We took the high speed Eurostar from London Waterloo Station direct to Paris on October 17. The journey took only approximately 3 hrs with the train speeding at 250 km/hr.
On arrival at Gare du Nord Railway Station in North Paris, we made our way to The Altona Hotel located in a classic style, beautiful Parisian building, close to and 15 minutes walk from Barbès-Rochechouart Metro Station, which provides rapid access to Opera Garnier, Champs Élysées and Sacré Cæur.
We checked-in to the hotel hoping to rest a while. We had planned to venture out in the evening to find our way around Paris on the first night. However, on reaching Altona Hotel, we were greeted by a pair of rather flustered looking twin brothers who kept lamenting that their hotel was overbooked for that day. They then shunted us down the street to their partner hotel. The hotel was not only old, but also smelt of mildew and located in a busy and noisy wet market. The hotel room was very small and smelt of cigarette smoke. The room ventilation was very poor and there was hardly any room for us to move around and to place our luggages. The toilet was also very small and there was mildew at every corner of the toilet. It was simply unpleasant and uncomfortable. We had no choice but to stay at the hotel for the night as we were already tired and hungry.
After a short rest, we made our way to Chatelet Les Halles Metro Station. We had our dinner at Forum des Halles, shopped a little and bought some sandwiches back with us to the hotel on our first night in Paris.
Took some pictures at the Eglise de Saint-Eustaches, the church where French King Louis XIV received communion. It was also the funeral sanctuary of the mother of the famous composer Mozart.
The next morning, we made our way to Altona Hotel and insisted that the owners transfer us back to their hotel for the rest of our stay in Paris. After all, we had reserved the room and paid for it in advance from Singapore. After much persuasion, the owners relented. What a relief for us to get away from the other hotel.
Lessons learned: Room reservation made in advance through the internet for hotels in Paris is not equivalent to room physically reserved for you. The internet reviews we read about the ruse often used by the owners of Altona Hotel by shunting their guests to their partner hotel, perhaps in the hope of earning some extra bucks, is very TRUE and REAL. So be cautioned!
After we settled our transfer back to Altona Hotel, we took the Metro to Bir Hakeim Station, the nearest station to the Tour Eiffel where the famous tower is situated. We had a good view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower. It was very cold just standing at the mid-level of the Eiffel Tower , but the view was simply breathtaking.
Thereafter, we crossed the River Seine to Jardin du Trocadero. The place came alive and packed with many people attending a carnival that was taking place then, so much so that it was impossible to take a glance at all the golden statues.
Oh .... and yes, the stand alone kiosk along Pont D'Lena, River Seine sells very yummy chocolate and banana crepes. It was superb, especially when served piping hot under such cold weather. Mmmm.... I'm salivating just thinking of it.
Below are some photos we took during our visit to Pavillon Sully Musee du Louvre, the awesomely huge historical building. The queue to the Gallery was too long and it was getting a little late. Hence, we decided to spend our time exploring the spacious surroundings where several big fountains and the large La Pyramide stood sandwiched between the buildings.
We took the underground Metro to de L'Etoile where the Arc De Triomphe Champs stood majestically at the cross roads of Champs Elysee. Going beneath the Arch itself was really an experience. We also managed to catch the Bastille Parade by World War II veterans. Some pictures taken with French WWII veterans to share with you.
Most unfortunately, the entire Paris Metro was paralysed by a massive strike that was to last 3 days. Not a train was operating, so we had no choice but to take a Paris taxi to Marne la Vallee where Euro Disney was located 80 km outside Paris. It was a cost us approximately Euro 170 (equivalent of approx. 350 SIN Dollars) for both ways, which is the most expensive taxi ride we have ever taken. Not only did were we not prepared for the sudden strike, but we also did not foresee that the situation would be that bad. On the way back, we literally had to stand in the cold for almost 2 hours in the taxi queue before a taxi would turn up to take us back to our hotel in Paris. It definitely wasn't a pleasant experience for us, especially under such terribly cold weather and when we were all famished and tired!
Overall, our vacation in Paris was well spent visiting all the famous and historical places that we had been wanting to see, travelling like the local Parisians. It's an experience that will be with us for a lifetime. The only major setback is the language issue as the Parisians will only communicate in French. We also wished that the streets and train stations would be cleaner and washrooms are conveniently located. Also, if only the hotel rooms would be a little bit roomy and clean, and there would not be any major Metro strike since tourists like us only had that number of days to spend in Paris and as such, time is very precious. Not to mention, that everything is pretty costly in Paris too.
Enroute from Paris to Brussels, Belgium
On October 19th, we took the Eurostar from Paris Nord to Brussels, Belgium. We were expecting to find a somewhat old and unclean environment, having read not so nice reviews about Brussels on the internet. What a pleasant surprise when we arrival at gare du Midi station. It was wonderful simply to be greeted by modern English songs playing in the background. The station was surprisingly cleaner than the Metro stations in London and Paris. The street was quiet, but clean and safe. It took us less than 10 minutes to get to Euroflat Hotel. We had secured a very good deal (from Singapore) for a comfortable hotel room with an attached kitchenette and ensuite bathroom/toilet. The room was not only spacious, but also clean and comfortable though the bed mattress was a little too soft, but we were just thankful for such a nice and reasonably priced accommodation to rest our tired bodies.
The next day, we woke up early and went on a guided tour to Amsterdam. The busload of tourists were from different countries. Some came from Brazil, Malaysia, Spain, etc. Gabriel, our tour guide for the day was very experienced. He constantly filled us in with historical background of the beautiful places we visit, most of which were captured on video. Will share that video recording with all later.
We visited Luxembourg the following day (October 21, 07). It was especially cold (about 6 degree celsius) in the towns of Namur and Dinant situated in the Wallonia region by the famous River Meuse that winds through the borders of both France & Belgium.
Further east, we reached the town of Han-sur-Lesse in the Ardennes region of Belgium where we tasted the best fresh trout ever. It was simply delectable! What with all the fastfood and stuff when we first arrived in London.
Isaac with horses in the Ardennes, Belgium
Isaac feeding Ardennes horses
Aren't these close up candid shots simply beautiful!
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