Traveling to Paris

Traveling to Paris is easy! Over a million pounds have been poured into restoring first St. Pancras, Britain's gateway to Europe, and now Kings Cross station, one of Europe's biggest stations, as well as the neighborhood between the two stations.

In spite of the renovation, we moved quickly and easily from Platform 7 in Kings Cross

Then out of the station

Into the new 67 acre brownfield site (derelict land) between the two stations. This land is being developed into a green neighborhood with its own special post code (M1C) and will offer cultural facilities, parks, housing, office space, restaurants, shops, the University of the Arts...so much renovation! The new station will open mid-March, next time we go to Paris.

We walked into St Pancras on Kings Boulevard and passed lovely food stalls with big clocks and time tables.

The St Pancras Station once considered a Victorian albatross was slated for demolition but thanks to Sir John Betjeman's leadership has been restored and now is a beautiful space.

Betjeman was Poet Laureate of UK (I once wrote a paper on his poem, "Summoned by Bells" for James Dickey who said, "He is a little too British for my taste.").

Betjeman loved trains and this magnificent statue shows him looking up at the Great Arc of the station. He is holding onto his hat and a Billingsgate fish basket full of books and his coattails are caught by the wind of an incoming train. Circling him are fitting words from a poem "Cornish Cliffs,"

And in the shadowless unclouded glare

Deep blue above us fades to whiteness where

A misty sea-line meets the wash of air

The Great Arc welcomes the Olympics now.

There is a Betjeman Arms Pub close by

Looking down into the station are restaurants, shops, and pleasant areas to hang out in while waiting for  British trains and Eurostar. Everything is convenient and easy to find. I bought our tickets via internet, round trip to Paris and paid 250 pounds. However, I recently bought them for another trip in March and paid 125 pounds. We paid more in February because it was half term for schools and families were taking holidays.

English newspapers are full of news and concerns about the Olympics coming to town.

The English though show their skill in moving big crowds efficiently in these two stations. We never lost our way.