We left Rome early in the morning to fly to Paris. We were sad to leave Italy, but excited to explore a new city and try new cuisine. Things at the Rome airport moved very slowly as the security line and boarding took double the amount time it would normally take in the U.S. It was a good thing we get to the airport early, but the downside was we were so tight on time that we didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast before boarding the plane.
After a bit of a delay, we arrived in Paris at about 1 p.m. and called the hotel to ask the best way to get there from the Orly airport. We took the RER bus and transferred to the Metro where we took the subway to the Corvisart stop, as they suggested. The hotel recommended we call again when we get off the Metro so that they could explain the easiest way to walk from the subway stop. But this time when we called we spoke to a different person at the hotel who said we should actually get back on the Metro and transfer to a different train line to get off on a closer exit. Since we had already exited the subway and didn’t want to pay for another ticket, we looked at a map and decided the location would be close enough to walk—that is if set off in the right direction!
We hauled our 50 pound suitcases and backpacks down the busy sidewalk, only to realize after about a half of a mile that we had gone the wrong direction. At this point it was close to 2:30 p.m., and I had my first (and luckily for Kyle only) meltdown of the trip. I was starving and we were lost lugging heavy suitcases down a city we didn’t know, trying to ask people for help in a language we couldn’t speak. I’m hoping this is normal for most travelers—that at some point in your journey you reach a breaking point. But I will admit that my hunger and exhaustion got the best of me. Finally, toughing it out, we found our hotel.
We were staying at Hotel 7 for two nights, a boutique hotel near the Latin Quarter. When we arrived they said they were having “electrical problems” and could not let us into our room. We didn’t mind as long as we could leave our bags and go in search of food. The hotel manager pointed us to a nearby market on an old street called Rue de L’Arbalete.
This street was bustling with specialty vendors selling bread, meats, cheeses, fresh produce, seafood and baked goods. If only we had such a market in Los Angeles! At the end of the street we found a small café with tartines (open-faced sandwiches) on the menu. Just what we were looking for! We sat at a small table outside so that we could people watch as we enjoyed our meal. Kyle ordered chicken and cheese and I had smoked salmon and avocado. They were incredibly tasty (and I don’t think it’s just because we were starving!). The sandwiches came with a delicious green salad with light lemon dressing. For dessert I ordered a cappuccino, and we just sat and relaxed taking in the scenery. I felt a million times better after eating and revitalized by the energy and the beauty around us! This was more like it!
We returned to the hotel to find mass chaos. Electricity was still an issue and the manager had to take us to our room as the key cards still weren’t working. Then when I went to take a shower, the drain didn’t function properly and I nearly flooded the bathroom floor! Kyle ran downstairs to get towels, and the hotel assured us that they would clean up the mess and fix the drain when we went out for the night. They offered us a bottle of champagne as a consolation. Cheers to that!
A bit frazzled by the chaos at the hotel, we raced out at 6 p.m. to take the Metro to the Eiffel Tower, which was the meeting point for our bike tour of the city we would take that night. When we arrived at the Eiffel Tower, the sheer size took our breath away. Seeing this iconic landmark in person was both stunning and surreal.
We met the guide from Fat Tire Bike Tours at the south pillar of the tower. There were about 20 people in our tour group. They outfitted us with bicycles and reflective vests (very cool looking…we didn’t stand out as tourists at all!) and we set off on our way. The guide took us through the streets of Paris, past the Louvre, pointing out and stopping at major sites along the way. When we reached Notre Dame, we parked our bikes and got an ice cream. We ate the most amazing salted caramel ice cream as we looked over at Notre Dame—unbelievably amazing!
The bike tour ended with a boat ride over the Seine River. This was the perfect way to get spectacular views of Paris at night (that is when the sun finally set after 10 p.m.!) We passed by the Louvre and the Orsay museums that were beautifully lit with floodlights, and even got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle with thousands of tiny twinkle lights that illuminate nightly at 10, 11 and 12 p.m. The boat ride sealed the deal—just a few hours in to our first day here and we had already fallen in love with Paris. We borh agreed that it is the most beautiful city we’ve ever seen.
We couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend our first night in Paris. We loved the chance to get an introduction to the city by bike and by boat. We highly recommend the Fat Tire Bike Tours to anyone who’s planning a visit to Paris!
After a bit of a delay, we arrived in Paris at about 1 p.m. and called the hotel to ask the best way to get there from the Orly airport. We took the RER bus and transferred to the Metro where we took the subway to the Corvisart stop, as they suggested. The hotel recommended we call again when we get off the Metro so that they could explain the easiest way to walk from the subway stop. But this time when we called we spoke to a different person at the hotel who said we should actually get back on the Metro and transfer to a different train line to get off on a closer exit. Since we had already exited the subway and didn’t want to pay for another ticket, we looked at a map and decided the location would be close enough to walk—that is if set off in the right direction!
We hauled our 50 pound suitcases and backpacks down the busy sidewalk, only to realize after about a half of a mile that we had gone the wrong direction. At this point it was close to 2:30 p.m., and I had my first (and luckily for Kyle only) meltdown of the trip. I was starving and we were lost lugging heavy suitcases down a city we didn’t know, trying to ask people for help in a language we couldn’t speak. I’m hoping this is normal for most travelers—that at some point in your journey you reach a breaking point. But I will admit that my hunger and exhaustion got the best of me. Finally, toughing it out, we found our hotel.
We were staying at Hotel 7 for two nights, a boutique hotel near the Latin Quarter. When we arrived they said they were having “electrical problems” and could not let us into our room. We didn’t mind as long as we could leave our bags and go in search of food. The hotel manager pointed us to a nearby market on an old street called Rue de L’Arbalete.This street was bustling with specialty vendors selling bread, meats, cheeses, fresh produce, seafood and baked goods. If only we had such a market in Los Angeles! At the end of the street we found a small café with tartines (open-faced sandwiches) on the menu. Just what we were looking for! We sat at a small table outside so that we could people watch as we enjoyed our meal. Kyle ordered chicken and cheese and I had smoked salmon and avocado. They were incredibly tasty (and I don’t think it’s just because we were starving!). The sandwiches came with a delicious green salad with light lemon dressing. For dessert I ordered a cappuccino, and we just sat and relaxed taking in the scenery. I felt a million times better after eating and revitalized by the energy and the beauty around us! This was more like it!
We returned to the hotel to find mass chaos. Electricity was still an issue and the manager had to take us to our room as the key cards still weren’t working. Then when I went to take a shower, the drain didn’t function properly and I nearly flooded the bathroom floor! Kyle ran downstairs to get towels, and the hotel assured us that they would clean up the mess and fix the drain when we went out for the night. They offered us a bottle of champagne as a consolation. Cheers to that!
A bit frazzled by the chaos at the hotel, we raced out at 6 p.m. to take the Metro to the Eiffel Tower, which was the meeting point for our bike tour of the city we would take that night. When we arrived at the Eiffel Tower, the sheer size took our breath away. Seeing this iconic landmark in person was both stunning and surreal.
We met the guide from Fat Tire Bike Tours at the south pillar of the tower. There were about 20 people in our tour group. They outfitted us with bicycles and reflective vests (very cool looking…we didn’t stand out as tourists at all!) and we set off on our way. The guide took us through the streets of Paris, past the Louvre, pointing out and stopping at major sites along the way. When we reached Notre Dame, we parked our bikes and got an ice cream. We ate the most amazing salted caramel ice cream as we looked over at Notre Dame—unbelievably amazing!The bike tour ended with a boat ride over the Seine River. This was the perfect way to get spectacular views of Paris at night (that is when the sun finally set after 10 p.m.!) We passed by the Louvre and the Orsay museums that were beautifully lit with floodlights, and even got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle with thousands of tiny twinkle lights that illuminate nightly at 10, 11 and 12 p.m. The boat ride sealed the deal—just a few hours in to our first day here and we had already fallen in love with Paris. We borh agreed that it is the most beautiful city we’ve ever seen.
We couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend our first night in Paris. We loved the chance to get an introduction to the city by bike and by boat. We highly recommend the Fat Tire Bike Tours to anyone who’s planning a visit to Paris!
Yay! You did the bateau mouche! Glad you saw the magic of Paris on your very first night there.
ReplyDeleteWe fell in love instantly and the boat ride sealed the deal! The city is so romantic, enchanting and magical.
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