We decided to escape the height of Mumbai summer to explore the delights of Europe.After an uneventful journey to Frankfurt,we were met by my brother who drove us to Stuttgart in his BMW.The lush green environs were a soothing balm to our eyes after the heat and dust of the Mumbai summer! The long drive had thick woods on one side and yellow mustard fields on the other.Clean roads with only vehicles zooming past were marked by the absence of the teeming millions we are used to in amchi Mumbai! We reached his beautiful house,had lunch,caught up with family news and retired for the night.We left at midnight to catch a 2 am train to Paris.The indicator did not announce the platform number of our train,so we waited outside the platforms.At 1.50 am the number appeared.As we had a first class pass,we had to run with our luggage to the other end of the platform! We managed to board it and settled for a night's slumber on very comfortable beds in a lovely cabin.We reached Paris in the morning.On getting off the Paris Est station,we took an underground to Gare du Nord,the north station.There we had to board yet another train to Gare du Lyon which was walking distance from the hotel.Well ,we reached Gare du Lyon in no time,but were foxed by the various boards.We looked for exit but were confronted by 'sorties'.We later realised that is the French word for exit!After going round and round in circles,we sought the help of a gentleman who seemed to be heading for work.He very kindly took the address of my hotel and asked several people in French for directions.He then guided us and went on his way.We came out of the station and headed in the direction he pointed.We found we were not on the road to the hotel.There are maps everywhere on the street.We figured out we were on the opposite side of the station and so we headed the other way.After 2 full hours we were still looking for our elusive hotel,dragging our luggage with us.We then called the hotel and asked for directions.We were told we had gone very far from the hotel and we needed to catch a bus to come back there!We could not imagine clambering into a bus with all that luggage so we walked the 2kms. and somehow reached the hotel!After a little rest we set off for the station again,this time to go to the Louvre.We realised then that Gare du Lyon is circular and we need to know the proper exit to reach our destination.Handicapped with not knowing the local language,not knowing the layout of the city,made travelling in Paris a nightmare!We spent more time going up and down stations than sightseeing! We managed to reach the Louvre and were simply overawed by the beautiful sculptures and awesome paintings.We took photographs of the lovely exhibits and as closing time neared,we were herded out of the museum.From there we walked down the famed Champs-Élysées and reached the Arc de Triomphe. By then,the soles of our feet had worn out,so we got to the nearest station and headed for our hotel.After a good night's rest, we set off for the Chateu de Versailles. As it is way out of Paris,we had to take a train to the station Versailles.We reached the palace and found a long winding queue,the likes of which I have never seen in Mumbai.Stood in line for an hour in poring rain and biting cold! I made friends with a Gujarati family standing ahead of me.I learnt from them that the queue was for entrance to the palace but the ticket queue was elsewhere! So my husband and son charged off to the ticket counter ,where the queue was also very long.They stood for a long time and as they came near the counter they realised that was the washroom queue!They were directed further for the tickets and fortunately they did not have to wait long.Armed with the tickets they faced the daunting task of locating me in the sea of humanity.After a 2-hr wait,numb with cold,we finally entered the palace.A huge,gorgeous monument with beautiful sculptures,paintings and exquisite furniture and artefacts made the long wait worth the while. Wandering through room after room of the rich palace,we finally made it to the lovely gardens with their delightful fountains.We then moved towards the Eiffel Tower,which is best seen when illuminated at night. As the online bookings were closed ,we had to brave the queue once again.After buying our tickets we waited in line for the elevator which takes you to the top.It was a splendid sight from the top as the whole of Paris glittered like a shawl of diamonds.It was indeed breath-taking! By the time we made our way back to the hotel it was past midnight,Exhausted,we went to bed to wake up early to catch our train back to Stuttgart.Travelling by the high speed TGV train was a great experience.Once we left the outskirts of Paris,the train picked up speed and we travelled at 320 km/hr as indicated on the monitor above us! It was thrilling to travel at that speed and we reached our destination in just 31/2 hours! What an unforgettable ride that was!
