The Plan: visit
Wye Reality: Mostly cloudy 0700 Wake up 0800 breakfast: toast, grapefruit, hot chocolate, egg, bacon
0844 (40)Canterbury West -> Ashford 0907 Sunny bureau de change: £60.00 565.00FR read while waiting for 0920 entrance into
terminal 0920 enter international terminal read 1003 twenty minutes before departure, walk to platform, find spot
for car #7 1013 train arrives from London board and find seat 21 seat 21 faces wrong way but there are
only 6 other people in car steward says, "Take any seat you want"
so I find a single seat facing forward 1023 (41)Ashford -> Paris Gare du Nord 1323 1040 announcement: We're about to enter tunnel 1042 train slows to a stop 1050 announcement: there's a problem with the power, the driver
is fixing it 1105 announcement: the problem can't be fixed, we're to return
to Ashford 1120 announcement: we're awaiting clearance to return to Ashford 1130 we begin to return to Ashford 1145 Ashford 1155 announcement: a replacement train will be here soon 1205 announcement: a replacement train will be here in eight
minutes, exit and wait on the adjacent platform 1210 train arrives, cars are numbered in reverse order, we board
car 13 1211 car 13 is first class, but smoking, we head for car 12 car 12 is first class non-fum, we'll take
it 1230 (42)Ashford -> Paris Gare du Nord ???? steward says I can change return ticket
in station Announcement: this ride is free
1350 Paris Gare du Nord or 17 minutes before I'm due to return 1355 queue at Eurostar is immense, I'll sightsee first 1400 find toilets, figure out how to buy token to use them shove 50 francs into window, get lots of coins
and a token 1410 find metro ticket counter, convey to attendant that I want
an all day ticket shove 100 francs into window, get lots of coins
and a ticket figure out that I want to go to Saint Michel 1420 find platform for going to Saint Michel 1421 board car, it's on wheels 1430 arrive Saint Michel, look for line that goes to Eiffel (Issy) 1433 can't find any other line, Sortie 1435 Hey, I'm on a street, by a river, must be the Seine
East
West walk west dodging tourists
1450 hot and sweaty, near Musee d'Orsy, hey that's a stop on the
metro line that I couldn't find at Saint Michel Look for staircase to underworld, find
one 1455 enter Musee d'Orsy metro, figure out which way is Eiffel next car in 20 minutes, car I want in
1 hour 1500 car comes, I get on, it's a double decker! 1505 next station, can't see sign anywhere, walk to car exit, oh,
there's a sign: Invalides Invalides is next stop in right direction,
stay on get off two stops later at Champs de
Mars/Eiffel 1510 longest Sortie I ever saw 1515 above ground, walk and twirl, hey there's Eiffel
1520 beneath Eiffel, take in scene. four long queues for elevator in each
leg. busier than London Eye well, there's always photos walk away, towards sun, turning to snap
pictures frequently
cross
Seine, climb Jardins du Trocadèro
find Passy metro station, enter Actually in Trocadero ride to Barbes Rochechouart, it's near
Gare du Nord walk to Gare du Nord, queue notice other queue to get tickets, join
it eight windows, five customers ahead of
me, only one window ever completes transaction and removes someone form queue finally I'm at head of queue, new window
opens I explain that I was on the 2 1/2 hour
late train and I'd like to leave on the next one 1810 No problem, get ticket for 1843 get back in long queue 1820 enter terminal 1822 Haggan das: "Crossahn choc o laht" "9 francs" I hold out fist full of change, one is
taken and one is given yummy croissant 1828 signal to go to platform is given 1843 (43)Paris Gare du Nord -> Ashford 1947 1953 bureau du change 491.00FR -> £41.78 1958 (44)Ashford -> Wye 2005 2006 Walk to Kevin & Jo's house 2020 No one home, note on door "Enter through garage" can't figure out how to do that, so sit
and read finish "Toward zero" 2040 Mom, Kevin & Jo & family arrive
hang out for a while 2302 (45)Wye -> Canterbury West 2317 return to magnolia house begin "Murder in the Mews" by
Agatha
Christie
