Last night we arrived back to camp after a day in Paris during which we weren't mugged or pickpocketted or anything else untoward happened to us at all. It was a fantastic, most enjoyable, fun day out.
It was the third day of our November trip away to France in Tigger, our orange campervan. We left home on Sunday and stayed the night at the Black Horse Farm Club Campsite in Densole, just twenty minutes away from the Eurotunnel terminal. It was an ideal stopover, although a full review is impossible as it was dark when we arrived and dark when we left in the morning. However, I can say that the staff were very nice and helpful on arrival and the facilities excellent.
Loads of hot water in the showers, hooks for hanging clothes and towel, a shelf in the shower for soap etc. and a bench, with plenty of space, for getting dressed. Some may say the decor is a bit jaded, but that sort of thing doesn't bother me as long as there's plenty of hot water, space and that the cleanliness is up to scratch.
In the morning we were up at a quarter to six to catch the Eurotunnel train at quarter past seven. Looking back, it may have been unnecessarily early, but the advantage was we had a start on everyone else. There was hardly anybody there! And the roads were quiet, but a bit foggy. We couldn't take Tigger into the Cite d'Europe car park because he's too tall but we didn't need anything as the hold is loaded with all the vittels we need for the first few days. Parkin, flapjacks, bread, ox cheek stew, banana loaf, tea, coffe, wine and champagne.
So we filled up with fuel at 1.59 euros per litre and worked out we got thirty miles to the gallon on our journey down. Doesn't seem that bad for a large, loaded panel van. I was quite pleased with that. I think.
Out of Calais we were soon on the autoroute, direction Paris. We stopped at Aire de la Baie de Somme for a late breakfast. This is a great place for a stopover, at least it was when we were there at the beginning of November. Plenty of space and an opportunity to get out the binoculars to see what might be about in the countryside beyond. The aire is within the Parc Naturel Régional Baie de Somme Picardie Maritime so there's always a chance of seeing something interesting. On this occasion all that was around was a kestrel, a couple of moor hens and several noisy magpies. Those magpies are everywhere nowadays.
We arrived at the campsite north of Paris at lunchtime and quickly and easily got set up. That's the beauty of the campervan, no set up dramas, no divorce in a bag, no lugging in and out and around about of huge plastic vessels of water and waste. It's lovely!
Camping MBS les Chesnets in Verneuil-sur-Seine is a small site ideal as a base for exploring Paris. 40kms by car to the centre of Paris, but only thirty minutes by train from the local train station. The station at Vernouillet - Verneuil is just two kilometres from the camspite, which is a fairly easy walk. If you don't want to walk, the campsite will arrange a lift for you to and from the station. Travelling to and around Paris by train and metro is very straightforward. We bought a daily roamer ticket at the station in Vernouillet-Verneuil for around twenty euros and another two euros for the pass itself, which lasts ten years and can be recharged at any Ile de France train station. Twenty euros each gave us unlimted travel for twenty four hours on the metro, RER and buses in the region. So much easier than taking the car.
The train takes you to the station at Saint Lazare, which is pretty much in the centre of Paris and ideal for exploring the city. From there, metro line twelve will take you to Montmartre in one direction and Place de la Concorde in the other. Be aware of pickpockets and fraudsters in the more populous tourist sites like the Sacre Coeur and the Eiffel Tower. One scam running at the moment is a collection for a non existent charity. Just walk on and take care of your valuables.
On the metro we were serenaded by an accordion player whose frantic allegro playing along with the rattling, hurtling of the train created the impression that we were in a Wes Anderson movie on the run from a nerdowell. It all added wonderfully to the ambience.
So we arrived at Les Abbesses metro station to start our Amelie Poulin tour. We decided to have coffee first and came across the bistro Vrai Paris not far from the station entrance. I'm always wary of any establishment that calls themselves the true this, that or the other, but our experience at Vrai Paris was just brilliant. Great coffee and hot chocolate and the waiter kindly charged my phone behind the bar. The bar and interior were authetic to the city and the exterior festooned with flowers.
The walk up to the Sacre Coeur is taxing. I have no idea how many steps there are up to the church from the metro entrance and they are quite steep. If you prefer, there is a funicular which will take you to the top. From there we walked around the corner to find the Cafe des Deux Moulins, made famous by Amelie Poulin. We didn't go in. Check out their tripadvisor reviews. That will explain why.
From here we took the metro from Blanche to Pigalle, from there to Concorde and we shared an excellent lunch with the ducks in the Jardin des Tuileries. We had petit pain de Jambon Blanc avec son crudites en mayonnaise, or ham and coleslaw baps! There was also banana loaf. We're getting a bit tired of banana loaf and Ox cheek stew! After lunch we walked up to the Louvre. It's huge! Very impressive and the view back along the boulevard to the Arc de Triomphe is incredible.
From the Louvre we walked along the Seine to the Notre Dame. Severely damaged by fire in April 2019, it is due to reopen in December this year. The remedial work undertaken is amazing and there is a fascinating exhibition of photographs and information mounted on the barriers on two sides of the cathedral. The next time we visit it will be to start our bike ride along the Veloscenic to Mont st Michel.
It was time for a beer! We found the Tabac de la Fontaine on Boulevard Saint-Michel. The bar was established over a hundred years ago and is now run by a father and son team, open from seven in the morning until 2.00am seven days a week, it's a magnet for Parisians looking for a drink, a coffee, a snack, tobacco or a flutter. There was a constant stream of people in and out of this wonderful, small bar tabac. We met a retired Ukrainian clown from Paris. He showed us his red nose, told us that he was a good clown and comedian but a hopeless actor. He could never remeber his lines. He also had a lot to say about Putin and Trump. Again, the owner was very accommodating and charged my phone behind the bar.
It was time to go home to the campsite. Finding our way back to Saint Lazare on the metro was simple and the trains onward from there are regular. It seemed like there was one every twenty minutes or so. We were met at the station by the campsite owner and we returned to Tigger tired but with some fantastic memories. We had Ox Cheek stew for supper. Again. Tonight will be the last night of Ox cheek Stew. It's done really well.
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