7/10/16

Today we woke up ready to hit up Paris.  We packed the night before and were ready ahead of schedule.  We checked out and were waiting on our driver to pick us up from the lobby.  Sarah spotted someone in a car who looked as though he was waiting for someone.  After a while of waiting, Sarah wanted to head outside, so we moved out front.  Once we did, the driver asked us if we were who we were and expressed that he had been waiting for us.  Whatever!  He was supposed to meet us in the lobby.  Anyway, we made it to the train station in plenty of time, despite the many road closures due to current situations. 

We actually left from Kings Cross station, where, of course, Harry Potter and the other wizards and witches left for Hogwarts.  We got there just in time for the photographers to arrive and get our pictures taken.  It was such fun!  Note: We were not the only adults without a child to get their pictures taken J

We had to go through some long lines, but it wasn’t too bad.  An awesome perk was that we got an upgrade to first class!  The train ride was amazing.  We got breakfast and beverages for free, as well as very comfortable seating.  The ride was only about an hour and a half and we practiced our French along the way.  When we arrived to the train station, we easily found our driver who took us to the hotel.  Wow, what a hotel!  It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but our room, though small, was very nice.  We settled in quickly and then headed off for adventure.

In lieu of France making it to the European Finals for Football, we wanted to find a good spot to enjoy the game.  We thought it started at 7, so we walked for approximately 30 minutes to find the right place.  We took a little detour to Sacre Caur, which was amazing, and then found ourselves at an Irish pub.  I know, we’re in Paris and we should go to a French place, but the Irish pub drew us in.  Plus, the pub was right across the street from the square where the Portuguese fans were rallying.  It was very interesting and exciting!

The Portuguese then moved on and the French fans moved in.  We were hungry for dinner around 7, but the pub was only serving burgers and fries.  Yes, Sarah actually ate half a burger.  A girl has to do what a girl has to do when in that situation.  She’s sure she will regret it later, but oh well. 

The game was amazing!  It was 0-0 for the entire regulation time and went into overtime.  It was so exciting and the place was packed.  It was awesome to be in the situation where a country’s fans are so electric.  Everyone was very nice and inviting.  It was just very, very crowded.  Ty did a great job dealing with the wall to wall people.  We got lucky and met a couple from California who entertained us while we waiting for the game to begin as well as during the game. 

After France lost by one goal, the place emptied very quickly.  We also left quickly, but we did not get back to the hotel quickly.  The map we had was not very clear and did not include all of the small street you happen upon on the way.  We were able to see Sacre Caur at night, which was gorgeous, but got lost several times.  We have to say, the Parisians we asked for directions from were very nice, but not very helpful.  After a very long time of up and down stairs as well as hills, we finally made it back to the hotel.  We are very happy to be back to the hotel and we might just get a later start tomorrow than planned.  That’s okay, though, we experienced a once in a lifetime event!