The gift of adventure
Last month I finally got to share one of my great loves with the other love of my life - my husband. I booked us onto the night train to Paris for a weekend visit to celebrate our lovely friend Kristen’s birthday. We packed our party clothes and a few other things and set out from our tiny village to the great metropolis.
There are trains to Paris and Barcelona from here!
Ready for adventure?
We set off on Thursday, just as evening was beginning to draw in, winding our way up into the mountains to the tiny station of Latour-de-Carol. We parkedour car in the station car park and snapped ourselves in front of the grand facade. LaTour-de-Carol-Enveitg is the end of the line for the sleeper service - and - I would contend - no departure is more romantic than one surrounded by the Pyrenees in the falling evening light. We found our cabin and hopped onto our bunks for the night, stashing our stuff on the luggage racks and plugging in our phones. Wifi works - even in the mountains. The train winds its way down from La Tour through the Ariège to Toulouse where it stops at the station and picks up more carriages.
Sleeper bunk and Chipps
From Toulouse it picks up speed (although not so much that you arrive too early) and chugs northwards through the night, heading for Paris Austerlitz.
“Like sleeping on a friend’s sofa whilst the washing machine is on full spin” was probably not the endorsement I was looking for - but we arrived in the dark of a Paris Friday morning as planned. I sleep pretty well on sleepers so, full of anticipation and rest - I led the way across the Seine towards Gare de Lyon and into a coffee shop to help ease Chipps back into the world. At the cafe he used the opportunity to try out buying Paris metro ticketing on his iPhone (it’s a new thing).
Latest update to iPhone - the keys to Paris
We were particularly lucky to be lent an apartment for the weekend - so we headed there to find breakfast and more coffee. One of the nice things about Paris is just how many people live in the city centre - so the boulangeries, cafes and shops on every corner are constantly busy serving local people with their daily needs. It means that the food economy and culture thrives - providing a dizzying array of amazing gastronomic choice.
The Fold+Rºlls made it!
Wine. The best comes from Languedoc Roussillon. Tested.
That Friday morning I had a work meeting online and popped into the Paris office of one my clients so it wasn’t quite 100% hedonism for me. Chipps went off for a wander and found the luthier’s quarter where he could look at and lust after guitars.
After my meetings we met up and wandered around central Paris. Living in a village without a single store makes the crazy number of shops and things on offer quite a treat. And so many small specialist shops… from socks to casseroles.
As the evening fell, we realised that we could just pop into one of the many wine bars and try wines from all over France. We chose one with a few free tables, with bar walls lined with bottles or exposed brushed stone that made the light glow. It was quite a treat to sit down and ask what the sommelier recommended and taste the differences. Whilst we watched the wine bar fill up with Parisians winding down from their week and catching up with each other over bottles of wine and plates of cheese and charcuterie. Amusingly, (after several glasses) we concluded that our favourite was from Roussillon, not so far from where we set off barely 24 hours ago.
Cartier Bresson. Perfect application of the golden rules of composition
Our break in Paris was a chance to see an exhibition at the Cartier Bresson Foundation. Eat a lazy Saturday lunch in a restaurant with our friend Robert. And most importantly to celebrate Kristen’s birthday. We packed ourselves into her flat and balcony, champagne glasses clinking her health and grazing our way through her supplies of cheese. All whilst charting our maps of acquaintance from the south of England to the centre of Paris - until the moment we had to dash for the late night metro at 1am.
We woke up slowly with sore heads - but not so sore that we could not navigate our way to hangover brunch with her the next day.
The cure for hangovers is food…
… and laughter … happy birthday Kristen
Metro travel and iPhones! They go together so well.
I’m not sure I’d want to live in a city again but the sheer diversity of things on offer and the fact you can buy walk and take the bus or metro to get between them is a massive treat for me.
I loved this trip - it was the perfect blend of sociable friendship and new experiences. I came home with a beautiful plum coloured second hand cashmere jumper dress bought in the Marais which will keep me warm through this winter.
We packed a lot into a weekend and we felt we’d been away for much longer.
Heading home and waking up on the train to glimpse snow ahead!
Travel: I found reasonably priced tickets for a Thursday night train from the mountain station of Latour-de-Carol which got us into Paris for an early 7am start. The return train boarded at 10pm so we had a full Sunday to explore. Total cost for 2 people on sleeper trains both ways and a 1000km journey was €322 (about €80 / per person in each direction).
His and hers… mine’s the one on the left in case you’re wondering
Packing: Whilst I went for a carefully curated set of outfits, packed into two Fold+Rºlls, Chipps seems to have needed a wheelie case. My work here is clearly not done yet.
Outfits (2 Fold+Rºlls - one for the night train and one with smart clothes)
One bag to rule them all… work laptop, novel, and clothes all compactly packed and easy to carry
Friday: smart jumper for meetings, white t shirt (worn with jeans)
Saturday: Aqua blue party dress and tights
Sunday: T shirt (worn with jeans)
Night train: stripy knee length jersey shirt and eye mask
Spares: vests, leggings and a base layer in case it got chilly
Tip: Wear freshly washed jeans on the way to the train - then change out of them and they’re good for the next day / journey back.
NB: I did come home with a second hand cashmere jumper dress bought in the Marais which did not fit into either Fold+Rºll - it was chilly enough to wear it home though!
