Speeding into Paris
16 September 2018; Sunday
Paris, France
So today I’m traveling from Zurich to Paris by the TVG (high speed train). The journey is about four hours and I have a first class ticket!
First there were a couple things I needed to finish up in Zurich, 1. Get chocolate for my pup watchers and 2. Drink from a fountain. Apparently nothing is open on Sunday until like 1300 so chocolate was out but I DID drink from a fountain! On my first day in Zurich I asked the hotel receptionist where I could fill up my water bottle and she said at the sink in my room - all of the water in Zurich is good and safe to drink, including all of the city fountains. She was right! The water was great.
Off to the train station and magically there appeared one of the famous chocolate shops, Sprüngli. Chocolate was back on! Next time for breakfast and what do I find?! A nussschnecke (NUT SNAIL)! What a morning. I also got my Starbucks and somehow the guy managed to charge me 10 CHF, which I don’t think was correct, but whatever. I went to board the train and right before I did I ignored an awful flashback (Chicago, 2005, phone went into river and I literally knew NO ONE) and then IT HAPPENED... phone fell out of purse and underneath train. Pretty sure I screamed, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NO NO NO NO NO!” and maybe also I threw a son of a b in there. LUCKILY, I was able to lay on the ground and reach the phone. From that point on it has been safely zipped inside of my purse rather than tucked in the front slot for easy access. I stowed my suitcase and was able to put my backpack above my seat. The train was on its way and I was happy! Until we turned ever so slightly and my coffee slid directly off of my tray table and onto the floor, where orange liquid began running for the man across the aisle and his luggage. Luckily he reacted quickly and all I did was spill my coffee and make a fool of myself (guess I’m not fit for first class). I scooped the ice back into the cup & washed my hands and the nice train people happened to be in our wagon when this happened and the one went to get me paper towels.
The person sitting behind me decided to close the shade so I have no photos of the french countryside but for the most part it was the color of hay with groups of trees showing their fall leaves randomly scattered in. Also, these trains are FAST (200mph) - it was scary when we passed other trains!
We arrived in Gare de Lyon, Paris, and I went to a Starbucks to get my bearings and figure out what to do. Eventually I found the correct ticket machine and got on my way. With six stops to go my bus stopped and a lot of people got off. I wasn’t sure what to do so I asked a lady who spoke English and I don’t really understand what she said but I think it was something about traffic. Anyway, the bus driver gave us the okay which meant we were getting back on the road shortly. Arrived at the hotel, dropped my crap off, aaaaand didn’t know where to go. I googled some and found a bar in Montmartre near Moulin Rouge (but didn’t go to a show) called Le Boucan (“the racket” ie. loud noise). It was okay but I just wasn’t feeling this night out - it’s a lot more difficult to meet people when you don’t speak the language of the country! It also probably didn’t help that it was a Sunday. Either way the beer was good and I saw part of the city.
On a tip from a friend I headed to Sacré-Cœur (the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris) and went up the little funicular to get to the top. It was a nice view of the city and it was very beautiful. At this hour the steps were crowded with people, empty Heinekens, and people selling Heinekens. I walked through the cathedral and then headed back to my hotel for the night.
