A Plane, a Train, and a Run: SQ A380 Economy CDG-SIN, KL 737 LHR-AMS, Thalys etc

[yflyer]

I spent the day at work in an office in Utrecht, just 45 minutes away, and linked to Amsterdam by a 10 lane highway. On the drive to Utrecht, I passed modern windmills…



…as well as a surprising number of traditional windmills, although I’m not sure whether those were still in use, or were just there for tourists or historical reasons…



I did not get to see the old town in Utrecht this time round, but at least I got to eat a Dutch speciality in the workplace cafeteria: which was a raw beef sandwich…



This was quite delicious…

[yflyer]

Then it was off to Amsterdam Central Station for my Thalys train ride to Paris.

When planning this trip, I had asked myself: should I fly or take the train?

My colleagues chose to fly to Paris…the AMS-CDG sector is just over an hour long by plane. My train ride was just over 3 hours. But once you factor in security and check-in time, the difference between flying and high speed train is almost negligible.

I chose the Thalys high speed train service, and did not regret it.

Central Station is right in the heart of Amsterdam, and I got to spend a little time in the city centre before my train.

Central Station is the beautiful orange coloured building to the left of the next picture.



A picturesque station, right by the canals of Amsterdam.

I sat down for a beer and a snack at a nearby restaurant, before taking a leisurely walk back to the station to board my train.



“…your presence on the Thalys platform is mandatory at least 2 minutes before the train’s departure.”, my e-ticket stated. 2 minutes! For someone used to getting to airports way in advance to meet check-in, security and gate cut-off timings, this seemed to be cutting it ludicrously close.

But that just illustrated the convenience of train travel within Europe, which also had the advantage of not requiring immigration checks, as it was all within the Schengen zone.



My 7.17pm departure from Amsterdam would get me into Paris Nord station at 10.35pm. Just over three hours. A great way to travel between Amsterdam and Paris! Much more convenient than flying, I think. Booking my Thalys ticket was easy as well. All done online, paid by credit card, with an e-ticket via email.

[yflyer]

My coach-class carriage was laid out in a comfortable 2-2. Like most train carriages, seats in one half of the cabin faced one directon, and those in the other half faced the other. There was a table in the center of the carriage with facing seats – those were very desirable seats if you were travelling in a party of four.



This train was fairly full, but it was spacious and comfortable. Each seat had a fold out tray table and power socket so it was possible to work on a computer during the full ride. Wifi was also available for some ticket classes, although coverage and bandwidth were iffy.



Incidentally, this was the same Thalys train route where a recent lone terrorist attack was foiled by the heroic efforts of 3 Americans and a Briton, who subsequently were awarded the French Legion of Honor. More on that here (Link clicks through to the NYT).

We arrived on time at Paris Nord.



Verdict? High speed train is a brilliant way to travel within Europe. You have the TGV in France, the Eurostar between London and Paris / Belgium etc, and other services like Thalys connecting Amsterdam, Belgium and Paris.

If the schedule permitted it, I would be inclined to say that high-speed train was preferable to air travel for train journeys of duration 4 hours or less. You didn’t have the hassle of security, and there was something very pleasant about showing up at the platform just a few minutes before your schedule train timing, and also the fact that most train stations were right in the middle of the city.

[yflyer]

After a 15 minute wait in the long taxi line (The wait for an airport taxi would probably be the same, if not longer), I eventually got into a taxi for the 20 minute ride through night-time Paris to the Hyatt Regency Etoile.



Before checking in, I headed across the street for a late supper at the roadside café Tabac des Ternes, which was still open at 11pm that evening…my kind of city!



I sat outside, with a colleague, who had flown in by air an hour earlier, and ordered foie gras pate, which came with a glass of sauternes…



This was a humongous slab of foie gras pate, which I somehow managed to finish with the help of my friend, who had spent the last hour or so sitting at the table along the street, clearing his email and doing phone errands, while waiting for me to arrive. A wonderful way to spend the evening, he remarked.

[yflyer]

I checked into the Hyatt just after midnight, and requested a room with an Eiffel Tower view.



The rooms themselves are not large, but newly renovated and very comfortable.

[yflyer]

I opened the curtains, and was rewarded with a stunning vista of Paris, with a brightly illuminated Eiffel Tower clearly visible on the left of the window.



The view was even better the next morning, with the Eiffel Tower and historic city center on one side…



…and the skyscrapers of the modern Paris business district and La Defense on the right ...



A wonderful hotel, and one I would want to return to, whether on business or pleasure.

[yflyer]

One quirk about this hotel, which I had not experienced before, was the fact that there were no irons and ironing boards in the room. And when I called housekeeping to request that an iron and ironing board be brought up, the operator said “ Sir, we have an ironing room which is open 24 hours”. Wow…unexpected. Well I had a shirt to iron, so down the lift I went.



I had this vision of entering a vast, steam-filled space with housewives, businessmen and other guests ironing away, but in fact this was simply a regular hotel room converted into an ironing room, with just two ironing boards set up.



I did what I had to do with my shirt, then headed for breakfast…





The hotel buffet breakfast was decent, with both hot and cold selections, but nothing spectacular.

Here is a view of the hotel during day time.

[yflyer]

That evening, I had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant down the street from the Hyatt. The restaurant was named “Le Sud”, which served Provencale specialities, including fish, seafood and Aveyron suckling lamb.



This was a large, and beautiful restaurant, with warm, traditional décor and pastel colours, which seemed to suit the style of cuisine very well.





On the menu were a range of specialities from the South of France, such as rockfish soup, and Aveyron suckling lamb…





We began with a beautiful bottle of wine from the appellation of St Emilion, vintage 2009…not a label I had come across before, “Chapelle De la Trinite”, but a wonderful tasting wine.



I began with the sunblush tomato and buffalo mozarella cake, which I shared with a colleague…



…before moving on to a tasting platter of different cuts of Aveyron suckling lamb.



The lamb was amazing. Very tender, with a much more refined, and subtle flavour than lamb dishes I have had elsewhere.

[yflyer]

After dinner, we headed to the bar on the top floor of the Hyatt.



Nice views of the Eiffel Tower and surrounding area from the bar…



...the Eiffel Tower is beautifully lit at night, and there are occasional sparkling light shows on the tower itself.



Not a bad place to spend an evening, however I couldn't help thinking that, Eiffel Tower aside, the Paris cityscape was better viewed during daylight hours, or in the early evening, as the city is not garishly lit up at night like Shanghai or Hong Kong.

I think the panoromic dreamscape that is Paris is still better observed during the day, when the historic architecture, promenades and waterways lined with statues and monuments can be better appreciated.

[yflyer]

It was the last morning of my trip, just hours before my noon flight from Paris to Singapore, that I managed to squeeze in the one and only run of my trip.

During the week, my evenings were spent on planes and trains, and I was not able to indulge in my favourite activity: evening runs through different cities.

I awoke at 6.30 am that morning, and looked out of my hotel window. It was still dark, but I noticed that the streets were brightly lit. The Eiffel Tower looked invitingly close from my room window. I looked up Google Maps. It was just 2.8km away. If I headed out before 7am, I would have ample time to run there and back. The temperature was 10 degrees. Just about the low temp limit for a PT kit run…I changed up and was out the door by 6.55am...

The run took me along the many avenues that led to Arc de Triomphe…



…which was beautifully illuminated.



It was still dark then, but Paris was already buzzing with activity…

The sky got brigher by the time I got to the banks of the River Seine, where I continued my run towards the Eiffel Tower…



I was not the only person up early for a run…



First time I have ever stood under the Eiffel Tower without being surrounded by hoards of tourists, street vendors, and queues…




After a few moments under the Tower, I resumed my run, heading North past Trocadero, where several photographers had already set up their gear to take photos of the iconic Tower.



The Eiffel Tower was also a backdrop for a photo shoot, where a photographer was coaxing a model in a very revealing dress to perch precariously on the edge of a fountain, which looked to be the perfect angle for a shot with the Tower in the background…



I resisted the urge to linger around to see what she would change into (or out of…) next, and continued my run through the beautiful city…

Further on, numerous street vendors were already setting up their wares, in anticipation of the tsunami of tour buses and selfie-stick toting tourists that would show up soon at this mandatory photo stop on the tourist trail.



I chose a slightly different route back to the hotel, through a maze of densely built up Parisian boulevards…



They have really safeguarded their history and heritage here…I don’t think a lot has changed in Paris over the years, in terms of the beautiful buildings lining the narrow streets…



This was a memorable run through a beautiful city, one which is ideally laid out for exploration on foot…

I made several wrong turns along the way, but even those led to serendipitous discoveries, such as a market being set up for the day…



I ended my slow run back at the Hyatt just after 8am, well on track to check out and meet my colleague for breakfast before heading to the airport.

The map below shows the overall 7km route I took that morning – a magical dawn running or walking route that I would highly recommend if you are staying at either the Hyatt Regency Etoile, or Le Meridien just down the road from the Hyatt.

[yflyer]

Back at the hotel, I checked out and headed out to Avenue des Champs-Élysées for breakfast with my colleague.

My friend asked the taxi driver for café recommendations, and he suggested Laduree. Hmmm…probably a little touristy, and maybe a little too upmarket for my taste, but perhaps this was a good opportunity to taste the macaroons here, to see if they were different from those at the Laduree outlet in Singapore, which I had not tried before. (I didn’t have the heart to tell my friend or the taxi driver that Laduree had a branch back home as well…)





A beautifully laid out store.







The dining room…



An extensive, if pricey, breakfast selection…



My colleague ordered french toast…



…and I decided on “Benedictine” poached egg, Laduree style…



…which was reminiscent of Eggs Benedict you get in the USA or other countries, but quite different, and far superior, I thought…



…if not for my run earlier in the morning, I would have felt quite guilty after indulging in this creamy, cholesterol-laden treat.

[yflyer]

I headed immediately to CDG after breakfast, passing by this Concorde on display close to the airfield.



Charles De Gaulle Airport Terminal One is now bursting at the seams and operating at or beyond capacity, but the architecture is still quite unique and stunning.



In some ways, it is more interesting to pass through an iconic old terminal like this one, circular, with a central atrium criss-crossed with moving walkways, than many of the gleaming new super-airports, which may offer more space, but are somewhat devoid of character.





After a quick check-in using the Star Gold lane, I headed up one of the perspex-covered walkways to the immigration queue…







…where I had a long time to admire the architecture while waiting for my turn at the immigration counter…

[yflyer]

Once through to the airside area, I bypassed the shops, and ongoing refurbishment, and headed straight to the Star Alliance Lounge, on the top floor of the terminal.



This is a lounge shared across all the Star Alliance carriers.



A peak through the glass doors into the First Class area…



And then on to Business Class, down a short flight of stairs…



Not a very large lounge, and fairly crowded in the late morning.



This lounge had an outdoor smoking section…



…and shower rooms.



Work area.



One of the adjunct seating areas, which seemed quieter and brigher than the main lounge.

[yflyer]

The main lounge area was quite nicely styled…







…with a smallish selection of F&B available at that hour of the morning…











Only one selection of red and one white wine available, which I found surprising considering we were in Paris.

[yflyer]

Boarding for the SQ flight was announced quite early in the lounge, and I soon realized why.

We had to cross a long tunnel via moving walkway to get to the satellite boarding gates.





…and at the other end of the tunnel was a security line that filled the hallway to maximum capacity. I had actually forgetten that thus far, I had only cleared immigration and not security. There would now be a very long wait in the security line, and I boarded the aircraft very late, with just a few minutes to go before scheduled departure time. And there were still pax for this flight in the security line behind me!