Back in 2020 when I was a travel agent, I planned an 8 month around the world adventure of a lifetime, booked some tours and flights and the crème de la crème was ending with an expedition to Antarctica. I even sold my house and almost everything I own to pay for it. We all know what happened next! The Rona (covid) came and blew my plans to smithereens!
Since then, I have re-booked my Antarctic expedition another 2 times, and both have been cancelled by the pandemic. This is now the 4th time the expedition has been booked and I am so excited but extremely anxious.
At my school, we have 3 weeks holidays over Christmas, and in true Amanda style, I wanted to maximise my time. I absolutely LOVE the European Christmas markets and Strasbourg has one of the best Christmas markets in Europe. Therefore, this blog will be divided up into several parts.
So, without further ado, welcome to part 1 France!
Day 1 London to Paris
Today is our last day of school for the term. We have normal classes in the morning followed by an hour with our form (I have an amazing group of Yr 11 boys) then assembly. After the boys went home, we were having staff Christmas lunch, a staff quiz, Secret Santa and then a party at a local pub.
Due to the timings of the day, I decided to take all my stuff to school and go straight to St Pancras. I have a 23kg limit for my Air France flight to Argentina, but my domestic flight is only 15kg, so I had to be a bit fussy and ended up having to take a few things out. To be honest, I have more photography gear than clothing!
It was really cold today again and everyone keeps telling me that Antarctica will be colder. Funnily enough, it actually won’t be at this stage! Today’s temp in London was -2oC, Antarctica was 3oC. I mean, it is summer on the bottom of the world!
After a nice morning with the boys, we had our staff lunch, which was delicious! We had a roast turkey lunch yesterday with the students so today was roast beef. At 3.45pm I collected all my things, said a few Merry Christmas’ and off I went to Baker Street. It is only 3 stops to St Pancras so it is nice and close to the Eurostar.
At the Eurostar terminal, they only let specific train times queue up. Fortunately, when I arrived, I could join the queue, although it was huge. It took my 50mins to get to the barriers to scan my boarding pass. From there, it was only a short wait for x-ray scanning and passport control. In total, it took an hour to get through to the departure platform. We left exactly on time, at 5.31pm to be precise. I was very lucky and didn’t have someone next to me, which was nice.
The journey to Paris is roughly 2hrs and the train goes very fast. At the last check, we were going at 239kph! I have a hostel just outside Gare du Nord in Paris, and then I am booked to go to Strasbourg tomorrow. Unfortunately, there are train strikes in France, so I don’t know if my train is affected or not.
We arrived in Paris a little late due to construction. I followed the crowds to the main area of the station and found my way out to the main road. My hostel is only a 3min walk from the station, and while that doesn’t seem like much, it was absolutely freezing, and it felt like forever! I didn’t have my gloves as they were packed in my suitcase, so by the time I got to the hostel, my fingers that were dragging my suitcase were completely numb! My weather app says it is -2oC!
I checked in and went to my room. It is very warm inside which is awesome. I debated getting food, but it was 9.30pm so I just got ready for bed. Apparently, the strikes are not happening, so my trip to Strasbourg is safe. I put my devices on to charge and chilled out on my bed. Need to recover from my lack of sleep last night and the long day!
Day 2 Paris to Strasbourg
After a strange night, warm & comfy but noisy and sleepless, I got up at 7.30am to get ready for my trip to Strasbourg. I went down for the free breakfast but didn't eat much. I made a ham & cheese sandwich, but the bread was so ridiculously sweet (very American style) that I ate the ham & cheese and left the bread. My hostel is perfectly located, right in the middle of Gare Du Nord and Gare l’Est so it was only a 5min walk to the station. I checked with the hostel reception last night and again this morning and they do not know of any strikes, so I headed to the station with fingers crossed.
When I got to the station, my train was listed. Winning! Trains in France are VERY expensive. I am travelling on the TGV high speed train so the trip will take 2hrs, but the 2 trips (Paris-Strasbourg return) cost me over £220! I found my seat and settled in. At least it is daylight so I can see the scenery today!
The journey was fairly quick, and we reached a top speed of 300kp! The scenery was very grey and dull for about half as it was covered in a thick fog. At one point, it was like we burst out of a bubble and were doused in clear blue skies and sunshine. It was gorgeous!
When I arrived in Strasbourg it was -7C. Chilly! I was rugged up in my Uniqlo ultra-warm leggings, jeggings, Uniqlo extra warm long sleep top, another top, jumper, down coat, thermal balaclava, ear warmer band, beanie, 2 pairs of gloves and snow boots. Definitely feeling and looking like the Michelin man! I planned to buy a tram ticket to get to my hostel, but the machines weren’t working so I walked. 30mins through the snow, sludge, ice and streets to the hostel. Unsurprisingly, I was sweating by the time I got there! I dropped my luggage off at the hostel and went back out to begin my day’s activity.
The plan for this afternoon was to go to Colmar. It is another town in the Alsace region, just 30mins from Strasbourg by train. It was very busy at the station and lots of people were heading to Colmar. When I got off the train, there were signs directing you to the Christmas markets. They know why we are here!
There was a snow-covered park which had green and white Christmas trees lining the path which was really pretty. There was a little ice rink, food stall and a carousel bar!
I kept walking into town. Colmar is famous for beautiful buildings and the Christmas markets. It doesn’t just have one big market; it has lots of markets all over the historic city centre. I was starving so hoping to find some good food. The 2 main things I saw being sold: vin chaud (hot wine) and tarte flambee (like a pizza). I chose a stall that accepted card (many only accept cash here) and got a gratinee tarte flambee (base, cream, bacon, onion, cheese). It was the most delicious thing I have eaten in a LONG time!
As well as vin chaud, they have chocolate chaud (hot chocolate, alcoholic & non-alcoholic) and also jus chaud (hot fruit juice, non-alcoholic). They have these reusable plastic cups, which you pay a €2 deposit for, to serve them in, which is very cute and ecofriendly. I got a hot apple strawberry juice, which was really nice.
I walked around for hours, looking at the markets, the buildings and the streets. It is a very pretty town. I can imagine during summer, it would be a gorgeous place to visit too, as there are lots of coloured buildings.
It snowed on and off all afternoon. I did get colder and colder as the afternoon wore on. In the end, at 4pm, I decided to head back to Strasbourg.
It was dark when I got back. I took a different route to the hostel and walked through some different areas. It was still choc-a-block on the streets and the cobblestones were icy and slippery. The lights made it all worthwhile though. Very pretty!
After checking in and chilling for an hour (I was exhausted and falling asleep, something I never do!) I went out for a French taco. I love them, having been introduced to them in Morocco. I also decided to walk to a nearby street which has a famous building covered in teddy bears. Clearly, a lot of other people had the same idea! I don’t know the significance, but teddy bears seem to be a very popular decoration on the buildings here.
After many photos and videos, I headed back to my room. It was 9pm now. I had a shower and was in bed, lights out, by 9.30pm. I don’t know why because a day like today is quite a normal travel day for me, but my exhaustion was off the charts! I was asleep by 10pm!
Day 3 Strasbourg to Paris
I had a pretty good sleep last night, which was good. I woke at 7.30am and stayed in bed for a while playing on my phone. Then I went down to breakfast at 8.30am. It was a continental buffet with plain yoghurt, dried fruit, pain au chocolat, croissants, apples, baguette, a weird white cheese and juice. They also had coffee when I arrived but took the urns away before I could get some and didn’t replace them. I had a pain au chocolat and 2 croissants with Nutella.
Then I went back to my room to chill for a bit. I plan to have a lazy day today, walking around the Strasbourg streets in daylight, then heading back to Paris this afternoon. I can afford a bit of downtime!
After a slow morning, I rugged up to head out. After yesterday’s wardrobe choices, I went almost the whole hog today. Today I had thermal leggings, jeggings, thermal top, thick jumper, balaclava, neck warmer, ear warmer band, beanie, 1 pair of gloves, snow boots, down coat and snow pants. Yep, walking Michelin man today! It was -7oC when I went out.
My plan today was no plan. Not something I normally do, but the only thing I wanted to do was check out the Christmas markets and buildings.
I spent the next few hours exploring the streets. There are so many markets (12 I think in total) and even more beautiful buildings.
At the main market with the huge Christmas tree, I got some munsterflette for lunch. It is a local recipe, made from potato, cream, bacon and munster cheese. I would say that it is basically what we would call potato bake at home. It was nice, but the tarte flambee yesterday was so much better.
After exploring, I headed back to my hostel to pack. I chose to book & pay for 2 nights (their minimum stay) but only stay 1 night and head back to Paris as it was the cheapest place to stay in Strasbourg, even with the forfeiting of the 1 night and the extra cost of the Paris hotel. I have to be at CDG airport at 7am tomorrow morning so I couldn’t head to Paris in the morning anyway.
As I was walking to the train station, the city centre was locked down again (no cars allowed) with police and security at the blockades. I got stopped and told to open my backpack and suitcase! I opened my backpack to get my keys and he looked inside and then let me go. Bit frustrating but I suppose they have a job to do. He didn’t speak English so couldn’t tell me why, but I am guessing it is an anti-terrorism thing.
I made it to the station with plenty of time. The departure time was 5.19pm and they announce the platform 10-20mins before departure time. The departures hall was chilly, but not bad when I first arrived as I was hot from walking. It was very busy though! I noticed my train was delayed 15mins. Ok no worries. As the time progressed, the delay increased, and I got colder and colder. By 5.45pm I was thoroughly frozen. My toes were numb, my fingers were numb, my legs were cold, my head was cold. I had been standing in the same spot for over an hour by this point and I was getting grumpy. I was so cold! The weather app said it was -5oC and I felt every single one of those degrees.
Many people were watching the world cup final on their phones, and suddenly there was a huge eruption of cheering. France just got their first goal after being down to Argentina for most of the game. At that exact moment, they put our platform number on the board and the hundreds of people waiting headed for our train. I found my carriage and boarded. My suitcase, however, decided to break. The handle would not go down! I could not get it to go down at all! I ended up having to leave it up and lay the suitcase across the luggage rack, taking up way more space that I would have preferred. Tonight, I am going to have to attempt to fix it in Paris for my flight tomorrow. I don’t know what to do if I can’t fix it. Break it off? See if the airport staff can fix it? No idea.
I found my seat and settled in. By this time, France scored another goal, so it was 2-2 and heading into overtime. From what my friend has taught me during our pub world cup sessions, they have 30 mins overtime and penalties because they drew, and you can’t draw in the final. I am waiting for the train carriage to make noise, one way or another, because I can see people glued to their phones.
I am heading back to the same hostel that I stayed in on Friday night, so it is nice and close to the station. It is only a 30min train to CDG airport from Gare du Nord, which is good. My flight is 10.40am but Air France sent me a text saying that security queues are huge so we should arrive 3 hrs early. In true Amanda style, I will be at the airport 4 hrs early, just in case. I would rather sit airside for 2+ hrs waiting and bored, than be stuck in the queues, super stressed that I might miss or actually miss my flight!
During the trip I kept checking the score, just so I was in the know. I saw it was down to the penalties and tried to watch on my phone, but the Wi-Fi and phone service were too slow. Then my Google live score page updated, and blue fireworks erupted across the screen. Argentina won! The French couple across the aisle from me who were avidly watching were rather disappointed!
Not even 5 mins later, one of the boys in my form (yr 11) sent me a message on Microsoft Teams (the platform we use at school) to say have fun in Argentina because it will be insane. This boy is a genuine nice kid, and it gave me a laugh. Also made me feel special to know that the world cup had just ended, and he literally thought of his teacher first!
At 8pm I arrived in Paris, and it was raining. It was also a balmy 3oC! I headed to my hostel and the Belushi’s bar next door was exploding with people! Obviously still drowning their sorrows. I checked in and headed to my room.
After a quick Google, I went out in search of food and settled on tacos. They are cheaper than burgers, and I wanted something quick so I can go to bed. This taco was nice: grilled chicken, fries, bacon, raclette, mayo and BBQ sauce. I ate it back in my dorm as it was still raining.
And now, it is 10pm and definitely bedtime. I need to be at the airport around 7am so I will be getting up around 5.30am. Excited, nervous and anxious about my airport check in/security. I don’t want to be stuck in a huge queue! Anyways, off to bed!
Day 4 Paris to Buenos Aires
After a sleepless night thanks to noisy girls in my dorm, I got up at 5.30am and got ready to leave. I headed to Gare du Nord to find the train to the airport. The RER B line goes straight to CDG Airport, which is awesome. I found a ticket machine and got my ticket, then followed the signs to the right platform. It is a 30min trip from Gare du Nord to CDG terminal 2.
I got to the airport just before 7am and immediately went in search of the bag drop counter. Just my luck that it was the furthest one from where I entered the terminal, and since my suitcase handle is broken, I have to bend over and drag it by the little fabric handle. It was a long walk!
I got my bag tags from the self-service kiosk and then dropped my bag off. Fortunately, the queue was short and didn’t take long. Then I headed immediately for the security and immigration check points. The first stop is immigration, and it is all e-gates, there aren’t even any human desks at all! There were only 2 e-gates for the USA, UK and Canadian passports, but 8 for the EU passports, so it took around 15mins in this queue. Then I had to take an inter-terminal train to the L gates section of terminal 2E. This was a quick trip, and then it was on to security for x-ray scanning. This was fairly quick and by the time I got through, I had 3hrs until my flight!
In the L gate terminal, food options are limited, with the choices being coffee, croissants, cold pre-made sandwiches and pre-made salad bowls. No takeaways, nothing resembling a breakfast that I like. I was really hanging for an egg’s benny or smashed avo! I ended up getting a coffee (disgusting, tasted like dishwater) and a choc chip muffin (not bad). Then I sat at my gate and waited.
At 9.30am they started letting people line up in the barriers for boarding. I joined and was 5th in the queue. Here, we waited, and waited. 30 mins later, they began boarding the priority queue, then stopped. And then they announced another delay of 30 mins. So, we sat on the floor and waited some more. At 10.52am I finally boarded the plane! We took off just over an hour late, with a 13hr 20min flying time.
After 2 hrs we were finally served a meal. The choices fish
or cheese pasta. Fish! Who in their right mind thinks fish should be the ONLY
protein main meal?! By the time they got to me, there was no pasta left so I
had to have the fish or starve, and I was already starving. It was disgusting. Cod
in a white sauce with rice, couscous salad, baguette with camembert and a
chocolate fondant dessert. The dessert was amazing, the camembert was also
good, but the rest was not good. The fish stank but I ate it because I was
going to gnaw my arm off if I didn’t eat it! I think on my return flight I
might have to request a special meal, so I don’t get fish again!
We were able to go to the back of the plane to get some drinks and snacks, so I found out many hours later. I was so hungry, and I have no idea why! We were served a cold breakfast 2 hrs before landing. It had a rock-hard bread roll, carrot & cumin salad, drinking yoghurt, fruit puree pouch and a muffin. I had the yoghurt, fruit puree and muffin. I have to say, the food on Air France is pretty crappy. On my return flight, I need to bring plane snacks and ensure I have a big meal at Buenos Aires airport before boarding.
The flight was one of the most turbulent flights I think I have ever been on! It was so bumpy they stopped serving drinks and put the seatbelt sign back on. The turbulence continued throughout the entire flight, and I would say we spent half the flight with the seatbelt sign on and half off.
I watched a lot of movies, one which I found to be very good and powerful called The Fallout. It is based on the aftermath of a school shooting and how the teenager’s cope. Definitely worth watching if you get the opportunity.
I was very stiff and sore by the time we landed. I had been in my seat for over 14hrs! I got up only twice, as the man next to me slept a lot and didn’t get up much. I hate bothering people so didn’t want to ask him to move.
We arrived in Buenos Aires an hour late, and I was exhausted. Immigration was very quick, and I grabbed my bags not long after arriving at the arrival hall. When I got through customs, there was a whole crowd of people gathered and people were calling out Messi and taking photos with a guy. He looked like the guy I had seen on TV, and I thought a selfie with a big football star would score me brownie points with my students. The boys love the football and have been avidly following the world cup and watching the games. So, I went up and got a photo.
I contacted my hotel to arrange the shuttle, and then waited. I uploaded the photo to my school social WhatsApp group, and someone replied telling me he is an impersonator and not the real deal. Bummer! There go my brownie points with the boys! Apparently, this guy has even had the media fooled at times!
I was finally collected by my hotel and taken to the hotel. It is only a 5 min drive from the airport (the reason I chose it), but there were gazillions of police lining the road. Turns out, the Argentinian football team was flying back to Buenos Aires tonight and there was a big parade for them. Their ETA was 2.15am and people were there really early (it was 11pm now) to get a good spot.
After checking in and arranging the shuttle back to the airport in just a few hours, I went to my room to shower and get some sleep.
And here is where I am going to end part 1 of my blog. To continue reading about my adventure to the bottom of the world, be sure to read part 2 Ushuaia.