Paris: Day One

We landed in Paris today.  We could see the Eiffel Tower from the runway!  The flight wasn't as nice as the one into London, but there was still complimentary alcohol (or other beverages) and snacks.  We got our bags and directions to our hotel from the information desk.  Looking back, the second stage was maybe not the best idea.

We took the Air France bus to the Arc de Triumph and then took the metro to the Eiffel Tower, which we were told by information was a short walk from our hotel.  Yeah... right.  After walking (with a small rolling bag each) for many blocks and asking for directions many times, we were finally on the right track to get to our hotel.  Several more blocks later, we finally found our place.  To give you an idea, our plane landed at 12:30 and we didn't get to the hotel until 4:00.

The hotel, like the flight, is not as nice as London, but it's a really charming French hotel with plenty of room, considering the era in which it was probably built.  The hotel is named Hotel Muguet, and in case you forget, it's on the soaps and the towels too.  After dropping off our bags, we took off in search of food for dinner.  What we found completely made up for the long journey to the hotel.  A little restaurant called Comptoir du Sept served my mom and I a small pizza Margarita along with tomato and mozzarella slices with olive oil and basil, sliced chicken, and salad.  Dad got caviar on bread, salmon on bread, and a salad with sardines and shrimp.  For dessert, I had cafe americano and shared creme brulee with Mom.  Dad had a cafe as well along with a miniature version of chocolate lava cake, tiramisu, and a strawberry and mango cup.  Absolutely amazing.  We all also had wine with our meal and it was less than a typical lunch in England.  Tres bien!

Our charming hotel room

Dessert

On the way home, I picked up some fabulous postcards of old Vogue covers that I plan to frame as well as a Parisian Vogue magazine that I plan to read and reread (or rather, look at the pictures a bunch since it's in French).  Tomorrow, possibly another bus tour so we can get the most of the city.