Monday April 26 - Bon Voyage and J'Arrive

Friday April 23 - Bon Voyage
On Friday evening, there was a Bon Voyage party at the Miramar Beach restaurant. My darling husband did a great job organizing the party. When I walked into the Miramar, it really felt like the beginning of my sabbatical. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind as we prepared for the trip and I wrapped things up at the office. It was a real treat to spend time with friends before heading off to Paris.

Monday April 26 – J’ Arrive
We flew from San Francisco to Paris and arrived at 11am today. The flight was non-eventful… which is pretty good. It was interesting that most of the people on the flight were French. Not sure if it was just timing or if some of them had been stranded due to the volcano. Toward the end of the flight I was really looking forward to walking through the terminal.

As we left CDG, the first stretch of the drive was rather industrial and could have been any large European city. Then we went through a tunnel and it started to become very clear that we were getting into Paris. At first picturesque sidewalk cafes began to appear. Once we entered the outer arrondissments, the architecture went from business complexes to the traditional Haussmannian buildings. And, voila, our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.

The monuments and architecture of Paris can be a bit overwhelming. Once you get to central Paris, there's just so much to take in. It's heady stuff.
The apartment is gorgeous! We are adjacent to the Champ du Mars (Eiffel Tower Park). I was surprised to see how close we are. The first time we opened the living room windows, I waved to people on the level 2 observation deck at the Eiffel Tower. The living room, dining room and both bedrooms have amazing Eiffel Tower views.

After getting settled and unpacking, we went on a walk through the neighborhood, had dinner at Le Royal Tour, a local bistro. Dinner included escargot and steak tartare. We stopped at a souvenir shop on the way back from dinner. I bought a beret and my sister, Connie, bought a small Eiffel Tower. Nous sommes touristes américains (we are American tourists), we have the Eiffel Tower and beret to prove it.

Just before midnight I heard people cheering outside and woke up. It was a treat to see the light show at the Eiffel Tower. c'est magnifique