08:45 hours on Monday 11th February 2019 finds me standing on the platform at Les Cabannes halt. Positioned opposite the shelters which house seating and the timetable display the train sails past me and comes to a halt. I'm the only passenger, it could have stopped in front of me! An hour and a half later we pull into platform 1, Toulouse Matabui Railway Station. Exit and turn right down towards the bus station next door, not to be confused with the multi-story car park incidentally. The ticket for the shuttle will cost me 8€, leaves from platform 1 every 20 minutes and takes about that long to reach the airport. The metro pulls in at the same place should you wish to go that way. My Easyjet app tells me that I need to be there by 11:30 also sending me a message that my plane will be delayed. Pleasant assistant at the bag drop off then I wander down to security trying out my mobile booking pass rather than a paper document. I still need a passport or driving licence though. A leisurely lunch whilst a group of girls tinkle the ivories" of the grand piano positioned in the departure lounge, I know not why but they were very good. The gate is announced at 12:45 and, amazingly no hike it is number 34 practically in front of me. No hassles boarding, again staff are polite and efficient and no-one gets upset. The same can be said on the aircraft, bright and clean, an explanation for the delay by the captain. Cabin staff attentive throughout the flight and a fond farewell as we disembark. What a difference from a certain other budget airline I could mention. I even had a follow up message from Easyjet later in the delay apologising for the delay in takeoff.
I am heading north, those of you who follow my blogs will know that I decamp from Aulos for a week in February whilst my nephew and his mates take over the house for a skiing, partying week. They are lucky this year all runs are excellent though my nephew did not arrive with the crowd. He's lost his passport. It's not Paris in the spring but I thought that even it cold I could make use of the time exploring the Louvre Museum. Quieter at this time of year I can spend days exploring this vast treasure trove. Landing at Orly airport I decide to take a taxi to the hotel. I am quite tired and there is a fixed charge of 35€ into the city
to prevent visitors being stung. A reasonable price considering the traffic in Paris. At first I was going to go by bus but waited ages and there were huge crowds of people all with suitcases. No idea where I am as the taxi drove through a maze of side streets to deposit me in front of the Hotel Ducet. Advertised as 2* it is very comfortable and reasonably priced at 480€ for five nights. I am also near the heart of Paris and living amongst Parisians as this is a residential area too.
I rose at 09:00 hours, showered and dressed then crossed the street to the local baker on the corner. Fresh croissants and free coffee available 24 hours a day in the hotel dining room. The "Hall of Mirrors" as I call it taking after the Palace of Versailles. The hotel does not provide a catering service but a small kitchen is also available for guests to prepare hot meals if they so wish. I am situated on the ground floor. When I arrived they offered to move me so that I would not have to negotiate the stairs. My room is warm and comfortable, I have a small courtyard in front of me which would be pleasant in warmer weather. There is TV and free WiFi too. Today I have decided to explore my surroundings.
After breakfast I step out onto the street and orientate the hotel and its surroundings. A mix of hotels, residential apartments, local shops and a variety of cafes and brasseries. Looking right a busy boulevard which will lead to the Arc de Triomphe about 35 minutes to walk or hop on Metro line 2. In the opposite direction the dome of the Sacré-Cœur basilica can be seen above the local skyline. Montmatre and the Moulin Rouge not far away. Crossing onto the centre of the boulevard I walk up the street on this pedestrian and cyclist highway. Two minutes and I am at Place de Clichy. A sort of roundabout where the 8th, 9th, 17th, and 18th arrondissements meet at a single point. It is, in fact, another of the many bottlenecks to traffic in Paris. As can be seen from the photo Paris is also on giant motorcycle and scooter park. They line roads and boulevards and squeeze onto any vacant spot not inhabited by a parked car or street cafe.
As happens on all my travels we now have another monument to investigate....
In March 1814, at the close of the First French Empire, 800,000 soldiers of various foreign armies marched on Paris. After breaking through the barriers at Belleville and Pantin, they took the hill of Montmartre. Paris was protected in the north from Clichy to Neuilly, by 70,000 men of the garde nationale. In the face of the advancing enemy, the Maréchal de Moncey defended the barrière de Clichy. Moncey amassed 15,000 volunteers, tirailleurs — students from the École polytechnique and the École vétérinaire — and, despite their inexperience, valiantly resisted the Russian contingent until an armistice was declared on 30 March 1814.
....The upshot is a six metre tall statue on top of an 8 metre plinth dedicated to de Moncey, Marshal of France at the time. Such forethought providing something for the cars to drive around.
The location was originally one of the gates leading to the village of Clichy outside the city walls. The area remains, somewhat unusually, devoid of urban planning thus retaining its mixed bag of architecture and the feel of being a crossroads rather than a public square (the French "Place"). It is a comfortable place to be with its variety of brasseries lending character in themselves. The entrance to the Metro is a work of art in itself. Bus stops are clearly marked out with service, route map and digital display informing of the next arrival. An interesting exercise given the traffic flow. I have a coffee in the comfortable surroundings of the "Le Wepler" brasserie. The interior conjures up a Paris of Toulouse Lautrec and a service beyond what we have, sadly, come to expect in England. Well worth a visit if you are in the area for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a late night drink. All this and I have only ventured a couple of minutes from the hotel to which I am about to return.
Follow the start of another adventure in photos here ... to be continued this afternoon....
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