It was a late flight. Checking in at T3 was a breeze. We even had time for coffee and toast at Toastbox, plus a stop at the optical shop for Vicky's box of disposable contacts. Oh, we were going to be so bloated with supper served on the flight later. Flight 334 had started boarding. So we headed for the gates, for our first European adventure ...
Bienvenue en France
We arrived at CGD T1 before 7am, Paris time. The airport had an interesting muti-level design, not the usual flat, one/two level design, but with many escalators leading to the baggage collection area. We collected our bags and caught the RER towards Gare du Nord. The north station was quite a confusing labyrinth, with signs pointing to all destinations except ours. We were lost for a while but with some help from the information booth we were pointed in the right direction of the Metro. We decided to buy a Mobilis ticket; this allowed is to have unlimited train/bus rides for the day in Zone 1 & 2 for only Euro 5.80 per person. This beats the Euro 11.40 carnet of 10 tix if the two of us takes more than 5 rides a day.
We got off at the Crimee station, just a 50m walk to our home for the next 3 days, Hotel Crimee. It was still too early to check in, so we dumped our bags and headed off for our first stop in our plan, Ille de la Cite.
Historic Paris walk
With Rick Steve's Paris 2008, we were hoping to be guided through this historic part of the city. Our metro line stops at Chatelet, which was close enough to the island. Our first stop was the church dedicated to "Our Lady", which inspired many imitations around the world, the famous Notre Dame.
We were quite famished when were done. No, we did not climb up to have a closer view of the gargoyles. We conveniently hopped over to a restaurant on the left bank for lunch. After a quick introduction to the local cuisine and billing system, we were back to our walk.
We walked along the sides of the church, stopping briefly at the deportation memorial, before crossing the bridge to walk along the left bank and the Latin Quarter.
Another famous stop that deserved a visit was Sainte-Chapelle, famed for its stained glass. The long queue at the security checks did not deter the many tourists waiting eagerly in line. As the entrance was the same one for Palais de Justice, we waited in the wrong queue until someone informed us about the other queue. But interestingly, after you cleared security, you could go to either place.
Cruising down the Siene
It was past 7pm, and the skies were still bright. We got off at Trocadero. I was wondering what time would be best for a river cruise. Naturally we would need the night sky and a lighted up city. We walked over to the base of the Eiffel tower and found a kiosk selling hot dogs and crepes. That would be our dinner. The boat was beginning to fill up with people from the many tour buses stopping at the jetty. We bought our tickets for the 8.30pm cruise and got on. The boat had outdoor and indoor seating, over a hundred seats and audio guides in almost every language.
The cruise began and I took a sit on the outside, soaking in the sights and trying to get a good shot of the night skyline. It was an one hour ride, and when the boat U-turned we were both getting a little tired. Guess our bodies were not in tuned with the local time yet.
Back to the hotel for a a good night's rest as tomorrow will be a long day.
No comments:
Post a Comment