Travel Diaries: Paris 2016 (3) – Stuck in Paris

So today, I’m going to be writing down here the last part of our journey to Paris. Now this one actually is about two days rather than one, and we ended up being in Paris for 4 days rather than the 3 we’d originally planned on, and the story behind all of that?

Read on to find out!

Thursday 19/07

So our original “last day” in Paris actually started out quite good – we got up, enjoyed yet another breakfast, packed our bags and dropped them off downstairs in the hotel, after which we got going to the metro station. And that’s, of course, where the trouble started. We were fine until we were supposed to switch from the metro to the RER-train, we came across a sign that said the RER was temporarily not going to that station – and mind you, we’re not the type of people who would’ve usually missed it if that had been stated somewhere else. Anyways, we took the bus that was to get us across the part of the tracks that were out of order, and of course the moment we arrive to the train station, from where we were supposed to go the last bit of the way towards Versailles? We hear that 2 trains have just been cancelled, and as such we get stuck there waiting for an hour…

//  you gotta love public transport, right? //

Anyways, we finally got to Versailles and even though I’d already been there, I have to admit that the view when you walk down to the castle really is just astonishing – I’ve literally  had an entire course of French Literature on nothing but Versailles and its implications on medieval French Literature, and I still found myself just in pure awe for a bit.

Because the lines were so long, we decided to go get some food first, which we ate in a farther part of the park which was so gorgeous and calm, and let us look out over a little mini-lake. Once we were done, my best friend and her bf decided to take one last shot at getting into Versailles (and they succeeded, and were gushing about it afterwards!) while me and the bf decided to just stay outside because, well, heat (both of us) and already been there (me) – suffice it to say, once the other two got back, all four of us felt in desperate need of something nice and cool to drink, after which we split up: the boys went back to the hotel to get our luggage, while me and my best friend went straight to Paris Nord, where we all met up to catch our Thalys.

And that’s where the real trouble started. Our train was supposed to leave at 18h30, and granted: we were there just a bit early (like, around 16h-ish). No worries, because even with a small delay we managed to get seated quite easily. Of course, then the doors of the train closed, all electricity (including airco!) fell out. Now, let me remind you: it was really, really hot that day – I’m talking easily 40°C, and sitting in a stuffed train like that was not pleasant. Eventually, we were asked to leave the train and “wait for new information”. As it turns out, it had gotten to 50°C at some places, and as such there was a danger of fire and eventually the fire department force-cancelled all trains leaving from Paris Nord.

Yes, you read that right: all trains were cancelled. And that wasn’t actually confirmed until approximately 22h. At night. When we still had to manage to get a hotel. And it was still like 30+°C.
(Let me just tell you, again: I do not do heat – well, or even at all :p )

Anyways, luckily we did manage to get a hotel, the boys got some pizza’s (because we were starving) and then it was off to bed we went, because…

Wednesday 20/07

We actually got lucky enough to stay in the same hotel, so the next morning we got to – yet again – enjoy the delicious breakfast (although there were no Madeleines 🙁 ) after which we decided to split up.

While the other two got a second shot at visiting Musée d’Orsay (which both me and the bf had already been to, but if you haven’t, definitely go visit this museum, even just the building itself is amazing, let alone the art – especially the impressionist art – they have there!), me and the bf decided to stay hanging around the hotel and enjoy the airconditioning of the place.

Of course, we did end up going to some tourist shops (but I didn’t buy anything, yay me!) and the Gallimard-shop at Place de Clichy (the results of which you can read in Friday’s book haul), and soon enough, it was already time to get all our luggage and take it to Paris Nord, where we met up with the other two, got some food, and made our way to the Thalys-platform (because of what happened the night before, we could try and take any Thalys we wanted with our original ticket) and were lucky enough to be allowed to get on the first Thalys that left – just a couple of hours later, and we were finally (albeit quite a bit later than intended) back home.

(Where – of course – we immediately went to catch some Pokemons.
-not even kidding – but that’s a story for another time)

So there you have it, that’s what I (we) did in my (our) 3-days-turned-4-Paris trip!

-Saar

PS: If you’d like to read some of the other journey’s I’ve done, such as there are: last summer’s trip to England and Scotland, be sure to check out my travelling tag! If you want to read the rest of this series, you can find it at the Paris 2016 tag!