The Paris Blitz

Apparently a flight from London to Krakow cost more than taking a train from London to Paris, then taking a bus from Paris to Beauvais Airport and a flight from Beauvais Airport to Krakow put together. Being college students on a budget, we chose the second option – what’s a bit of a detour if it means saving a tidy amount of £££?

Famous last words.

Leg 1: From London to Paris via Eurostar

Because of the bad weather conditions (i.e. snow, snow and more snow… what’s new) our train was delayed by almost an hour – and of course every. single. minute. was crucial when you were on a mission to navigate the Parisian Metro, catch a bus to a suburb you’ve never heard of, and a plane out of the country… all based on skimpy knowledge of all things French.

The Eurostar pulled up at Gare du Nord in Paris with 35 minutes for us (down from a comfortable hour and half) to get from one corner of Paris to another, with no prior experience of how the Parisian public transport system worked. Cue Amazing Race theme music.

Leg 2: Gare du Nord to Porte Maillot via the Parisian Metro

We ran and ran, caught the first train, got out, ran more, caught a transfer, exited, and ran and ran more. If either of us faltered (mainly me – if you knew me you would know that I cannot run to save my life) we would miss our bus to Beauvais Airport. And the next bus wouldn’t come for hours, so missing it would by extension mean missing our flight to Krakow. Very Amazing Race-esque, just that the only competition threatening to cut us short was Time.

But we managed to catch the bus at Porte Maillot with a couple of minutes to spare! I’m happy to report that Leg 3: Porte Maillot to Beauvais Airport was therefore relatively uneventful and not at all nerve-wrecking.

Then we reached Beauvais Airport, which was covered in a monster doona of white snow.. which meant that our flight had been delayed. But we didn’t care. We were exhausted from all the running and worrying but we had made it!

Leg 4: Beauvais Airport to Krakow

This leg suffered a delay to the value of 3 or 4 hours, so we were stuck at the little French budget airport with no entertainment (think no shopping, no internet, no cafes) whatsoever for that period of time. But this being the last leg, the delay was bearable, because we no longer had to fret over missing anything else.

Victory for the penny-pinching college kids!

Would I put myself through this adventure again though…? Absolutely not. It was one hell of a nerve-wrecking experience, and I am so not cut out for worrying, frantic running, or the Amazing Race. One epic story is enough for me. :)

Sneak preview

14 flights, 14 cities, 10 countries, and a supermassive 21st - my summer break 2010/11 has been nothing short of amazing, and I think that it’s only fair that I share the experiences that I have been afforded. Here’s a preview of my summer itinerary before I embark on this little project of chronicling my exploits proper:

• 16/11/2010: Sydney, AU to Singapore
• 17/11/2010 - 25/11/2010: Kuala Lumpur & Penang, MY
• 10/12/2010 - 15/12/2010: London, UK
• 16/12/2010 - 17/12/2010: Berlin, DE
• 18/12/2010 - 22/12/2010: Krakow, PL (with a little blitz through Paris)
• 23/12/2010 - 26/12/2010: Prague, CZ
• 27/12/2010 - 29/12/2010: Back in London
• 30/12/2010 - 02/01/2011: Back in Singapore
• 02/01/2011 - 19/02/2011: Central Java, IN
• 19/02/2011 - 27/02/2011: Back in Singapore
• 27/02/2011: Singapore to Sydney

Stay tuned!