23-JUN-2013
Lunch was at Jose's Tapas Bar in Bermondsey Street.
Normally very busy but @ 2pm it was quiet enough to get a seat in this small bar.
The sherry was appreciated by the boss and the selection of Tapas was very good....the Iberico Ham and King Prawns in particular hitting the spot.
Good service if a little pricey for a Northerner's taste :-))
Image again c/o Streetview hence the blurred name.
23-JUN-2013
And Dinner was at "Fish" in Borough Market.
The glass house style roof allowed for train watching as they trundled over the viaduct into Cannon Street station.
Cod, Chips, Mushy peas and trains.....can't be beaten!
Take a hint TPEx and Northern, these were proper trains 8 or 10 carriages not the two or three coaches if we are lucky in Huddersfield. The promise of an extra carriage or two next year isn't enough!
19-JUN-2013
A new day dawns and its off to Paris for lunch on Eurostar.
Eurostar booked leaving 8-31 getting to Paris just in time for a nice long lunch.
First time on Eurostar so unsure of what to expect but St Pancras was fine. Check in, even at the busy morning period was smooth, security and immigration cleared quickly and plenty ofplaces to sit whilst waiting to board.....(c/f. Paris Nord departure comments later.)
Station clean and bright and did have that little bit of glamour that Sir John Betjeman would have approved of.
Whilst waiting in the departure hall we chatted to a couple from Brazil on a European tour....only to find that they were sharing the same table on the train...what are the chances of that?
750 passengers on the train, more than 2 trains capacity, 1500, in the hall...makes a big number of combinations.
On time departure, on time arrival all went smoothly. 192 mph (max speed is stated as 186mph so slight inaccuracy of the GPS) clocked on the GPS as we headed for Folkestone, 20 mins in the tunnel and a good hour sees you in Gare Du Nord.
You then simply walk off the platform with no further delays by customs/immigration/ ticket checking....good. (c/f with arrivals in St Pancras later.)
Tip:: You can buy your Paris Metro tickets in advance at the Information desk in the departure hall...no queuing on the train or in Paris.
19-JUN-2013
300 yds. walk (I'm British we do yards not metres) from Gare Du Nord
brings you to the small square containing the Church of St Vincent du Paul behind which you can find Chez Michel a spot chosen at random from good old Google maps.
No-one in as we arrived which didn't bode well but it soon filled up with locals which is a very good sign. The person on the adjacent table was a chef from another restaurant which it a good recommendation for this one...not so sure about his own!
19-JUN-2013
Le table d'hote menu:
Appetiser
....snails
Starters
....Mussels
....Fish soup
Mains
....Roast Cod and Red Peppers
....Pork casserole with Figs and fennel
A Nice bottle of Bordeaux to wash it all down.......worth the early start.
23-JUN-2013
Part of the entertainment during lunch
...was to watch the parking techniques of the Parisians
Basic technique is to
Define that the space is actually the same size or more than your car.
The same size is good enough as phase two is to manoeuvre the vehicle into the gap as best possible then make space by judicious nudging of the surrounding vehicles.
There is no restriction on the number of nudges permissible.
Phase three, if female, comb hair, look cool and walk away.
Memo to self....don't drive or park in Paris.
Picture c/o Streetview
19-JUN-2013
After a very leisurely lunch
...we burned off the many calories with a walk thru the streets towards the Seine eventually succumbing to the heat and effort so we jumped on the Metro.
Metro was clean and efficient and with windows that opened the carriages were well ventilated and cool, unlike most of the London tube which is stifling and unpleasant if on sets without air-conditioning.
Jumped of at the Ile de Cite station for a walk round the island.
19-JUN-2013
Once met an American who had done Europe, as they do,
....and he was strong in his comments on the drain problems in certain parts of Europe such as Spain and France. They never have these issues in the USA apparently.
Walking along the Seine in the heat of the day it was a good job he wasn't there as they did have a drain issue on that Wednesday!
Ah well all part of the experience.
19-JUN-2013
Nice warm summer sun
The Louvre looked fine under the blue sky, chance to sit and take the weight off the feet for a while.
19-JUN-2013
The French "old men" enjoy a game of Boules in the Tuileries Gardens
Surprisingly they didn't seem grumpy!
It's sort of Bowls without the worry of manicuring the greens, sorting out errant moles etc......closely related to marbles that we play as kids.
A bit of a walk round the gardens, then back to the delightful (not) Gare Du Nord to check in for the return.
Good timing as just as we got back the heavens opened and there was one big thunderstorm and downpour.
19-JUN-2013
On arrival at G du Nord, the station was irrelevant as were thru and out to the street, however not such a rosy picture on the return.
Lots of things not right here but not all of them of French making but in order as we found them.
1. Signing for the Eurostar check-in is non existent and it took some time to determine that we had to go to the opposite side of the station from the Eurostar trains to gain access to the upper floor level for the check in
2. Very cramped space and due to over crowding they only let you checking after the crowds have departed on a previous train. So everyone stands in line till they are ready for you.....much more like an airport than a train station.
3. The check in bit, ie ticket check, is fine but after that the issue is that you then have to clear the UK Border Cntrols and if you pick the wrong queue, easily done depending on which ticket gate you pick, you get stuck behind non EU passport holders who the border office take ages to process.
Don't get me wrong, they are doing a good job, its just the number of them and the bad signage means those that can quickly get thru get stuck and make queues even longer. In the UK's defence the space available in the cramped customs area is so small they physically can't get any more booths in.
4 Once thru that the scan and luggage checks are quick, letting you into what can only be described as the dire, dingy, seedy, badly lit, poor seating area they call a departure lounge. Not the glamorous image of intercontinental rail travel that St Pancras tried hard to facilitate.
So if St P got 8/10 for departures, G du Nord gets 4/10.
2 hours 20 mins later you arrive at St Pancras.
Where things are not as good as they could be. Despite having cleared immigration in France you have to disembark, enter the bowels of the station....all new shiny and glitzy still...walk around 3 sides of the large immigration area ( where there are booths and people but no-one has to go thru them).. to get to the customs post ..that you simply walk through. Not even sure there was anyone on duty as we passed thru.
Takes 5 -10 mins when you could be off the platform in one from carriage number one! Keeps someone in a job I suppose. So the French win that one!
20-JUN-2013
Next day started with a wander around Borough Market...wonderful selection of food and drinks on show. Good quality produce. unusual and not the run of the mill stuff.
Flowers, meats, cheeses, veg and fruit. Ciders/and fruit drinks plus "street food" stalls.....and some wonderful cakes.
Yes, at first glance it does look like the stall holder is wearing a mankini!
