Channel Adventure Day 4

Day 04 - Wednesday, April 11, 2018 – Ride the Eurostar Through the Chunnel from London to Paris; Taxi Across Paris; Explore Montparnasse

One of our dreams has always been to ride the Eurostar from London to Paris; today was the day! The temperature was 46 degrees and it was raining again, reminding us how lucky we were with our weather yesterday.

After our breakfast we left the hotel at 9:00 and took a cab to the St. Pancras International Railway Station. The cab was a Black Cab, but a Mercedes van and our driver was very talkative, asking us about the politics of the USA and telling us about all that was happening in London.

The driver told us that the traffic was light this week because it was the second half of Easter Week. The students were not in school and many people were out of the city and on vacation. It took us about 25 minutes to get to St. Pancras.

We went right to the information station and were told exactly where to go, how to scan the code on our pre-printed tickets, and the procedures for security.

The station was opened in 1868 and was celebrating its 150 anniversary this year. We had time to explore and take photos of one of the wonders of Victorian engineering. It was a masterpiece of Gothic Architecture and now one of the most elegant stations in the world.

The security was much more strict than the last time we had ridden the train in Europe. Our backpacks and large bags were all scanned and we breezed in and out of the metal detectors, very similar to an airport system.

We went through passport control leaving Great Britain where we had our documents stamped. We walked a few more steps and presented our passports for entering France and the rest of the European Union. It will be interesting to come back in a year to observe the border regulations once Great Britain leaves the EU.

After our brief check-in and going through security and immigration we found our platform and waited for our train that was to depart at 10:24 am. Vic had purchased our tickets online which made it easy to know our coach and seating information in advance.

The station was well marked and we looked for the trackside number for Coach 1. The train was waiting for us. We boarded and placed our bags in the luggage bin. We found seats 17 and 18 and settled in for the two hour and 16 minute journey. The train left precisely at 10:24 - right on schedule, of course!

We were served a light breakfast of yogurt, a croissant, and coffee or tea. The Eurostar travels from London to the coast, under the English Channel, and then overland to Paris. The English countryside was lush, so green after all of the recent rains.

Although it was foggy, we could see flowering trees and blossoms of springtime. The fields were lovely and the stone fences and small farms made us very glad that we scheduled our travel during the daytime so we could have views of the landscape.

Of course, once we reached the coast and entered the Chunnel it was dark, nothing to see here but the frequent lights of the tunnel. The train was very comfortable and quiet even though almost all of the seats in our coach were occupied.

According to Google: the Channel Tunnel is 82 yards under water at the deepest point. The underwater section is about 31 miles long. Trains speeding underwater to Paris are only below the Channel for about 20 minutes.

From Calais, the port city in France, to Paris took another hour or so. Seeing France in its springtime splendor was another delightful experience. Similar to the other TGV high-speed trains we have ridden, one does not have the sense of high-speed travel. An overhead board told us we were traveling about 100 miles per hour.

We arrived in Paris at the Gare du Nord station at 1:47 pm. Stepping into the train in the middle of London and out again in the heart of Paris was truly the best way to get to and from these iconic cities.

Once we had gathered our belongings we found the taxi line and hired a cab for the ride to our hotel. The ride took almost an hour, as there were several accidents. There was a subway line that goes near the hotel, but we opted for door-to-door service.

We were able to check in easily and found our room. We got a few things set up and managed to connect to the hotel Wi-Fi – we were good to go!

Our first order of business was to walk to the Montparnasse Rail Station to purchase our tickets for our day trip to Chartres tomorrow. We happened to get in a No English line, but with lots of smiles and gestures, we managed to book our train to and from Paris to the City of Chartres. Luckily, tomorrow there is no strike scheduled so we should be OK.

The car rental station was also very close to our hotel, so we scouted out the best route as we are planning ahead for our Brittany Adventure beginning Saturday. Making this escapade happen has been challenging, reminding us to check and double-check all bookings.

Before walking back to the hotel, we found a Turkish kebab, La Paix Café, for our first meal in Paris. Another international city; we walked past a virtual United Nations of food possibilities. Another joy of traveling is to try new places to visit and worldwide foods to enjoy.

To travel is to live.

Hans Christian Andersen

Accommodations: Hotel Mercure Montparnasse - - - Meal: B