more popular ones and the French restaurateur was charming. His English was limited and French almost non existent but we managed. I had a salmon quiche and Linda Lasagne – Italian I know but that is what she felt like. We shared a carafe of sauvignon blanc and ended with excellent coffee.
It was not easy finding a table at the many and popular eateries but we were lucky
Delicious Food
