I wasn’t sure what to expect from Paris. Everyone said it was amazing, wonderful, magical, romantic, (add your favorite superlative here), but I didn’t think it would be my style. I always imagined Paris as too stuffy, uptight and formal for my taste, but in the name of stretching myself and trying new things at 40, I was ready to go. It also helped that I was traveling with several great friends so it wouldn’t have mattered if we were going to Timbuktu, we were bound to have a good time together.
Touching down in Paris! After all the planning and anticipation, it was crazy to think I was actually there.
Yep, really there.
See my purse with the straps hanging off of it? I had my phone, wallet, and passport all leashed to the inside of my bag to avoid being pickpocketed. It also kept me from putting my phone down on a table or counter and leaving it behind somewhere. I’m happy to report that I came home with all of my important items still in my possession. I saw several would-be pickpockets, but they were busy scoping out less vigilant tourists. (I may have gone a little overboard reading about various scams on TripAdvisor, but I saw them all attempted during our trip and was glad I was prepared.)
The Charles De Gaulle airport has escalators inside these giant hamster tubes.
On our way to pick up our luggage. In addition to the adventure of traveling to Paris, we were going to attempt to take the train and metro to our hotel instead of taking a cab. Why not start exploring right from the start?
Waiting for the train
A double decker!
Transferring from the rail system to the metro was easy — just follow the feet to the purple line
We emerged from underground to misty streets and a fresh fruit stand. Both signs of great things to come. A quick walk around the corner and we were home at our hotel, Relais Bosquet.
We finished the day with our first view of the Eiffel tower from our hotel room.
I couldn’t wait for Day 1 to begin.