Trip - London-Paris-Marseille

I'm back! I had a great time on my trip, but I'm VERY happy to be back in England! There's so much to say that I can't cover it in this blog, but feel free to email me if you'd like to know more. Here's a brief overview:



I took the Eurostar train from London to Paris. It was my first time going under the channel, and my first time on a high-speed train -- this one went 180 mph, which was very neat! I walked a couple miles through Paris (mostly along the Seinne) from Paris Nord to Gare de Lyon station. I took a very fast TGV train (200+ mph!) from Paris through Lyon and eventually to Marseille. The train system in France is excellent - better than the UK's, and really puts Italy's to shame - more on that later.

After stepping off the train in Marseille I was immediately hit by the humid air there. The dewpoint was probably 15-20F higher than in Paris a couple hours earlier. Marseille is right on the Mediterranean. Thus, it has a much different climate and character than northern France, including Paris.

I liked Marseille a lot. It was dirty, run-down, and full of homeless people, but it had a certain charm. Though many of the buildings had a similar architecture to those in Paris, it had a much more Spanish/Mediterranean look. If I didn't know better, I might've thought I was in Barcelona.

I found a hotel early (9pm), which gave me some time to explore the city, especially down by the port. The city was full of life. I went to a run-down fast food shop and got some of the best chicken nuggets and THE best fries I've ever had! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all, they're called French fries.

Though there were a lot of thugs around, the people did not seem unfriendly, and they spoke surprisingly good English.

posted by Matt @ 8:03 PM