Tuesday, May 12
TUE 5/5/2026 Day 7 PASS 5 paris to home
Rail Miles: 304; Walk Miles: 6.22;
After the previous evenings pre sleep shenanigans, and somewhat predictably, I woke very early at sparrows cough and looking for my morning caffeine bump start. Rather than return the favour of noisily packing I slipped out of the room and downstairs to talk with the receptionist, barely awake at this point in her overnight shift.
Nope - no coffee to be had on the premises, but maybe a boulangerie locally? But unsure as to where that might be.
Happily the next door shop provided salvation.
6:30am and the recently opened boulangerie was already busy. Fresh coffee and newly baked pastry. I sat outside watching Paris life starting to move up through its gear changes for another manic day.
Refreshed I returned to the dorm. My plan had been to take a meandering route to the station and start to head for the UK. But, as I noted earlier, this a.m. sightseeing approach hadn't really worked for me, so by 7am, rather than just hang around, I decided to pack and head off.
There may have been a bit of clanging made when emptying my locker and packing to go.
Purely accidental I can assure you.
Good morning you sleepyheads (Karma can be a bitch folks)
Effectively a straight line route, with little need to check for course changes, gave me an opportunity to more fully appreciate the layout of Paris on pavements relatively empty of pedestrians and bike traffic steadily increasing.
It felt like Paris is not a city per se, but a group of districts pressed together. The Arrondissesments shown on the map often had distinct centres for bars, restaurants & shopping. Rather than try to "see" Paris any future trip should instead be looking at exploring some of the Arrondissesments.
For me Paris is more for passing through, possibly catching a meal on the way, rather than spending any length of time here.
The city traffic is manic, and travelling around, even on foot, can be a lengthy process requiring care.
I didn't use metro services in any of my stop overs, partly to avoid theft risk, partly I'm not a fan of sardine packed underground travelling, but mostly so that I could see the place I was moving through. But when compared to Amsterdam & Strasbourg, with their highly effective tram networks, you can really feel the benefits from a huge reduction in street traffic. And an easy way to view a city with little effort.
Eglise Saint-Ambroise?
After an hour I was nearing the station so I took the opportunity of restful break at a fortuitous bar I came across L'Atmosphere. A small oasis of calm. Sat by a canal, listening to parakeets (again) with a small park nearby I watched the early morning school run progressing. Idyllic and highly recommended as a rest stop for those with time to kill between train connections at the nearby Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est. With a quieter metro connection just across the canal.
Onto Gare du Nord to check departure information. My attempt to check in early failed. French Eurostar permits entry 2 hours before departure time.
4 hours to kill then.
I wandered the station concourse, exploring the various nooks and crannies, before heading back to the streets and wandering the area north of the station.
Inevitably I ended up outside yet another bar for coffee, to avoid the increasing pedestrian traffic. Plenty of small places to choose from rather than the large and brash tourist eateries opposite the station entrance.
And hats off to this guy. As a sighted person I felt my 5 primary senses were barely enough to cope with the Paris mania. (The other pedestrian was just passing and was providing no assistance)
A few visits to the local Carrefor, to stock up with food/water at a reasonable price, and I was mostly just kicking my heels until departure.
Finally I returned to the Eurostar barrier. Another EES check (specs off this time!) which was really well operated. A room of 20+ terminals, staff on hand to assist the process, and a watchful technician, who I had spotted earlier starting up the terminals, watching for any equipment failure.
A positive implementation of the EES system, and something the airports, I've used, could learn from.
Pinged at the X-Ray (Leatherman again) the security guard was intrigued by the tool and smilingly waved me on (Take note Notre Dame - sensible precautions)
Both border checks cleared the departure lounge was very well equipped with eateries and, if you bothered to walk a little further, plenty of seating. As each Eurostar service can handle 750 - 900 passengers its a welcoming approach. I had time to sit and watching the lengthening queue of 200+ passengers awaiting boarding for the train before mine. No idea why they queued. The moment the gate opened the queue quickly cleared the gate but only for them to then queue to get on the train, and then queue for luggage storage,
When my train was announced, an hour later, I sat with amusement watching the scene repeat itself.Once it cleared I simply wandered through the empty gate, stepped on the train and moved easily to my reserved seat putting my bag by my legs.
I quickly plugged my electronics into the seat socket for a 20 minute recharge, before the laptop user next to me would inevitably hog it for the next couple of hours, only disconnecting minutes before alighting. Another trip lesson learnt earlier.
Clearing St Pancras customs was like any airport arrival, and with Google Maps engaged, head down looking for the exit, I was one of the first few through and seconds later out onto the mean streets of London. Another small backpack benefit - no need to stop?
But no longer quite so mean.On my way out London had felt like bedlam. After Paris London now felt almost relaxed and easy going. Even the entrance to Waterloo station, with people rushing in all directions, was a breeze.
I'd not been quick enough to catch the early return train to home, despite setting a blistering pace. As I've observed earlier - street walking is not countryside walking. There is so much stop/start/change direction any decent pace is impossible.A quick play with the Interrail app and I set up the final leg of my journey with a 1/2 hour wait and then to journey's end.
An enjoyable and intriguing week. No dramas. An open and flexible approach to travelling (sic Frankfurt screw up)
Its addictive.
Labels: interrail
Rail Miles: 304; Walk Miles: 6.22;
After the previous evenings pre sleep shenanigans, and somewhat predictably, I woke very early at sparrows cough and looking for my morning caffeine bump start. Rather than return the favour of noisily packing I slipped out of the room and downstairs to talk with the receptionist, barely awake at this point in her overnight shift.
Nope - no coffee to be had on the premises, but maybe a boulangerie locally? But unsure as to where that might be.
Happily the next door shop provided salvation.
6:30am and the recently opened boulangerie was already busy. Fresh coffee and newly baked pastry. I sat outside watching Paris life starting to move up through its gear changes for another manic day.
Refreshed I returned to the dorm. My plan had been to take a meandering route to the station and start to head for the UK. But, as I noted earlier, this a.m. sightseeing approach hadn't really worked for me, so by 7am, rather than just hang around, I decided to pack and head off.
There may have been a bit of clanging made when emptying my locker and packing to go.
Purely accidental I can assure you.
Good morning you sleepyheads (Karma can be a bitch folks)
Effectively a straight line route, with little need to check for course changes, gave me an opportunity to more fully appreciate the layout of Paris on pavements relatively empty of pedestrians and bike traffic steadily increasing.
It felt like Paris is not a city per se, but a group of districts pressed together. The Arrondissesments shown on the map often had distinct centres for bars, restaurants & shopping. Rather than try to "see" Paris any future trip should instead be looking at exploring some of the Arrondissesments.
For me Paris is more for passing through, possibly catching a meal on the way, rather than spending any length of time here.
The city traffic is manic, and travelling around, even on foot, can be a lengthy process requiring care.
I didn't use metro services in any of my stop overs, partly to avoid theft risk, partly I'm not a fan of sardine packed underground travelling, but mostly so that I could see the place I was moving through. But when compared to Amsterdam & Strasbourg, with their highly effective tram networks, you can really feel the benefits from a huge reduction in street traffic. And an easy way to view a city with little effort.
Eglise Saint-Ambroise?
After an hour I was nearing the station so I took the opportunity of restful break at a fortuitous bar I came across L'Atmosphere. A small oasis of calm. Sat by a canal, listening to parakeets (again) with a small park nearby I watched the early morning school run progressing. Idyllic and highly recommended as a rest stop for those with time to kill between train connections at the nearby Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est. With a quieter metro connection just across the canal.
Onto Gare du Nord to check departure information. My attempt to check in early failed. French Eurostar permits entry 2 hours before departure time.
4 hours to kill then.
I wandered the station concourse, exploring the various nooks and crannies, before heading back to the streets and wandering the area north of the station.
Inevitably I ended up outside yet another bar for coffee, to avoid the increasing pedestrian traffic. Plenty of small places to choose from rather than the large and brash tourist eateries opposite the station entrance.
And hats off to this guy. As a sighted person I felt my 5 primary senses were barely enough to cope with the Paris mania. (The other pedestrian was just passing and was providing no assistance)
A few visits to the local Carrefor, to stock up with food/water at a reasonable price, and I was mostly just kicking my heels until departure.
Finally I returned to the Eurostar barrier. Another EES check (specs off this time!) which was really well operated. A room of 20+ terminals, staff on hand to assist the process, and a watchful technician, who I had spotted earlier starting up the terminals, watching for any equipment failure.
A positive implementation of the EES system, and something the airports, I've used, could learn from.
Pinged at the X-Ray (Leatherman again) the security guard was intrigued by the tool and smilingly waved me on (Take note Notre Dame - sensible precautions)
Both border checks cleared the departure lounge was very well equipped with eateries and, if you bothered to walk a little further, plenty of seating. As each Eurostar service can handle 750 - 900 passengers its a welcoming approach. I had time to sit and watching the lengthening queue of 200+ passengers awaiting boarding for the train before mine.Labels: interrail
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