Joyeux Noel en jolie Paris!

Well our 10 day Christmas and New Year trip is off to a fabulous start – three days in and it’s hard to imagine going back home to London!

The tour kicked of bright and early at 6.45am in East London on Christmas Eve, where we set off for Paris, France. We’ve become old hats at crossing the English Channel, but in no way were we prepared for the stormy seas and swells that caused almost the entire boat to turn green and run for the bathroom. If you weren’t feeling sea sick, the smell and sight of people vomiting left, right and centre, with some poor sods not even making it to the bathroom, was enough to turn anyone’s stomach. Both Brad and I were queasy as anything, as was our new friend Alicia. Her boyfriend, Rob, had a stomach as strong as steel though after growing up in Paihia and working on the fishing charters. He gave us the handy hint of looking out the window, but although this kept the vomit at bay, it didn’t stop us running outside just in case... Eventually we embarked in Calais and exchanging war stories, we hopped back on the Expat bus and drove on in to France.

We got to Paris at 4pm and we spent a few hours checking out our hotel room, which was in Jaures and although not completely central, it’s just a few mins walk to the Metro station, as well as walking down to the local boulangerie for a very late lunch! We were supposed to stop for lunch but as our English driver had to get back to his wife and family for Christmas and his plane had been cancelled due to the snow, we pressed on ahead.

The group, which is split up into two different buses, then set off on the beginnings of an exploration tour. Paris is the biggest city in Europe and there is just so much to see, so splitting it up over three days was a good plan. Which is why we found ourselves on Christmas Eve outside the breathtaking Sacre Couer, pinching ourselves at our good fortune. Inside was just as gorgeous as the outside and we lit a candle for Nanny and Desna, as we have done in all the beautiful cathedrals we’ve visited.

Next stop on the tour was Montemarte, a little section of Paris situated on the highest hill. People split up to have dinner, but as Brad and I weren’t hungry, we braved the cold and instead opted to wander around the little cobbled alleys popping into souvenir shops in search of a Parisian ‘little thing’. Not surprisingly there are a million souvenir shops in Paris (not an actual fact, although there are approximately 20,000 cafes and restaurants) with each shop’s merchandise just as identical and crappy as the last! We didn’t walk away empty handed though as we purchased a Paris corkscrew to open the bottle of red wine we had brought earlier in the day... That’s another fact about Paris I’ve forgotten to mention – the wine is amazing and ridiculously cheap! We’re talking between €1 – 5 a bottle!

The tour finished up outside the Moulin Rouge where we took the ubiquitous photos, before calling it a night. A few others were continuing on to the pub crawl, but we decided against it as we’d had an early start, it was Christmas Eve and we were like walking ice-blocks. Did I mention it’s freezing and it’s only going to get worse the further we venture?!

Christmas Day got off to a ripper of a start, after I opened one of my Christmas presents from Brad to see a play ring and a note from Brad asking me to marry him. I was rather shocked and sat there rather confused for a good few seconds before of course saying yes! He picked his moment right – I was lying in bed, hair all over the show, looking like death warmed up! But not for long as we soon jumped up and rung our families before fleeing down for breakfast (included as part of the tour)! A very happy, yet surreal occasion and the past few days have felt very weird, albeit a lovely weird feeling of course! So here we are Christmas day, newly engaged, stuffed with baguettes and cheese and off with the rest of the group to continue the tour around Paris!

We saw some beautiful sights including the opera house, Palace de la Concord (Paris’ largest park), The Louvre and Notre Dame, before heading to the Latin Quarter for Christmas lunch! Keeping with the traditional Christmas theme we opted for snails and frogs legs, among various other things and alongside Rob and Alicia, we gorged ourselves silly on all things nasty and nice. Snails are not bad at all – like, as we all agreed, a seafood mushroom! Frogs legs, on the other hand, are another matter all together. They actually come out looking like half a frog, including spine and dangly floppy legs with little frogs feet still attached. They smell a little fishy and taste similar to chicken, although the floppy legs seem to detract from the actual taste and you can’t help but freak out with each little nibble!

After lunch Rob, Alicia, Brad and I decided to ditch the group, heading to check out Paris’ iconic sight – the Eiffel Tower of course, followed by a scenic cruise on the Seine River. After finding out that the Eiffel tower was closed due to the frost and snow and the Seine tours weren’t operating thanks to the high water level from the snow, we decided to wander around the beautiful Christmas markets, sipping at mulled wine, before making our way down the Champs-Elysees. The Arc de Triomphe was lit up in all its glory, which we appreciated by taking a few photos and admiring the sheer carnage caused by the Christmas traffic. You might be interested to note that you cannot get insured to drive around the Arc de Triomphe and looking at this intricate and crazy intersection, it’s easy to see why!

Next stop was a restaurant on France’s most famous street, the Champs Elysees, where we drank plenty of red wine and stuffed ourselves silly. Brad opted for another famous French dish, Beef Carpaccio, which is raw beef, while I went for the safer pasta option. Three bottles of red later, we hit the streets, stopping to check out the street performers and pick up some crepes from the Christmas market... Because it’s Christmas after all and if you’re not disgustingly stuffed to the point of sickness then you’re doing something wrong!
This morning, after a breakfast of cheese, baguettes and yoghurt, we set off with Rob and Alicia for another full day of sightseeing. This time we were in luck as the Eiffel Tower was open, although only to the second viewing platform, which was high enough for us. Next time we’ll come back in summer and head straight to the top as apparently the view is like something straight out of Google maps!

Of all the sights we’ve seen and the places we’ve been (what a rhyme!), the Eiffel Tower is definitely the most breathtaking. You think because it has been so over-exposed that it won’t leave you in awe, or literally leave you rooted to the spot, but it is truly magnificent. Just amazing – so tall, prolific and absolutely astonishing. I appreciate that there are a lot of adjectives in this sentence, but I’m just trying to convey an ounce of the effect it has – it’s such a sight to behold. We’ve been lucky enough to have been able to explore for three days so we’ve seen and appreciated it at many angles and many different times, but each time you just find yourself gobsmacked and reaching for the camera yet again!

It was at the Eiffel Tower that we picked up our ‘little thing’ – a mock of the rivets used to bind the tower together. Very different and not at all like the usual touristy crap you see being tooted on the streets or littering the shelves of shops everywhere! We love it.

Next stop, the Seine River, where we were lucky enough to jump on a cruise – high river and all! A lovely way to travel, despite the sub zero temperature!

Lunch was spent at the Christmas market where again we over-indulged in crepes, frites, sausages and baguettes, before heading to the mighty Louvre museum... Something that I was very excited about, yet strangely nervous as well given we were about to see world-renowned and revered artworks by some of the greatest artists to have ever lived... Needless to say we rushed through the Louvre, heading straight to Mona Lisa. It was impossible to miss thanks to the huge crowd and flashing cameras, despite the ‘no flash’ signs littered everywhere and practically tattooed onto your face when you entered the building! Honestly, why people couldn’t just turn their flashes off is beyond me. She was amazing, although a lot bigger than we expected after everyone cops on about how tiny it is. It’s a good A2 size, which is more than big enough and the whole experience was very surreal! We also saw Venus de Milo’s Aphrodite statue, as well as countless other works!

Next thing you know we’re stuffing our face with chocolate flan, well I am to be fair, Brad is sipping politely at an iced Mocha and we’re struggling to stay awake! We all decided to head home via Palace de Concord, followed by the supermarket to pick up another seven bottles of wine. When in Paris after all!

Paris has been crazy – so many surreal experiences all in the one Christmas weekend! I’m not going to be able to leave the hotel in Jungfraujoch as I’ll need a good long while to recover. We have an early start tomorrow and the bags need to be in the bus by 6.15am, before arriving in Interlaken, Switzerland in the evening.

We’ll love and leave you now but you’ll no doubt hear from us from Switzerland. We’ve been thinking of you and missing you all – even more than usual given the festive season.

Lots of love,

Me and my fiancé!

xxx

IncrediLille, but ever so inediLille

What a weekend – but with blizzard-like conditions in London, a car with free petrol, and a famous French Christmas market, why not nip over to Lille, France for the weekend? This was precisely our line of thinking which is why myself, Brad, Philly, Ryan and Jess set off Friday evening armed with plenty of food, drink and sleeping bags just in case we had to sleep on the side of the motorway on account of getting snowed in. It sounds ridiculous, but after hundreds of commuters had to do this very thing last week, it was a situation that wouldn’t have surprised anyone if it had of eventuated. Thankfully and most surprisingly, we had no trouble on the roads – something which could be put down to the fact that no one else is as stupid, but I prefer daring and free-spirited! Although it did get to -11 as we were driving to Dover, so who knows how free-spirited we would have been if we had to spend the night on the side of the road in a car without heating!

The ferry ride over was delightful (there is no other word of it really) on account of a delicious picnic Brad had prepared that day and I’m not just talking chips and chocolate. Think spinach quiche, sweet chilli pesto and grilled cheese pita bread dipping sticks, baguette with hummus and dips, carrot sticks, muffins – the works! A few of the tender bellies amongst us didn’t even get seasick which was grand as it meant we could sit back, relax and enjoy our cider, or coffee in Brad’s case.

After disembarking in Calais and stopping to pick up some supplies, we made it to Lille just after midnight (11pm British Standard Time) – just in time to play a few cards over a few social drinks... Or so we thought. After I bailed out at 3.30pm on account of nearly falling asleep at the table, the team continued on with the festivities until the early hours... and I do mean early hours. At 6am I had to get up and tell them to keep the blimmen racket down and to gently remind them that we had a whole day’s adventure to look forward to in just a few hours. This went down with a lead balloon and after I was accused of being a ‘fun sponge’ (sees the fun and soooaaakkks it up!) I gave up and went back to bed!

Needless to say the next day started a little later than originally anticipated, but nevertheless the team were in relatively fine form. We stayed in an apartment right in the centre and in the thick of the action, so after a quick stroll through the streets of Lille, which borders France and Belgium, we were at the Christmas Markets. Given the late night, nobody was particularly hungry so we strolled around the markets, soaking up the Christmas atmosphere and listened to the French versions of Christmas Carols. After a while though we decided to venture to a local restaurant for food, local being the key word here. After navigating my way through the menu and providing translations where I could, Brad and Ryan decided they wanted to order the sausage. Sausage didn’t seem to be on the menu, but I asked the waiter who confirmed this fact... Most confusing as Brad and Ryan pointed out a woman who was stuffing her face with what seemed to be sausage, but we brushed it off and just ordered two of what ‘she was having’, or andouillette. We usually adopt a ‘when in Rome’ philosophy whilst travelling and we all ordered a traditional Northern French dish, but what we were served defied belief... It really blew everyone’s expectations out of the water. After Ryan enthusiastically cut off a slice of his sausage and started to chew, no-one thought twice of the confused look on his face... That is until Brad took a bite just after him... After pushing their plates away in confusion and disgust, they both declared that there was no way on earth they could eat it... Confused Philly, Jess and I leaned forward to try it for ourselves, but none of us got further than halfway before the over-powering stench of faeces hit us... And this, I swear, is no exaggeration. We were sitting there gagging away, even more so when we looked at the old French bird going to town on it... My meal of moules (mussels) was inoffensive, but gritty as can be and Philippa’s croquettes were filled with fish parts, including what looked like a little worm! Jess escaped relatively unscathed with a croquet monsieur (similar to a ham and cheese toasted sandwich), but after being surrounded by the stench of faeces, who really feels like tucking in to a toasted sandwich?

When the waiter came back our worst fears were realised when he confirmed that andouillette was ‘pork insides’ and with a smug French smirk, most certainly wasn’t sausage! Still curious, a quick Google search confirmed that andouillette was in fact pig colon and, according to the Things That Stink website, is only for those “who don’t object to the taste or aroma of faeces”. Needless to say, we had all lost our appetite...

After our bite of lunch, we headed back to the town square where we had a look around the shops, explored the city and even took a ride on the giant Ferris wheel in the centre of the Christmas celebrations. While the view was amazing, the snow and wind made it FREEZING, not to mention the fact that it was ridiculously high and we were doing more than just shaking like leaves... For some odd reason, when the wheel stopped while we were at the top to let more passengers on, we were suddenly greeted with the smell of andouillette! It was a great experience though and all for just €4.

We spent the rest of the day wandering through the streets, having snow fights and eating crepes – tres beau!

That night we decided to head to the local supermarket (which can only be described as a hypermarket as it was that big) and pick up some snacks for dinner and a few drinks. After defrosting and eating up a storm we decided we couldn’t face heading out into the blizzard again, so we stayed tucked up in bed, watching weirdo programmes on TV with me translating wherever I could, playing Hide and Seek and various other childhood games. A great night!

Sunday morning we set off into the depths of Lille, stopping at a famous French cafe chain called Paul for a French breakfast – this time sans pig anus – before venturing out into the Christmas markets again. Mulled wine, crepes, waffles filled with vanilla cream... this market really did have it all! We picked up our token ‘little thing’ for our shelf, which was a Christmas crèche which is essentially a wooden egg with a little nativity scene inside. It sounds a little crazy, because it is! After waltzing around the town, we decided to head off back to Calais, via Dunkirk, or Dunkerque as the French say, which as you may know was made famous by the allied evacuation during WWII. After a little frolic on the beach, we set off for Calais where we enjoyed a dinner of McDonald’s, French style. After our adventurous weekend of eating, we felt we were more than entitled for something a little more straight forward!

Our trip back on the ferry was lovely and passed very quickly thanks to 101 games of cards, and before we knew it we were back at home and once again setting our alarm clocks for the following morning – depression!

One of my favourite parts of the weekend was getting to practice my French – the French are renowned for being a little anti-English and many refuse to speak English at all. We didn’t mind though as I knew enough to get by and even when I didn’t, asking ‘Excusez-moi, mais parlez-vous en l’Anglais?’ (pardon me, but do you speak English?) usually won them around!

It was a delightful weekend with delightful friends. The snow really does make everything so beautiful and I’ve surprised myself at how accustomed I have become to the cold. If you wrap up to the nines (and I’m talking two pairs of pants minimum), you can easily manage. You just need to allow an extra 10 minutes either side for taking off and putting on the endless layers!

Up until this weekend we haven’t felt very ‘Christmassy’, which we put down to the fact we were away from home, but now we’re starting to get those festive feelings as we walk through piles of fresh snow, sip on mulled wine, gaze at the fairy lights and sing along to carols – it’s almost impossible to not feel a little jolly. To top it off, there’s a Christmas celebration on every second night, so not even the Ebeneezer Scrooge could fight of the festivity!

Love you all and thinking of you all in sunny New Zealand. As I type this it is 3pm and the sun is already setting... Hmmmmm!

xxxx