Five Busy Days in France

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We hit the ground running when we arrived in Paris. Arriving at 7:45 am (AKA 1:45 am our time) and unable to get into our room until 2:00 pm definitely called for coffee. What better excuse for a cafe au lait?! After exploring our neighborhood, we set off for Galleries La Fayette, did some shopping, enjoyed the view from the top of their flagship store, had lunch, and headed to the hotel for a well deserved nap.

Our three days in Paris included: Notre Dame, the Deportation Memorial, Ile St. Louis, River Seine cruise, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, the Louvre, exploring Rue de Martyrs and St. Dennis neighborhoods, the Arch de Triomphe, and strolling the Champs-Elysees. We plan to catch the Eiffel Tower and the Marais area on our return trip to Paris in July, before flying home.

From Paris we took the train to Strasbourg. I know we'll never see the Christmas markets there and that's fine since we don't do cold weather very well. Seeing the city in June with all the flowers was just fine with us. The old city is small and simply charming. The architecture in the Petite France area, by the canals, was stunning. It was just such a pleasant little place to explore. Next, we're off to Switzerland. (Well, we're already there, but more on that in the next installment.)

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Photos

The 12 lane round about of the Champs-Elysees
Let's see Sarasota handle this one!!!