Departure day and day 1 in Paris

June 15 & 16, 2101 - Departure day and Day 1 Paris




Nous sommes arrivez! (other words, Here us are!)



The flight from Seattle departed on time (even a bit early) and was fairly smooth. There wasn’t much to see as the route was fairly cloud covered. No volcano, nothing much until we flew across the English Channel. Then the clouds cleared and we could see the French countryside. As we approached Paris, we spotted the Eiffel Tower.



After landing, we were bussed to the terminal where we got in line for passport check. Deb swears we experienced one of those infamous French work slowdowns. There must have been 2 dozen or so windows where our passports could have been checked, but only 3 were staffed. And, the people staffing them were slower than molasses…it took an hour for us to get to the head of the line and when it was Debbie’s turn, the teller took a break! Oh boy, I’m thinking our time in France is going to be short.



Eventually, we made it through and headed to find transportation into Paris; we decided to take the Air France bus. About an hour later we arrived at the base of the Arc de Triomphe and took a short walk down the Champs Elysees to the Marriott.



There was a slight hitch with the room, involving beds and a balcony, so while things were being resolved by the staff, Deb and I headed to a sidewalk cafe where we bought our first cup of coffee (no “goodie” though) in France. Not exactly coffee, more like espresso, and not exactly in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, but close. From our room, we can see the top third of the tower looming over the rooftops across the Champs.



After a short nap for Deb and refreshing tub for me, we headed out. We strolled down the Champs towards the Grand Palais, then changed course, crossed the Seine River and headed to the Eiffel Tower. Lines weren‘t too bad and we managed to purchase tickets for the ride to the second level, 400 feet high, approximately the height of a 43-story building. We had hoped to make it to the top, but the top level was closed when we purchased our tickets, both because of the tourist volume and the wind. Once we arrived at the second level, we would have the option to buy tickets to the top, but the lines were too long and the wind was too strong. Not sure if this is always the case, but today, Paris is windy. So, we opted to make our away down the stairs, to the first level, 2oo feet or 21 stories high, and finally to the ground level. The Eiffel Tower is a massive erector set, painted brown, with counter-balanced elevators. At 10:00pm, the tower sparkles, like a white 4th of July sparkler, the it glows pale orange.



We spent a few minutes resting along the Seine munching on French fires dressed with ketchup and Dijon mayonnaise, then set off for the hotel. Once we took our shoes off, we decided to stay put. We moved some seats onto our balcony and opened the bottle of white wine, provided courtesy of the Marriott, and supped on Ritz crackers and M&Ms that we had purchased in Seattle.



Tomorrow morning we are heading for La Dupree, a restaurant across the Champs that specializes in pastries.



Bon nuit, mes aimees.

Pre-departure

Seattle, Monday June 14 -

Deb arrived yesterday all packed and ready to go, she even managed to get her things into one carryon suitcase. I am packing tonight. Bob will drive us to the airport tomorrow making sure we arrive in time for our 1:45 PST departure on Air France.