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Day Two-9/19/09-
Bienvenue a Paris!

I woke up on the plane about an hour before we landed.The monitors on the seatbacks had a map displaying our current location and altitude.Shortly after I awoke,the flight attendants flipped on the lights and served our "breakfast"-which was a cup of orange juice and a roll.The landing was fairly smooth,and we could even see the Eiffel Tower in the distance!

Once we landed,it took a while to unload off of the plane and enter the terminal.Like JFK,I had attempted to research a map of Charles de Gaulle,but didn't find it to be as clearcut as other airport sites.Upon entering the airport,I found that the reason was b/c the airport itself is not very clearcut.Maybe it was part jetlag,part being distracted,but we ended up following a group of people towards a dead end.We all circled around and somehow found sign directing us to a tram that took us to immigration.Once there,we got through pretty quickly-the agents just glanced at the passports and stamped them,no questions asked-and then followed the signs to the baggage claim and got our bags. Between the two of us,we were pretty bogged down.Giles was eyeing the luggage carts,so we went over to rent one,only there was nowhere to pay for it-they were free!

We expected to come to some sort of customs/bag check entrance,but instead ended up in this sitting area with a snack bar and exchange booths that opened out onto the street.We got a quick bite,sat for a minute,then left,still puzzled about no customs,but no one came after us,so... I had intended on taking the Roissybus into the city when I was going alone,but now that Giles was along,he offered to get a taxi,which would've been out of my price range. We found a cabbie and I tried out my French for the first time,and he seemed to understand me! I'm glad we took the cab,as we were both pretty tired at this point,although I do think the driver took an extra long route. The ride was about 45 minutes,and we drove under the Arc de Triomphe,which was my first major sighting in Paris:)

We got to his brother's apt,which is about 50 feet from the Eiffel Tower,and surprised his family(they didnt know he was coming,either!) After the inital chatter,we took a nap for a couple of hours,then set out to see Paris. I had planned on hitting a few major sights the first day-didnt really account for the jet lag! Needless to say,it was more of a leisurely afternoon walking around the Tower and along the Seine.We saw the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed (across the river from ET and up a bit).We also came across a few scam artists,mostly around the Tower.They were mostly women dressed in hippie-like garb that would approach you with their heads down and hands clasped,and say "Speak English?" Luckily,I had read about these in Rick Steves guidebook,so I was prepared.

They were mild compared to the "friendship bracelet" scammers. As we were headed back to the apartment,we were along the Seine when a guy came up to Giles with one of these bracelets and started wrapping it around his arm.He kept refusing the guy and trying to walk away,but the scammer was having none of it.I yelled NO loudly,and the guy backed off with others staring,but he started screaming at me "F--- you!!" Others were still staring,so I said,"I guess he knows SOME English!!"

After dinner with his family,we set out to go up the Eiffel Tower.It was even larger than I had imagined,especially walking underneath! I ran around trying to get a decent picture while Giles was in line to buy tickets.The "trinket guys" were there in masses,trying to sell there figurines.

Anyway,after we got our tickets,we got in a small line for the elevator,It was one of those cars that rides up the side of the leg,so you are going up at an angle.This particular car went up to the second level,where we were in a much longer line for the elevator to the top.I attempted to look around while waiting,but it was so crowded it didnt seem worth it.About 45 minutes later,we were on the elevator for the top,and just to forewarn those at home,its a speedy one-I felt my stomach drop a bit!

Once we were at the top,we unloaded into an indoor viewing area,but walked out to the outdoor.What a view!! It was a clear night and you could see for miles. Now I know why they call it the City of Light-everything was lit up,from buildings & monuments to the boats on the Seine.As we were looking out,the Tower itself,which was glowing,started to sparkle! It seems that at night,every hour on the hour the lights glitter for about 5 minutes or so.It's absolutely beautiful.

We stayed up there for a while-I didn't want to leave! But when the crowds thinned out,we realized it was almost closing time,so reluctantly we(well,I) went.The trip down was much quicker than on the way up. After leaving,we went to a snack booth just in front of the Tower,by the carousel and bought a crepe.I had never tried one before,so I got the basic chocolate.They were to die for-thin,crispy pastry shell with just the right amount of melted chocolate in between.Don't leave Paris without trying one!

It was getting late,and we wanted to be up early the next day to make it to Mass at Notre Dame,so we ended the night after that. A perfect first evening in Paris!

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