We took morning train to Paris (fairly uneventful, except for the super slow service at Au bon Pain that almost made us late...yet I still love you for your delicious butter, and we got there around 1. Originally T (Tonya) wanted to take a cab to our apt but after looking at the metro map it didn't seem that hard to get there so we opted for the cheaper route. OOPS! Paris has no escalators or elevators in their stations so here we were, 3 ignorant Americans who had overpacked, lugging our suitcases up and down stairs, breathless and overheating! We navigated the way to our apt quite easily, met up with Franck who gave us a quick intro about using the door's lock pad system, laundry, wifi, and what direction to find food and then we were on our own in Paris, staying in a quaint apartment downtown!
INSERT PIC OF STUCK SUITCASE, TRAIN RIDE, AFTER METRO
Our first stop was to the grocery store to pick up some basics (juice, WINE, yogurt, snacks). After dropping our groceries back at home (climbing narrow, worn out, slick steps up 2 flights), we explored the neighborhood around us. We found a cafe to have our first French wine at and toasted to people watching and lots of adventures!
INSERT LOCAL PICS, FLOWER GIRL
We continued walking and came upon an old church, lots of great architecture, corner cafes, and some really massive building (a.k.a. The Louvre!). Walking a little further towards the water led us to the "Love Lock Bridge" which glistened so pretty in the afternoon sunshine! I'm not sure what the actual name of the bridge is, but people but their names/initials and date on a lock hence the nickname. How Romantic!!!
RANDOM PLACES, LOVE LOCK PICS
We found a cute cafe and had our first official French meal. This place wasn't anything that would blow you away but it was warm and had food, enough said at this point in our day. We then made our way across the bridge to Pont Neuff to catch a boat for a night light cruise. The boat wasn't scheduled to depart for another 5 minutes yet there we stood on the dock waving our tickets and yelling for them to come back! This was our first taste of the characteristic "rude French" experiences you hear of. They did come back, we got on, then they again pulled away from the docks when even more people had come to get on as well! It was so odd, the boat had plenty of seats and it still wasn't time to leave. Do you not need the business?! Oh well, we were on, freezing but ready to experience this "City of Lights". I highly recommend doing a night time cruise because it's one of the best ways to see the city as everything is illuminated! It gave us a really good feel for the layout of the city as well. We passed by so many important sights like Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and more! I think I took 100 pictures alone just during this 1 hour ride! I'd consider our first day a success!
INSERT FIRST DINNER PIC, GIRL ON BIKE, EIFFEL TOWER, BOAT PICS
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