Day 4 – London to Paris
Today was an early day – bags needed to be fully packed and tagged and placed just inside our doors by 6:15 am. We would be able to keep our carry-on luggage with us on the Eurostar and for our coach tour of Paris but Tinkerbell was going to take care of the rest.. We would not be seeing our checked bags again until we checked into our rooms at the Hilton in Paris. After enjoying our last grand buffet breakfast at the Landmark, we boarded the coach for the drive to the train station. After arriving at the station, the guides gave us an overview of the station (where to get things to eat, shops, and where to go through security). We were told what time to make sure we went through security by and then we were free to explore on our own and the guides showed us where to go across the street to see the “real” Platform 9 ¾. The Kings Cross Station has a photographer set up to take pictures at the Platform and a nice little gift shop. The line was unusually short so our group had the option to wait in line for a photo (at your own cost and time). Passing through security and passport control took a bit of time, but was well organized. The guides had recommended that we pick up something for lunch in the station to take on the train. There were many restaurants before security and 2 or 3 places after security to grab sandwiches and salads. We bought sandwiches after going through security and also made use of the ATM to get some Euros before arriving in Paris. In retrospect, we really didn’t need to get the sandwiches to take on the train. We had eaten a huge buffet breakfast at the Landmark and then we were served a continental breakfast on the train of a croissant, yogurt, fruit, juice and coffee.
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Our group was spread out between two train cars, and we had assigned seats. Families were generally together or close by each other. The train had wi-fi which was spotty at times. I caught up on work during the two hour ride and the wi-fi worked well enough for that but it was not good enough for watching videos according to the kids. The ride was very smooth and passed really quickly. Before we knew it, we were whizzing through the French countryside and then pulling into the train station. Our local French guide met us at the station and helped maneuver the group through the crowded station and to our coach. Our coach made its way through Parisian traffic including our first exposure to the insane traffic circle around the Champs Elysee. It was certainly a culture shock after spending the last 5 days in London. While we drove through town Cecile pointed out many landmarks. We stopped at a park across the street from the Eiffel Tower where we had about twenty minutes to walk around and take photos in front of the Tower. The guides took family photos (and jumped into selfies for anyone who wanted them).
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After re-boarding our coach, we then made our way through the streets again towards our hotel, The Hilton Opera, which is right next to the Gare St Lazard. The hotel is in a good location near many shops including the large department stores, La Madeleine and a Starbucks on either side. All the kids got a kick out of the fact that there was a McDonalds right across the street. Our guides handed out our keys and we had about an hour or hour and a half to settle in and “unpack”. I say that in quotes, because there really wasn’t anywhere to unpack this hotel did not have any drawers – there was a small hanging area and one shelf in the closet, so a few things were unpacked, but we basically lived out of our suitcases on the floor which was hard because our room was tiny. Much more typical of what you would expect from a European hotel room. We had been spoiled by the Landmark. We also did not have connecting rooms at this hotel. I think the hotel had them, but likely not many, and the hotel was fully booked up so we did not have a chance to move the first night. We just decided to split up with guys in one room and girls in the other. The rooms were next to each other so that was fine. I am a very light sleeper so the price of having a cool city street view on the troisieme etage was a lot of noise at night. I always travel with earplugs but they were not enough for me here. I don’t want to sound too negative on the hotel, it was perfectly fine and had nice beds, nice linens etc, we had just been very spoiled by the Landmark.
We all met for an early dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Le Pain Quotidien, which we had to ourselves (or at least a good part of it). I was one of the last to arrive since I had been unpacking and Adam and Frankie had been assigning seats for the group. I arrived to find a glass of wine waiting for me. The younger kids were all together and they all received little stuffed animals. My 14 year old son was assigned to sit with us at one of the adult tables, I think he would have preferred to be with the younger kids, but he was a good sport and kept up conversation with us adults. I don’t think we had pre-ordered meals here and there was a bit of confusing when they stated bringing out the entrees. I asked for a vegetarian entrée (I had noted it on my reservation) and by the amount of discussion that ensued you would have thought I created an international incident. It was eventually resolved (the restaurant had vegetarian items on their regular menu but obviously had not prepared them for the banquet). I can’t remember what the food was, but it was enjoyable. The kids were served a variety of things including chicken nuggets which they all swore were from the McDonalds across the street.
Right after dinner we boarded the coach for our nighttime tour of the Eiffel Tower. The Tower was really crowded (although the Guides said it really wasn’t as bad as they sometimes see it) and there was a little bit of hassle getting our group through the various checkpoints and ticket taking areas. We split into three groups and then reconvened as we made our way towards the top. We were able to go all the way to the top to see the amazing views. Right before we boarded the last elevator we were able to see someone zipline off the Tower!. Despite the crowds this was a true highlight and an amazing way to start off our time in Paris. How incredible to get to see the City from the heights of the Eiffel Tower at dusk. Frankie and Adam did a great job keeping tabs on our group in the crowds and you could see their relief when we were finally all safely together on the coach. Somehow they managed to time it just perfectly on our drive back to the hotel and they told us to turn and look back at the Eiffel Tower in time to see the twinkle lights. The next morning was going to be an early one as we headed out to a jam packed day. Unfortunately, I was going to have a late night catching up on work email.
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