Days 1/2 - September 10-11, 2008
Once again we chose to drive to Washington D.C. and fly from Dulles. Dave also planned it so we had the added bonus of no connecting flights (VBT Travel service tried to route us through London). Yes, we were in Paris in one short (ha!) 8-hour flight. Unfortunately, neither of us slept and so we arrived in Paris at 6:30 a.m., not really knowing what to do with ourselves.
We though that baggage claim in Pittsburgh was slow! It took 45 minutes for us to get through customs and to baggage claim and it took our luggage 1.5 hours. On the upside, both of our suitcases got there and arrived in one piece.
We met the VBT representative who drove us to downtown Paris at the height of morning rush-hour traffic. On the way into the city, the suburbs weren't looking too promising. Once we were on the Champs Elysees, the buildings changed and it was beautiful! We circled the Arc de Triomphe and a few blocks later were at our hotel.
We do want to mention morning rush-hour in Paris, since we got to experience it first-hand. First off, there are many lanes of traffic, sometimes even 8 lanes going each direction. From there, the scooters and motorcycles then create their own mini-lanes, zipping between lanes of cars--as if no one is going to change lanes and run them over. At one point, there was a whole additional lane of these guys riding between the left and next in lane--then we started into the tunnel. Jill couldn't watch and closed her eyes and hoped everyone made it safely. They all zipped around, changing lanes like mad and so how all emerged in one piece.
Since our hotel room wasn't ready quite that early, we headed out to explore (and not get lost). We were also trying to figure out what to do for breakfast. The priority was being able to find our way back to the hotel so we tried to walk around the block-didn't work. We did make it back to the hotel and started again, this time going toward the Champs Elysees. Not having a map was even more dangerous than having one! Our first destination was the Arc de Triomphe. Our drive in showed us that it was located in the middle of one of the biggest darned round-abouts we have seen. We found out while walking around that there is no pedestrian traffic to it on street level. Instead, you use an underground passageway to get to the center-and it costs 9 euro a person to actually go into it. We took the passageway to the other side of the intersection and went on exploring.
Shortly after getting to the Arc, we soon found a little tourist Shoppe and were able to purchase a map--Jill felt much better! We followed our noses to breakfast a corner pastry shop near there and indulged in a raisin du pain (Dave), and croissant (Jill). My gosh, they were so fresh, light, and amazingly yummy. We stopped and enjoyed them on the bench right across from the fruit market. The hardest part about getting to Paris is that we weren't sure if we were hungry or not as our internal clocks hadn't adjusted to Paris time yet.
We returned to the hotel to see if our room was ready and thank goodness, we could check in! We moved the heavy stuff out of the backpacks into the suitcases, grabbed a granola bar, and headed out again.
The next stop on the list was the Eiffel Tower. You know, you always just see it as a stand-alone structure and hear all about it but seeing it in person is totally different. The thing is massive--really huge! It is a beautiful piece of steelwork and we wandered around and around taking photos. I think you lose some of the beautiful detail work in the photos and sculptures of it. It is beautifully ornate. Unfortunatly, the lines for going up in it were really long and somehow standing in line didn't appeal to us. So we just took our photos and headed to the next stop.
That didn't go so well. We really wanted to see Notre Dame and walked for what seemed to be miles, but just couldn't seem to get there. We did find St. Germaine and knew we were only about half-way there and bordering on getting lost. We were also getting incredibly tired and dragging. Instead, we gave up and headed to find the Louvre -um, well, remember how we were only half-way to Notre Dame? Well, we were only half-way to the Louvre on the other side of the river. We headed back to the river and crossed over the river on the Pont Alexandre III. We did go past the Grand Palais and the Petit Palis. They were beautiful, but not what we had been hoping for. At this point we gave up and headed up the Champs Elysses to t he hotel.
Our room at the hotel is quite nice. The walls looked to be covered in textured wallpaper, but Jill quickly found out that it was padded fabric with a wood-grain finish. The wainscoting is wood with a washed finish that matches the finish on the table and chairs in the middle of the room. The chairs are just Jill's size too! The padded fabric headboard matches the chair and couch upholstery, as well as the draperies. We have a flat-panel TV, a roomy closet and even a double entry door-helps with noise. The French doors open out to a small balcony which overlooks the surrounding rooftops. Our bathroom is finished in a peach-colored marble tile. The room proportions are about the same as an American hotel room but the more delicate scale of the furniture and lack of it filling everything wall-to-wall make the room seem much bigger without the cramped and cluttered feel. The couch is a pull-out bed and the desk even has internet service. We can even hear the occasional ding of a nearby clock tower but not much traffic noise. It is charming, and amazingly quiet for being in the middle of a big city.
Going back to the hotel turned out to be a great idea. Jill sat down to write in the journal and was fast asleep in an instant. Similarly, Dave zonked out in the middle of the bed. We both obviously needed it and napped for over 2 hours. We awoke refreshed and ready to try again--and very hungry.
Dinner was in a small Italian sidewalk cafe on the Champs Elysees. We both selected the pasta and vino for 11 euro each and it was wonderful. (You can't eat that well in most major cities in the U.S.!) The whole experience was great and they were very polite. Dessert was a sundae from Hagen Daas that we split while walking.
We headed for the Louvre again, finally reaching the odalisque (which Dave was calling the tomb of the unknown bowler) just as it began to rain. We got about half-way across the square when the downpour started. Hmmm, stuck in the middle of Paris without an umbrella--how did we forget an umbrella? Heading back, we stopped at a closed concession stand and huddled under the slight overhang together. It wasn't warm but we managed to stay relatively dry during the worst of it. Our guide point for turning off of the Champs Elysees was the Louis Vitton store and we so relieved when we finally made it.
Exhausted, we are both ready for sleep and a few free hours in the morning to explore before meeting the tour.
Once again we chose to drive to Washington D.C. and fly from Dulles. Dave also planned it so we had the added bonus of no connecting flights (VBT Travel service tried to route us through London). Yes, we were in Paris in one short (ha!) 8-hour flight. Unfortunately, neither of us slept and so we arrived in Paris at 6:30 a.m., not really knowing what to do with ourselves.
We though that baggage claim in Pittsburgh was slow! It took 45 minutes for us to get through customs and to baggage claim and it took our luggage 1.5 hours. On the upside, both of our suitcases got there and arrived in one piece.
We met the VBT representative who drove us to downtown Paris at the height of morning rush-hour traffic. On the way into the city, the suburbs weren't looking too promising. Once we were on the Champs Elysees, the buildings changed and it was beautiful! We circled the Arc de Triomphe and a few blocks later were at our hotel.
We do want to mention morning rush-hour in Paris, since we got to experience it first-hand. First off, there are many lanes of traffic, sometimes even 8 lanes going each direction. From there, the scooters and motorcycles then create their own mini-lanes, zipping between lanes of cars--as if no one is going to change lanes and run them over. At one point, there was a whole additional lane of these guys riding between the left and next in lane--then we started into the tunnel. Jill couldn't watch and closed her eyes and hoped everyone made it safely. They all zipped around, changing lanes like mad and so how all emerged in one piece.
Since our hotel room wasn't ready quite that early, we headed out to explore (and not get lost). We were also trying to figure out what to do for breakfast. The priority was being able to find our way back to the hotel so we tried to walk around the block-didn't work. We did make it back to the hotel and started again, this time going toward the Champs Elysees. Not having a map was even more dangerous than having one! Our first destination was the Arc de Triomphe. Our drive in showed us that it was located in the middle of one of the biggest darned round-abouts we have seen. We found out while walking around that there is no pedestrian traffic to it on street level. Instead, you use an underground passageway to get to the center-and it costs 9 euro a person to actually go into it. We took the passageway to the other side of the intersection and went on exploring.
Shortly after getting to the Arc, we soon found a little tourist Shoppe and were able to purchase a map--Jill felt much better! We followed our noses to breakfast a corner pastry shop near there and indulged in a raisin du pain (Dave), and croissant (Jill). My gosh, they were so fresh, light, and amazingly yummy. We stopped and enjoyed them on the bench right across from the fruit market. The hardest part about getting to Paris is that we weren't sure if we were hungry or not as our internal clocks hadn't adjusted to Paris time yet.
We returned to the hotel to see if our room was ready and thank goodness, we could check in! We moved the heavy stuff out of the backpacks into the suitcases, grabbed a granola bar, and headed out again.
The next stop on the list was the Eiffel Tower. You know, you always just see it as a stand-alone structure and hear all about it but seeing it in person is totally different. The thing is massive--really huge! It is a beautiful piece of steelwork and we wandered around and around taking photos. I think you lose some of the beautiful detail work in the photos and sculptures of it. It is beautifully ornate. Unfortunatly, the lines for going up in it were really long and somehow standing in line didn't appeal to us. So we just took our photos and headed to the next stop.
That didn't go so well. We really wanted to see Notre Dame and walked for what seemed to be miles, but just couldn't seem to get there. We did find St. Germaine and knew we were only about half-way there and bordering on getting lost. We were also getting incredibly tired and dragging. Instead, we gave up and headed to find the Louvre -um, well, remember how we were only half-way to Notre Dame? Well, we were only half-way to the Louvre on the other side of the river. We headed back to the river and crossed over the river on the Pont Alexandre III. We did go past the Grand Palais and the Petit Palis. They were beautiful, but not what we had been hoping for. At this point we gave up and headed up the Champs Elysses to t he hotel.
Our room at the hotel is quite nice. The walls looked to be covered in textured wallpaper, but Jill quickly found out that it was padded fabric with a wood-grain finish. The wainscoting is wood with a washed finish that matches the finish on the table and chairs in the middle of the room. The chairs are just Jill's size too! The padded fabric headboard matches the chair and couch upholstery, as well as the draperies. We have a flat-panel TV, a roomy closet and even a double entry door-helps with noise. The French doors open out to a small balcony which overlooks the surrounding rooftops. Our bathroom is finished in a peach-colored marble tile. The room proportions are about the same as an American hotel room but the more delicate scale of the furniture and lack of it filling everything wall-to-wall make the room seem much bigger without the cramped and cluttered feel. The couch is a pull-out bed and the desk even has internet service. We can even hear the occasional ding of a nearby clock tower but not much traffic noise. It is charming, and amazingly quiet for being in the middle of a big city.
Going back to the hotel turned out to be a great idea. Jill sat down to write in the journal and was fast asleep in an instant. Similarly, Dave zonked out in the middle of the bed. We both obviously needed it and napped for over 2 hours. We awoke refreshed and ready to try again--and very hungry.
Dinner was in a small Italian sidewalk cafe on the Champs Elysees. We both selected the pasta and vino for 11 euro each and it was wonderful. (You can't eat that well in most major cities in the U.S.!) The whole experience was great and they were very polite. Dessert was a sundae from Hagen Daas that we split while walking.
We headed for the Louvre again, finally reaching the odalisque (which Dave was calling the tomb of the unknown bowler) just as it began to rain. We got about half-way across the square when the downpour started. Hmmm, stuck in the middle of Paris without an umbrella--how did we forget an umbrella? Heading back, we stopped at a closed concession stand and huddled under the slight overhang together. It wasn't warm but we managed to stay relatively dry during the worst of it. Our guide point for turning off of the Champs Elysees was the Louis Vitton store and we so relieved when we finally made it.
Exhausted, we are both ready for sleep and a few free hours in the morning to explore before meeting the tour.
France - 2008