許久未有如此長時間的旅行。年輕時熱衷歐美文化，喜愛英國Queen樂團的Freddie Mercury和法國傳奇香頌歌手Édith Piaf的歌聲，對英法文化的精緻抱有期待。然而，旅程中有些許期待落差。
旅途中觀察到許多有趣現象：在英國攝政街，每五分鐘就能遇見一位型男帥哥；在法國巴黎街頭，踩到垃圾或狗屎的機率頗高（笑）。
回台後反思，或許因習慣了台灣優良的捷運系統與治安，總對台灣多有抱怨。實際上，若不執著於台灣光怪陸離的媒體政治紛爭，台灣的基礎設施與治安已超越英國與法國。
在法國的第一個驚訝是，從戴高樂機場搭車至巴黎北站（Gare du Nord）轉乘歐洲之星前往英國時，遇到不少遊牧民族或旅人的不尋常搭訕行為。久聞巴黎治安不如以往，或許亞洲人在車站較為醒目，需時刻提高警覺，提防小偷的覬覦。
It’s been a while since I’ve taken such an extended trip. In my youth, I was captivated by Western culture, particularly the music of Queen’s Freddie Mercury and the iconic French chanson singer Édith Piaf, and held high expectations for the refined cultures of the UK and France. However, the journey brought some unexpected disappointments.
I noticed amusing quirks along the way: on London’s Regent Street, you’d spot a stylish, handsome man about every five minutes; in Paris, the odds of stepping in litter or dog droppings were surprisingly high (laughs).
Back in Taiwan, I reflected that we’ve grown accustomed to Taiwan’s excellent MRT system and safety, yet we often complain about our homeland. If we look beyond Taiwan’s bizarre and chaotic media and political disputes, its infrastructure and security surpass those of the UK and France.
My first shock in France came when traveling from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Gare du Nord for the Eurostar to the UK. I encountered unsettling approaches from nomadic travelers or others, confirming rumors of Paris’s declining safety. As Asians likely stood out at the station, I had to stay vigilant against potential pickpockets.
難以想像在巴黎這座世界之都的轉運站——巴黎北站，車站內氛圍竟如此紛亂詭異且不安全。
此外，搭乘歐洲之星的旅客在巴黎北站內，會發現缺乏清晰的指示標誌指引至二樓的歐洲之星集合點，也沒有提供運送大型行李的電扶梯。即使提早抵達車站，也無法提前進入歐洲之星月台，僅能在火車到站前5分鐘才能進入。
It’s hard to imagine that Paris, a global capital, has a transit hub like Gare du Nord, where the atmosphere feels chaotic, eerie, and unsafe.
Moreover, for travelers taking the Eurostar, Gare du Nord lacks clear signage to the second-floor Eurostar check-in area and offers no escalators for transporting large luggage. Even arriving early, passengers cannot access the Eurostar platform until 5 minutes before the train’s arrival.
週一早晨，巴黎北站二樓門口擠滿上千名旅客，動彈不得。現場缺乏工作人員協助疏導人潮，方向指引全靠自己，彷彿置身於一個巨大的難民車站，令人錯愕。
On Monday morning, thousands of travelers packed the second-floor entrance of Gare du Nord, unable to move. With no staff to manage the crowd or provide directions, it felt like being in an enormous refugee station, disorienting and chaotic.
或許因為習慣了亞洲精緻的客戶服務，看到巴黎北站歐洲之星月台雜亂無章，缺乏系統化的人力調度安排，加上海關動線混亂與工作人員態度欠佳，不免令人嘆氣搖頭。
Perhaps accustomed to Asia’s refined customer service, the chaotic and disorganized Eurostar platform at Gare du Nord, coupled with poor staff coordination, confusing customs lines, and unfriendly attitudes, left me sighing and shaking my head.
最大的驚訝在於，搭巴黎北站乘歐洲之星的火車月台與車廂平台落差約有100cm高，很難想像若是行動不方便人士，如何把身邊10多公斤的的託運行李給搬上車廂。
或許因為習慣了台北捷運的安靜舒適、平穩乾淨，以及車廂與月台間100cm的溫柔。
待續……
The biggest shock was the roughly 100 cm gap between the Eurostar platform and train carriage at Gare du Nord, making it hard to imagine how someone with mobility issues could lift 10+ kg of luggage onto the train.
Perhaps I’ve grown used to Taipei’s MRT—quiet, comfortable, smooth, clean, and thoughtfully designed with a nearly seamless platform-to-carriage transition.
