Team Beck decided there was no way we could leave Paris for Hardelot in the north of France without fortifying ourselves for the journey with a genuine Parisian petit déjeuner at a genuine Parisian patisserie.
Breakfast at Thevenin's
@tim-beck consulted Madame Google, who highly recommended Thevenin patisserie on the Rue Daguerre, about a 10 minute walk from our Airbnb. This was the sight that greeted us.
Yup, more pictures of food
We bought ourselves a simple breakfast of coffee, croissants, pains au chocolat and in my case, an irresistible tomato-anchovy tart.
Emma went back in to take more photos of the deliciousness on offer.
Here we are, enjoying a perfect coffee and croissant, seated at one of the sidewalk tables outside the patisserie.
Here's Tim, looking à la fois happy and French.
Does this look like a Nespresso ad or what?
Paris knows how to say goodbye with a twist
Whoakeedoke! On the walk back to our Airbnb apartment, I boomeranged the way they do in cartoons when I saw this ad for personal services, which we must have already passed at least ten times at this point. I've seen a lot of variations on the oldest trade in the world, but this little spot of self-promotion had a couple of new angles for me.
"Jeune femme Black"? Perhaps I hadn't been in Paris long enough, but does saying it in English make her sound somewhat more exotic?
And since when do, er, masseuses érotiques advertise with pull tags on drainpipes in the age of the interwebs? Would this be an impulse purchase at its finest?
Or was Paris just getting us ready for Amsterdam?
Leaving Paris
All packed up with our one case and one knapsack each, off we traipsed to the Denfert-Rochereau RER station. There was more than a little South African outrage at the idea of walking for ten minutes with a case weighed down for all eventualities in tow, but c'est la vie, said we.
We needed a little (okay, a lot) of assistance finding the right platform to get the commuter train to the Gare du Nord, where we would transfer onto a regional train to get to Boulogne in the Pas-de-Calais region.
We emerged from our RER train at the Gare du Nord flushed with the triumph of having made it there more than half an hour early. This was unlike Team Beck and we deserved a mutual pat on the back. Perhaps a little time to browse the station? Check if there was a place which sells camera bags to replace one which had gone astray in the Louvre? First things first, though, we had to figure out how to make our transfer to our regional train and then we could self-congratulate to our hearts' content.
We looked for a sign, any sign, to show us how to find the "Grandes Lignes" (for the regional trains leave) to get to the right platform for our 13:28 train. Not a sign anywhere, no information kiosk, no person to ask.
Uh-oh, we might not actually get to leave Paris
This went from a minor issue to realisation that should be our only focus.
In rising desperation as it was getting close to 13:15 by this time, and I knew my travel companions simply wouldn't be able to help as this was a job for a francophone, I left them standing together with instructions not to move, then flew into a fnac store (a little variety store) to ask plaintively for help.
Mr GPS to the rescue
I announced with my biggest, most charming smile that we were REALLY lost, and a saintly man behind the counter said, "No worries, Mr GPS is here at your service." He really said that. I wish I'd taken a photo of his (at the time) angelic face; I'll just have to remember his calm, sweet, humourous demeanor as he staved off the ruined holiday and saved Paris' reputation.
I showed him our A4 printed tickets, and in no time, between teasing me about my Québecois accent, which he picked up with laser accuracy, and asking me where we were from and where we were going, he explained to me that we should turn right out the store, head up the escalators, go through the guichet with our Paris Pass public transport tickets (thank goodness we hadn't thrown those away!) one more time then go up another escalator to get to the Grandes Lignes.
I posted this story on Facebook later and one of my friends said she'd had the same problem years ago. Good grief, Paris! This is not a tough challenge for you. You are experts in signs. Put some up in that station, or you'll fall into the same category as South Africa - a country that puts up signs for people who already know where they're going. Tant pis for the novice.
Back on our way
Easy, right? I retrieved the rest of Team Beck from where I'd left them and calmly explained the route, which we then followed like religious pilgrims. And there was not a single (expletive deleted) sign to tell us we were going in the right direction. Thank goodness for Mr GPS. Any Parisian Steemians living near the Gare du Nord, please go to the fnac and tell Mr GPS - he'll know who he is - of his greatness and how unless I get struck down with Alzheimers I will never forget his kindness.
The last mile
But we weren't on the train yet, and it was already 13:23. We found our platform number on the overhead screen and I hustled Team Beck down the platform to our reserved seats in Car 17, which it turned out was seventeen cars down the platform - quite a hike.
I've just read while preparing this post what it says on the ticket under Boulogne Ville, our destination. Loosely translated, it says "If you aren't on the platform two minutes before departure time, you're cooked."
We got on the train at 13:26.
Once we were seated, my two travel companions asked, "What time is it?"
On the train
Departure would have done Switzerland and Germany proud, at 13:28 exactly as scheduled. I found myself wishing I'd turned my Polar heart rate monitor on for the trip from the Airbnb as it would surely have been one of my better workouts. Strength training, cardio, endurance - it coulda been a contenda!
But the heart rate gradually returned to resting and we finally relaxed in the seats I'd reserved months before, under the impression that
a) this was the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) and
b) it would be full.
Wrong on both counts.
While as a regional train it went fast, it was possible to actually watch the countryside go by rather than just seeing a blur as would have been the case on the TGV. @tim-beck and Madame Google again engage in intense consultations. He used her to track our trip and so was delighted to report when we were following the path of the Somme River. We were astounded when we finally saw it - it's not much bigger than a creek.
Madame Google was now our friend
Using Google Maps to track progress while moving is actually terrific. You know the names of the towns you're passing, you can see nearby and upcoming features and attractions and you get a better sense of the physical geography of the area as you can see forests and water bodies on the screen even when it's not possible to see them through the window.
Our journey took us through varied French countryside, most of it agricultural and extremely pretty.
And because the car wasn't full, we had plenty of room to move around.
Not all smooth sailing
Someone in SNCF had forgotten to turn on the air conditioning. The temperature in the carriage was much higher than outside. One member of Team Beck felt it important to mention this every few minutes in case the others hadn't noticed.
At Boulogne-Ville
With Madame Google and Tim such firm friends now, we confidently set out on foot from the train station for the rental car outlet, which Our Lady of Handheld Navigation said was about an 800m walk. Not too bad a distance, and having walked the rest of our transfers that day, we weren't going to start getting all namby-pamby wimpy and take a taxi. This was not a popular decision with one of the Team, but as England and the US have found out to their chagrin, democracy sometimes doesn't suit everyone. The holders of the purse-strings won the day, and we struck out on our trek.
In retrospect it was a really short walk. It seemed more dramatic at the time because of the prophesied imminent death of our Teammate.
On the way to Hardelot
Lucky us! We got an upgrade on the rental car and it had rear park assist and a built in GPS. Things were really looking up, until we tried to get the GPS to speak in English. I don't mean speak English, I mean speak in English. It spoke just fine in French. It was mute in English.
This is roundabout territory like you've never experienced. Once you get the hang of roundabouts, you wonder why all countries don't have them everywhere. We roundabouted our way on the wrong side of the road (for South African drivers) and began to allow the amazing Pas-de-Calais scenery to seep in.
This part of France, Pas-de-Calais, is so pretty, it's hard to believe that a hundred years ago most of it had been flattened by artillery and mining (the military kind) activities during World War 1 (or the Great War, as it was called then).
While Paris had caused me to ooh and ahh many times due to the extravagant, elegant, extraordinary works of humankind, Pas-de-Calais also elicited many oohs and ahhs from me, but this time it was because I was back in real woods territory, and there is nothing more refreshing for the city-worn body than the whispering of trees.
Those red dots are towns with a population greater than 10 000 people. Hardelot, Condette and the Domaine de la Traxène, the three places we'd be spending a lot of time, don't feature on that map.
You can see Hardelot and Condette on the map below, which shows our drive from Boulogne to Hardelot.
Arrival
We went around a roundabout in a particularly forested area, and all of a sudden we were in Hardelot. The next roundabout looked like an entry into a gardening competition, then a few metres down the road was the entrance to our hotel, our home for the next five nights, and our base to travel to the wedding of the century which would be held nearby.
We had little idea what to expect of the hotel except what the website had told me (I'd reserved in January on booking.com to lock in the exchange rate in case South African politics caused our currency to tumble), and turned into a driveway lined with tall pines and oaks. We walked into the lobby which was light and airy, and were greeted like long lost friends.
And next to that lovely open lobby area was an equally open bar/lounge area. What a change of gear from Paris! The peace and quiet of the woodsy area was already starting to seep into our bones. We would be comfortable here.
Stay tuned.
Images by @kiligirl, @tim-beck and Emma Beck except where otherwise credited.
Other posts to date on our trip:
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-4-in-paris-for-team-beck-notre-dame-the-musee-d-orsay-and-le-marais
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-3-in-paris-for-team-beck-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tour
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-2-in-paris-for-team-beck-boat-cruise-down-the-seine
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-2-in-paris-for-team-beck-a-visit-to-the-louvre
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/two-weeks-ago-yesterday-we-were-wandering-around-the-centre-pompidou-in-paris
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/paris-day-1-part-2-of-several-posts-on-our-trip-to-paris-pas-de-calais-bruges-and-amsterdam
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/whirlwind-tour-of-paris-pas-de-calais-bruges-and-amsterdam
Wow!! @kiligirl!!!
Thanks God, you made it to the train 2 minutes before it departed. I imagine that it was so intense and now we thanked Mr GPS too so that we can have this beautiful post of yours! And the french patisserie, OMG, that's the first simple thing we'll miss when we move out of this country!! What a lovely garden you have there in your hotel in Hardelot. I hope you enjoy it!!! 😘
Please remember those 2 minutes for one of my upcoming posts, Sylvia! An important number. 😎🤣🙄
Why do you have to move from France?
Thank you so much for your wishes for our stay in Hardelot - such a beautiful town. It was almost 4 weeks ago now that we arrived there but writing these posts is keeping the memories strong 😊😊
Yes, 2 minutes gap! What a very thoughtful rule for train departure 😂 No, I don't think we will move out of this country, but hey, never say never, right? So, french bread and patisserie will be on the list that I'll miss. Glad that you enjoyed Pas-de-Calais region! I have never been there so very much looking forward for your posts!! 🤗
@kiligirl I enjoyed this post. I am also glad you and your companions were not "cooked" as you just made the 2 minute cut-off. Looking forward to your next episode. Who is getting married? Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Thank you so much, @sea-cottage! Wish I could say the rest of the trip is in the future, but (sigh) yesterday's episode took place 14 August. The wedding proper took place on the 16th, although the festivities lasted muuuuch longer than one day. The bride was the daughter of my closest friend, and I think of her as my niece. We still have a lot of photos to sort through!
Thank you so much for stopping in! 😊😊
Look forward to future posts of your trip to France. You mentioned your Québecois accent...did you do a stint in Canada? My daughter live in Montreal.
Lovely, thank you. And yes, I lived in the Montreal area for 30 years, first on the South Shore, then the McGill Ghetto and finally on Dr Penfield. You can take the Kiligirl out of Montreal, but you can't take Montreal out of the Kiligirl!
We're off to Steem Saturday this morning so I suspect my next post won't be today. Soon, though! Have a terrific weekend. 🌞🌞
My daughter part of the security detail at McGill.. Saffers can do anything!
👌👌😊
Hello my friend Kiligirl. Why didn't you put in more photos of the pastries and coffee? They look delicious . I honestly don't know how you kept it all together for your team. So many twists and turns. Isn't it nice to know you have reached your destination? I agree about the round about. They are starting to install more of them here. What a difference it makes to the traffic flow. I am glad you are sharing your adventures with us. Can't wait for Amsterdam. Will have to remember that advertising campaign used by the professional in Paris! Always love your posts. Ellie Mae. 🐓🐓
Lol, Ellie Mae, trust you to focus on the pastries while the wind and rain are howling around you! I would have put in more photos of the pastries and the shop itself, but am still waiting for our photographer in chief and Selfie Khaleesi to hurry the heck up and upload her photos from her camera (I have the photos from her cell phone and Tim's camera, but she took a lot on her camera). The shop had the most beautiful ceiling and I was looking forward to including it in the post. Oh well - perhaps a cleanup post at the end of the series! She has some great stuff from Amsterdam so the upload simply has to happen.
We had a great Steem Saturday yesterday. Some insights into the Steem blockchain which I still need to process - the big news came from Steemit's VP Marketing, Mitchell Loureiro. He outlined Steemit's biggest challenges - the user interface (bleah), scalability and adoption - and he announced they're going to announce Smart Media Tokens which will allow for the issue of dedicated coins. This could be helpful for one of my businesses! It makes the coin part ready, but the marketing and fundraising is still hard work. Something I'm used to!
Thinking of you, Floridians and Caribbean residents! Irma and Jose look terrifying.
Lots of love from down here 😊😊😊😊😘😘
No hurricane can remove the desire for lovely pastries. Sorry. Priorities !
Regarding steemit, we are getting bombarded with so many updates everyday it is difficult both to keep up and to comprehend. I am glad for you that the changes being made will benefit your business model. User interface still needs some work but, I think that is a constant with so many jumping on right now.
Getting the first of the rain bands already. Which is what woke me up to your reply.
Made a reference to the song from "Green Acres " yesterday in a reply. I had to laugh because she took it seriously in a good way. Youth!
This is keeping me going right now so I don't concentrate on the what if's that could happen. Talk soon. Love Ellie Mae 🐓🐓
Love your priorities!
On the Steemit changes, they did livestream yesterdays proceedings so I assume the talks are available to all Steemians. I Resteemed @sportspodium's post about it yesterday which I think contains the link. Hopefully there'll be some good summary posts coming out in the next couple of days.
The young'un took you seriously on a Green Acres reference? That's hysterical, and kinda sweet.
Safe and happy hunkering, my friend 😊😊
I really hope you Bright some of that coffee home!? It... looks... amazing!! I can almost smell it 😉
I agree. There's something special about Paris cappucinos.
Can't say I've ever had one - but I can only imagine!! Imagine for now - try for real one day though - hehe 😎
I like Seattle better than SB
Nice!!! 😎
Do you have SB yet where you live?
Nope 🙁
Nope! Will just have to go back 😀😀
Well, that's a very good reason to head back hey 😉😁
Thanks for this post. I like your use of the word "roundabouted". Especially in the context of having "roundabouted" the wrong way. Makes total sense and is poetic kind of.
When I got to little coffee places like that I always try to get my hands on one of those chocolate croissants.
HI @pjcswart (another Steemian I've now had the pleasure of meeting in real life), I love that we can make up words like this in English and somehow it works. If I tried that in French I would just get weird looks - "that's not a word".
And oooooh, those little pains au chocolat...yum yum yum....😊😊
The reason why it worked was because it is not really an official word so it was kind of a mistake, but it was written in the context of a real mistake.
Well, it also works because there's a current trend of verbing in the English language - although I'm not sure the venerable roundabout has to date had the privilege of being transformed this way.
O yeah like googling, just google it. My view is that a lot of that verbing is an indirect result of the IYI idea that is phenomenoning the world.
SoI googled IYI (no irony there), and this prickly piece was my find du jour: https://medium.com/incerto/the-intellectual-yet-idiot-13211e2d0577. Youch.
Yeah thats the one. There's another one on how to beat an IYI its so funny. https://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/how-to-beat-the-intellectual-yet-idiot/
Hi @kiligirl aka Linsey, This is another great post with professional looking photography. I hope you're enjoying your travel and company of your team.
Keep contributing, inspiring and supporting the Steemit community!
As you know, I'm also trying to give back to the Steemit community through my posts as I believe this is how we grow. So, I'm sharing with you my recent article which is for a vast majority of Steemian who are not making even $1/day. I hope you get time to take a look at it and give your valuable feedback. I will appreciate your support: How To Earn $100/Month By Commenting On Steemit 🚀.
RESTEEMED!
STEEM ON!
Hi @ugetfunded, thank you so much for your kind comments and support. I know almost nothing about photography so am most grateful to my phone, Emma's phone, and Tim's and Emma's cameras for making our images look so good - and more importantly, helping us to capture the memories the way we remember them. Will take a look at your post. So good of you to encourage fellow Steemians. I still remember what it was like to work hard on a post and then get 19¢ if I was lucky. This platform is such a good way to "pay it forward". 😊😊
Agreed. You're welcome because you're our Steemit hero.
I'm officially speechless. 😊😊
I agree the photography is great. I was wondering what it was and then I realized it was the photography!
Thank you, @pjcswart 😜😜
I have been to Paris and Calais, you must have had an awesome trip. Thanks so much for the beautiful information and the beautiful pictures. As I am looking at those tasty treats and the beautiful pictures , I start to think back to my time there. You really did a wonderful job on your travel adventure and shows also your hard work. Well done.
Thank you, @chris77. Our trip was probably the trip of a lifetime, and since I'm no good at scrapbooking, this is my record for us to remember and enjoy at least some of what we experienced. Everywhere we went was rich in interactions with kind and generous people. I hope that was what happened for you as well. Thank you for your kind words and for recognising the work that goes into these posts. Appreciate you taking the time to make a thoughtful comment. Sorry I can't whip up some of those patisseries for you! 😊😊
Did you find your trip stressful? :P
If eating great food, drinking delicious wine, enjoying great artworks, architecture and scenery are stressful...then yes, veeeeeeeeery stressful 😜😜
Lol, good and witty answer :P
What about those situations when things went wrong?
As my dear friend says, don't sweat the small stuff. Also, when something goes wrong travelling it's often an opportunity - for me, meeting Mr GPS was something I'll never forget. He has obviously helped people before and knows exactly what to say and how to say it. What a privilege to meet someone like that! And it would have never happened if we'd magically figured out all by ourselves that you go up two unmarked escalators. Where's the fun in everything going right? ;-)
Hahaha true. However, I try to make my trips as smooth as possible. I always hire a tour guide to follow me around :)
Too funny! Reminds me of a great short story I read many years ago - Narapoia. It was about a fellow seeking therapy because he was convinced he was following someone.
What happened to him in the end? Lol
Hi @kiligiri what an adventure it was in moving from Paris to Cas- de- Calais and everyone was well and fine,truly that was such an adventure in France despite the small challenges you guys had on the way let me hope you really enjoyed your journey and adventure as well,lastly thank you for the post.
We really did enjoy ourselves, and one of my mottoes courtesy of a really good friend is "Don't sweat the small stuff." When anything goes wrong when you're travelling, it's an opportunity. For instance, I would really like to see Mr GPS again to thank him in person for saving our bacon and to let him know what a positive impact he had on our day. Thank you so much for stopping
in - I appreciate you taking the time to read this post 😊😊
This first picture ..... WOW
When the subject matter is delicious the photos follow, @foxkoit! Thanks for your comment 😊😊
I just want one cake .
Ummmm...me too. Now I'll have to go to a patisserie here and pretend it's the same 😎🤣
Ok :)))
👌
:))
Looks like this was the sweetest day. I'm really hungry now :))
I can't believe we didn't buy any! 🙃😱🤣
Ok :))
The pastries sure look appetizing. When we are traveling or on holidays and encountered problems, it is great if the locals are so helpful. While I was in Moscow, the locals were very helpful when I asked for directions. I wish there were English signboards especially in train stations.
Difficult for me to control my appetite. Just Kidding.
Great Post.
I Resteem to make this post trending.
Me too, @abdullahjan! Luckily it was morning and such sweet stuff is not appealing to my morning tastebuds. Thank you for resteeming - I appreciate your support. I see you're relatively new here - welcome to Steemit! 😊😊
Thank you for your reply.
You're welcome 😊😊
Seems like a tasty trip:)
Oh, did that come through? 😉 Just wait until the wedding stories....
Thanks for stopping in! Much appreciated. 😊😊
thanks for sharing your fabulous traveling and experiences!
And thank you for your kind words 😊😊
Mouth watering pastry
Indeed, @chandankumar007, now my tastebuds are wishing we had bought some! Will have to go back 😜😜
keep moving n clicking pics and show us the world unleashed ur way . nice post superb pics, go on sing on.
Thank you for stopping in, @sunrays! 😊😊
Great
Thank you for stopping in, @mjaouich! Much appreciated 😊
Please follow me my steemians friends beacause my followers are less than 1000
i gave always responce on your post
https://steemit.com/@sona4ajay
Good share for learning! Up voted
thanks for the information. what your news is useful for us all ..
Thank you, @stiuly - I suspect the most valuable thing I shared today was to ask for Mr GPS in the fnac if you can't find the regional trains in the Gare du Nord! 😜😜
EXCELLENT !!! beautiful pics + O Yea, beautiful girls (Van Halen ref.) AND a Tim, very cool !
Glad you liked 'em! And a Van Wailin' fan, eh? Eddie forever!
OMG your an axeman fan too ..DROOL !! Ya, I have seen Eddie live at least 20 times .. That is kind of odd that I mentioned Van Halen twice in one day, I think it is your spirit showing through .. reminds me of much better days... you were right btw, ... a connection ... "Strange days indeed"
My first husband was a guitarist, and it turns out so is Tim, and although I can't even read music, I love electric guitar. Only saw Van Halen once, in Montreal easily 30 years ago, when David Lee Roth was still fronting them. What's not to love about Eddie's pickin'?