Once we finished eating our last full English breakfast, we took the Underground over to St. Pancras/Kings Cross station were we boarded the Eurostar train to Paris, France. This special high-speed train started operating soon after the Chunnel (tunnel under the English Channel) opened in May 1994. The kids were very excited to get to travel on the Eurostar. We cleared security and then had to pass through International French customs before leaving England, because once at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris there is no customs or international checkpoint. It was busy, but everything went smoothly and we made it in plenty of time to board our 11:31am train.
Once on board we stored our luggage and took our seats, which were two facing two. Liam sat across the aisle in another grouping of four. The train took off and but for a little rocking motion occasionally, the ride was smooth. We were traveling over 300kph (186mph), yet within the channel tunnel it reduced to 160kph (100mph). The whole train ride lasted about 2.5 hours. Paris is actually one hour ahead of London so we set our clocks forward an hour when we arrived in the Central European Time zone. We are now 6 hours ahead of Grand Rapids, MI.
Faywen was very excited when we popped up out of the Chunnel and the French countryside spread out before us! As we traveled through the Chunnel we munched on snacks and played the card game Uno to pass the time.
Once inside the Gare du Nord it was time to figure out which Metro line would take us close to our hotel. The RERB line was just right with only 2 stops before getting off at Sainte Michelle. After ascending the various escalators from the Metro subway we were greeting with a lovely first view of Paris! The stunning stone 4 story buildings with wrought iron balconies shimmered in the sunlight. Robert aend Liam had both downloaded a street map of Paris and soon we were on our way with our little rolling luggage bouncing on through the stone sidewalks and streets of Paris!
The Hotel Marignon is actually more like a European Inn than a large hotel. There are only 36 rooms and our just happened to be on the first floor. After a rest and some refreshment we took to the streets and meandered our way down to the Seine River and Notre Dame. This iconic cathedral is only about a 7 minute walk from our hotel. The sun was low and brilliant in the sky. The stonework of Notre Dame reflected the warm orange hues of the setting sun. Though the air was crisp, one’s soul felt the warmth of the sun reflecting on the mighty façade of such an elegant lady, Notre Dame. After walking around we found a nice little restaurant and ate dinner. We found a classic baguette and galette to munch on back in the room. A galette is a traditional pastry eaten in French countries only during the season of Epiphany. It is the Three Kings Cake and often little toys are found inside. We did find a little porcelain Wise Man in ours!
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