First of all, I apologize for the gap in my blog. I didn't realize that I would not have access to wifi when I went to Brittany (stay tuned for those adventures!!). Thank you for your patience. I should be able to post more regularly again from now on.
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Second, I must admit that despite this blog entry's title, I didn’t walk the entire distance from Chamelet to Paris ;) but I thought some of you who have read about my previous train fail might be interested in a Chamelet train situation update, in addition to my first randonnée in Paris.
I sent my friend Alex off yesterday on the direct train from Chamelet to Lyon, and watched how the train arrived and how to board. Alex made it all look so easy. Perhaps because after travelling more than half-way around the world without any planes, he’s a train pro.
Then I went to Villefranche and bought tickets for the exact same time of train from Chamelet to Lyon, so I could duplicate Alex’s experience. So today it’s my turn. I’ll take the train to Lyon, get lunch at the station, then board the TGV to Paris, getting off at the Gare de Lyon in Paris. From there, I will walk the 6km to my friend’s house in the 18th Arrondissment. I select a route that will take me along a treed boulevard to Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord, then through the city streets to her apartment.
When the train arrives in Chamelet, I manage to successfully imitate Alex, running up to the train and pushing the green button on the train door to open the door for me (an important detail). I barely find a seat and the train departs. The train ride to Lyon takes about an hour. I have my ticket handy to be punched by the conductor, but nobody comes. Perhaps they have a list up front that says “1 passenger at Chamelet,” and when I got on, they were satisfied? Or maybe it is more like the Skytrain in Vancouver, which pretty much runs on the honor system (unless you get caught, which carries a huge fine of $173, so I’m not recommending anyone try to skip the fare).
At the very user-friendly Gare de Lyon Part Dieu , I have 2 hours to spare, so I buy my lunch at Paul, do a little window shopping in the many stores inside the station, and then spend almost an hour on the pedal-powered phone recharger machine. It’s surprisingly therapeutic, and gives me a fully charged cellphone. :)
About 20 minutes before my train is set to board, I go to the bank of television sets marked “Départs” and watch for my train’s Voie (Platform) letter to appear on the screen. Within 5 minutes it appears: Voie A. Along with all the other passengers I rush over to Voie A. On the platform, I look at another little TV screen with a diagram of a train that tells me I must stand under the Letter T to get on Car 5.
I am very happy that everything is going very slickly. I touch my necklace to adjust it, and… bead tsunami! All over the platform. A few passengers try to help me collect beads, but the train is arriving, and so many of my beads stay on the platform as I head to Paris.
Although some of the scenery is beautiful, it is nearly impossible to take photos from the TGV train. First of all, the TGV speeds along at speeds of 320km/h, which makes for very blurry photos. Second, the windows are streaked with water, and the camera tends to focus on those streaks instead of the passing countryside. I get off the train in Paris at the Gare de Lyon, and wave goodbye to the TGV. It’s time to randonnée!
From the Gare de Lyon, I walk northwards up Rue de Lyon to the Bastille. Near the station, Rue de Lyon looks a bit rougher, so I don't take photos there, but as it approaches the Bastille, it seems to get a little more affluent. At the Bastille, the Spirit of Liberty statue appears to be taking flight off the Colonne de Juillet and there are people sitting on the steps to Les Grandes Marches Opera house.
From here, I take Boulevard Richard Renoir, which is a lovely tree-lined route dotted with playgrounds and fountains. It is easy to locate across the street from the Opera House. Along the Boulevard, there are many people enjoying the park, reading, talking, watching their kids and dogs play. There is even a group of older gentlemen playing pétanque.
I encounter a small shrine with potted flowers and signs reading, “Je Suis Charlie” and “Vous n’aurez pas ma liberté de pensé” (you will not take my freedom of thought). I pull out my cell phone and verify that I am right near the Charlie Hebdo building. I decide to take a little detour and pay my respects. To circle the building, I head down Allée Verte to Rue Nicholas Appert, then turn on Rue Gaby Sylvia to head back to Boulevard Richard Renoir. At the office building, there are several spray painted signs and artworks dedicated to those that were killed, including their portrayals as (Charlie's) angels drinking wine under a dove.
I continue following the Boulevard Richard Renoir to Avenue de la République, which takes me to the Place de la République: a 5-line Metro hub boasting a giant bronze statue of Marianne, who embodies the French values of “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity,” and “the triumph of the Republic.”
From Place de la République, I follow Boulevard de Magenta past Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord, and make a mental note of their location, because I will return to Gare de Nord tomorrow to pick up Betty, who will be visiting me in Paris and Brittany. I can't figure out why Gare de l'Est is pretty much right beside Gare du Nord. Shouldn't one be in the East and one in the North?? I make a mental note to ask about that. When I hit Boulevard Barbès and its famous Tati store, I turn onto Barbès and follow it until I get to Rue des Poissoniers, the street on which my friend lives.
Rue Barbès is lined with many evening attire stores and shoe stores. The gowns are brightly colored with lots of bling. Mannequin displays spill out of the windows and onto the street. Shoes are piled in giant bins.
The last bit of my journey takes me into the Muslim and African district, called Le Goutte-d’Or, and I love all the beautiful outfits and fancy hairdos the women are wearing. Little shops are open to the street, overflowing with rugs, dresses, and hair accessories. There is also a lively street market called Marché Dejean, with vendors selling vegetables, clothing, bags, and fake watches. Some of the more successful vendors are talking a mile a minute, showing off their wares. Some of the poorest vendors stand holding a single eggplant, asking for 5 euro. I would love to photograph it all. However, since this area is known to be a little “rough,” and the streets are quite crowded at this time of day, I hold my bag close, walk with purpose, and don’t take any photos.
**FYI: to translate a French website, like the one above, right-click on it, then choose "translate" from the dropdown menu.
Arriving at my friend’s place, I leave the streets behind and cross through a lovely courtyard. However, I have one last hurdle: four flights of stairs. After the climb, I am warmly welcomed by my friend and her family.
While my friend’s husband explains to me why Gare de l’Est is right beside Gare du Nord (they are named after their trains’ destinations, not the station’s location), I am served a lovely vegetarian dinner, topped off with Saint Honoré and Millefeuille. I have never eaten Saint Honoré before, and let me tell you: try it if you get a chance!! The cream puffs are filled with raspberry flavored custard, the caramel disks topping each puff are hard and crunchy, then the little candies on the top are delightfully tart.
Although this is not my first time in Paris, this was my first time to randonnée completely alone in Paris; therefore, I chose a very simple and direct route that would be easy for me to remember, and appeared to offer the least number of potential surprises. The secret to the urban randonnée is to walk confidently and always look like you know where you are going, even when you are completely lost. So in the end, it was a good route for me: I didn’t get lost, and it had many enjoyable portions, especially along the Boulevard Richard Renoir. However, if I were to do it again, I would start on Boulevard de la Bastille instead of Rue de Lyon, walk straight through to La Bastille, then continue along Boulevard Richard Renoir even farther than I did this time, to where it turns into the Quay de Valmy, because it would have been lovely to walk along the water, and then I would cut through the Jardin Villemin to Gare de l’Est, or perhaps follow the water as far as Canal de l’Ourcq, and take Boulevard de la Chapelle across to Barbès.
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