Via Rail Station London
///totally.legal.bliss
42°58’52.6152″N, 81°14’48.6600″

You will notice that I am adding a new  “feature” to my blogs. Maybe you have heard about the mobile app called “what3words”. It is a free app that takes  any latitude and longitude coordinates and converts them to 3 simple words that are used to only that specific location in the world.

So, the Via Rail station in London GPS coordinates of 42°58’52.6152″N, 81°14’48.6600 are assigned the words: ///totally.legal.bliss.

These words are much easier to remember than a group of numbers. It is becoming so popular that delivery services and even police and emergency authorities are beginning to recognize and use this app.

If you are interested in learning more, here is a link to follow:

https://what3words.com/about

And now, back to the blog!

Bonjour, mes amis!

We started our new adventure at the Via Rail station on York Street in London. Joining us are long time friends Valerie and David.

We are headed to France to spend a few days in Paris & then we will travel south to the Charente River region to cruise for a week on a charter boat.

Valerie & David have spent time with us aboard Ananda, our 36 Nauticat and also on Santosha, our 34 Marine Trader so they have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Here’s a preview photo of our charter boat:

This is a screenshot from the charter boat company’s website. We pick up the boat on Monday, September 3. 

We have been planning this trip for about 9 months & it’s hard to believe that it’s finally happening!

After the train ride to Toronto we took an overnight flight to Paris, landing on Wednesday morning at 10:00am local time. The flight was uneventful but none of us got very much sleep during the flight.

Catch up to you tomorrow!

Cheers!

It’s been awhile since I last posted anything but that will be changing very soon.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

Wally

Hotel Sophie Germain, Paris: 48°49’51.5″N 2°19’50.4″E

Home Sweet Home: 42°56’59.5″N 81°14’55.4″W

We were underway early this morning to catch the RER train from a stop near our hotel that would take us all the way to Charles De Gaulle airport, a trip of about 50 minutes.

We thought we had things figured out until the tickets we bought the day before did not work or open the gates at the train/subway entrance. Panic stations in the station! Fortunately, a young man took pity on us and after trying the tickets for us determined that since Cath had stored the tickets in her phone wallet, their magnetic strips no longer worked. He pointed her to the information desk where a kind man gave us new tickets that opened the turnstile at the train entrance. Whew.

It was a long ride on the train through some of Paris’ gritty outlying suburbs. While on holiday, we tend to forget that the rest of the world is going about it’s daily business of taking the train to work and seeing kids on their way to school.

It took about as long to find the gate at the airport as it did to take the train there, but once we were checked in everything was well organized and we were through security quickly. It was strange to hear so much English being spoken again in the waiting area for the Toronto plane.

The trip home was uneventful, thankfully no delays and our luggage made it to London with us. A quick Uber trip and we were home again. Back to reality, piles of laundry, getting groceries and dealing with jet lag but looking back it was all worth it. We had a wonderful adventure with Bruce and Barb, and on our own, and with Emily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Between September 4th and 28th, we covered a lot of territory, crossed many eras from Roman ruins to medieval castles, to WWII and modern day France while drinking a bit of wine and eating a lot of cheese. Oh, and the coffee! Glad to be home to reconnect with family and friends here.

Time to start saving up for the next adventure!

Hotel Sophie Germain, Paris: 48°49’51.5″N 2°19’50.4″E

Another good night’s rest and then breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we went to visit the Museum of the Liberation of Paris which was two blocks from our hotel.

This museum was dedicated to the French soldiers and members of the resistance who fought during WW II. The museum was very well done, and also had focused stories about two Frenchmen – one who was an officer in the army and the other who was a member of the French Resistance. Their courage and bravery is humbling.

The museum is located on the Place Denfert-Rochereau one of the largest and most important squares on the left bank of the Seine River. At the center of the square is a statue of the Lion of Belfort and the square is also the location of the entrance to the Paris Catacombs.

After touring the museum we took the subway to meet Emily again at Notre Dame. We climbed the six flights of stairs to have a tour of her tiny room.

And her even tinier hallway. Emily told us that she even had to turn her suitcase sideways to get it down the hall to her room!

We went to see the Crypts underneath Notre Dame square in front of the cathedral where there was a exhibition of Roman ruins. They also have more exhibits about the reconstruction of the cathedral as well as the story of Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo.

The scale model in the exhibit showed the cathedral during medieval times surrounded by many buildings which do not exist today.

We bought some sandwiches and drinks and had a picnic lunch on the right bank of the Seine. Our lunch was accompanied by a really good jazz band who were busking on the bridge above us. After lunch we went back to our hotel feeling very smug about our ability to take the Metro on one line for about 12 stops without getting lost. Just like the locals – except for the speaking French part!

 

Early in the evening we got back on the subway and went out at night! Yes, it’s true! All the way back to Notre Dame where we met up with Emily again. We had a really nice dinner at a restaurant that is special to her and right beside the hotel she is staying.

Emily knows the maitre d’ so we got a really nice table.

Sadly, it was now time for us to say adieu – goodbye to Emily because we were leaving for home the next morning.

It was fun to see Emily and have her share her passion and excitement for Paris and Notre Dame Cathedral with us. Her ambition is to work in Paris for the National Monuments Authority. We’d be sad to see her move so far away from London but as long as she gets an apartment big enough for us to stay and visit with her, we’ll be okay with that. Mais oui! Oh, and that there is a bakery close by so she can get us fresh croissants and café au lait in the mornings.

By the time we got back to our hotel the full moon was rising over Paris. Very nice but we were too tired to wander the streets and enjoy the sights. One more sleep and then we head home!

Hotel Sophie Germain, Paris: 48°49’51.5″N 2°19’50.4″E

We had a very good rest and a nice breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we took the subway to meet Emily at where else? – Notre Dame Cathedral! We found her hotel which was across the street from the cathedral.

Emily dressed up in her Esmeralda costume to give us the VIP tour of Notre Dame and the reconstruction project.

She showed us around the construction area and told us of her adventures in the area. The scale of the reconstruction is astonishing with three major cranes operating constantly at the site.

Emily told us that the crews are working 24/7 to meet the deadline for re-opening next December.

 

After a few hours exploring in the beautiful fall sunshine, we had lunch at a café close to the cathedral. Then we visited an exhibit about the reconstruction project that featured some relics which were damaged in the fire and were to be replaced by replicas.

The exhibit also featured some interesting videos and virtual reality technology where you could actually take photos of yourself inside the cathedral.

 

Time to go back to our hotel using the Metro to have a rest. I love the Art Nouveau entrances but can do without so many people smoking! Thank goodness no one is allowed to smoke on the Metro or in the stations.

Emily came to join us for dinner at a café where Cath & I had lunch the day we arrived.