Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts

Jan 5, 2023

Paris to London Train: Riding the Eurostar

The Eurostar is an exclusive high-speed train linking Paris and London (among other cities) and is widely known for its route that takes passengers under the English Channel. 

Leaving from Gare du Nord in Paris, you will go through customs in the train station, and a short two and half hours later you will arrive at St. Pancras International in London. This highly efficient route is comfortable, fast, and will leave you just steps from King's Cross, the iconic Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter, and with numerous options to head out and explore London. 

Paris to London Train Eurostar


Here are my 4 main takeaways from riding the Eurostar from Paris to London:

1. Navigating train stations with a brand new suitcase in which two wheels have recently disintegrated is irritating for everyone in your vacinity - particularly in queues. I blame the cobbles. Given the frequency at which I'm documenting / taking pictures the type of irritation was different, but I imagine the general levels were unchanged. But did you see this train station? Lol.

2. Going underneath the English Channel is cool, and no question, the tunnel is an engineering marvel, but even if you capture the moment you go under there's still not much of a view

3. Arriving at St. Pancras International you'll find yourself just steps from King's Cross and Platform 9 3/4 ... however, even if you've edited hilarious Harry Potter outtake shots of your friends at the photo-op, it will be followed with "no one can ever see these". 

4. I really do like fast trains.

Paris to London Train Eurostar

Paris to London Train Eurostar

Paris to London Train Eurostar

Paris to London Train Eurostar

Paris to London Train Eurostar

Paris to London Train Eurostar

Paris to London Train Eurostar

Paris to London Train Eurostar
Paris to London Train Eurostar

Paris to London Train Eurostar

 

Oct 28, 2022

Stranger Things Pop-Up Shop in Paris, France

You don't necessarily expect to find an 80s inspired American shopping mall along the Champs-Élysées, but that's essentially what happened when we stumbled upon the Stranger Things pop-up shop in Paris, France. Complete with familiar set pieces, retro infused displays, and plenty of overpriced merch, this shop was everything any Stranger Things fan could possibly ask for.

Stranger Things Store Pop-Up Shop Paris

Stranger Things Store Pop-Up Shop Paris

Stranger Things Store Pop-Up Shop Paris


Oct 1, 2022

A Month of Travel Shoots Across Europe

For the month of September I was having the time of my life on what I can only describe as the most elaborate, continuous travel shoot I've completed to date. With shoots taking place across Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, and Scotland, there was no shortage of things to do, places to see, and experiences to capture. It was a wild month!

While content from these shoots won't really start to emerge until 2023, I did share a handful of highlights on the Editing Luke Instagram @editingluke as things were unfolding. Unlike most shoots were it feels relatively easy to sum up the adventure under a single banner or theme, I'm still reeling from just how varied and expansive this entire undertaking was. I'm going to need some time to be a bit more thought provoking - but, in short, it really was incredible.  

Europe Travel Photography

Sep 30, 2022

Unpacking a Suitcase of Travel Shoot Souvenirs

While the experience was undeniably incredible, I'm currently feeling a bit overstimulated and numb from this last month of travel shoots around Europe. It really was the adventure of a lifetime. A lot of this content won't surface until 2023 now, but I'm enjoying rediscovering all of the random bits and pieces I've brought home as I unpack and reorganize. 

Here are a few early highlights.








1. Kitschy French singles from a Parisian thrift shop.

2. Various pieces of the Berlin Wall.

3. A mini bar's worth of different Scotch from Scotland.

4. Belgian comicbook souvenirs - with an emphasis on finds from Tintin and Lucky Luke.

5. Retro inspired merch from Euro Disney's 30th anniversary - now known as Disneyland Paris.

6. A handcrafted "willy warmer" from Amsterdam ... for dressy occasions.

These were clearly all must haves in the moment lol.


Jun 9, 2022

How I Ended Up With the Eiffel Tower All to Myself

Upon reflecting on some of my most memorable travel shoots during a recent discussion, I was reminded that one of them was actually from a shoot during the height of the pandemic in 2020 that I still haven't published yet. This is the brief story of how I ended up with the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France all to myself for a moment.

Empty Eiffel Tower Paris 2020



Not long after getting back from France in late 2020 I recapped the general experience of trying to follow through on a travel shoot that had been planned before the world started falling apart. I won't rehash all of that again, but you can read that original post here. The important detail is that I was in Paris and travel shooting in October 2020.

Not surprisingly, this was a weird time for a lot of reasons. Reservations for everything were more complicated, various rules were being modified weekly, and just a few days after I arrived in Paris a nightly curfew had been implemented across France's largest cities.  

I purchased a timed admission to the Eiffel Tower before I arrived in France, as naturally, visiting one of the world's most recognizable landmarks is always a must for travel shoots. My ticket was for a midweek opening and I anticipated getting some early morning shots across the city. What I didn't plan on was a national curfew reducing the hours of every business, including pushing the opening of the Eiffel Tower to a time that was now a few hours later than my ticket.

Empty Eiffel Tower Paris 2020

I was already comfortable playing everything by ear at this point considering how complicated just getting to France had been. I showed up at the revised time with my original ticket, and this is where I stumbled into a random bit of good luck.

Everyone across Paris was still adjusting to the newly imposed curfew and as I made my way through security at the Eiffel Tower I found myself in a rather engaged conversation with one of the employees about everything that had been going on. Then I mentioned I was a professional travel photographer visiting from Canada. 

You have to remember that this was taking place not only when international travel was at a stand still, but my visit was within this weird window of time when Canadians were allowed back into France, but a lot of other countries like the U.S. and others were not. This detail became a talking point pretty much anytime my passport was visible, as unless you were up to date on all of the rules, a lot of people were still skeptical about how I got there.

In any case, our introduction was a positive one, and she offered to take me up on the first elevator with the employees as the Eiffel Tower opened. Obviously, I jumped at the chance.

For about 10 minutes I lucked into having the Eiffel Tower all to myself. 

No crowds, no people, no one in my shots. Of course, I was happy to capture the decks filled soon after as those were the images I was after from the start. But, I can't quite explain how surreal it was to be standing on an empty deck of the Eiffel Tower and feeling like I was the only person seeing it like this at that very moment. It's not everyday you get a world landmark to yourself, but what a way to put an exclamation mark on an already unforgettable experience. 

Empty Eiffel Tower Paris 2020



Empty Eiffel Tower Paris 2020

Empty Eiffel Tower Paris 2020

Empty Eiffel Tower Paris 2020