Introduction to Paris
  I'm going to post this a little late.  As soon as Grace and I got to Paris we got very busy with little time for going online.
  Our flight from LAX went smoothly and we were able to sleep a few hours in our cramped Premium Economy seats.   After our London to Paris connecting flight, we caught the RER train into Paris.  I knew the stop we were supposed to use was Saint Michel, but the Notre Dame station looked closer to our hotel so we got off there.  Yikes!  The station was underground in a dark, tile-lined tunnel.  The only way out seemed to be a flight of stairs.  Up we went, dragging our 40 lb. suitcases and small carry-ons with us.  There was an old man coming down the stairs.  He had few teeth, a 4-day beard stubble, a long, red woolen coat and some large packages.  He began yelling at us in French and pointing to our bags.  In my sleep deprived state the only word I could make out was "Madam".  After climbing the very, very long and steep stairs, we erupted onto Quai de la Tournelle, one of the busiest streets in Paris.  It was night and the street corner was a mass of zooming cars and fast walking people, reminiscent of Back to the Future.  We felt like we'd been dropped off in a different time.  We looked around to see if we could hail a taxi, but soon recognized that that was impossible.  Finally, we saw a line of taxis about a block away.  Once we dropped our bags at the Hotel Des Deux on Ile Saint Louis, we walked to the end of the street to the closest bistro for some nourishment.
  Le Saint Regis was the perfect ending to our day.  We ordered beer, cheeseburgers and fries.  The beers came quickly and the burgers followed right behind. 

  The following day we were up and about early as we had a 2 o'clock tour with Fat Tire Bike Tours at the Eiffel Tower.  Our first full view of the Eiffel Tower was from the park just below. 

 After Victor, our tour director gave us the history of the Eiffel Tower,  we took the elevator to the first level to begin our tour.  The view was amazing and we were fortunate that it was a sunny day. 

After the tour, Grace and I took the elevator to the 3rd and highest level.  The fast ascending elevator is open framed so you see the city rapidly falling away. 

 

 The "Champagne Bar" at the top of the Eiffel Tower cheesy and very overpriced.

But the views were free and breathtaking. 

 

Beware of pickpocket signs were everywhere.

The daffodils and tulips around the Eiffel Tower were in bloom.

PARIS PUG

 

 

 

29 March 2014 - Riding on the Metro

29 March 2014

Today, Grace and I had our first Metro experience.  We walked from our hotel to the Saint Paul metro station where we bought tickets.  We agreed that if we got separated we would meet at the very next stop.  That was a very good thing because the trains were very crowded and although I made it on, Grace did not.  I turned to see her face outside the train window.  We both mouthed, "Next stop."  We easily met up at the next stop and boarded the train together.  We switched trains at Concord and then got off at Pigalle.  This is the metro station.  The doors open when the train is ready for boarding, but you'd better be quick as you only have about 10 seconds to board.

 
This is Tissue Reine on rue Saint Pierre.  I was looking for Liberty of London fabrics and found 2 tables of bolts.  Still quick expensive, but not as much as in the U.S.  If you look closely, you can see the very petite doll like figures to show how the fabrics will look make up into garments.  We had to secretly take a photo because they do not allow photos taken in the store.

Just up the street from Tissue Reine is Sacre Coeur.  It is on a hill overlooking Paris.  Today was Saturday so the park in front of the church was mobbed with people.  There were musicians performing, guys with cases of beer walking around selling bottles of beer, and vendors with their wares laid out on blankets.

There was also an Asian bride getting her photo taken with her new husband.  We could not help but notice that she isn't touching him and he barely touches her. 

 
On the way up the hill, we passed girls playing with their bunny.  He was dyed blue and violet.  Perhaps he is the Easter bunny.

 

And we saw our first Paris cats.  Lucky for the gray one, some ladies were putting food out for him.  The black and white one had a perfect spot in the sun overlooking the park area next to Sacre Coeur.

 

 

People in Paris use creative ways to earn some money.  This couple spread out their rug with a hat on the corner and danced a tango.  We have been serenaded in the metro by women singing, two men playing clarinet and sax, and twin blonde women playing guitars.  The first two merely boarded the train with their pig amp and Walkman on a wheeled cart and began their act.  One of the men continued to play clarinet while the other walked around with a paper cup collecting coins.

 

Our final stop of the day was the Moulin Rouge.  Grace pointed out that there is no pink elephant.

 

 

 

T minus 6 days and 6 hours. 

Another fabulous adventure is planned and I will be taking off via Virgin-Atlantic to London where I will transfer planes and fly on to Paris.  Yes, Paris!  I have wanted to go to Paris since I was 13 years old, and I took French classes in junior high school.  My grand-daughter, Grace will be coming with me to the Paris portion of my trip. 

We have a tour of the Eiffel Tower planned for Friday, March 28 with Fat Tire Bike Tours.  This should get us off to a good start and give us insight into the building and history of the Eiffel Tower. 

The following Tuesday, April 1st, we will be going out to Versailles, also with the Fat Tire Bike Tour group.  Once in Versailles, we will shop for picnic supplies and then pick up our bicycles and go to the Versailles gardens for a picnic and the beginning of our tour.  The gardens are huge so with the beach cruisers, we will be able to cover a lot of ground and see more than if we were walking around.

I am so excited about going to Paris.