We walk from the hotel to St Pancras along the same route we took to get to the hotel from St Pancras on our first day in London. This time I notice that we had passed The Guardian newspaper, which is kind of neat. I also notice that the sidewalk has little glass squares in it. I wonder if it means there are tunnels underneath, like in Victoria and Vancouver, Canada. Colin and I had taken a tour of the tunnels beneath Seattle, Washington, which also had prisms like these.
Arriving at St Pancras train station we go inside and check the line for our train: we've got 1.5 hours before the train leaves, but the gate closes 30 mins prior due to security checks. We're told we have plenty of time. Since it was on my pub list, we go to see if Queens Head Pub is open. It's not.
So we just turn around and go back to the train station. It's still 1 hour prior to the train leaving and the line is now huge. Train station staff are running around like mad, directing people into various lines. The overhead speaker apologizes for the time taken for the higher level of security checks. Security is like the airport and takes just as long. All our bags are x-rayed and we pass through four "papers" checks. This is far from the slick passage we had at Lille on the way up to London. It doesn't help that the tour group ahead of us seems hopelessly confused, and requires assistance from staff multiple times. There is also a gate for the train to Disneyland Paris, and I see a girl in Mickey Mouse ears skipping towards the other train.
We hunt for Wifi in the Eurostar station and on the train, just like Clara and the 11th Doctor in "The Bells of Saint John." We don't have much luck. We ride the Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord. It is surprisingly unremarkable. Very similar to the TGV.
(Thanks to http://www.doctorwholocations.net for the screenshots. Click here for more info.)
At Paris Gare du Nord, we have an unfortunate transfer to Paris Gare de Lyon. We must ride the very crowded RER line D between the two stations. To walk it (which I have done) takes just over an hour, which is time we don't have today. We also don't have time to miss the train and wait for the net one. Fortunately, we see the train sitting at the platform and run down the stairs in time to squeeze in before the doors close. The two ladies behind us were not as lucky: one got stuck in the closing doors with her friend outside. She managed to free herself and the two stood on the platform as we pulled away.
At Paris Gare du Nord, we get on the train to Lyon Part-Dieu. The train car is sooo hot!! It's quite uncomfortable. We are not looking forward to several hours of this. Then the conductor enters our car and announces that anyone from our car who is uncomfortable can come with him now: there is room in First Class for us. So we are very pleased that we get an upgrade to First Class! It's Colin's first time in First Class. The table on the first seat as we select is broken. This is not a great sign. However, the second set of seats are fine, if not significantly different from Second Class. Colin settles in to read a book on his Kindle. I watch the scenery pass by. We definitely know we're in France, due to all the graffiti...
The weather app on my cell phone tells me it's 31 degrees in Chamelet today, so I joke it would be good to get a "weather upgrade" to match our "seat upgrade": the hike up the hill to our gite is always much easier when it's cooler out. A couple of minutes later, I check the weather again. It has dropped to 20 degrees! Wow! I am impressed with my new superpower, but I try to not let it get to my head... I don't control the birds... I will someday, but not today... ;)
In Lyon, we transfer to a regional train bound for Chamelet. While waiting on the platform, Colin realizes he has left his Kindle on our last train. I am shocked at the coincidence that the first time I rode First Class (with Betty), I left my scarf on the train, and now the first time that Colin rides First Class, he leaves his Kindle. We have never left anything else on any train before. Are we subconsciously trying to "pay" for our upgrades?? Using his cell phone, Colin quickly deregisters his Kindle and changes his password. Fortunately, he doesn't lose all his ebooks from amazon, and comforts himself by loading the book he was reading on his Kindle onto his phone and reading it on the platform.
The train to Chamelet is so short: only two cars long. It's airy and comfy, which is great, but the speed is definitely different than the TGV... At some points I swear someone could jog next to us and keep up. This is why it takes an hour to get to Chamelet to Lyon, whereas the TGV can take us all the way to Paris in two hours. Fortunately for Colin, speed is no matter, because he can continue to read his ebook on his phone, and does so, all the way back to Chamelet. I keep looking out the window, and notice a neat campsite right next to the tracks. There's a lake and people are having a picnic. It looks wonderful.
We take the road rather than the randonnée path, and go up through the town, then through Les Danieres and Les Terres to Le Crèt. I've blogged this route many times, so if you've missed it, see "I've Done the Grouse Grind" for a typical example. Even though it's in the low 20s today, by the time we get to Le Crèt, we are still pretty hot and sweaty. Between Le Crèt and the gite, the grape vines are noticeably bigger than before. They are now up to my shoulders! Before we leave, I definitely need to do a side-by-side comparison of all the salient changes we've witnessed here between May and August. A pair of Common Buzzards come out to greet us. It's nice to have a welcoming party. ;) I get some really great photos of them, before Colin hassles me to get inside the cool gite.
Surprisingly, the whole journey doesn't feel so long... Maybe because we changed trains every couple of hours. A few takeaways from London?
1. London feels a lot like Toronto, with a little Boston thrown in.
2. We were definitely in the wrong area to get any Indian food.
3. I loved being able to have a pint outdoors.
4. While we didn't really hear any Cockney in the East End of London, I sure noticed some curious random variations on English, compared to Canada:
elevator = lift (also known as Anglolift. lol)
take out (food) = take away
exit = way out
exit = way out
fries = chips
chips = crisps
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