Dear Liza,
After a very full three days in Utrecht, with more adventures than I had time or space to tell (I will save those for a slow day sometime in the future), we caught the TGV (train grand vitesse, or Very Fast Train) south to Paris.
We needed to take the regional train back to Amsterdam to switch to the TGV for Paris. We had some time to play with, so we stepped out of the station to find some pastries. I’ll tell you, in Europe, train stations are like cathedrals!! Have a look.
Our trip to Paris took a few hours longer than planned, however, because of a back-up of train traffic. I thought it was because of the general strikes that have been happening in France, but the official story is that there was a wire that got damaged somehow. Whatever the reason, we had time to get to know some of our fellow passengers. Thanks, everyone, for making a long trip fun!
We took the number 4 Metro from Gare du Nord to the St. Germain de Prés neighborhood and walked just a few blocks to the Crystal Hotel. The lobby is very stylish, with this horseback warrior woman keeping us safe. Tristan checked us into our small but comfy room.
We were hungry and tired. Our old favorite place from long ago visits, Le Café de Beaux Arts, is just down the block. French Onion soup and a few glasses of wine put us right.
Auntie Bridgett’s new traveling buddy, Miffy, got into the act as well. Miffy is the creation of Utrecht designer Dick Bruna and is exactly as old as Grandpa Nelson, being created in 1955. She is now world-famous, fits in a pocket, and is fun to pose.
Once we were fed, we realized how tired we were, strolled back to the hotel, and crashed. Exploring Paris would have to wait for tomorrow.
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 