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Journey to Blois

I'm in France! Blois to be exact - a small city in the Loire Valley.

It was an interesting journey here, beginning with a flight from Vancouver to Frankfurt. Nothing really notable about this leg except the German woman next to me climbing over me as I was just about to fall asleep, abruptly jostling me awake. I really wish she would have just tapped me awake because after that, all attempts to sleep failed miserably. That means no sleep on the plane. Next stop, Frankfurt!

I have to say, returning to Frankfurt airport was a pleasant experience. It's a well-organized, efficient place where you can find decent food (a tasty sandwich and nut croissant for those in a hurry, plus healthy juice to boost the immune system) and tons of washrooms! Too bad we didn't have enough time for a sit-down meal, but that's ok. Onto Paris!

Oh wait. Not so fast. As we were boarding the flight to Paris with Lufthansa, we were stopped because we had 2 carry-ons. Ridiculous! I forgot that the first flight with Lufthansa was an overseas international trip, while the second flight was a short-haul leg. Luckily, after explaining that we had a tight connection in Paris (I didn't mention that it was for a train), we were allowed onboard. Whew.

Once in Paris, I vigilantly watched for pickpockets. I saw a few shady characters, but nothing bad happened. We were able to find the airport shuttle to Terminal 3, catch the RER train to Paris Nord, then transfer to the Paris Metro to "Gare d'Austerlitz" where we had a brief moment to catch our breaths. This was a pretty cool TGV (high speed train) station - it was clean, bustling with people, and there was live music! In the middle of the waiting area, there was someone playing the piano - relaxing classical music ebbed throughout the station. It was parfait.

Once our train platform appeared on the notice board, we followed the crowd onto the train that would take us to our first destination of this trip: Blois. The train was divided into compartments that sat 8 people. After I convinced myself that the other occupants (a quiet Frenchman, and a mother with her toddler) were trustworthy, I allowed myself a quick nap to get through the rest of the evening. 

Soon enough, we were disembarking from the train, and meeting our friend who had already arrived earlier. First mission: dinner. In our tired state, we quickly made our way to the old town and settled on a restaurant that had a giant patio. For some reason, pizza caught our eye. Big mistake. I should have known better, but I blame the sleep deprivation. It was worse than the food we had at Frankfurt. Apart from tasty artichokes, the pizza was forgettable, the "pizza insalata de la mer" had no seafood and was nothing more than dough and cheese, and the service (though they did recognize my efforts to speak French) was slow and inattentive. If you ever find yourself in Blois, stay fat away from "Le Clipper". Yes, I know, you're shaking your head at the name. I agree.

And now, I'm relaxing back at the apartment, enjoying a Leffe, forgetting that terrible meal and looking forward to many better ones, beginning with breakfast tomorrow!

Comments

Unknown said…
the pizza may have been bad but i am sure the wine to wash it down made it all bearable :)
May 11, 2015 9:05 am
lifeasj said…
That's true - the beer helped. :)
May 11, 2015 9:14 am
Anonymous said…
:P
May 11, 2015 12:58 pm
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