Early Tuesday morning (April 4th) we took a train to Paris. This was our first view of France upon leaving the Chunnel.

Our hotel was near the Opera, which was an excellent location – lots of great cafes and good shopping.


Here we are, at a cafe near the Opera, after my first triumphant use of the phrase “Ou est les toilettes, s’il vous plait?”. It was also the beginning of a cycle which consisted of quaffing beverages, and requiring les toilettes 3/4 of an hour later, that would last the entire trip. I’m not complaining…it was fabulous to have a reason to stop at countless beautiful cafes.

At first we were shy about using our map, but we soon got over it, and I managed to steer us toward the Jardin des Tuileries, and our first sighting of the Eiffel Tower.

We walked along the Seine, and I was so happy I got a little choked up. We just couldn’t believe that we were finally in Paris.
Walking along the Seine brought us to the ancient core of Paris – Ile de la Cite, starring Notre Dame.

It was time to walk back to our hotel and check in. These photos were taken on Rue des Halles.
I love this shot – narrow side street, apple blossoms, sidewalk cafe, scooters. We heard scooters buzzing around everywhere.

After we checked in, we kicked back at the hotel briefly, as we had been up since before five a.m. It was a small room, but it was very comfortable. The hotel staff kindly stored our luggage for us before check-in time.

When I look at the map, it amazes me to think that we did this much walking and sight-seeing in just over three hours. But, after a short rest, we were back on our feet. I blame adrenaline.