The bumper Paris post
Firstly, apologies for the radio silence this week - it's been a busy one at work! So to make up for it, I have a bumper edition post for today!
This week I had a day trip to Paris for a meeting. Sounds glamourous, I know! I can assure you it didn't feel quite so glamourous waking up at 5am in a Travelodge on Tuesday morning and trundling up to St Pancras with my overnight case!I was well prepared for the eurostar journeys, with 4 new books on my Kindle and music on my iPhone in case of overly chatty passengers! There was a group of American school kids in the four rows of seats ahead of us, and to be honest, I was preparing for the worst, with my headphones poised, but thankfully, 5mins into the journey they were all plugged into their own devices and were silent for the rest of the journey.I was shocked! When I think back to my school trips there was a never ending stream of conversation across rows of seats, things being thrown to one another and the teacher trying to pretend they weren't with us... obviously a time before mp3 players. Well, that makes me feel old!When we finally got to Paris, the taxi queues were all the way down the street, so we stood in line for 20mins to get the metro. Following a quick shoe change (flats to heels obviously!) before the final stop we got out at George V onto the Champs Elysees.In all my time in France; living in Rennes for a year, holidaying near Bordeaux and Lille, working in Cannes, working in Paris, school trips to Paris and day trips to Paris - I don't think I've ever actually been on the Champs Elysees before.I'd seen it in pictures and maybe whipped past it on a bus, but to actually walk down it and take a few minutes to enjoy it, it was amazing!
The architecture of the buildings lining the avenue is so very French and so beautiful, with the pale stonework and blue slate roofs, shutters and iron balconies on all the windows. The road signs, lamp posts and metro signs look like you've gone back in time and the view up the avenue to the Arc de Triomphe was amazing, like a scene from a film.
As we were running late for the meeting, we didn't get long to admire the sites, but when we came out into the avenue again following the meeting, I embraced my touristy instincts and got my phone out! I was still taking pictures as we jumped into a taxi to head back to the station!
I don't know how I managed to miss the Champs Elysees every other time I've been in Paris, but I can't wait to go again and really explore, and to test my phone memory to the limit!To ensure this really is the bumper post that I promised, here is my July calendar. A little later than planned, but I only got the chance to finish it yesterday!
Now, as you can see, I've got plans today, so I'd better go and get ready!Hope you all have a lovely weekend,