Paris!

Aboard Coach 12 of the Eurostar for Paris.

We had an earlier breakfast than usual at the Clink this morning in London so that we could check out and make our way the from our hostel to the St. Pancras International Rail Terminal. It's bad enough negotiating busy city sidewalks as a large group let alone when we are dragging all our luggage with us. I know that I joke a bit too much about feeling like a Pied Piper leading a line of ducklings through an unfamiliar city. It is not fair to keep saying that, though. First, it is an unfortunate mixed metaphor (we do remind me of a line of ducklings making its way to the water, but my students are certainly not rats and hopefully I am not leading them to destruction!). Second, I have not had a much better group than this one. They all cooperate and follow direction well and in a (mostly) timely manner.

Anyway, we got to the station, checked in, cleared security and immigration, and were on the train not long afterwards. The Eurostar is fast, and of course it is fun that if goes through the "Chunnel" under the English Channel. We left London at 9:24 and pulled into Paris' Gare du Nord at 12:56, right on time.

We made our way to the hotel (yes, a hotel this time, with actual private bathrooms!) with only one mishap (on my part actually . . . so worried about getting all of my charges and their belongings of the train *I* actually left one on the car). After time to settle in and get some food, we went down for a short "orientation tour," stopping at some iconic sites for a little background, some group, pictures, and some ideas of how to visit them more thoroughly during free time tomorrow.

First thing in the morning, our first session in the Louvre!