We are up bright & early today for our transfer to Paris. I’m amazed I slept as well as I did . I have come down with a summer cold & had to sleep propped up, mouth breathing. I had one of those panicky moments in the middle of the night when I forgot where our check-in instructions were for Paris. I spent some time searching through old emails & finally found them. I found both of our rentals on VRBO. Nathalie & Gerard, the owners of the Nice apartment have been very relaxed to deal with. We simply put down our deposit & paid the balance in cash on arrival. On the other hand, Joel & Valerie, the owners of the Paris apartment, have had us wade through a mountain of documents & contracts. And our balance was paid in full 6 weeks ago with no option for a refund, barring some catastrophe, for which we purchased travel insurance at their recommendation. I hope its worth it!
We clear out, head to the train station & board the TGV (high-speed train) for our 6 hour trip to Paris. I use this time to catch up in the journal I reference for writing this blog. Ernesto & I have packed a picnic lunch & the time flies by. The car isn’t crowded & we have lots of room to spread out.
We pull into Gare De Lyon in the heart of Paris. Everyone seems to explode off the train and shoot off in different directions with purpose. Everyone but us that is. We have a rough idea of where we’d like to end up but no point of reference yet. My French friend Mylene recommended we purchase a 10 pack of tickets for the Metro. Can I say we think taxis are for pussies? No, not really, but we do think it’s the easy (& expensive) way out. Especially when you are somewhere that has excellent public transportation. We spend a few flustered moments trying to purchase the 10 pack (a carnet) but instead wind up with 3 day passes,the attendant clearly saw us as an easy mark.. Now all we need to do is pick our line.
Some cities are laid out in a straightforward grid. Not Paris. Here it is more of a hub & spoke system & often the street changes its name when it moves through a round-about. Adding to this confusion is the fact that Ernesto won’t allow us to pull out a map lest we look like lost tourists. The fact that that is exactly what we are doesn’t enter in to his reasoning. So we pick a stop that seems to be in the general vicinity of our neighborhood. Ernesto finally compromises by pulling out his phone to use the GPS & after lots of circling back on ourselves we find our apartment.
I’ve been wanting to come here & stay in this jewel box for three years. An earlier trip didn’t pan out but I saved the link to this place & we are finally here. It is even nicer in person than the photos on the web & feels way roomier than its advertised 750 square feet. I can now understand why the owners are so protective. We take about an hour to unpack & catch our breath before striking out to explore our neighborhood. The apartment is so well situated! It is down a small street but close to a busy one filled with cafes and shops. The president of France has a residence nearby & one of the nice features of the apartment is the round the clock security detail patrolling the neighborhood.
We are just a few blocks from the Champs Élysées so our first foray into the streets is to locate where we will be sitting for the end of the Tour De France in a few days. Just knowing the riders are making their way closer to us creates a current of excitement that is increasing day-by-day. It only takes a few minutes to find and preparations are clearly underway; grandstands have been set up, awnings are being installed, and if I am not mistaken out seats are RIGHT ON THE FINISH LINE!!! I have had the feeling each day that this vacation can’t get any better. And each day it does. That trend seems to be holding true here as well!
We take a right turn & make our way towards the Arc de Triumphe. Constructed at Napoleon’s order, beginning in 1806 it was completed well after his death in 1821. Built to honor the French Army which had conquered most of Europe at the time, the Arc de Triumphe is one of Paris’ most famous landmarks. This year the Tour will circle the Arc 10 times in the climactic criterium finish. We walk all the way around and under taking lots of photos.
Afterwards we stop in at the Mono Prix to pick up provisions and then tuck in to a homey brasserie for a lovely late dinner & impromptu French lesson from our waitress. It is growing dark as we make our way home ready to tackle a full day of sightseeing tomorrow.
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