My first day in Paris was good. Arriving in Charles DeGualle airport, our flight parked right
beside the terminal that collapsed in 2004. It's all covered up, but you can see the area in
a couple pictures below (we were the Northwest A-330). I am guessing that the whole terminal
is closed because at the gate we did not have a jetway at the door, instead we came down stairs
and into a bus that took us to another terminal. Leaving the terminal was surprising, I was
looking around for customs and didn't see it anywhere, I thought I took a wrong turn somewhere.
Apparently there is no customs control in this country... talk about freedom! Now I wish I
brought fruits, vegetables, meat, and booze into France. When I got to the rail station I
waited in line for about 15 minutes to buy a ticket from a machine that ONLY took smart cards,
I happen to not have one, except for the one at home 4000+ miles away. So, I waited in another
line for 30 minutes for a ticket. The price wasn't too bad, 8 Euros from CDG to Pont de l'Alma
in Central Paris, and it took about 45 mins.
Laetitia showed me around the Hotel DeVille area which was really nice, their shops are cheaper
than Champs-Elysées since it's less 'touristy'. We ate Crepes of course, and looked at some
of the shops on the other side of the river from Notre Dame.
The next day I met up with Doreen's nephew, Neal who lives in Paris. We grabbed lunch at some
restaurant that was slightly off the beaten path, it made it a little cheaper and authentic.
Then we checked out Napoleons dead carcass in a box, and a WWII museum. Then it was off to
Basilique du Sacré Coeur in Montmartre for an awesome view of the city. For dinner we stopped
at a fondue place in the Latin Quarter, after a failed attempt at finding one near the Louvre.
On Sunday I took a nice leisurely walk to Ecole Militaire which is at the southern end of
Champ-De-Mars park, and has a great view of the Eiffel tower. From where I walked to the
tower, then got on the metro to visit a good old friend of mine - the Chinese food place!
During the night I walked to Champs-Elysées to see the nice Christmas decorations, and made
my way to the Arc De Triomphe. I walked back down the avenue, got some crepes and made my
way back 'home' and packed for Toulouse.
I really wanted to visit the Musée d'Orsay on this trip, but just ran out of time. Oh well,
that's what next year is for.
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