Over a year ago, I was booked by a group of American ladies for a bachelorette party in Paris. Recently, I was back in the beautiful French capital for another hen party.
Paris Hen Do: The sequel!
Travelling back and forth to Paris in a day is a challenge if you don’t live in Ashford, Kent or central London. Last year, I tried it and ended up missing the Eurostar train I was booked to take. It had knock on effect for the rest of the day.
This Paris hen party had been in my diary for months, so it gave me ample time to plan.
The groups cover the cost of my Eurostar tickets, so therefore need to get myself on the cheapest train of the day. This turned out to be the first one at 6:10am. It’s a 3 hour journey for me to get to St.Pancras station. I also needed to check in an hour in advance. That meant no sleep for me that night!
I arrived in St. Pancras anhour early, before the desks even opening. There were people sleeping rough on the benches of the station and others arriving in dribs and drabs a little worse for wear following their night out. I hadn’t slept, felt groggy without having a drop of alcohol. Coffee or no coffee? Was it too late or too early for caffeine?
I decided on a soothing cup of tea. I needed to sleep on the train or I’d be useless arriving in France on a coffeine high. The coffee would be nicer in Paris anyway.
Even though there were queues by the time the desk opening, getting on the Eurostar was easy at that time of the day. I was on my way.
Paris Train Station
Having slept for most of the journey, arriving at Gare du Norde came like the blink of an eye. I didn’t have time to appreciate how nice the Station was when I was there last year. This time, I had time to relax and enjoy the place. I even managed to get my mobile phone topped up with charge on one of the public benches.
I had a couple of hours to spare. Part of me wanted to visit Notre Dame, but thought there was nothing positive in visiting the beautiful Cathedral in its burnt state. I decided to take my time and walk to the hen party apartment rather than get the Metro. A nice coffee somewhere pleasant along the way would be the order of the morning.
Tai Chi at Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
I knew that I was heading to the edge of the Buttes-Chaumont Park, but I hadn’t thought too much about it. When I did arrive with my large mule bag with drawing materials, I saw how gorgeous it was. Lots of Parisians were chilling out on a sunny Saturday morning and many practicing Tai Chi. I found a café and sat outside in the sunshine with my well-deserved coffee!
The Hen Party had been sightseeing at the Eiffel Tower in the morning but it was now time for me to meet the to get the life drawing class going.
I found the accommodation which was pretty much on the edge of the beautiful park. Organiser Laura made her way back from home from some sightseeing. The property was lovely and the basement was perfect for the life drawing. I put on my butler collars and cuffs and got ready to serve drinks for the Bride to Be and group. I was a little worried about the wooden spiral stairs when they walked down to see me, but luckily they were all careful..and still sober!
Bonjour!
The activity was a surprise to most of the group, including the Bride to Be. Many of them greeted my with “Bonjour” since they assumed I was French. I don’t know if they were pleased or disappointed then to hear my British accent!
They all took it in their strides and were quickly acclimatised to a naked man being amongst them. Even though the was very little previous drawing experience in the group, I was so impressed with even the early ‘gesture pose’ sketches.
The session was relaxed and casual and they all enjoyed themslves. The group took a break for some lunch half way through the class, and we ended the afternoon with some colourful bodypainting. I love the flicker effect that they created!
It was then time for me to wash off the paint and make my way back to the train station. This time I took the Metro back and I was back in Gare du Norde in ample time for the Eurostar back.
I was back home in bed by midnight after a really cool, wonderful day in Paris. I received a nice WhatsApp text from the organiser afterwards which was the incing on the cake.
Click on the link if to read about my hen party in France last year.
If you’re looking for a fun and creative hen party life drawing class (preferrably in the UK for now) please get in touch for a quote.
