Surviving the Train

Returning to Paris, there is a bit of time for a quick walk through the Tuileries. A roadside snack bar is the only dinner option which is both fast enough and cheap enough. So there really is a croque-monsieur sandwich, and they do serve them in Paris. All manner of French textbook minutiae have been seeping back slowly. Including that essay on the evils of l'alimentation rapide as the antithesis of French culture. A baker's dozen years removed from my last French class, a mere eight hours of total immersion has already started to take effect. But the process is rudely interrupted when it comes time to depart.

Gare du Nord

The American family is on the same train back to London. Their daughter is perfectly behaved. Just old enough to appreciate the visit to a foreign country, and even enjoy it.

I often wish I had travelled more as a child, but I still can't understand parents who drag along (multiple) infants on inter-continental long-haul flights. Maybe it's to visit the grandparents, or maybe it's just a foolish whim, but all the child knows is that he/she's tired/bored/hungry/thirsty/hot/cold, Mom and Dad aren't doing anything about it, and it just won't end.

I doubt think the challenge gets easier as the kids get older. Our evening train is packed with children, some off to vacation in London, others returning from a day of sugar and excitement at Euro Disney. They are all literally bouncing around the entire train compartment, completely ignoring their exhausted, pleading parents. Eurostar first class seemed like a huge ripoff for a couple of airline-style meals, but now could have been money well spent.

One particular scally is running up and down the aisle, flailing about and whacking things. I close my eyes, but am suddenly jolted by a punch to the arm. The mind boggles. Did that little punk just hit me?

The mind races. OK, what was that French word? Best not to say anything, lest it come out completely unintelligibly. The mind races again. How hard can I hit him back without getting into trouble? Does British common law or French civil law govern aboard the train? The default currency and billing system for the dining car depends on the country of departure. Does the same rule apply for the law, or does it switch over depending on which side of the tunnel you're on? What if you're in the tunnel? Can I surreptitiously push him off as we're going through?

In the end, all I can muster is a baleful glare, a toss of a camera bag onto the adjacent empty seat with disgust, and a long cold stare at the mortified mother.
The train finally arrives, and most of the other passengers not travelling with children hasten to disembark. As we flee, the American dad turns to me and says, "Congratulations, you've survived the train ride from Hell."

Versailles

On this tour are another varied bunch, including the young guy with the University of Waterloo T-shirt (now working in Hong Kong and in Paris for the week on business), a nice couple from America, travelling with their daughter, and a woman from Windsor (Ontario), whom I initially thought to also be American.

For the afternoon, there is a choice of activities, from visiting the Louvre or other museums, to simple shopping. No one else has seems to share my interests, so for me, it's a private 50-seat bus to Versailles, complete with guide and driver.

The Palace

The Gardens

Gardens to the Horizon

Meticulously Kept

Inside the Palace

Painted Ceilings

The Bedroom

The Throne

Window View

Under Renovation

The Hall of Mirrors

Mirrors

The Galleries

Tour Eiffel

If the Bank of China Tower is a sharp symbolic dagger in the heart of Hong Kong, then the Tour Montparnasse is blunt stake to downtown Paris, and a monolithic affront to the urban planning of Baron Haussmann.

The famous tower

The famous designer

Look up - waaay up

The view from the second floor

A nicer view

City of Death

No, not really. But all the famous sights and buildings previously only seen through the glass television screen, now up close and in person, seen through the glass window of a tour bus.

Before The Phantom of the Opera there was the Paris Opera.

Palais Garnier

Before The DaVinci Code and I.M. Pei, there was the medieval Louvre.

Musée du Louvre

It's much safer to let someone else do the driving down the Champs Elysées.

Arc de Triomphe

The politicians meet in the former Palais Bourbon.

Assemblée Nationale

Here too there are enforcers of the French language and culture.

Académie Française

Each year, sand is trucked in to create an artificial beach on the banks of the Seine.

Paris Plages

The famous cathedral is difficult to photograph from the water.

Cathédrale Nôtre Dame

So many museums, so little time.

Musée d'Orsay

The Train! The Train!

Flashback: Saturday, July 31, 2004

It's an early, early start to a long crazy day. (Tactical travel error #3: Sunblock and hat are mandatory for modern-day travel - always check that you've packed them in your bag before leaving the hotel room.)

There are still some people about, this early on a Saturday morning, but it feels oddly quiet for the London that I've seen in my days here.

Palace of Westminster, at 5:35 am

Waterloo International station is quite nice, and a far sight better looking than most of the buildings around it. However, it was obviously designed for a different, less security conscious time, which has made certain areas a bit impractical. [This all becomes a moot point in 2007, when St. Pancras International becomes the new London terminal for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.]

(Tactical travel error #4: Having collected a handful of Euros from family, and then leaving them all at home, there's no avoiding the rules and fees of the sole currency exchange bureau in the station.)

The fares may be higher, but until the new high speed track is complete, Eurostar is dragged back down to the level of British Rail. It's a bit of a letdown from the time we trudge out of London, and eventually limp into Ashford station. However, the ride certainly has an international feel. Travellers from around the world mingle with English and French (and the mostly-Francophone bilingual staff), as Europe encroaches on British shores.

The Channel Tunnel is a wonder of the modern world, as seen on the Discovery Channel. In reality, you can't see it coming from on board the train - the only indication is when the watertight doors close. Then it's just 20 minutes of train tunnel, until returning to daylight on the Continent.

The Eurostar train is an engineering marvel in itself, capable of running on three different track standards and power supplies, in three different countries. Commuter rail in Canada tops out at 160 km/h, but it's still rather fun to slowly overtake the automobile traffic where the rails parallel the motorway. Blasting through the French countryside at 300 km/h on the other hand, is truly impressive.

On board Eurostar