Bonjour!

The start of Easter Break began with a (long) bus ride from Leicester to Boulogne sur-mer in the north west coast of France. The most interesting part of the trip was the way in which we crossed the ocean to France. I have taken the Chunnel before on a train, but I had never thought about how a bus would make the journey. That question was soon answered as the bus drove into a train cargo case and then sat the remainder the journey enclosed in this space as it crossed thought the Chunnel. If you happened to be claustrophobic, this would not be the place for you. After about 20 minutes we were in France and greeted by the overwhelming but exciting feeling of knowing nothing about the city you stepped into or where to go. Armed with a ague google maps and a very (very) basic recollection of high school French we asked for directions and found our way to our hotel. The town of Boulogne was under Roman occupation at one point during its history and a large castle remain and belly tower still exists from the 12th century. It was a little too cold to enjoy the beach, but there was a large marina and lighthouse that sat alongside a sandy waterfront. The apartments were a mosaic of beiges an light pastels, half worn down and half eclipsed by the more up to date cages and restaurants below them.

Two days were spent there and then on to Paris. We got in at a decent hour and were able to take the metro to our hostel in caulaincourt, near the Lamarck station. The area is about five minutes from the scare coeur and nearby a metro to take you into the heart of Paris. We chose to walk the first day, and spent 2 hours wandering into city centre while admiring the scare coeur, moulin rouge, place de Madeline and the outside of the louvre along the way. There we met up with a friend from school and had lunch, then off to noted dame and the gardens behind it and finally the Latin quarter (filled with brightly coloured restaurants and inviting windows of cured meat, Payaya, and spices).

The row upon row of faded beige apartments and black balcony railings that line the roads seem to lead to endless streets filled with people and things to look at. Let's hope my feet can keep up!