Europe Trip - Paris Day 1

Back to my Europe trip dairy...

This day, we will be taking 9.00 am Eurostar to Paris from London - St. Pancras station. So, we couldn't enjoy the English breakfast in hotel. When we were in the station, Qiaoyi went to the E-ticket counter to print our pre-booked tickets, then we found this shop for breakfast - Crepe Affairs.

The girl making our crepes

I think they never expected that their crepe can be selling this fast... we altogether ordered 7 but they had enough material for only 6, then we weren't informed, I kept waiting for my crepe then we heard the annoucement that we need to check in. So, I told her just dump whatever they had, then I brought up to the train to eat.

Yeah, boarding d...

Enjoying my crepe... very delicious...

After breakfast... what can I do? Sleep lo... the train is very smooth and fast, when I'm sitting in, I can't feel it was moving until the train enter the tunnel, because I can feel my ears block.

How amazing, in just 2 hours, we already in PARIS!!!

Queing up for Paris Visite ticket - ticket valid for bus, coach, metro and etc.
Ticket that we bought was 3-day pass for Zones 1-3.
The tickets are very tiny... careless people like me, I got to use and keep it with extra care.

Then we took metro to our pre-booked hotel - Grand Hotel Amelot, crossing our fingers that this hotel will have a life (we were carrying our luggage up and down 4 floors in London).

The metro was very very pack... and the underground in Paris is even complicated than London. When we took the interchange at Republique, the rest had boarded to the train except me. haha... the problem is, I don't know which station to get down and which train to take? hhaah
Thanks to cellphone, in a minute, Qiao Yi called, directed me to get down at St. Sebastien Froissart station.

If you ask me whether I was scared at the moment, not at all... hehe

Grand Hotel Amelot is just a street away from the station, location wise is very strategic. Furthermore, along the street, there are bistro, restaurants, convenient shop... I like that place...

We were told (actually don't know told by who), language is a barrier travelling in France. When we arrived, I think that's true.

1st incident: In the hotel
We communicated with the PIC with English... I think he can understand, just that we replied us with Franch, either he doensn't want or doens't know how to speak English. Check in was easy, but we had problem to fix the air-con in our room.

It was funny, we were told the room that we stayed was air-conditioned, but we couldn't find where was the remote. Then, I found a stand-alone machine in the cupboard, I never seen this before but we believed it's an air-con. When turned it on, yes, got cool air coming out, but at the same time, hot air released at the back of the machine too, so, it's actually getting warmer in the room rather than getting cooler. Then we asked the house-keeping lady... thanks god, she knows how to speak English. She told us, we got to connect the "hot air releasing hole" to the wall, but due to the hotel has just undergone renovation, the hole on the wall was block.

Then we asked the reception guy for a room exchange. But he insisted to fix the wall. He was trying very hard, believe me, real hard, then suddenly, he came to us and shouted a few lines... as if we know Franch... we think, he either scolding us for finding out the problem, or scolding the contrator who has sealed the hole. To make us feel better, I take the later.

The air-con is real classic, not only has to connect with tube to the wall, there's water collector in the machine too, when the water is full, the machine will stop, then we got to drain the water in order to make the machine work again... normally, I got to wake up in the middle of the night to drain the water. What an experience!

Time for lunch...
(at 3pm something Paris time)

Incident 2: in the restaurant

Restaurant which still served lunch in late afternoon.
We asked few restaurant, some didn't have English menu, some waiters/ waitresses don't know how to explain in English and finally, we found this, and the waitresses claimed that she speaks little bit of English.

We were being cheated la... when we entered, the menu all in Franch, then she has no idea how to introduce the food for us too.
No choice, has to base on our luck d. We ordered a salad, a duck and fish dish as main course for sharing. It's not easy, we got to repeat and repeat mention "DUCK... DUCK... DUCK", "FISH... FISH... FISH"

The duck dish
Luckily, everything turned out to be very nice....

The fish dish

The salad

After lunch, we shoped for drinking water
wow, the vegetable in the convinient shop are all so fresh and huge.
5 tomotoes = size of my face

Statue of Liberty?!
I didn't know there's one in Paris too... although I knew the one in US is a present from France
But I think this statue is a little bit shorter and "fatter" then the one in US right?
Just merely what I think, because I never seen the one in US.

The purpose of the trip!!

I called them best of the best... or else they won't be asked to protect the Eiffel Tower right? hehe

You just can't not falling in love with it...

Police officers in shorts
Weather was too hot...

Right under Eiffel Tower

After lots of shooting... shooting photo of Eiffel Tower, it's time for dinner...
well, sky still very blue... because it's summer time, day was longer

Crossing River Seine by walking across Pont de Lena (the bridge)
Those are restaurant cruises

The reach the Palais de Chaillot (Trocadero)
no idea what's that, but it's a good place to see Eiffel Tower

Walked few streets down, we came to this Chinese restaurant
Ya, we were here for dinner
The owner is a Paris-born Chinese, but he never forget about his root, he said his father was from China, migrated to Paris and open this restaurant. Although he grow up and study in France, but he speak very fluent Chinese, because they speak Mandarin in the family.
Food vice... erm, so so only, not as authentic as the Mandarin that they speak

Golden statues @ Palais de Chaillot & Eiffel Tower

Program of the night - watching Eiffel Tower light on
We found a nice place, sitting on the grass, waiting patiently for the moment
The only thing that we can do was - posed and took photos with beautiful Eiffel

Around 10pm...

Eiffel shined like a diamond
If the sky was darker, the effect will be more significant and beautiful
Yet, we already felt touched seeing that moment
oh God, where's my lover? please let him come out from the jungle

Gradually, it turned gold

Wailoong said Eiffel Tower will shine like a diamond again... however, we didn't know when. Instead of waiting, Qiaoyi and I took a ride on the Mary-Go-Round there. Another kind of romantic, seeing Eiffel Tower and riding on a Mary-Go-Round with good friend :)

I love this photo of Mary-Go-Round, especially the colour
This is one of my favourite photos in this trip!
What do you think?

It's a long day, everybody were tired, sky was getting darker.
Qiaoyi and Ken's parents were urging us back, because it's not very secure in Paris at night, a lot of pick pocket.
But, Eiffel Tower has not shine again yet...

We got to pass by the base of Eiffel Tower to the nearest Metro station. Then the guys said they need to use the washroom.
When we girls were waiting...

Suddenly...

Both me and Qiaoyi shouted out loud!
Eiffel Tower shined again!
So gorgeous, so amazing, felt so touched again and again!

The moment has worth everything... everything...