~ Charles Dudley Warner
As mentioned yesterday, we had an early start today. Laureen was up at 3:30 AM this morning and myself shortly thereafter. We were instructed to have our bags out in the hallway at 4:30 AM for them to pick up and bring down to load on the bus for us (that’s a great feature – although it means one has to be organized enough to have your suitcase packed and ready to go!) Breakfast was much simpler, given that we were leaving so early, and was setup for 4:45 AM.
We were down in the lobby before it was ready and we met a couple from Australia who were also on the same tour, Alf and Di. We also met Stephen and Margaret who were also from Australia. About 80% of the group is either Australian or a Kiwi from New Zealand. It’s winter there and they are looking to escape the cold (up to -10 C weather). We explained to them that -10 is really not that cold. There is one American (lady traveling by herself) and us – the token Canadians. There are 23 people on the on the tour – the last 2 joining us today in Paris. That means that there is lots of room on the coach to spread out (and we are already taking advantage of that). I am pretty sure that we are the youngest people on the tour (besides our tour director Kassie, who is probably in her thirties.)
The Bus left the hotel in London at 5:15 AM and we headed to the Trafalgar offices where the rest of the tour group was waiting to be picked up. Less than a mile from where we were staying we drove by the scene of the bus/subway bombing that took place in Paris a few short years ago. It was the anniversary of this event a few days ago and when we went by, you could see a few flowers that had been left at the spot. It was a bit surreal to be driving by there.
After picking up the guests from the Trafalgar offices, we set off to the ferry terminal at Dover, to cross the English Channel to France. The white cliffs of Dover are white because they consist of chalk. It was something to look at as we waited for the 9:25 ferry to France.
We all grabbed something to eat there as it was getting close to actual breakfast time. Once again, Trafalgar looked after our larger suitcase items, ensuring they were removed from the Coach and then placed on the ship. We all walked on to the ferry and said goodbye to the Coach that we had utilized for this portion of the trip. The next coach/driver would be with us for the rest of the tour.
Customs at the Ferry station was pretty straight forward. We all walked up and showed our stuff to the British authorities and once we were done there we immediately proceeded to the French customs wicket which was about 15 feet ahead of the British folks. The ferry ride was about an hour and a half through the shortest point of the English Channel (approximately 39 Km’s). we basically sat with a group of 6 Auzzies and New Zealanders for the entire trip.
Back on the bus for the drive to Paris. I believe it was about 4 hours in total – with a stop about mid-way for bio breaks, leg stretching and snack grabbing. The place was a popular vehicle stop with a number of people teaming as evidenced by the crowds in the buildings. We bought hamburgers from a chain that we do not have in North America. The name escapes me at the moment. Laureen bought separately a couple of cokes from a nearby convenience store; and because she bought two of them, I received a commemorative Coca-Cola glass for the Euro Cup.
Incidentally, the Euro Cup finals are tomorrow night in Paris. France and Portugal are in the finals. If France wins, it will be mayhem. If France loses, it will be mayhem. There is no real escaping this one this time. We arrived at the hotel in time to get our rooms and then to do some laundry in the bathtub. This is starting to remind me of the Camino!
We had about an hour to ourselves to find our room, get freshened up and return to the coach for our arranged dinner. It was a fantastic little French place (of course it was, we are in France after all) with a pre-set meal that we all made choices from. We both had the French Onion soup and then chicken dinner and both were amazing.
After dinner we went on a bus tour of the sights of Paris. Most of this tour was on the bus with the tour director describing the things that were driving by. We stopped at a private church, built for one of the King Loui’s and the final resting place of Napoleon; the other stop was a spot above the Eiffel Tower where, again, we got a chance to step off and take a few pictures. Then it was back to the hotel so that we could get some rest for tomorrow. We have a morning tour of Notre Dame Church and the Latin Quarter. They will drop us off at the Champs-Elysee for a few hours for us to explore on our own.
Looking forward to a good night’s rest!
Curt & Laureen in Paris
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