Our stay in Paris was Little A’s gift for Christmas. We had booked our flights to and from Beauvais, an hour north of Paris. So, we decided to take the opportunity to explore this town as well. At the same time, we got a much shorter trip to the airport when heading there the following morning. There were no sights from the Miraculous TV series to explore here, but there were many other things to enjoy. Yes, it was this TV series that Little A had found so interesting that she wanted to travel in the steps of her favorite superhero Lady Bug.
Goodbye, Paris!
Walking up it was time to say goodbye to Paris. We had booked the tickets to Beauvais online the previous evening. We started by taking the metro to the Gare du Nord. Finding a bakery close to the station meant that we could load our bags with baguettes, croissants, and pain au chocolate. Enough to have something to eat onboard the train. We were about to go to the region of Hauts-de-France. Historically, the area is better known under the name Picardy, which together with Nord-Pas-de-Calais created Hauts-de-France in 2016. Goodbye, Paris! Goodbye, Île-de-France!
Hello Beauvais!
The skies were still grey as we arrived at Gare de Beauvais. From the train station, it was just a short walk to our accommodation for the night, a small hotel in the center of the town. Dropping off our bags, we were soon back out for a walk around the town. We saw sights such as the impressive La Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, a small house from the 15th century, the remains of the city wall, and the picturesque street Rue du 27 Juin. We soon ended up at the shopping center Le Jeu de Paume, where Little A got something small for lunch.
Finally Sunshine in Beauvais
Once we left the shopping center the sun was finally shining. It felt like the first time we saw the sun during the whole week. What can you do when you think that you have completed the sightseeing tour? Well, you can take another walk to see the town with the sun shining. The difference is huge. With grey skies, most cities look equally grey. With the sun shining the colors come out and everything looks much nicer.
So it was back to the cathedral, the city wall, and especially the oldest house in Beauvais. We let Little A play at the main square before returning to the hotel for a short rest. Well, we needed to check the many options for dinner. We eventually found a restaurant nearby, which turned out to be closed. Yes, our Nordic dinner schedule was quite hard to follow in France. The restaurants open a bit too late. We did, however, find a restaurant that was open and could soon sit down and enjoy a nice last dinner in France.
An Evening Walk in Beauvais
After dinner Susann and Little A headed back to the hotel room while I decided to take an evening walk. I wanted to see a bit more of how Beauvais looked after sunset. Let’s say that it was a lot darker than expected. The number of streetlights was limited and very few buildings were illuminated.
It was nice to walk around in the dark and it felt safe. But it did eventually get quite boring. Once more, Beauvais is a town that makes its best impression when the sun shines
Time to Leave
After a night’s sleep, it was time to say goodbye to Beauvais and France. It was time to take the local bus to the airport. So we left the hotel and found our way to the main square, from where the bus was leaving. Yes, we were way too early and had to stand there waiting in the cold. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait for very long. Once the bus arrived it was just a short drive to the outskirts of Beauvais where the airport is located.
A Walk Through Tillé
The airport is located right next to the village of Tillé. So, while Susann and Little A sat down I walked to Tillé to see if their local bakery had some filled baguettes. It was a very cozy village but with a very limited number of sights. I eventually found the local bakery, but it was too early in the morning for them to have anything else than croissants and plain baguettes. So, I had to walk back to the airport empty-handed. Luckily there were filled baguettes to buy at the airport. They were, however, a lot more expensive than at a local bakery.
Goodbye, France!
Through airport security and to the queue for boarding our Ryanair flight back to Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Our adventure in France was coming to an end. Little A seemed happy about her Christmas gift and had new stories to tell. Goodbye, France! Goodbye, Lady Bug!
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