Eurostar - much better than a flight

Sarko .. this must be Paris
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The Eurostar train to Paris was packed but as this was a non-stop train, the 2 hours and a bit seemed to go quickly. I selected a hotel near Gare du Nord to avoid all the hassle of traveling on the Paris Metro with luggage. Good idea, but the location of the Timhotel Gare du Nord is not the best .. it is the area north of the Gare du Nord and Gare D’Est which is run down and little desolate at night. Never mind, nothing untoward happened – I just would not stay there again.

I dropped my bags and went for a long walk on the afternoon of arrival. The area around the stations is as scruffy as ever but at least improved traffic routing means that walking around that area is much easier than it used to be. Paris maintains its allure .. that fascinating mix of architecture, people and shops means that there is almost always something of interest to see and there are few dull streets. Drinks at my old favourite, Bar Central in the Marais and a good meal at Gai Moulin (3 courses for 20 Euros) got my holiday off to a good start.