We were unable to say a proper goodbye to our Rotterdam host. Her work had her leaving earlier than us. We said goodbye instead to her cute little dog. I'm usually quite nervous about taking the bus with our big backpacks. Luckily we were not in anyones way. Our first train was at 10:10 to Bussell's. Easy peasy. The train to Paris had a longer than usual process to get on but we made it ok. This train was a speed train and reservations were mandatory. Even before the train departed we were required to show our tickets. That was the first time. It was a beautiful journey. I noticed the landscape had changed quite a bit along the way. Drier and hotter it looked in many areas.
Once in Paris, you are witness to a huge city. There are at least 3 main train stations and they each are immense. What our Eurail passes covered was not that clear and walking around asking did not help. It was a little frustrating getting bumped back and forth between 2 train carriers. What out Eurail Pass covered was Country to Country. It did not cover Inner City travel. What was confusing is they are the same company name. We had to find the proper ticket booth which there are also two types to purchase the correct local train ticket. Then we needed to pick the correct type of ticket to cross the required zones required to get us from Gare De Lyon to Sartrouville. We finally figured it out and had tickets to get us through towards the train/subway. Once armed with the correct route, it took quite a bit of walking to find the correct train. It's a real maze. There are also 3 trains that head in our direction and only 1 of them stops in Sartrouville. At least the signage there is amazing with the incoming trains next destinations being highlighted.
The trains crank along a mix of old and new tunnels. Some of them cris cross underground. It was wild. Finally, all hot and sweaty we were within a 1 KM walk to out Airbnb. We picked the Sartrouville area as it was near the home of Manuel and Marie. We dove with the in Komodo and they offered us their place to stay originally while they took a diving trip. Manuel broke his ankle and had to cancel his trip. They were now pinned down but at least we were staying in the area and were looking forward to visiting them.
The walk to out Paris Airbnb was hot with our backpacks. The place was amazing https://goo.gl/maps/VKqprda328ijX4Wf6 Our host Pierre and his wife were super nice. The place was once a garden shed, expanded to house their kids and was now an office/exercise gym/apartment. Perfect for Airbnb. Our host supplied beer, water, food, jam, cheese all for free. Wild. The real bonus was he picked up fresh croissants and baguettes for us every morning. They were hand delivered and hanging on our door. Can you believe it? Plus he supplied fresh cheese and orange juice to boot. Wow.
Our first full day in Paris was spent walking around awaiting the arrival of KT. She had flown in 24 hours earlier and had stayed overnight quite a train ride away. We were once again a family of three. Our first journey together was to simply investigate the very large Saint-Germain-en-Laye Forest. It was about a 45 minute walk to the first and kinda huge inside. The forest was the home of ticks apparently. Our next days Paris walking was interrupted by KT discovering a tick. Within an hour so did I. We Googled a little out of a panic and found ourselves looking for a pharmacy that sold a tick removal kit. The pharmacist told us to relax as ticks there are not Lyme ticks like other countries. KT was still panicking. We were successful in getting rid of the entire tick with the tool and we kept an eye on our symptoms just in case. We saw the Eiffel tower tower from far away which was really nice. We were able to walk right up to and under it as well. All for free. Getting into it was super pricey with massive wait times. We decided against it
The Louvre Museum was super duper busy but so awesome. There is absolutely no way to see 10% of it in one day. They offer a Nintendo 3DS to augment the tour. It was loaded with audio and details. I'd need a week to digest everything.
Michelle really wanted to see Mont Saint-Michel. I understood as it was something that was important to her Dad. Getting the train there was a bit of a nightmare. A local tour bus departed the city at a reasonable time and drove the 4 hour trip in comfort. We took the plunge. The trip was so worth it. I talked a younger married couple from the Philippines. They were nurses and the husband was really into health and diet. The time flew by. Mont Saint-Michel is really an interesting place. The bus drops you off about 1 KM away. You can take the frequent shuttle or walk. It was a pretty walk. The tour guide warned us about the last shuttle time and the bus departure. It's important to be on time as they will leave you behind. Left behind means you are on your own for accommodations and a return trip. We listened carefully on where to get off and when.
We followed the crowds a little bit and then found a secret route that led to somewhere. Rather than following the sheep we wound up bypassing the busy tourist trap of town and mingled along a private sort of pathway to the top. It was nice. Breathtaking views everywhere. We headed out with plenty of time to spare and saw our tour guide was looking to intercept people that the bus stop number was changed. As the rain got a little hard we got onto the shuttle bus only to find the recommended bus stop was not what he said. Communication was not solid there. Luckily we found our return bus with plenty of time to spare and everyone else made it back despite the confusing information. After a long drive back we were in Paris for our last night. It was time to pack and split for Nice. KT was not going with us and found another place before her departure to London to visit friends.
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