the accidental tourist in Paris

What a comedy of errors - in the last 24 hours, I think I managed to miss every form of transportation. First, I was so relaxed on a permanently full stomach that I thought my flight
home was today - close, but no banana. So Plan B: find another flight, but I missed booking today's flight by 5 minutes! Plan C: lets try the coach. Up before dawn to catch the first train to Victoria Station, too slow on the button and missed getting off at Clapham Junction, so on to Waterloo, onto a city bus to get to Victoria finally, where I wait in interminable line-up for a ticket to (Strasbourg - no, Brussels - no, Luxembourg - no) Paris. Dash across Departures to try for the 8AM ... but check-in is already shuttered. Dozed off and ended up 5th on the stand-by list for the 10AM - last one aboard! *phew*

Onward to the ferry, well I suspect we missed one because of the thorough border crossing guards hauling off a couple of my fellow passengers, but at least I finally got to see the white cliffs of Dover and ride the Pride of Canterbury.

Across the channel and off to Paris! Dark by the time I reach Gallieni, onto the Metro, quick connection at Place de la Republique and out at Gare de l'Est ... only to miss last train going anywhere near Germany for the day by 20 min. drat. Half an hour re-learning enough french to find the closest youth hostel, and here I am strolling the streets of Paris with my camera on almost New Years Eve!

Paris is peeling façades and dirt-crusted sidewalks. It's also the City of Lights, alive with neon, pedestrians and bikes, even at night in the middle of winter.
Plan A would have been boring. This bodes well for 2008, the Year of the Mini-break.