After a 12 hour flight we arrived at Charles de Gualle airport at 6:15 am. We were whisked through immigration and customs, and were on the RER ( Express train from the airport) within 1 hour of arriving. We travelled to Chalet Les Halles, then switched to the busy morning Metro to Pyramides where we alighted to our hotel on Rue Des Pyramides. I had no idea how accessible and efficient train travel is in Paris.
We dropped our bags at Hotel Lumen and immediately headed for our first walk around Paris starting with the Paris Opera House and Opera Comique. I found myself constantly looking upwards at every building - the extent of architectural beauty here has surpassed all my expectations. Every building, be they big or small, has the most intricate architectural detail.
We stopped for our first street-side Cafe Creme mid-morning and munched our way through a Croque-monsieur, all ordered in broken French - bien sûr! We then walked to the Jardin du Carrousel and strolled along the Place De La Concorde, enjoying the incredible sunshine and amazing bronze statues in the gardens. I had my first glimpse, be it from afar, of Le Tour Eiffel.
For lunch we dined at a little french brasserie, and again attempted our best broken french to order. So far everyone has been incredibly supportive in our efforts to use my high school french. There have been lots of smiles from the Parisians as I perfect the art of getting my words all muddled! We enjoyed our first sip of Beaujolais with lunch whilst busy Paris passed us by.
We were able to check into out hotel room in the afternoon. Our hotel is located about 500 meters from the Louvre. Our room is very modern Parisian styled with a balcony that looks out onto the street with its cafes and stores below. We never expected to be able to enjoy Paris life from our own balcony. We took a load off our feet in the late afternoon and just watched Paris....
In the evening we walked to another Brasserie close by, and followed up a lovely meal with a stroll back through Jardin Du Carrousel in daylight at around 10pm. Dusk hit around 10:30 pm, when lights of the Carrousel sparkled in the dimming sky.
Paris is everything I ever expected, and more!