Posts tagged paris
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.
Visting Swizterland and Paris
From the relaxed chaos that is Italy, we made our way to the on-time and ever-clean country of Switzerland…and what a stunning country it is!
Seriously, folks – the scenery is wild.
Upon entering the country, we hopped on a tram and headed up to the mountains to appreciate the Alps and lakes spread out beneath us. Even the most talkative were left momentarily breathless (and not just because of altitude).
We rocked out with those big horns you see in Ricola commercials (what are they called again?) and pretended we were mountaineers, standing tall and proud above the green and snowy peaks. I’ll tell you – that’s a great way to clear your mind. If ever you’re in need of some R&R, hit up Stanserhorn. After that, we ventured on to Lucerne, a stunning little place! We wandered about awhile before drinking in the scenery on an evening cruise upon the lake. Then back to the hotel…a converted woman’s prison. Uh, what?? Not as creepy as it sounds, though…unless you’re alone in a 4-bed room like I was! Oh dear 
Then after Lucerne, we made our way to the city of lights and love: Paris. Upon entering the city, Pom Pom and our driver Super Pete took us on an absolutely fabulous Illuminations Tour of the city by evening. In all seriousness, I had been to Paris twice before, and this tour made it new again. New and perhaps even more exciting than it had been the other times. Honestly! We got jokes, history, and unparalleled guidance before making it to the Eiffel Tour just in time to see it light up with flashing fairy lights it displays each evening. It was an entirely magical evening.
The following day we were free to roam Paris, so I attended the optional perfumery tour, got all snazzed up with a new fragrance, then explored the city with some of my new found friends. We made sure to visit cathedrals, drink plenty of coffee, and ride the carousels like any good Parisian would do. And if that’s not Parisian, well…okay, so the carousels bit isn’t really, but it was a blast anyway! Then on to the Arc de Triomph and Champs Elysees for some shopping.
That night we hit up a traditional Parisian cabaret which was absolutely nuts! Balancing acts, women twirling about on ropes hung from the ceiling, magic, juggling, dance and song…not to mention the delicious dinner and drinks. Wow, buddy was the show awesome! And after that, we had one last night all together in the big city of Pah-ree before heading our separate ways the next morning. Let me just say that it was really difficult to say goodbye to all the people we’ve gotten to know so well over the last two weeks. I miss them already!
Alas, the incredible whirlwind of a trip has come to an end and I can’t stress enough how blown away I am by the amount of fun I had on this tour. I met an insanely fun bunch of people, visited a crazy number of vastly different cities and countries, and mixed the cultural, social, and geographical in ways I didn’t think possible in 13 days.
And for those of you who have been asking about my tech gear, I’ve been using the most chic little black Mac you’ve ever seen. I’ve heard more pickup lines while carrying this thing than during the entirety of my life…all the youngsters just want my laptop 
I’m using iMovie and iPhoto for the pics and podcasts, so check them out if you’re into user-friendly programs!
Off to Berlin tomorrow to meet up with tour two, so wish me luck! Look forward to being in contact soon.