I know what your thinking, what have we done to deserve more nonsense and blabbering crap so quickly after the Piraeus, Hydra and Athens update. Well it was anniversary and our weekend in Paris to watch Imagine Dragons. So lets begin this update the day of our anniversary as not much really happened up until then, it was your usual run of the mill couple of weeks.
OH....apart from drinking steins outside our local brewhouse. CHEERS!
It's 4pm, Thursday 3rd July. I've had a table booked for our 1st anniversary since March and it's a total secret to Sian that we're going somewhere for a meal. Sian had been saying due us traveling the day after our anniversary that we'd just have fish & chips from a new chip shop that has just opened by us, that sounded great to me but the surprise is going to be so much better just to see Sian's face.
Now lets go back one day to Wednesday 2nd July and French air traffic control decided to go on strike on 3rd and 4th July, not a problem, only a certain percentage of flights were going to be cancelled so don't panic.
Now back to 4pm 3rd July, our flight gets cancelled.......SHIT! This news comes 3 hours before our meal. I tell Sian about the surprise meal and she's so excited, then i get the laptop out and explain our flight is cancelled......we both agree, lets not stress about it, we'll get there, so that's what we do, we stay calm, it's out of our hands and we need to transfer on to different flights.
I get straight on it and rearrange out flights so we land in Paris at 9am on the 5th July. This we don't see to much of an upset as we were arriving in Paris originally 7pm on the 4th July which means we only missed out on 4 or 5 hours of that evening which would only have been in our local bar Indiana, we're happy with the alternate flight......BUT......it's from Birmingham and we were due to fly out of Bristol, BUGGER!
Now i have to book a hotel for the 4th till 5th in Birmingham Airport and get coach tickets to there. After a bit of searching and back and forth i got it all sorted and Easyjet will be paying for it all, YAY!
Time to chill with a perfect meal and bubbly.
I had pork cooked 3 ways, with scallops with mash and crackling, SSSssssooooooooo good.
Sian had Scallop and king prawn linguini, now that's a good tasting dish, mmmmmmm.
We head home stuffed and excited, for tomorrow we start our Paris adventure....all be it with a diversion to Birmingham airport.
4th July ~ Original departure day.
We wake up and the first thing we say is "We should be heading to Paris today but now it's Birmingham BBBOOOOOO!"
That's ok, we have a night away all expenses paid by Easyjet. We get to Birmingham airport, check in to hotel at 1pm and have a wander around Birmingham airport. This airport brings back disturbing memories for me after flying back from Tenerife in to it back in the 90's and then being stripped searched but i was found to be free of anything illegal, it must have been the long hair rocker look that sparked their interest OR they just liked the look of my bum and wanted to see more, who knows.
Now then, we love Birmingham, that's why we've gone there so many times but the airport.....WHAT A DUMP! Of all the airports we have flown from this is the worst and that includes Dinard Airport in France that has just one baggage belt that's only 10 foot long and one security check gate for all passengers. It is being refurbed, i get that but there's just something about it that screamed "Grubby and Smelly" we did not like it at all and we've already said would never fly from there again no matter what the bargain price may be.
After walking around hell on earth we headed back to the hotel and there were just loads of people staying there who had flown in for the Ozzy & Black Sabbath concert, there were so many nationalities staying in our hotel all there just for the concert. It was a great atmosphere.
The view of the runway from our room.
Our first beers of the holiday in the hotels bar, CHEERS!
The change of airport was worth it just for the walk we had around the airport perimeter and to the end of the runway to watch the planes coming in, 3 landings had to be aborted which was great to watch but not so great for the passengers on board.
We spent a good hour just watching the planes while being out in the sun which was so nice. Due to being up at 4am we decide it's time for a beer and order our food for a bed picnic.
Easyjet won't pay for beers Booooooo! But they'll buy our bed picnic, YAY!
5th July ~ Time for Paris
I set my alarm for 4am, no bags to drop off, flight is boarding 5.30am and our hotel is literally directly across the road from airport entrance. We can be ready by 4.30am, security usually 15 mins to get through so we'd be departure side easily by 5am ready for when gates called.....WRONG!
What a shit show Birmingham airport security is. It was 4 lanes through gates and an express gate. The 4 gate lanes then merge in to 2 lanes that merge in to 1 lane that splits in to left and right side of security. We chose left side.......WRONG! What was happening with our side was they didn't have a separate conveyer at security for fast track passengers so they were stopping the normal passengers to allow the fast track first but the longer we stood there the more the fast track passengers kept coming and our time was ticking down. We had 50mins until our flight was taking off and we were maybe 20th in our queue waiting to get bags x~rayed and the fast track passengers just kept coming, now we start to panic. No airport staff to be found until one guy turns up just in time, i explain our situation and he lets us through, PHEW! We've made it. We had stood in that queue for almost 45 mins and we still weren't at the front of the queue, that's just nuts. Time to get this holiday started.
We land at CDG airport and this time the entrance security section is mayhem, it's just a sea of people waiting, can't even see the passport security gates we're that far away and so many people. This was just another problem that was out of our control but because of the strikes the 2 days before the passengers arriving were on mass all day from first thing in the morning which made security take so long. This time security took us over an hour, good job we didn't have to wait for baggage as they were just pilling up around the carousels. What else could go wrong. We've had the flight cancelled, almost missed second flight due to crap security at Birmingham and now had to wait over an hour to get in to Paris but we're here.
Midday on a Saturday, how great is that?
We needed that. It's quite warm and we've been on the move since 4.30am with a little bit of stress at both security in UK and France to add in to the mix but it's time to check in. We've stayed at this hotel in 2023 it's got great rooms and it's in an ideal location for all we need.
As we walk in to reception we can see it's a little bit manic in there with a school trip trying to get checked in early and wanting the rooms all on one floor so of course this was just mayhem for the reception staff. We have early check in and approach reception confidently. I've asked for a room on the 8th floor where we stayed on our last visit, the room is ready.......Oh.......there's a problem........Booking.com has cancelled your room......WHAT THE F**K! I'm trying to stay calm but the receptionist is being very rude while i'm trying to show him my booking confirmation, my payment confirmation and my bank card charge to prove i have not cancelled the room and it has been paid for. The reason for his rudeness i figure out is due to stress from the school trip, the yuffs are playing around making lots of noise, the teachers are coming up every 10 mins asking are rooms ready when check in is actually 3pm and now he's trying to sort my mess out with booking. He has to call them and then phone is on hold, over and over and over and over. An hour later he gets through and the issue is sorted but not explained properly to me, at this point i really don't care, we're in Paris and in our room......lets get the f**k out for a drink, PLEASE!
Bags in, quick freshen up and change and out we go to the metro to Notre Dame.
HELLO PARIS! WE'RE HERE!
We've had flights cancelled, stressful hours, room cancelled but that all just fades away in the Paris sunshine and with a trip to our Paris central local "The Great Canadian". We've missed you.
We order a few beers and just chill, it's all been worth it....although....what's going on with this music? Every time we've been to Great Canadian no matter what time of day the music was either rock or 80's and we'd sit there quite happy just necking beer and shots, today it was some euro rap shit. I can't sit somewhere if the music is rubbish and i think Sian is along the same lines. You wouldn't sit in a bar showing sports if you didn't like sports would you? It's ok, we have other bars we need to visit so after 2 pints we head off to The Highlander.
The Highlander is known for good music and the last time we were in there it was all AC/DC, Metallica etc, we're in good hands here. OH, it's silent, no music on at all, just weird. We go in order our pints and shots and sit. This just feels odd sitting in a rock bar in silence with a few other people. I ask the bar person could he put the music on which he does......Beyonce, song after song it's just her, have we fallen in to a different universe where the bars now just all play shit music? We drink up and head off to a new rock bar i've found.
Does this bar look like a Beyonce bar? We needed those shots just to make our ears numb. €10 for a pint and shot (£8.70), great price but shame about the music and stinky smelly toilets.
A couple of hours out, a bar crawl included and quite a few beers sunk we head back to the hotel as we don't want sore heads for tomorrow as it's IMAGINE DRAGONS DAY, We're so excited for this.
Sixth July (The number six doesn't work on laptop) ~ Imagine Dragons Day
We wake up all excited only to draw back the curtains and it's torrential rain and dark black clouds, BUGGER!
Now then, this is a first for us. On all the vacations we have been on through out our time together we have never had bad weather that has kept us in our room at any point in time of the day, we've seen hardly any rain anywhere we have been in the world and our plans have always gone ahead and never ditched a plan. So this is the first day we've been saying "What now?" We're not people who just want to sit in one bar all day. We waited for the slightest break in the rain and made a dash for it to Starbucks and to the supermarket.
After our coffee and collected our weather supplies we head back to our room and to "Paris Fashion Week".
There is no way we're missing the concert and there is no way we're standing outdoors in the Stade de France getting soaked and freezing our butts off, it's time to design our weather outfits.
"Kevin is sporting the "OOOOoooooo Cheeky la la" look with fitted plastic bin bag t~shirt and foot bags.
Sian is rocking the "CoCo OhNo Bagnel" Summer rain collection, The bobble bag hat, with plastic mini dress and fitted shoe preservers.
After killing a few hours in the fashion world the clouds start to break and we can walk out in to the brighter evening and make our way to Stade de France without having to wear our weather fashion designs, awwwww!
2 years ago we were on this very platform making our way to the Stade again for the Depeche Mode concert.
Sian in mid song
We get closer and before we head through our gate it's the usual concert selfie.
Where are all the crowds, i thought it was a sell out?
We were stood not to far away from where we were at the Depeche concert but the sound wasn't great. Depeche was clear and loud, Dragons was muffled and echoed bouncing around the stadium which didn't sound good.
Depeche concert stage was high so everyone stood anywhere no matter what your height could see them, Dragons stage is lower as Dan likes to be closer to the fans so we only got to see them on the screens.
Still, the concert was amazing, no complaints about he band and we sang as loud and proud as we could and our legs were sore from dancing. We do let ourselves go when we go away or to concerts.
Sian singing the night away
At this point we're leaving among the masses and i, the idiot that i am, do my wandering act thinking i know where Sian is.....WRONG! I try to find Sian by where we left the pitch but can't see her so think to myself she'll be at the gate we came in through....WRONG! I try to go back in and told i'm not allowed and have to wait at gate. What i haven't told you is we agreed Sian would leave her phone in the room, i had all the cards and travel tickets, Sian had nothing at all on her. I'M SUCH A F**KING IDIOT, WHY DO I WANDER? As the time is going on my anxiety is starting to build and build until it snaps and i'm freaking out, I'm so worried for Sian being alone with no money, cards, travel or phone and thousands of people are streaming past me. I have this habit from my anxiety that i rub my forehead as the stress builds and as it builds the rubbing gets more fierce. As i stand by the gate the last people pass me and the stadium is completely empty, i ask a security guard and plead with him to let me back in and he does. As i wander helpless, feeling that i've let Sian down i hear Sian call me and i walk towards her and just break down in tears just to know she's ok, in fact she's as calm as you like while i'm a blubbering mess. I really don't cope well if i lose Sian for more than a few minutes as it's happened before, STUPID ANXIETY! I calm down and then the my anxiety builds again as we reach the hundreds waiting for the metro. We get on the metro and head for the Temple Rock Tavern, THANK GOD!
Just a little note here, lots of pints and not many wee's equals bursting at a metro station with no toilets, not a good situation to be in but i didn't wee myself, we sorted it.
In to the rock tavern and the band played on. I order 2 beers of the same we had the day before and hand over €20...."Thats not enough" the bar man says, €27.90 for 2 beers tonight, £12.15 a pint, I'VE BEEN ROBBED! The most expensive pint we've bought anywhere in the world, even more expensive than Montreux, Switzerland and it's in a rock bar not even an up market bar. We sang along and i ended up singing so loud i think i may have been louder than the band and this song was Rage Against the Machine ~ "Killing in the name of", i think that all the stress and pressure over the past few days just needed a release and i let go at the concert and at the tavern and that song is my "Vent your spleen" song, it was such a good night i wanted to do it all again apart from the anxiety part from me being a dickhead wandering off.......ah yes.....our night wasn't over and this was now 2.30am.
Quite a good band.
We leave the Temple Rock Tavern and the band finished their second set and head to the nearest metro....Oh...it's closed. Ah well, must be because it's a minor station, we'll head to Notre Dame which isn't far away.
Oh, it's closed. Now this is a problem. Even though our metro stop is only 2 stops away its quite a trek through paris to get to it, i think walking it would be 90 mins, in the dark in areas we don't know. We pop in to a hotel and he directs us to a taxi rank. We ask for the taxi and the driver tells us to get an Uber? No we want to hire your cab and this is a taxi rank. No, get an Uber he says again. This continues for a few minutes until he takes us. I still don't understand that exchange but we made it home at 3am.
It's been a long long day but an amazing one.
7th July ~ Do anything Day
OH, SHIT, BUGGER, F**K, BALLS, it's dark black clouds and torrential rain again. We're not staying in all day so lets go for a coffee locally to Starbucks. The rain stops we head out and the wind and rain starts up again. We're pinned against a building staying dry for at least 15~20 mins until the wind dies down and rain is light enough to get to the coffee shop without getting soaked, WHAT IS GOING ON! It was heatwave the day we were meant to be arriving now it's monsoon season.
We have our coffee and head back to room until about pm when it all stops and the sun tries to break through so we decide to head to the Trocodero to see the Eiffel Tower light up at dusk and to see the Olympic hot air balloon in Tuileries Garden. We get to the Eiffel Tower area for 7pm and walk over to the Trocodero to be there for 8pm. The Eiffel tower lights up on the hour from dusk for just 5mins every hour. So we wait and wait and wait take pictures and wait and give up, no lights.
It's a bit windy don't you know.
Always take my UK Foo Fighters t~shirt to wear at cities landmarks.
Our lovely beers.
We go back for 9pm to see if the tower lights up and nothing so we head over to see the Olympic Balloon lift up at sunset.
As we're walking to the Garden about 9.30pm the tower lights up, BLOODY TYPICAL!
We get to the view point and the balloon just starts to ascend.
And going......
It's going.....
This is no lie, it took 15 mins just to go about 15 feet. The balloon itself looks impressive...the spectacle wasn't but glad we saw the balloon.
It's now dark and we haven't eaten today but also need our farewell beer in Indiana, our local local.
We wake and it's sunny, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Flight isn't until early evening so we decide to spend our last few hours in Great Canadian and to have our lunch there and what a great refreshing lunch.
As we sit in the airport having our last beers we reflect on our vacation. Never had to deal with bad weather before so we weren't prepared for that, it's the start of July for gods sake and didn't know what to do as we hardly ever spend time in our room no matter where we go apart from to sleep and shower in it, we're always out doing things. We did make the most of the 3 good evenings and 1 good day though and used every hour we could and those times were brilliant, we loved them. We only lost a few hours from the flight cancellation and 2 daytimes because of the monsoon so i think we actually did pretty good AND we had so many hurdles we had to get over this vacation as never had one single problem ever before so i guess we were due some bad luck at some point, just shame we had quite a bit of bad luck in one vacation. It didn't spoil our vacation it was just frustrating to us and if it were to happen again we are now prepared on what we have to do just in case of bad weather.
Just to add, we'd prefer to be anywhere in the world we've visited in the rain than in the UK on it's best weather day.
And this is my present from Sian for being a good boy. Sian has being trying for ages to get me some Crown Royale as its hard to come by in the UK, it's Canadian.
So what next? Well no trips abroad as yet but a few visits around the UK including 2 weekends to London for Coldplay and Lady GaGa. There will be another update before those trips so keep reading folks.
Serve All, Love All, Peace All.......Kevlar, Mrs.P. and Squidly Out!
