The drinking started early. Niraj and I arrived at St. Pancras around 6pm. Our train was at 7.30. We decided to kill time at the St. Pancras Grand Champagne Bar - the longest bar in Europe! We confidently strode up to the bar and asked for the menu. Then in a moment of fiscal cowardice, we put down the menu and sneaked off before the waiter turned around. We finally ended up at a Carluccios and ordered a bottle of crisp Mediterranean vino-blanco while we waited for Rups to turn up.
Anyhow, to cut a long story short, I can proudly say that I have gotten drunk UNDER the English Channel. Then we had some €10 pints outside Paris Gare du Nord while waiting for Anita (who, incidentally, missed her train and sweet-talked her way onto the next one). We somehow got the taxi to take us to our hostel at Les Gobelins, checked in, and landed-up at the drinking holes of the student-oriented Latin Quarter.
The rest of the evenings events are hard to recall. But there was an Iranian who claimed to be racist against Americans. There was a Bangladeshi bar-tender serving up shots the size of beer cans. And there was the Afghan - who wanted to get to Republique -- but I think I sent him to the Louvre instead (while thinking that I was directing him to the Arc du Triomphe). And there was the incident at the entrance to the Paris Metro, involving Niraj, me, some bad advice, and the after effects of heavy drinking (let your imaginations run wild). Niraj and Rupak keep saying that we saw the Notre Dame at night, but I cannot recall that. Oh, and I think someone fell of their bunk bed that night because they thought their arms were made of rubber.
The next day was a write off. We were all badly hung-over, desperately looking for food. We hiked from Les Gobelins all the way to the Louvre. That was a good 2 or 3 hour walk. Saw lots of interesting sights on the way, including the magnificient Paris Observatory (see picture). The Louvre itself was beautiful (didn't go inside). Then after an average lunch we went back to the hostel and slept :)
We spent that evening at a restaurant in the natural history museum (I think it was called 'Man' or 'Le Homme' or something similar). We sat on the balcony overlooking the Eiffel tower and the Seine. This was inside the Paris Trocadero. Fantastic setting. And awesome risotto!
Apparently the wine was good too, but I was in no condition to drink after the previous night's bender. Then we walked to the Arc at midnight, around Place Charles De Gaulle and down the modern glitzy Champ De Elysee. To my great irritation, we ended up at a loud and dingy Irish pub. Why would you go to an Irish pub in Paris?? But I managed to get us out of there, and we spent the rest of the night at a hip and upmarket bar in St. Germain. The drinks look good, but I was still nursing a hangover!
The views from Sacre Coeur and French Onion Soup at Montmartre were to die for! People watching in the Bastille with cheap drinks was also quite an experience. It was a good last day of a fun trip! I have to say, overall, I was a little disappointed. Paris didn't thrill or wow me as much as I had expected. I guess the hype around Paris is its undoing. But the trip was fun, thanks to my friends.
