I came on holiday by mistake…Paris #1

Even if you haven’t seen the fantastic very British film Withnail & I then you’re probably familiar with the meme  taken from it of two sodden men standing outside in a downpour saying “we came on holiday by mistake “ this is partly how I feel about the ten days I’m going to be spending in Paris starting in a couple of hours…I had no intention of going anywhere in early February after booking up a week in Berlin at the start of May but got an email from Eurostar quoting £66 return for Paris and for some reason I can’t quite fathom I opted to hang around the place for ten days…

Already made a few rookie mistakes before getting anywhere near the place.Firstly I opted for a 6-00 train which only takes two hours but of course I can’t check in the hotel until 3-00pm.Gonna be a fair bit of coffee supped today.Next, even though I have a Paris transport card it’s pretty limited as they’re slowly doing away with it so it’s only valid in zones 1 & 2 and I want more scope.Being a registered smart arse I thought I’d buy the ticket on my phone last week so I’d be ahead of the game and it did state it was valid from first use,unfortunately what I hadn’t realised was that it was active once purchased so it actually expired yesterday.Nobody reads the small print in their own lingo so certainly not in a foreign one.€31 down the swanny…oh and I just parked my arse down in my reserved seat but in the wrong carriage.A good start…

If you’re reading this and have never used Eurostar then you should give it a go.I realise it can be pricey but there are good deals to be had like the one I’m on.The big advantage is you go to the centre of the city you’re travelling too,you don’t have to give up half your toiletries for some unknown reason & there’s no Wetherspoons with their shitty carpets,toilets in another postal district & questionable views on Brexit…

I’m staying in the 20th district again but this time just a stone’s throw away from Pere Lachaise the magnificently gothic cemetery in Paris so anyone who follows me on Facebook & Instagram can expect lots of moody atmospheric pics of what in my minds eye are Nostferatu but are more likely to be Carry on Screaming…

Currently enjoying my second Americano in a cafe opposite Gare du Nord.I also got a croissant which I assumed was a freebie but turns out I agreed to have one without realising it.Hahaha…anyway I’m stroking my beard in what looks like quiet contemplation of life,the universe & everything whereas in reality I’m wondering why Tommy Doyle isn’t an automatic pick in Wolves midfield…

Coming in the on the train the sky was clear & the fields shimmered with an early morning mist above the  frost.It looked cold but I was hoping the big city would be significantly warmer.It isn’t…London was much warmer at 4am than Paris is at 11am.Never mind.Got time to kill,maybe I’ll ride around on the metro for a few hours like a hobo trying to stay warm…

S’pose I had better pay for my coffees & unwanted croissant(which was very nice.I’m an infrequent consumer) and get out of here towards my destination.It’s not too far,probably 15 mins with one change and at least I have missed the Monday rush hour…

Until tomorrow then.Arrivederci or something…