EUROSTAR LONDON TO PARIS

The Eurostar high speed train provides a quick and relatively inexpensive option for your transportation between London and Paris. 

Eurostar Service London-Paris

Channel Tunnel Route

From our hotel in Hendon we opted to take a short 1-mile taxi ride, mainly because of luggage issues, from The Pillar Hotel to the Hendon Railway Station. Once there, we simply swiped our Oyster cards,  rolled our luggage down the ramp and waited at Track 1 for the next train to St. Pancras. 

London Oyster Card

The cards are similar to a credit card in size and allow you a great way to pay-as-you-go.  We were going to be 4 nights in London so we pre-paid for our cards at a self-service kiosk with the screen suggestion of $15GBP.  In addition you will pay a refundable deposit of $10GBP so each of our cards cost $25GBP, around $30USD at today's exchange rate.   I used my Citibank AAdvantage Platinum card to purchase our Oyster cards, thus avoiding the foreign transaction fees.   

Our train wait was 8 minutes and once we boarded it was a 30 minute trip to St. Pancras Station, the terminus for the Eurostar High Speed Train.  

The station at St. Pancras is relatively large in size, comprised of four groups of platforms on two levels all accessed through the main concourse at ground level.  Accommodating 15 platforms, a shopping center and a coach facility, we still felt it was quite easy to find our way around.  Simply follow the “Eurostar” logo  signage that you will see printed in both French and English.    

When Eurostar International services were introduced, a security-sealed terminal area was completed at St. Pancras.   The Eurostar check-in offers several self-service kiosk machines and we found them quite efficient.  We simply entered our Eurostar confirmation number and it quickly printed off our ticket/boarding pass.   They only open the secured area however, about 2 hours prior to your scheduled departure time so we had a short wait before entering. 

Eurostar terminal in St. Pancras

Leaving Mike seated in front of a coffee shop with our luggage, I made my way to the underground area.  Just as you enter you will see a Visitor Center on the right.   
 

St. Pancras Visitor Center

It was here that I turned in our Oyster cards and received a credit for the unused fare amount plus the refundable deposit.  I had paid by credit card so my refund was returned to that same card.   Once that was finished I made my way back to the coffee shop.  We still had a little time to kill so we sat in front of the coffee shop until 10:15am. 

The Eurostar screening included both passport check and luggage screening.   Once cleared and inside, the waiting area seemed somewhat small to me with only 1 café and very limited seating.  Boarding began 25 minutes before our scheduled departure time.  Cars 1-5 board on one side and all other cars board on the other.  I had pre-purchased tickets online and we were assigned car 5, departing from platform 9. 

Inclined moving walkways eased us gently up 1 floor to our platform.    The train had already arrived and was seemed anxiously awaiting our boarding.  It appeared fairly new to me, shiny clean on the outside and neat and clean on the inside.  A luggage stow area was located just on the right as we entered the rear of car 5.  We dropped our large suitcases here and proceeded to our seats.  I opted for 2 seats facing forward but other seating options are available, including 4 seats facing each other with a small table in-between.  The train provides free wi-fi for streaming films, TV, news, kids games, etc.  Our seats were also equipped with USB ports.  The cost for the Eurostar London-Paris trip was $70USD per person. 

I did not feel the train move as we pulled out of the station.  It was very quiet and provided a very smooth ride.  I did walk between the cars during the trip as I wanted to check out the restrooms and also the snack car.   Both were very clean and well maintained and the snack car was well stocked and prices very reasonable. I didn’t purchase anything in the snack car as I had packed food and drink items for our trip. 

Cafe Car

Restrooms

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The High Speed 1, officially the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, was launched on November 6, 2007.   It is a 68-mile, high speed railway between London and the UK end of the Channel Tunnel.  It’s lowest point is 250 feet below the sea bed and 380 feet below sea level.   At 23.5 miles the tunnel has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world.

Appearing on our screen in car 5

Appearing on our screen in car 5

During the trip, the train can reach speeds of up to 186 mph, making our journey time from London St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord in just under 2.5 hours. 

On our screen in car 5 - top speed of 334.7kmp or 207.97mph

Our arrival into Paris Nord Station was right on time.  We had friends meeting us at the station and escorting us to Hotel Du Champs de Mars, our downtown hotel.  I did notice that ground transportation was just to our right as we exited our train.

Our good friends Fred and Nancy Gramann met us at Paris Nord Station

RABBI BENJAMIN PERL AND THE PILLAR

For seven years my husband and I served as head leaders with Teen Missions International.  It was during the summer of 1986 that one of our projects found us in London where we lived for 3 months in what is now known as The Pillar Hotel.  

Back in 1986 the property was under the name of Alma Mansions and was owned and operated by Pillar of Fire International.   It was in a state of total degradation and even lacked running water when we arrived.   Our assignment was to begin restoring the property with an end goal to accommodate itinerant missionaries that would evangelize the local Jewish population.   

Main entrance in 1986 under the name of Alma Mansions

Cleaning out one of the rooms to set up a kitchen area in 1986

Our 1986 Teen Missions team in courtyard area waiting for daily work assignments

Clearing debris in backyard

 

Burning rubbish in backyard

Painting in the courtyard

Painting windows in the courtyard

Working in some of the rooms

Courtyard view 1986

Entrance to the Chapel in 1986

Entrance to the building in 1986

Since the Second World War thousands of Jewish people have immigrated to Great Britain making Hendon, and the surrounding areas of Golder’s Green and Finchley, the largest Jewish community in Europe. 

The property in Hendon represented one of The Pillar of Fire’s oldest missions.  Built in 1897 as St Savior's Home for Women, it was taken over by the Pillar of Fire Society in 1925. It was officially registered as a charity in December 1992 however, due to numerous complaints, the trust was dissolved and the status removed in 2002.  Once again the property fell into a state of total decline and remained mostly dormant until 2010.  It was at this point that it was purchased by philanthropist Rabbi Benjamin Eliezer Perl MBE. 

 

Rabbi Benjamin Eliezer Perl MBE

While I was researching locations for a hotel in London, I began thinking it would be fun to re-visit our 1986 project.  I quickly discovered that, not only had the property been purchased, it had been renovated and turned into a "kosher luxury boutique hotel".  Outside of Israel I couldn't imagine there would be many and a google search listed 140 worldwide.  I knew this is where we wanted to stay.

2017 Main Entrance to The Pillar Hotel

2017 Pillar Hotel entrance to Reception Area

2017 Courtyard view from room

2017 View of Chapel entrance

We arrived at The Pillar Hotel prior to the check-in time but found the staff very gracious, allowing us to check-in early.  Our queen-bedded room was on the second floor.   With no elevators, we left our suitcases at the front desk and the staff immediately carried them up, delivering them within minutes.  Once settled in we headed down to the Breakfast/TV room to relax and sample the complimentary array of drinks and finger foods they serve each afternoon and evening. 

Breakfast Offering

Breakfast cereals and bread table

Standard Queen Room with Desk area and complimentary coffee and tea

Our second day in London I had the honor of meeting and interviewing Mr. Perl. 

I had never met, nor heard of him prior to our encounter.  Early during the interview I began to sense the character and passion he had for education.

At the conclusion of the interview Mr. Perl received a phone call from a staff member to advise that Anthony Joshua had checked into the hotel. He politely excused himself and stepped into the courtyard to greet his frequent guest.  

Rabbi Benjamin Perl greeting Anthony Joshua

Within a few short minutes Mr. Perl returned and asked if we knew the young man in the courtyard.  A “No” on our part brought a swift response from Mr. Perl informing us that Anthony Joshua was a British boxer who had won the gold medal in the 2012 Olympic games. Additionally, just two weeks prior he became the World Champion Heavyweight Boxing Champion by a technical knock out over Wladimir Klitschko in the 11^th round. The bout was held at Wembley Stadium in London before a capacity crowd of 95,000. 

Anthony Joshua lives close to The Pillar Hotel and uses the hotel as a semi-home, affording him a respite from the media and avid fans that follow him and his notoriety. 

When Rabbi Perl asked if we would like to meet him my husband Mike jumped at the chance.

We found him to be a very quiet and humble young man. 

Left to Right: Rabbi Benjamin Perl, Anthony Joshua, Mike Sparlin

Having opened 25 schools, I was curious as to why Mr. Perl established The Pillar Hotel instead of transforming the building into another school.   Only after he purchased The Pillar Hotel did he discover that a few individuals had been given permanent occupancy to the building and the contract could not be broken.  Because the British Government will not issue a school permit with individuals living on the premises, converting it into a school was not going to be an option.   Additionally, soon after purchase, the property was listed on the National Heritage List for England  thus making any renovation or new construction extremely difficult due to required extensive reviews and approvals. 

As soon as Mr. Perl purchased the property he spent tens of thousands of dollars to remove over 100 skiffs of garbage and replace the roof, only to be told he would not be given a school permit.  It was at this point that he made the business decision to turn it into a hotel.  His idea has flourished in an area of about 80,000 Jews with his occupancy comprised of about 50% Jewish and 50% from around the world.

In 2017 the Jewish News presented Mr. Perl with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his philanthropic role in enabling thousands of Jewish children in Britain to experience a full-time Jewish education.  Establishing more than 20 Jewish schools, including Yavneh College, Mr. Perl has enabled over 35,000 pupils, representing 65 percent of all Jewish children in the UK, to attend Jewish day schools.

The Jewish Chronicle lists Mr. Perl on their top 100 most influential Jews list and a supporting article commented:  “It says a lot about this Israeli-born businessman who went to a yeshivah, was ordained as a rabbi and is a supporter of the Conservative Party.  He decided to turn to business "because I have been able to achieve more as a businessman than I would ever have done as a rabbi.”” 

Mr. Perl has been bestoyed the honor of MBE, Member of the Order ofthe British Empire, an honor presented by the Queen acknowledging Mr. Perl as a leader of the movement to support Jewish state schools. 

It is very rare for Prince Charles to visit a school but 3 month ago he spent 3 hours touring through one of the Jewish schools opened by Mr. Perl.   

Rabbi Perl has lived in the same house, adjacent to The Pillar Hotel, since 1970.  He reminisced with me his memories from 1986 of listening to the boys and girls from Teen Missions singing each night.  

1986 Teen Missions Team

It was truly an honor to meet and interview Mr. Perl and rest assured, should you ever stay at The Pillar Hotel, you will have a memorable experience. Just remember to keep your eyes open, you very likely will see him strolling the grounds greeting his guests.  

Update 8/19/2018 - Jonathan Cohen has written a fantastic article on The Pillar Hotel on his blog.  Check it out.  

SOUTHAMPTON-LONDON TRANSPORTATION

Our 14-Day TransAtlantic cruise came to an end in Southampton, England. This is the same port that the MS Titanic departed from on her maiden voyage to New York City and also the same port used as a departure point for the World War II D-Day invasion.

There are several terminals and berths in Southampton so it will be important for you to know where your ship will be docking.  You can check the Port of Southampton cruise ship schedule to determine your terminal and berth.  The Norwegian Jade arrival was into the City Cruise Terminal, berth 101. 

Terminals and Berths in Southampton:

38 or 38/9 berth = QEII Cruise Terminal
46 berth = Ocean Cruise Terminal
101 berth = City Cruise Terminal
106 berth = Mayflower Cruise Terminal 

Southampton Cruise Terminals

Southampton is located 75 miles south-west of London.  Our accommodations were in a suburb town called Hendon.  Next challenge; how to get there from the City Cruise Terminal in Southampton. 

You have several options available for transportation between Southampton and the London area.  We opted to use National Express Coaches. Other options will include rail and/or underground but these offered obstacles that we wanted to avoid.  Mainly, transfers that required climbing up and down steps with suitcases in tow. This was avoided by using NationalExpress and the cost was only $20.70USD per person. 

Our docking time in Southampton was just before 7:00am.  We opted to disembark as independent travelers, taking our luggage with us, so we were able to walk off of the Norwegian Jade at 7:30am.  Taxis are numerous and located immediately to your left as you exit the City Cruise Terminal.  A very short taxi ride to the bus station had us arriving at 7:45am.  Our pre-purchased National Express bus tickets were for an 11:00am departure but we encountered no problems in boarding the 8:00am departure.  We found the option of leaving earlier more appealing than the alternative of a 3-hour wait in their tiny bus station.

National Express Southampton Station

Our travel time from Southampton to Golder’s Green took just under 4 hours, including transfer time at Victoria Station.  The bus was a newer, modern bus, very clean inside and out, and included FREE wi-fi onboard with a complete line of entertainment options including Films, TV, News, Sports, Kids and Magazines. 

Once we arrived into Victoria Station we transferred to the Golder’s Green bus.   The drivers handled our luggage and we simply got off one bus and on another.  To make it even easier, the buses were located right next to each other so there was minimal walking.  

National Express Victoria Station

Our final stop at Golder’s Green left us under 2 miles to our final destination - The Pillar Hotel.  Before departing the United States I had pre-purchased a taxi via Minicabs of London  at a cost of $6.91USD.  I also downloaded the “Minicab For London” app onto my iPhone.  The app is FREE.  Arriving 3 hours ahead of schedule I was uncertain if we could be picked up early.  I placed a quick call to Minicabs and within 5-7 minutes our transportation arrived.  

We considered the trip very relaxing and enjoyable and would certainly use National Express again.

PENZANCE, ST IVES AND LAND’S END

Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance, was written in 1879.  At that time, Penzance, England was considered nothing but a sleepy, peaceful resort town.   My guess is that the thought of a sleepy, peaceful town being totally over-run with pirates seemed comical, thus spawning their inspiration for the opera.

Our TransAtlantic port of call for Penzance, St. Ives and Land’s End was Falmouth, England. I had pre-arranged a small, private tour for eight, with owner Andrew Mills from Cornwall Tours. Ship size dictated that we tender to the port to meet up with Andrew, taking an additional 30 minutes and putting us dockside at 9:00am.  Andrew was cheerfully waiting for us and quickly led us to his shiny blue van. Within minutes we were off. 

Owner Andrew Mills, Cornwall Tours

Cornwall Tour 8-passenger Van

Individual cost amounted to $48.48 per person and well worth it.  Andrew was courteous, knowledgeable and a careful driver.  He was able to answer all questions presented and went out of his way to accommodate us and stick with our time frame.

Our first stop with Andrew would be the popular seaside resort of St. Ives. The distance from the port of Falmouth is only about 30 miles but travel time will take close to an hour. This colorful and quaint town holds several titles including “Best UK Seaside Town” from the British Travel Awards, “Best Family Holiday Destination” by Coast magazine and one of TripAdvisor’s “Top 10 European Beaches”.  

St Ives

St Ives is also renowned for it’s number of artists and the Tate Gallery, only 1 of 4 in the world.   Parking is at a premium if you can find it.  Andrew dropped us right downtown next to the beach, and gave us ample time to explore the narrow cobblestone streets and visit several of the small independent shops.  The local fudge shop was a favorite.  

Andrew dropping us off in downtown St Ives

Cobblestone Streets of St Ives

Local Bakery in St Ives

Fudge shop in St Ives

St Ives also serves as home to The Godrevy Lighthouse, an inspiration for the 1927 novel To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.

Godrevy Lighthouse of St Ives

Next stop, St Michael's Mount a small tidal island in Mount’s Bay and just a short distance from Penzance.  

St Michael's Mount 

The cobblestone pathway leading to the island and parish is only passable between mid and low-tide. 

 

Cobblestone path to parish at low tide

The population of the parish has been as high as 300.  Currently it is only 35 and has been the home of the St Aubyn family since 1650 but the earliest buildings date back to the 12^th century.  St Michael's Mount is the Cornish counterpart to Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France, which shares the same tidal island characteristics and the same shape, though St Michael’s Mount is much, much smaller.   

St Michael’s Mount has been the site of several films:

1979   The film Dracula, where it was prominently featured as the exterior of Castle Dracula

1983   The James Bond film Never Say Never Again,

2003   In the film Johnny English it was used as the exterior of the character Pascal Sauvage's  French chateau

2012   it was a filming location for the fantasy adventure movie Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box

There is also a short underground, St Michael's Mount Tramway.  This is a funicular narrow gauge railway that was built in Victorian times and was used to bring luggage to the house. It occasionally operates but only for demonstrations and it is not open to the general public. St Michael’s Mount is closed on Saturdays so we were not able to tour inside, thus leaving that for a future visit.

Our stop at Penzance was a few short minutes from St Michael’s Mount.  It is most noted  for being the most westerly major town in Cornwall.  One of the reasons for the success of Penzance could possibly date back to 1512 when King Henry VIII granted Penzance the right to charge harbor dues. 

Penzance was the birthplace of Maria Branwell, mother of three famous novelists – Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë.   Charlotte was the eldest of the three sisters and her novels have become classics in English literature.  She first published her works, including her best known novel Jane Eyre, under the pen name of Currer Bell. Due to prejudice of female writers, the Brontë sisters adopted masculine first names.  All three retained the first letter of their first name.  Charlotte became Currer Bell, Anne became Acton Bell and Emily became Ellis Bell.  Emily died in 1848 at the age of 30, Anne in 1849 at  age 29 and Charlotte in 1855 at age 39.

Andrew had selected Penzance for our lunch stop and surprised us by taking us to Admiral Benbow’s Pub andRestaurant. One of the oldest pubs in Penzance, the Admiral Benbow has been in existence since the 17th Century and is popular with locals and the famous, including Gregory Peck and the Rolling Stones. It is also the fictional home of Jim Hawkins in the 1883 novel “Treasure Island”

Admiral Benbow Pub and Restaurant

What an amazing place this was. Once you step inside you find yourself surrounded by a fascinating collection of maritime artifacts rescued from numerous shipwrecked vessels found off the Cornish coast over the last 400 years. Many of its treasures are incorporated into the building and the Captain’s Cabin Restaurant displays an stunning array of woodwork from a Man of War frigate.

Man of War Frigate Design

The Lady Hamilton Lounge is home to a magnificent and well preserved cannon and a ships figure head.

Cannon

Inside Admiral Benbow Pub and Restaurant

Inside Amiral Benbow Pub and Restaurant

Inside Admiral Benbow Pub and Restaurant

The upstairs bars afford beautiful views over Penzance harbor towards St Michael’s Mount. 

Mike steering the ship

After our lunch experience we headed out to Land’s End. A granite cape peninsula listed as the most westerly point of mainland Cornwall and England, Land’s End is located about 8 miles west-south-west from Penzance.  Although the average wind speed for May is listed at 12kts or about 14mph, the day we visited I feel pretty confident that it must have been more like 40mph.   If you visit be sure you dress properly as I found it to be very cold and we were there the middle of May.    

Mike and I at Land's End

Land's End, England

You will see some stunning views of the granite cliffs and the famous Longships Lighthouse. The lighthouse has been unmanned since 1988. The current lantern, which has a range of 11 nautical miles (about 13 miles), emits one long five-second flash every ten seconds and the Fog horn signals sound every ten seconds.

Longships Lighthouse at Land's End

On a clear and sunny day at Land’s End you will be able to see the Isles of Scilly but weather did not cooperate with us on the day we were there. 

Our departure from Land’s End found us heading directly to the port of Falmouth, arriving at 4:00pm, plenty of time to spare as the last tender wasn't scheduled until 4:30pm.  After a 15-minute wait, it began to drizzle but within 15 minutes it was raining significantly.  I always take along an umbrella so I was prepared but there were at least 40 other people waiting for the tender, none of which were prepared for the rain.  Norwegian Cruise Lines only provided 2 small pop-up canopies so people were desperately trying to squeeze under the shelter.  After another 30 minute wait in the rain I politely asked one of the crew members what seemed to be the problem and was told the seas were very rough and they were having difficulty getting passengers on board the ship.  By the time a tender finally arrived, boarded the remaining soaked passengers and took us back to the ship it was 5:30pm, an hour and a half after first arriving at the pier.  We would later come to find out that the problem stemmed from two of the tenders crashing into each other, injuring some passengers.   Not sure why we had to anchor so far off shore but we arrived safe and sound, although saturated and cold.