It was a very quick trip out to France for work this week. Leaving Sunday afternoon and arriving in Paris Monday morning, I've spent 3 nights in hotels (#3 is still to occur) which is just long enough for my sleep schedule to almost be shifted to the local time only to have to adjust going back. But as people say, going "West is best".
Sunday afternoon's flight was routine out of YWG. A short layover in YUL and it was time to board the next flight to Charles-de-Gaulle.
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| One of the benefits of our new corporate travel policy - Business class for international flights over 6 hrs |
The flight was pretty rough out of YUL - the cabin crew had to suspend meal service for quite a while which pushed the sleep attempt back to only allow 2 hrs of restless sleep on the nearly 7 hrs flight. Once "dans la terre", we had to wait for our gate to be free. Then it was a short bus ride to the terminal to go through passport control.
I still find it strange to not be asked any questions like "What is the purpose of your trip" and "How long will you be gone". Just hand over your passport, lower your mask and they stamp it. Good to go.
The next adventure was to find the train station and book a ticket to get to Angers (330kms southwest from Paris). The wait wasn't too bad, allowed for a coffee and to somewhat get my bearings.
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| I must have mumbled when I said my name |
Taking the train was quite pleasant - on time, comfortable and FAST.
I had to transfer trains in a city called Massy (really, a suburb of Paris). The wait was just long enough to pay 1 euro to use the washroom and get a snack and water for the next leg. Another on-time train and we were off to Angers.
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| Yep, we are in wine country (Anjou) |
I wanted to rent a car to get to the test lab the next day - I could have taken the train but wasn't sure about the schedule so figured a car would just be easier. I picked up the car once I got to the train station so that I didn't have to wait for Avis to open the next morning. I managed to squeeze the car out of the parking garage (the Avis attendant did warn me that it was going to be tight because of some construction work in the garage, and she was not lying!).
It was a short drive in rush hour traffic to the hotel and then to find some parking on the street where I made my first (and only?) sleep-deprived mistake with overpaying for parking. Oh well, at least I didn't get a ticket or towed.
Once checked in at the hotel and after answering some work emails, it was time to go for a walk and find something to eat. There was a small Christmas Market beside the hotel but not much for food.
I did a lap up and down the street and eventually settled on a Scottish Pub which was practically across the street from my hotel. Funny enough - there was also a McDonald's directly across the street from the hotel (and no, they are not the same place! even though I did have a burger...).
With some food in my belly, it was time for bed. Sleep was rough - the first 3 hours you could have set off a bomb in my room and I wouldn't have woken up. Then, I was awake for 4 hrs before getting another couple hours before my alarm went off.
After a French breakfast (with croissants!), it was time to make the journey by car to the test lab. My phone decided to make the journey more adventurous by having the map freeze whenever the phone was connected to the car (solution - unplug the phone) and then trying to take me down a turkey trail instead of a paved road (not sure what would be the French equivalent... I've seen lots of sheep but even they would decide to not take that path). In the end, I arrived on time.
Testing went well and allowed me to return to Angers ahead of the rush hour traffic. After returning the rental car, it was a short walk to the hotel to take a shower and answer some emails before venturing out again.
I decided to take a long walk to see the castle at night before finding somewhere to eat. The castle was built in the 9th and 13th centuries and is quite impressive.
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| Un snack |
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| Yes, that is a cat cafe |
Then, on the walk back I stumbled across a larger Christmas Market and meandered through all the street vendors selling gifts, food and drink. Everyone was drinking "vin chaud" (hot wine) so I figured I would give it a try. It was delicious! I have no idea what is in it but they obviously put some type of "holiday spices" in the wine to give it a "mulled" flavour. It was 5 euros well spent.
Then, it was time to find something to eat. There was a restaurant next to the Market which had a decent menu. The service was... not the best but I didn't have high expectations. It was good food and good wine.
Then, it was a short walk back to the hotel, more emails to answer, and then bed.
Sleep was much better - this time, only 2 hrs of awake time which instead of lying in bed tossing and turning, I tried reading my book (on my ipad) and then watched a little bit of a movie. That helped keep my mind from thinking of work and everything else.
My alarm went off at 8:15 and I was definitely rested and ready for a day of exploring. Breakfast was eaten at the hotel again, this time with the entertainment being the hotel staff trying to get the coffee machine to work. It worked fine when I used it but wasn't working for them shortly afterwards. Eventually they brought in another machine, made me a coffee and then found out that the other machine was working again. Patience is a virtue I guess...
After breakfast, I did a little bit of work before packing up and checking my bags with the front desk and checking out of the hotel. It was a short walk to the castle and I clearly was getting used to my surroundings, knowing exactly where to go without having to look at a map.
The castle was very impressive even with the restorations that were going on at the main gate and some of the exterior parapets. And boy was it not very busy. In total, I saw less than 12 other visitors during the 2 hrs I was there. So many things to see and read (in English). Here are the blog exclusive photos:
One of the most impressive things at the castle was the tapestry that they had which was commissioned in 1375 by Louis I (never a king but his dad and brother were). The tapestry depicts the "Apocalypse" from the Book of Revelations from the bible. Instead of regurgitating all the words from the sign, I might as well just post it:
The tapestry spanned two very long walls and finished on a third:
After having lunch at the castle (after requiring three attempts to figure out how to open the door - twist the handle in the middle of the door...) there was a little more time to kill before going to the train station. Even after spending some time and Euros in stores, I still ended up getting to the train station an hour before my train - just enough time to get a snack for the train, spend 60 cents to use the toilet and join two meetings and make a phone call.
The train back to Paris was the high-speed TGV. I'm still waiting to see if my fitbit was able to record the speed when I told it I was taking a bike ride. It was definitely fast - making the 330 kms trek in 2.5 hrs with three stops in between. I could certainly get used to train travel, if only we had a similar system and network.
It was a little bit of an adventure to get to the hotel. The directions in the app were helpful but the signage in the station (at the airport) must be old. After figuring out that the airport shuttle is no longer just a bus but a train as well, it was easy to get to Terminal 3 and then a 4 mins walk to the hotel. It will be easy to get back tomorrow.
And that is basically the end of the trip. Some room service while I worked and now finishing the blog so I can go to sleep, get up at 6am and go to the airport for my 9:55 flight. The key for tomorrow is to NOT sleep on the plane. Well, maybe just a short nap to help pass the time.
Au revoir France!
AA
