It was end of January and coldest
weather to visit France. The day I landed in Paris was the coldest of the
season. I had to go to a small-town Lens in northern France for a business
trip. My flight from Bangalore to Paris had a stop in Abu Dhabi. The flight of
Etihad Airways was much comfortable. I landed in Paris in early morning and had
to catch the train from airport station itself. Waiting in airport station was
very difficult due to freezing temperature though I was well outfitted and was
loaded with two overcoats. To beat the cold chilling windy air, I ran inside a
café and a hot coffee can be your best companion at that moment. Just fifteen
minutes before the arrival time of train I went to the platform which was open
outside. These fifteen minutes were extremely tough due to chilling wind. Train
arrived few minutes late and once I entered, I got my breath back. This TGV
train was for another station Lille. This high-speed train took fifty minutes
to cover two hundred kilometres. At Lille I took another train for Lens. Soon I
reached to a small station which is in a sleepy town called Lens. It was late
noon. When I came outside there was only one taxi and was already booked. The
driver told me to wait for some time so he will be back to pick me up. I waited
for half an hour and then decided to walk to my hotel which was at two
kilometres from station. Weather was extremely cold and I was cursing my
decision to walk rather than waiting further for that taxi driver. When I
reached, my hands were almost numb. Hotel Louvre Lens where I had to stay for
next four days is one of the best in the town. Hotel is built on old houses of
miners, right beside the Louvre Lens Museum. It has beautiful design, small but
neat rooms, courteous and helpful staffs. Soon after getting ready, I went to
restaurant to have lunch. I was greeted with a warm “Benjour” by receptionist. Selecting
a food to suit for an Indian taste is difficult but I could manage with what
best I could get there.
After unpacking my stuffs, I
realised that I forgot the charger for my laptop and that mean I cannot work
from hotel. Fortunately, next day, a colleague who was my host here, offered his
spare for next three days. Next morning, I got a taxi for a nearby place
Wingles, where I had to visit for business purpose. Drive to this place for
next three days was comfortable though it was very cold outside. While going
for lunch outside, I could get a glimpse of the town. On the way, I saw “Les
Terrils Jumeaux du”, which is a very tall pyramid of mining spoil and one of
the attractions for local tourists. On third day I with other colleagues had to
go to another small town. On a crossroad I could see a model of Eiffel tower
and we all had a good laugh. On last day my work was finished early and so I
asked my taxi driver to drop me in downtown area of Lens. I had more than half
day left with me so I roamed in the downtown which is not very big. “Église
Saint-Léger de Lens” is a small church in the middle of downtown. Town with
full of shops, restaurants and cafes, is very calm and not a busy place. Surprisingly
there was an Indian restaurant “New Délices de l'Inde”, which is located
opposite to the railway station. When I walked inside, a movie of Shahrukh Khan
was playing on the TV screen. It is owned by a Pakistani and Afghani waiters
serving the food. After having authentic and appetizing Indian food, I started
walking to the hotel. In between I passed along the football stadium. Near to
my hotel, Museum was located which has famous art works. I visited there to get
a sight of local history.
Next morning, I went to station
to catch my train to Paris. As I reached early, station was empty but soon it
became crowded for a while when football fans started arriving for the
afternoon match. After waiting for few hours, the train arrived. In next two
hours I reached to Gare du Nord station in Paris. This is a mammoth railway
station with connection to all other transportation facilities. I purchased the
metro ticket for Alma Marceau stop. In next thirty minutes, I reached to my
stop.
The moment I come out of this
underground station; the towering structure of one of the seven wonders of the
world popped up right in front of my eyes. I walked along river front and then
crossed the Seine River by Debilly footbridge. Here I bought few replicas of
Eiffel tower as souvenir. The spectacular sight of the tower amidst cold
weather in the verdant lawns will remain etched in my mind for a lifetime. Walk
around the tower is pleasing sight to behold. After spending the splendid time
here, I took the bus to airport. From bus, I got the glimpse of streets of
Paris and famous monument Arc de Triomphe as well. The bus tour in this bustling
city was full of amusement.
I reached the airport early and
had to wait for six hours for my flight. Corona virus news has just started coming
in last few days and an uncertainty was pinching inside my mind. After a long
wait in airport lounge, a further delay of one hour was announced. After
repeated delays, flight cancellation was announced in midnight due to a
technical snag. We were sent to a hotel where we had to wait for more than a
day. Waiting in the hotel was very difficult. I got acquaintances with few
fellow passengers bound for India and other locations. Finally, after two days
of wait, our flight to Abu Dhabi took off. From Abu Dhabi another flight to
Bangalore was on time. In the taxi to home, I was overwhelmed with the mixed
feeling of delayed flight, uncertain world and intriguing spectacular sights of
Paris and France.
