London to Paris

Arrival: London, December 27, 2023

Voyaging away from my comfort zone again.  

Living on the coast of Maine makes me complacent.  Life is good in Maine despite the springtime bugs, mud season and brutal winter weather it is a wonderful place to Iive.   So I question my decisions to often leave the place.  I learned in the Navy that “complacency kills.”  I suppose I am therefore avoiding death in a way.  

Doing one of my trips forces me to put things in order before I go. I am not good at putting things in order.  However, my desk is clean, my house is picked up and cleaned and put away for the winter. The garage is tidied up.  When I return I am ready to start afresh.  

That’s not it, at least not completely. I think it is more a need to see things outside the smaller world I live in in Maine.  I travelled a lot when I was young.  Every year my family would leave New York for summers in our home in Castine, Maine.  Later on I travelled with my parents to Europe when my father would be teaching or on sabbatical .  I think this instilled a wanderlust.  I am always cognizant of the fact that there is more out there to see.   I am cognizant of the fact that there is a complete world in my own yard as well.  I know there is no need to travel yet that, simply, doesn’t work for me. 

So I find myself assembling my bicycle outside Kings Cross station after a crowded British Airways flight from Boston.  The bike was inspected by TSA and they did their best not to screw my packing up but they did. 

St. Pancras/King’s Cross Station

Plans changed quickly. My friends in England had become ill.  We agreed that it would be better if I didn’t visit.  I quickly readjusted.  I found two places near the Ferry terminal in Newhaven in Southern England. I stayed at a hostel in Brighton after finding the train from London Bridge Station.  The weather was fierce and has remained that way since I got here with strong winds and rain everyday.  I found two more places on AirBnB.  One in Lewes and the other in Peacehaven.  I liked the biking despite the weather.  Only once did I find myself in a  bad situation when the bike path I was on disappeared and I was on the side of a busy highway.  This was not great but I found a way off the “dual carriage way” and made it back to the bike path. I enjoyed my two AirBnB stays.  Jonathan and Tim were just great hosts and I thoroughly enjoyed my stays with them.  What is beneficial is that I have averaged between $30 and $45 per night in a very expensive Southern England.  I chose to spend a little more in France where I was concerned that at New Years I might be better off in a hotel.  I have averaged $40 for the last 3 nights in France.  This is because the “People Bercy” hostel I am staying in in Paris runs about $40 a night. 

 

The ferry to Dieppe From Newhaven was uneventful. The weather was too rough for passengers to be allowed out on deck.  I rode my bike on first and off last but was allowed to go right to the head of the line for customs clearance. I chose to tour Dieppe by bike and took the train to Rouen.  I walked around the beautiful city of Rouen.  The weather and wind made another trip by train to Paris an easy decision.

Rouen Cathedral 

In Paris I have walked and walked for miles.  The Orsay Museum was fantastic despite the hour wait in the rain to get in. The Orsay was very crowded not like the Jeu de Paume years ago.  The Musée de Orsay is in a huge old train station on the Seine in Paris.  It houses a collection of paintings and sculptures from several artists, many from the Impressionist period.  The big draws are the Monets and Vangoghs all up on the 5th floor.  Any good museum has its hidden little rooms where one can find other treasures without the onslaught of crowds.  I was able to find a few.  In these rooms I found Monets, Sisleys, Seurat, Gaugin and many others.  A small collection does not overwhelm.  I am able to just stand there and  take in the piece and see it without hurry.  I spent a wonderful four hours in the Orsay and then walked back to my hostel.  I believe I walked for 6 miles this day.  The constant wind and rain could not detract from the beauty of Paris.  Norte Dame is now completing repairs from the fire.  Saint Chapelle now has lines to get into.  

I did find a new museum called the Petite Palais. It is free for its permanent collection.  I found a Renoir there.  One, could spend a lifetime in this relatively small museum.   

La Petite Palais 

A few other places had to be left out of this trip due to the weather.  Pere Lachaise cemetery and the old train viaduct turned into greenspace were closed.  I suppose I’ll have to return.  Great English speaking AA meeting at noon at the American Cathedral on George V.

The Paris Metro costs 2.10 Euro.  It gets you everywhere fast.  I really Ike the Metro.  It is very quiet and easy to use.  I like the fact that it runs on rubber tires.

It is 10 pm on Thursday night.  I am on an overnight train to Marseille.  I had a bunk bed but it was six to a room.   I found a really comfortable seat near my bicycle. They have first class rooms which might be better next time.

The not so pretty side of Paris