Sunday Funday!

Our week in Paris 13-20 October 2019

Sunday 13 October:

We departed from Houston on 12 October, Air France Comfort Plus seats—2 4 2 configuration, we were in the 2, very comfortable. Arrived at CDG a little early on 13 October. Thanks to our “Priority” access (due to the Comfort Plus seats), we got through passport control quickly. Our bags arrived promptly, too. We took the RER then transferred to the Metro to our apartment on Rue Vineuse in the 16th. We decided against taking the Metro/RER back to the airport because there were lots of stairs on our route.

Super comfy Premium Economy seats

We were met by the airb&b host (it’s a legal rental--I refuse to rent anything else). Everything worked. The building’s front door had been propped open on arrival but he closed it, explaining that he didn’t know why it was like that.

View from the apartment

Gorgeous building across the street

"Our" pretty building

First order of business, always, is food and supplies so we headed 2.5 blocks to the nearest grocery store. We shopped for about a half hour. When we got back to the apartment we couldn’t get in. The key fob nor the code worked to unlock the front door. We called the host and he said he’d been there shortly. In the meantime, a resident came and was upset that the door was locked. I explained that we didn’t lock it. She said the painters had damaged something over the weekend and that’s why it was propped open. She called our apartment host and they found another resident to come let us all in. About 30 minutes of Real Life Annoyance (#1). The door lock was fixed on Monday.

Locked out (temporarily)

We refreshed ourselves and headed out to the Marais by way of the Trocadero metro station, a 5 minute walk away. The view was very pretty.

We didn’t accomplish one of our goals--eat at L’As du Fallafel, which we’ve done on every previous trip--because it was so crowded with long, long lines. But we did visit a church (Saint Paul Saint Louis); a library (Bilblioteque Historique de la Ville de Paris in the Hotel Lamoignon) which was open for tours; wandered the streets; got turned away from two fallafel places; ate at Chez Hanna (very good!); wandered by Hotel de Ville over to Ile de la Cite to gaze at the fenced off Notre Dame; heard a great rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In (which is played often for our American Football Team, the Saints); drank and munched at Au Bougnat, before Metro-ing it back to Passy.

Bilblioteque Historique de la Ville de Paris in the Hotel Lamoignon was open for tours. I love libraries!

The streets of the Marais were teeming with people.

The Hotel de Ville looked gorgeous, as usual. Street performers were out entertaining the crowds. 

We took in the restoration efforts on Notre Dame Cathedral

This band played a great rendition of "When the Saints go Marching In" alongside the Cathedral

At our favorite Parisian watering hole, Au Bougnat. We were there a few hours. I managed one or two full sentences in French at the urging of the bartender and other patrons. :)

Pretty much a perfect first day in Paris!