WEDNESDAY
It is three in the morning as I walk through Bath to get to the bus station.
The National Express bus pulls up at 5:23am.
Arrived at London Victoria Station just after 6am. Walked around a bit.
Checking-in for the next part of the journey. Boarding the bus heading from London to Paris.
Crossing the Thames in London. After driving an hour south we came upon snow.
Heading south along the M20 before the turnoff to the Channel Tunnel.
Vehicle check-in for the Chunnel. Map of the crossing.
Before boarding the vehicle transport we went through French customs. French border agents boarded the bus, collected everyone's passport, took them back to their office to analyze, then returned them.
Driving down the ramp to the shuttle containers.
Driving onto the vehicle shuttle. There is about a 1.5 foot space between the bus and the side of the container.
Please keep to the right. Welcome to France.
Coquelles, the small French town where the Chunnel terminates. Paris graffiti along the autoroute.
Arrive at the bus station. Catch the métro to the hostel.
Evening traffic. Small grocery store.
Arrived at the hostel. Dropped off my backpack before heading out.
Caught the métro to the Bastille, which has a quite active nightlife.
Bouge ta ville (move your city). Passage Louise-Philippe.
When I arrived just after 7pm, there was a line at least twenty people deep. The doors were at 7:30pm.
Aaron Espinoza opened the evening with some lovely tunes.
Café de la Danse is a seating venue, though during Gibbard's performance, people moved forward to sit on the floor in front of the first row of seats, which is where I was. The brick walls of the venue created a pleasant ambiance as Ben Gibbard's songs enraptured the audience. When the music stopped between songs not a sound could be heard.
"Teardrop Windows" from Former Lives by Benjamin Gibbard.
"Recycled Air" from Give Up by The Postal Service.
The audience leaving after Ben Gibbard's hour and a half long set. Parisians standing outside Café de la Danse smoking.
