Sometimes it is refreshing to hear a first time visitor’s experience of Paris. Mariella , daughter of our Florida specialist Noula, visited Paris for the first time just before Christmas  and here’s her account…

‘The Eurostar is always an adventure, exactly all that you could ask for when travelling from London to Paris. Exiting the train, you find yourself in the famous Gard du Nord – Paris’s international station – it’s daunting yet stunning but it is the streets just outside that you long to explore.

I had the pleasure at staying at the Hotel Lorette Opera which is a casual 15 minute walk from the station. And within the 15 minutes you realise you are in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You pass quaint cafes, flower shops and all things Parisian. The hotel is best described as an undiscovered gem; the decor is very arty and pretty with lovely little pieces of furniture. The rooms are more than you could ask for, in size and in cleanliness, with views of a picture perfect terrace, and of course the streets of Paris. On walking in the reception staff are very accommodating and friendly, going that little bit further to make your stay comfortable. And as well as all this, not only is it near to Gard du Nord but it is a 5 minute walk from Sacre Coeur, a beautiful church and area from which you can see all of Paris and get yourself a one of a kind painting from the artist that congregate around the inspiring atmosphere. Paris’s centre of bohemia is not too far from the Moulin Rouge which is a tourist hot spot and although is most famous is not something to go out of your way for.

Paris is famous for its museums, and there are many of them. The Louvre is a must see, with its location being in the centre and right next the Seine, it is perfectly finished with a walk along the river bank. Here you can pick up an antique book or an old French film poster, or pop into a little cafe and have a crepe, all of which will put a smile upon your face. One exhibit that is currently on at Galleries Nationales is the Renoir exhibition; his progression through painting is beautifully displayed and can be appreciated by those in the know, and by those who know a little less. Although the gallery is located on the Champs-Elysées, it is better to pre-book tickets then to wander in after a spot of shopping.

Le Louvre, the largest and most visited museum in the world

Although most are afraid to venture too far from the city centre, an absolute must see is Versailles. Only 25 minutes on the metro and you are taken to a palace of amazing history and beauty. the gardens are breath-taking but so are the roofs above your head; the use of gold along with the statues is something quite unlike any other. Throughout the tour inside you learn tid bits of exciting facts, as well as witnessing the place in which the history of the French monarchy occurred. Hidden away is a little library with bricked walls, where you can finds books in many languages that can explain more about French history and its monarchy. I imagine in the summer time the palace to be stunning; however, in the winter with a little bit of snow it was just as exquisite.

They call Paris the city of lights; it could be the city of many things as there is just so much culture, sights and things to do (as well as visiting all the stores). One thing that Paris will never fail to accomplish is to bring a feeling of warmth to all that visit.

Any other first time views of either Eurostar or Paris  out there?

Well as we were 10 Years old this Year and we only had a bit of a smallish Christmas Party _The Short Breaks Crew decided a night in Disney would be a good way to celebrate. We met with our friends from Eurostar and Disney at St Pancras on Saturday morning and after sampling the new Frequent travellers lounge ( very nice) we boarded a train to Paris ( very cleverly we had been placed away from the rest of the travelling public)

The trip was full of firsts ( well a couple anyway) - instead of travelling direct to Disney by Eurostar there were two mini vans waiting for us and we drove to Disney - was a really easy trip and actually took about 40 minutes - the same that an RER would take from Gare Du Nord - it was a Staurday afternoon so not much traffic though. Also my first experience fo Disney in the snow which was pretty cool.  It did however mean that as the outdoor rides were closed the queues for the indoor ones were quite long - but it didn’t deter us too much - after grooving through The Rock’n'Rolla Coaster - we lifted off in the  Tower of Terror which once again

Before we went on !!!!

Just about survived and then some more of the real entertainment as we hit Hurricane’s  - for those of you who are unawrae - Disney has ( for the time being ) it’s very own nightclub in the Disney Village. Was a really good night   but memories are far too hazy to give any more detail other than Tony in high heels and danny making friends :  ) ….Next morning the hard core tried on vain for one last ride on Space Mountain - unfortunately it wasn’t to be ….our ability to negotiate queues etc was sorely diminished -

Journey home was a slightly quieter affair although Tony did his best ( I;m not sure that was Coca Cola in that bottle…….

Thanks to Cat ( and others ) at Eurostar and Mark from Disney - most of all the staff here - getting a little older but we can still handle the pace - here’s to 20 years

Intriguing twitter find…The Station Sessions

Posted 7 hours ago:
“The Station Sessions, Live from St. Pancras International - Every Thursday 6.30pm - 7.30pm…Juan Zelada and the Momeraths this week!”

Posted 10:43, July 6th:
“Do you want to get invovled in the Station Sessions? Are you a new musician? Want to be part of the team? Email: gideon@syllabusmusic.com”

The Station Sessions, St Pancras

Check out Syllabus Music for more details. Further news on the Station Sessions can also be found on NME and in more detail here with a BBC News video here.

P Diddy will be back in September with an album that uses Eurostar and love as it’s inspiration . The new era of train music will be based around the the time worn tale of man meets - and is infatuated with woman, man gets it together with woman, man and woman split up, and get togther a few times… when they split she moves to Paris and he goes to London… Lovestruck man realises he’s messed up and needs to get the lady back - it’s foggy so he can’t fly - the roads are shut - the only way for him to get it on is to take the 9.45 to Paris - only thing is that the last train leaves St Pancras at 20:05 so he’ll need to get slightly less romantic train at 05:30 the next day - the things you do for love. Can’t wait to hear the lyrics to this. This concept reminds me very much of Kraftwerk and their Trans Europe Express.

Following news of Guardian travel writer Benji Lanyado’s planned trip to Paris recently, the day has arrived for his departure for Paris from St Pancras, London.

For those new to the story, Benji’s actions in Paris will be influenced solely by suggestions given by his 321 or so Twitter followers.

@benjilanyardo #TwiTrip Updates on Twitter

You can follow his updates here, here, here and via this blog.

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