Part 2 - Paris

We landed in Paris at 5:30 a.m. their time (11:30pm our time). The airport was near empty and we breezed through customs. Our hotel room check in wasn’t until 3:00 but we took a cab there hoping to store our luggage before heading out to explore. But lucky us, our room was ready when we arrived and they let us check-in at 6:30 am!  We decided to take advantage of that and grabbed a quick 1 hour nap,  then out for the first of many croissant and cafe au lait breakfasts.

Peachie and I had both made lists of the things we wanted to see, eat, and shop for but neither of us were particularly interested in spending too much time waiting in lines at the typical tourist attractions. And so we started walking along the Seine to see what we could see.

First we came across La Cathedrale Notre-Dame which made me cry. I, like many, watched the April fire on the news, but seeing the damage in person was heartbreaking. I can’t even imagine how it must have felt to the French who identity so closely with it.

Right across the street was the first stop on my list, the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore, a great new and used book shop where aspiring writers are allowed to sleep in beds located among the bookshelves. I purchased a copy of my favorite book “Le Petit Prince” and received the traditional shop stamp on the inside cover.  This was the only souvenir I wanted.

Continuing along the Seine we found the Locks of Love bridge. However, due to the weight of all the locks people left, the bridge was beginning to fail and the city removed them and put a barrier along the railings so no more could be left. Still, lovers find a way.

We strolled through the grounds of the Louvre, mostly to see the I M Pei entrance pyramid,

and stopped to have crepes at the Jardin de Tuileries.

We passed this interesting "live" building

and walked around the Tour d’Eiffel which was much more imposing than I had expected.


But the main attraction I had come to see, and ride, was the carousel which was the first one I had ever seen that went clockwise, so that the horses were mounted from the left. Apparently this is much more traditional in Europe.

By this time (2 am by our body clock) we headed back to our quaint hotel, had a lovely meal around the corner, and collapsed into bed.  Later we also discovered that France did Daylight's Savings time a week earlier than in the States and so our jetlag, and watches, were further screwed up.

French fries were served at almost every meal and wine was often cheaper than water.

The next morning was spent wandering around the neighborhood. When I travel I am always very interested in how the locals live so we explored supermarkets and pharmacies and discovered quaint residential streets.

Then my daughter treated me to a very fancy lunch at Le Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyon.

I don’t know about where you live but my train station does not look like this 

Afterward we went to the high end shops around the Champs d’Élysée and I sat while Peachie browsed ridiculously priced purses and shoes and people walked around offering me champagne or fancy water and petites chocolats.

Wall art made with the red soles of Louboutin shoes. 

Afterward we decided we should go see the Tour d'Eiffel at night and it did not disappoint.

The following day we boarded a train and headed to Disneyland Paris.

It is much smaller than DisneyWorld, more comparable to DisneyLand. We found some of the attractions much better - the Haunted House scarier, Pirates of the Caribbean more detailed (and in French) and Its a Small World included a much larger US section.

But overall we found the food terrible and the magical experience lacking. Still, the highlight was a new Ratatouille ride which was awesome and will be coming to Epcot next summer.