Peace out Paris!
Seems like only yesterday I was walking around rainy Paris, by myself, like a loser...
It was a ridiculous ordeal to get the hell out of France. I got to the Eurostar platform at around 13h thinking it was ample time to catch my 14h07 train...well, since I'd been living in the countryside for the passed few months, I had no idea that three weeks ago there was some crazy fire in the Chunnel, so a lot of the Eurostar trains were cancelled. All of the automated machines were down, that print out the hard copy of my already purchased ticket, when I got there and the line-up for the guichet was stupid long, but I had to get in anyway. The Eurostar platform was a total mess of people and luggage. My 14h07 train had been cancelled and they were redirecting people with tickets to the 14h10, but I still needed a printed ticket so I couldn't get that train and pretty much everyone in line with me was supposed to be catching the same time train. Finally the machines went back online and I printed my ticket and ran to the front of the check-in with all of my shit, the exchanged me ticket for the 14h34 train (it was 14h40 at this point) and I got on that train. My bags were so cumbersome and ridiculous and when I got to the door of my train car, an angel, in the form of this gorgeous, had to be a model (she was 6ft tall and dressed like a hobo, if hobos had a YSL purse and Louis Vuitton luggage and Chanel sunglasses to push their hair out of their face), woman asks me in French if I needed help. So she carries my one bag, with 4 bottles of wine in it, laughs at how heavy it is and I say sorry and tell her she's super nice and she's all smiles and, "Non, C'est Pas Grave!" I swear, if only I was a rich, charming dude to sweep her off her feet ;) Anyway the train finally leaves at 15h20 and then we get to the front of the Chunnel at the top of France and we get delayed for another 30mins because we were waiting for 'clearance' into the Chunnel. I finally got to London and got into a cab from St. Pancras stn to get to Victoria Coach stn, but it is Saturday night and it's stupid rainy and my cab took forever to get to Victoria stn (should only take 15, took about 30mins). £30 later, I get to Victoria Coach stn only to have the woman behind the counter make me re-sign my credit card receipt three times because 'it's not the same signature.' I offer to show her a bunch of other ID and she says, "NO, just sign it the same as on your card next time." I WAS! Took make matters worse, I realised in the cab to Victoria that I forgot my fedora on the Eurostar :( I missed my 16h30 bus to Newcastle so I just bought a ticket to Oxford and called my cousin to tell him I was on my way. I finally arrived in Oxford at 21h20, exhausted, but so happy to be 'home'! I don't think I will be able to go to Newcastle now, so I'm staying in Oxford until I have to go to London to fly to Italy. I know it's tough beans...ha...
While waiting on the platform, this handsome gent was standing about two people in front of me...so to pass my time, I was a total creepster and took a picture of him ;)
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
It was a ridiculous ordeal to get the hell out of France. I got to the Eurostar platform at around 13h thinking it was ample time to catch my 14h07 train...well, since I'd been living in the countryside for the passed few months, I had no idea that three weeks ago there was some crazy fire in the Chunnel, so a lot of the Eurostar trains were cancelled. All of the automated machines were down, that print out the hard copy of my already purchased ticket, when I got there and the line-up for the guichet was stupid long, but I had to get in anyway. The Eurostar platform was a total mess of people and luggage. My 14h07 train had been cancelled and they were redirecting people with tickets to the 14h10, but I still needed a printed ticket so I couldn't get that train and pretty much everyone in line with me was supposed to be catching the same time train. Finally the machines went back online and I printed my ticket and ran to the front of the check-in with all of my shit, the exchanged me ticket for the 14h34 train (it was 14h40 at this point) and I got on that train. My bags were so cumbersome and ridiculous and when I got to the door of my train car, an angel, in the form of this gorgeous, had to be a model (she was 6ft tall and dressed like a hobo, if hobos had a YSL purse and Louis Vuitton luggage and Chanel sunglasses to push their hair out of their face), woman asks me in French if I needed help. So she carries my one bag, with 4 bottles of wine in it, laughs at how heavy it is and I say sorry and tell her she's super nice and she's all smiles and, "Non, C'est Pas Grave!" I swear, if only I was a rich, charming dude to sweep her off her feet ;) Anyway the train finally leaves at 15h20 and then we get to the front of the Chunnel at the top of France and we get delayed for another 30mins because we were waiting for 'clearance' into the Chunnel. I finally got to London and got into a cab from St. Pancras stn to get to Victoria Coach stn, but it is Saturday night and it's stupid rainy and my cab took forever to get to Victoria stn (should only take 15, took about 30mins). £30 later, I get to Victoria Coach stn only to have the woman behind the counter make me re-sign my credit card receipt three times because 'it's not the same signature.' I offer to show her a bunch of other ID and she says, "NO, just sign it the same as on your card next time." I WAS! Took make matters worse, I realised in the cab to Victoria that I forgot my fedora on the Eurostar :( I missed my 16h30 bus to Newcastle so I just bought a ticket to Oxford and called my cousin to tell him I was on my way. I finally arrived in Oxford at 21h20, exhausted, but so happy to be 'home'! I don't think I will be able to go to Newcastle now, so I'm staying in Oxford until I have to go to London to fly to Italy. I know it's tough beans...ha...
While waiting on the platform, this handsome gent was standing about two people in front of me...so to pass my time, I was a total creepster and took a picture of him ;)
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!