Posts about England
Riding Eurostar
London is a great city. It seems there is a little flash of culture everywhere – whether you’re meeting the locals and taking in that fantastic British accent or on the look-out for the Beckhams around town. However, sometimes you just crave bread, boulevards, and barets (the three B’s), so you need to head on over to Paris.
As I had these cravings, I took the Eurostar train for said escape and – let me tell you – that train is so fast. (If I knew any good ‘Yo mama…’ jokes that I could easily convert into ‘Yo train so fast…’ jokes, I would spill them all out right now.)
Now, if you’ve ever read “A Tale of Two Cities”, you know there are entire pages and chapters devoted to explaining how long and gregarious the trek is between London and Paris. How does two-and-a- half hours sound? It sounds to me like a Boston – New York Eurostar (Ameristar?) is in need of being built.
Another funny note – the Eurostar train leaves from the St. Pancras station. Now, I might just be the only one who could not stop laughing because I thought it was called St. Pancreas. Then I thought to myself, “Who is St. Pancras?” And I found out he was not the protector of the gall bladder, but instead the protector against cramps and Charlie Horses (right on Pankman).
I was able to hop aboard the train, chill for a little while, and catch up the French language. Let’s see, nothing screams American tourist like a fat copy of “French for Dummies”, now does it? So instead of asking, “Where are you from?” the great people on board were just like, “What state?” Oh, I can hear the wha-wha-wha ringing in my head right now.
But the food on board – I’m getting verklempt just thinking about it! It was like buttah. There was a little salad with this savory, cheesy dressing, a large piece of salmon – the kind that your knife sinks right into, this rich, moist chocolate torte, and bread. (First time trying French bread. Be still my beating heart.)
But as I said earlier, the train is so fast that I was barely twelve bites into my meal before we had arrived. (Just kidding – I had taken at least thirteen or fourteen bites. Pardon the exaggerations.) But I landed in Paris just in time for a disaster.
Note to all: don’t ever trust electric converters. I plugged in my camcorder to charge it, when I saw smoke and little sparks coming from the outlet. It was causing a power surge that would ultimately destroy the charger. So, therefore, my lovely day in Paris was spent fangoriously searching for a new outlet.
Let’s just say, it’s hard to find a store that will sell you a camera charger in the States. In France, it is literally impossible. I would have loved to film my rat race around the city (basically the way I was able to see everything), but I was on this voyage in search of camcorder assistance. I went to six stores (all in different parts of the city in the most obscure locations – from the 12th floor of a residence building to the metro), until I found one store that did sell the coveted item.
Basically, my life was saved. Unfortunately, my Parisian jaunt was cut short before my flight to Madrid with Contiki. Over and out.
London = Pubs
Finally in London! It was great sitting on the plane and watching the scenery change from the window – from the ocean, to rural pastures, to rivers, to the city, and to pubs. Lots and lots of pubs in London. They are literally their own geographic mass visible from space. No exaggeration.
I left the airport and took a quick zip through the city. On the tour we hit up all the major sights – the London Eye, Big Ben, St. Peter’s Cathedral, and London Bridge. Then, I got to wander aimlessly through the streets – talking to people, trying fish ‘n’ chips (served in a bag), and discovering that everyone in England loves STA Travel.
It’s about nine, I didn’t sleep on the plane, and there are little French girls running around outside screaming and singing. (Dare I say…the cast of “Madeline”?) I think it’s about time to chill out before I meet with Eurostar tomorrow and make the voyage to Paris.
Woo-hoo! Stay tuned.