Two stations in Paris, about as far apart as Euston and St. Pancras From England, you arrive in the far corner of the Gare Du Nord — a little enclave behind barriers to protect GB from unchecked foreigners. On parallel tracks outside the frontier are Thalys and TGVs to Belgium and Germany, and beyond that trains to the northern departments of France and to the teeming suburbs of Paris. Outside, it’s very cosmopolitan; lots of groups of men to circumnavigate with your luggage on the gently downhill walk to the Gare de l’Est, about which more later. First, I must mention the Excellent Brasserie du Nord opposite the G du N. Food at all hours, specialising in Oysters but of course plenty of other things, including a fabulous bouillabaise. (Nicely old fashioned service, but not as quaintly typical asthe Brasserie de L’Ile St. Louis, where all the waiters are over 60, and flat footed, though the food is equally excellent.)
And so to the Gare de L’ESt which seems less brash than the Gare du Nord — whence long-distance trains to southern Germany via Strasbourg. Just beyond the station, between it and the Canal St Martin, is the Jardin Villemin — everything you could want in an inner city green space — boules, tennis, play area for very little kids, where all the neigbourhood mums grandmas dads grandads gather on seats round the edge, playground for older kids, space to lie on the grass, and plants and trees and a view across the canal. And just beyond that, on the corner of the Rue des Recollets, a really nice unassuming little bistro. It’s the thing about great cities — round every corner some sort of delight.
We stayed in a small hotel on the Rue Chabrol; from the garret window of our room we could see the Gare du Nord straight ahead and the Gare de’Est. Just beneath our window, at the junction of the Rue de Chabrol and the Boulevard Magenta was a small covered market, including a most exciting fish stall.
