Paris Day 1 4/20/2024
- sridgway38
- Apr 19, 2024
- 3 min read
We arrived at Charles de Gaulle international airport at around 10 AM after a very nice flight in business class. The flight crew was very good and just before landing one of them offered Conrad and I coupons to go through fast track customs at the airport. We exited the plane and were boarded onto busses to get to customs. Once there we showed our passes and were diverted to a basically empty line that ran along the outside of the normal lines and directly to an agent. It took about 3 minutes and we were done. After we grabbed our luggage and exited we found a young man with a sign with our name on it and he led us to a car to take us in to the hotel. Once we arrived we were greeted with a beautiful little boutique hotel with a lovely entrance
Once inside our room wasn't quite ready so we grabbed lunch in the hotel restaurant. It was definitely not great which led us to cancel our dinner reservation at the hotel. The staff was very good, welcoming and knowledgeable. They showed us to our room which was a suite with a view of Sacre-Coeur in the distance and a view a quaint Paris neighborhood below. Shawn took a little nap while Conrad relaxed. After unpacking and a shower we headed out to see Sacre-Coeur or Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre We had read before we arrived that Uber in Paris isn't the most common method of transportation and we downloaded an app called G7 which is an uber like app for the local taxis which are literally everywhere here. We checked with the concierge to confirm that our plan for the rest of the day was reasonable. We had read in reviews that Gerald the concierge here is wonderful and that proved to be very true. We called a taxi and in 3 minutes were on our way. We found that most of the drivers are not english speaking and we don't know much french but because you put your location and destination into the app before they arrive and enter payment before they arrive no communication is really necessary.
We walked up to the main church to find a large crowd and a bike race going on outside but there were plenty of spots inside and outside to take pictures.
We wandered around outside for a while trying to find views of the city below but it was difficult with the bike race going on. We decided to wait in line to go inside, which was a good decision. Although the line was long, entrance was free and required just a very brief inspection of your bags so the line moved very quickly. Inside we found beautiful stained glass, altars, and a gorgeous wooden organ.
Once we exited the church we wandered around the side streets looking for a view of the city. We really only found one worth taking of the Eiffel Tower in the distance.
We then wandered down the hill until we found a reasonably busy street where we felt we could call a cab and used the app again to get a cab to Palais Royale for some more photos.
Palais Royal has some interesting photo opportunities and also is near a neighborhood with lots of little cafes.
We walked through the gardens and out onto the street and found a little cafe where we had Coffee, a Coca Cola, a plate of Burrata cheese and beets and a slice of Carrot Cake for Conrad.
We had just enough battery left in my phone to call one more cab to get back to the hotel. Upon arriving we asked Gerald where we could get some good cheese and baguettes. The hotel had delivered a bottle of champagne, and a fruit basket and some pastries to the room and we decided to get some cheese and baguettes to have a light dinner in the room before bed. He directed us to a market that was like an upscale reading terminal market but with more room, about a 15 minute walk from the hotel. It was called Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet - The department store for foodies. We got 4 nice cheeses and a baguette and it was the perfect dinner with the Champagne and fruit. Tomorrow has more touristy spots in store.