We made it!
My last post was simple, we are outta here, well, not so fast.
It all began when we arrived at the airport, checked in, checked the one bag we planned to check then found out our departing flight was running late. How late? About 20 minutes late.
Not to fear, we originally had an hour layover in Chicago O'Hare to change planes, now we would have about 40 minutes. But wait, it isn't over yet.
As we waited in the lounge area beyond the security checkpoint (which we surprisingly breezed through) an announcement was made that our flight was further delayed. Looking out the window, we saw no plane at our gate. Somewhat concerned, my wife asked an attendant how late the flight would be as we had a connection in Chicago we really didn't want to miss. She was told not to worry, we should make Chicago in time for our change over. Naturally, this made her feel better, me, not so much. I figure the attendant is going to say whatever she feels will put you most at ease and hope you move on.
Finally, our flight arrived. I do credit the flight staff for unloading, then loading, passengers rather quickly. We were finally in the air although, at this point we were 50 minutes late, our one hour layover was now reduced to 10 minutes. But, we were on our way. Smooth flying from here, right?
No. We arrived in Chicago at 5:20pm, 5 minutes after our Paris flight began boarding! We made a mad dash through Chicago's airport, had to stop for a restroom call (there was no way to avoid that) found our flight, boarded, and off we went ... we were now, officially, on our way to Paris.
Once we arrived in Paris (40 minutes early) we had to navigate the RER to Gare du Nord, then change to metro line 4, go four stops, get off and walk a couple of blocks to our studio apartment. While that is easy for those familiar with subway and/or metro systems, it took my wife and I few minutes to figure it out but, I can say we survived the system without getting lost.
So, here we are in Paris, in a cute little studio apartment in le Marais and so far we couldn't be happier.
I will attempt to post updates while we are here but, the computer in the studio (yes, the studio came with a computer for our use) is a mac. I have never used a mac, and couple this with what I can only guess is a European keyboard layout, I am struggling to get this typed. But, never fear, I will persevere and do the best I can.
Now, we are off to discover our neighborhood so, until next time, au revoir mes amis.
Bonjour!
ReplyDeleteHow exciting to have three full weeks to explore Paris! It's kind of funny how our trips almost intersected but in the end did not. It would have been fun to meet in Paris somewhere.
I hope you and your wife are having a wonderful, memorable holiday. Props to you for figuring out the RER upon arriving. I was a little intimidated by it our first trip over but by this year we felt quite comfortable using the RER and metro. We just bought the carnet of 10 tickets(x2) instead of the mobilis pass.
I will try and come up with a few recommendations for you (to use or not, if you're interested). It's not even been two weeks since we were there so it all still seems pretty fresh.
Off the top of my head, here are a few ideas:
If you like museums (I do) buy the Paris Museum Pass and bunch up your museum sightseeing. It will get you in so much faster because you don't have to wait in line to get in most attractions then. PMP is good at most museums in Paris (and the chateau at Versailles), but not all.
While there we attended the Gregorian chant mass at the Notre Dame. (10am on Sundays). I loved it and I'm not Catholic nor do I speak French. Beautiful.
It's much faster to take the steps at the Eiffel tower than wait for the lift. Cheaper, too.
Paris is known for the pickpockets. You've really got to be on your guard. My children did not carry any valuables and I had a small wallet zipped in an inner pocket on my crossbody purse. Pickpockets would have had to unzip two separate compartments to get to it.
Don't stop to talk to the girls who want you to sign a petition or the person who "finds" the ring. Scams. No eye contact, just keep walking with a terse "No!" if they persist.
I always had a small, laminated map that folded in my pocket or purse. With my map and the RER/metro map we always knew where we were.
We ate simply most of the time, used the grocery stores (Monoprix and Carrefours) to save money. Two restaurants that we enjoyed were Café Constant (not far from the Eiffel tower) and Au Port du Salut in the 5th arrondisement near our apartment. We enjoyed the prix fixe lunches at both. Delicious! Do a search on Trip Advisor and you can read the reviews and get the addresses if you're interested.
That's probably enough of my babbling on.
Enjoy your time there!
Can do Mom, we will take any tips and pointers we can get. We had our one big meal out for out anniversary, since then we are taking advantage of the local Monoprix, Carrefour, and rotisserie chickens. Yes, you can eat on the cheap in Paris.
ReplyDeleteWe already knew about the various scams and to be aware of pickpockets so, we were prepared in that area.
Keep the comments coming, it's great knowing someone is actually reading my ramblings!