We're in Paris

What a busy day it's been! I was awakened at 5:30 a.m. by Dick on the airplane. I had a pretty good night's sleep...considering. I had taken an ambien so I slept fairly hard although it was a very bumpy ride over the Atlantic. We arrived early...just short of 6:30 a.m. so, because we couldn't check into our apartment until 9:00, we hung out at the airport...had some nice, strong Frence cafe!! Then, deciding that we couldn't spend another two hours at the airport, took a cab into town. We had a great cabdriver who was from Marseilles and was very interested in talking about the United States and about his life in Paris...it made the ride into the city very easy. We were still early so we hung out at the corner cafe until our apartment rental agency opened. Here's Dick hanging out at the cafe....it didn't open until almost 8:30 so we were standing here on this Paris corner with a ton of bags until they finally opened. It was very cold here today...about 24 fahrenheit when we arrived and although it was sunny, it didn't warm up much until later this evening.




We checked into our apartment, the view is great...just like the picture...2nd floor (1st floor to Europeans) with a lift...thank goodness since Dick packed his entire wardrobe. We unpacked and hit the town running. We didn't do much other than wander around....over to Rue St. Honore...down to the Opera...had lunch at Cafe Madelaine...one of my faves because it's one of the few places I can have a "big" salade.


Here we are about to embark on our sunny adventure. Isn't it a beautiful day?

We decided at that point that we really needed a nap...we were both feeling a little exhausted so back to the apartment for a nappie. 2 1/2 hours later and we were up and at it again. We walked over to the Hotel De Ville to watch the skaters then hopped on a metro to the Champs Elysee. No matter how many times we come to Paris and how many neighborhoods we visit, there is nothing in the world that I enjoy more than winter on the Champs Elysee. I can't even begin to take pictures that do justice to the beautiful sight of that gorgeous boulevard, lit up for the holidays...filled with locals and tourists....eating, drinking, shopping, enjoying life to its fullest. Here I am at the Renault dealer on the Champs Elysee....enjoying some holiday time with Pere Noel.

After a full evening on the Champs Elysee, we decided on dinner near our apartment. A nice little restaurant where Dick had steak with onions and I had a yummy stuffed cabbage. Now I'll leave you with a quick picture of the nicely lit Champs Elysee.