En Route to Paris

Feb 14 and we get up early. Out of the house at 8am with a suitcase I'd secretly packed the night before, A had no idea where we were headed.



Hungry and, I'll admit a little hung over, we stop off at one of the branches of La Croissanterie near the train station.



Pasties, baguette 'pizzas', samosas... the stuff of champions.



We opted for a pastie, which was reheated in the microwave and yet still that cloying cold texture of congealed fat.



The fact that the paper bag was immediate soaked by grease was taken as a good sign. I'm sure this meant that the pastie itself was now free of any lard... Or the alternative explanation is that a good thick lining to the stomach is always good for combating hangovers.



With five outlets listed in Oxford, they must be doing something right. I know that the George Street outlet is extremely popular.



Alongside our lardball we also bought a roast beef baguette. Crusty baguette, yes. Roast beef? Few and far in between, the slices were thin and bland, tasting of nothing but watery protein. Boo.

Onwards to London, Tube to King's Cross and a quick hop on to the Eurostar.



By now it's around 2pm, so we grab a snack at the Cafe Nero in the station. Ham sandwich... so-so.



Croque-monsieur on the Eurostar, microwaved to perfection. This was actually not that bad, all things considered. It was probably the best thing we'd eaten so far all day, but that might just have been because we were hungry!



Washed down by a nice quarter-bottle of Nicolas Feuillate rose champagne.



Out of little plastic disposable cups!