Euro Trip Part 2: Bonjour Paris!

We arrived late in Beauvais airport since the flight was delayed. Took the shuttle bus to Paris and then took the Metro to head to Porte de Chatillon where we had a booking at the Formule 1 hotel.

Arriving at Chatillon-Montrouge was a bit unnerving. It was just past midnight, the roads were almost deserted, and the place looks kinda dodgy too. We walked a bit trying to find the hotel, but then we thought better of it and hailed a cab instead.

Luckily we didn't try to walk, it was quite a distance away. It wasn't the right station to get off really, since it's nearer to another tram station.

So we got in the hotel and were looking forward to a nice shower and a warm bed, but our hopes were dashed. Turned out, Charis wrongly booked the rooms for November! They were fully booked at the time so weren't able to accomodate us. The man at the desk was helpful though, he called the chain and found out they have rooms at another Formule 1 way across town, nearby Porte de Saint-Ouen.

So us four weary souls dragged our bags to the tram station and struggled to get the tickets since we don't know how to operate the machine and after a while only did we realize that it was broken. Luckily the other machine was working fine. Hopped on the tram and made our way to Porte de Vanves station. We were running by the time we got off the tram since the guy at the hotel said the trains run until 1.30am, and it was already 1am by then. So we got in, bought the tickets and sat down at the platform and waited for the train.

And we waited. And we waited. And we waited.

Then one of the staff came around to tell us that the last train was at 12.45am, and not 1.30am. Now what do we do?

Plan A was to sleep at the station and wait for the 1st train at 5.30am, but they closed it down so we walked out in the cold and started walking blindly.

It was the night before Raya, and back home it's around 8am on Raya morning. Dad and Kimi would still be at the mosque I guess, while mom and the girls would be at home getting ready to head off to kampung after sembahyang Raya. Me, I was out in the cold, literally, on the streets of Paris. Such was the folly of the this traveller.

Soon enough the coldness is taking its' toll so we decided to just hail a cab and get to the other hotel no matter how much it would cost. By 3am we were all showered and ready for bed. I called home to wish my family Selamat hari Raya and went to bed at around 4am. A long day indeed.

Next morning, we headed out bright and early and took in a quick breakfast of warm croissants and hot chocolate before rushing to Eiffel tower. Went up to the top and took in the view (while the wind was threatening to blow us off the tower).

Then, we walked across Pont d'Iena and headed along the River Seine all the way to Place de la Concorde. Then we walked through Jardins des Tuileries before arriving at Musee du Louvre.
From there we walked along Rue de Rivoli heading towards Georges Pompidou Centre. From there, took the Metro to Montmartre, alighting at Grands Boulevard station. After purchasing the customary HRC t-shirt, had dinner before heading to Avenue des Champs-Elysees.

Walked along the length of it until we arrived at Arc de Triomphe. By then it's quite late at night and the shops were closing. We headed back to Eiffel to take in the light show before heading back to Porte de Saint-Ouen, back to our hotel for a well deserved rest. My feet were screaming murder by then.

Next day, we took the train to Val d'Europe to visit the designer outlets. Bought some stuff for mes parents, and extra socks for me (yes, my budget only permits me those sadly). Before long, we're back on the train to head back to Beauvais to catch our next flight. This time, we're flying southeastwards. Venice, we're coming for ya!

Catch that leg of the Trip in Part 3 ;)