Ah Yee said that jet lag lasts 3 days; that sounded too long to waste on jet lag. Unfortunately, my body isn’t young anymore and jet lag is so real. I woke up again at 3ish and then at 5ish and wanted to give up on trying to sleep. Daddy Lim and I were supposed to leave the house at 7.45am and had to wake up at 6ish anyway.
We are going for a day trip to Chartres! Ah Yee did all the booking and planning and we were the free loaders. CY will be driving and offered to take the 2 kids for the hour’s drive. Daddy Lim and I took the train.
We had to wake up and leave the house earlier than the rest. Our comfort bfast, which was super good in the cold morning.
Nana woke up and smelled the cup noodles and asked for 1 too. Hoho. We left the remaining 2 cups to Ah Yee, who said that nissin cup noodles are not readily available in France. 家的味道
Taking the train was a nightmare bcos we had the luxury of simply following ah yee blindly for the past 2 days. Ah Yee gave us very specific instructions on which train to take.
Leaving the house on time.
The sky barely brightens. I would be very sad to have to go to work in winter, leaving and coming home when the sky is dark when it is not even that early or late.
We took the bag still with the Catacomb dust while the kids took the overnight bag in the car. I was trying my best to pack whatever I needed to (for the overnight stay and what the kids needed the in the morning) in my half zombie state last night. I hope I didn’t forget anything critical.
We followed ah yee’s direction but the challenge came when we had to change for the intercity train. Ah Yee said to look at the screen for the train details and platform.
We did, but also checked the train staff, only to realise that we were looking at the arrival screen. Zzzzz. Anyhow, we were pointed to the right screen and told how to check for the right platform.
Daddy Lim was very cool and taking his time while I was a gan cheong spider, preferring to be early and nicely seated in the train. He even happily paid 1 euro to use the expensive toilet. I hope it at least smelled nice.
The train was supposed to be on Platform 20. There was no train staff to ask on the platform and the train number was not displayed. I was very worried that I didn’t see the screen (and train platform number) properly. The screen was like a min walk away and I didn’t want to go check and risk the train leaving without us. Ah yee said that she booked us a direct train but this one (based on the strings of French name stations) seems to indicate multiple stops before arriving at Chartres.
Ah yee called and said that we were probably on the wrong train bcos the train company is different and she booked us in direct train. By the time we wanted to leave the train to double confirm, the train had started to move off. At least the train is supposed to get us to Chartres eventually. The most is to pay extra fares if we get fare checked by the conductor.
The train ride took over an hour and we made it safely to Chartres! There was no fare checks too.
We were supposed to meet the rest at a car park some 20 mins walk away. We were early and stopped for a coffee.
Then, we made our way to meet the rest and had the chance to sort of walk through the city center.
We all arrived at the same time. The 1st stop is to see this house covered in mosaic art.
From the carpark, we took a shortcut by cutting through a cemetery and got the chance to tour the cemetery. What an unusual itinerary. The cemetery was bright and clean, nothing at all eerie.
Back to the mosaic guy - he became blind at 2 and then found his sight again at 10. He said that a spirit guided him and he ended up covering his house in painting and ceramic pieces. I hope it is the right kind of spirit; I think so bcos there was a room that looks like a chapel in his home.
We didn’t spend too much time at the mosaic house bcos. It wasn’t a big house, even though we paid an entrance fee. I think we spent more time in the cemetery and had to walk through the cemetery again to get back to the city centre. Lol.
Lunch was at this crepe place.
Of course we have to complete the lunch by having sweet crepe for desserts.
Our room was available for checkin finally at about 3pm. We stayed at the Hotel Saint Yves for 1 night. Ah Yee said that it is a very old hotel and it used to be the nuns’ quarters and thus we had to be quiet during our stay. I convey the same story to Daddy Lim and the kids, who said that the story didn't make sense. We have to be quiet so that we don’t wake up the nun/ (spirits)?
We got a 4 beds room.
Ah yee said that we can take a break before the light show at 5pm and we were very happy to take a nap. #jetlag
There was this choo choo train that works on a 1st come 1st serve basis and tickets are sold on the spot 30 mins before the ride. There was only 1 planned scheduled at 5.45pm. CY went earlier to “chop seats. When we arrived, he was sitting in one of the carriage chopping the seats. Haha. More people came along the way and soon the train was filled. Bcos there was overwhelming response, they ran a 2nd train ride.
The train took us to all the major sites for sightseeing, saving us the need to walk, which was super important bcos it was drizzling very hard and the wind was very strong. We were cold and miserable and were so glad to be protected from the elements in the little train.
The train ride was a good 45 mins. It was good but I almost dozed off. #oldpeopleproblem
The train dropped us at where we started and we went for dinner.
The last we did was to head back to the cathedral to view the main light show properly. The “Singaporeans” (including ah yee) were all huddling at the side. The 2 French stood in the middle of the field, braving the rain and wind for the perfect view of the light show. The upbringing is so different; our kids compared to Athena are so less interested in cultural stuff. Should we start now? Haha.
Sleep was easy. Good night!
Mummy Lim
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