Back in France...Our 2023 Adventure Begins
August 7th
We had an amazing flight from Seattle to London and perfect connection into Paris. Customs was pretty much non-existent so we thought we were on a roll...NOT. Our shuttle driver didn't seem to be anywhere around so I called the number we were given and I ended up in an unintelligible one-sided conversation which ended in us having to take a cab. BTW...we also got ripped off by the cab driver but by this time we didn't care. Oh well, sometimes glitches happen and you just need to roll with them especially when you haven't slept for a very long time.
Once we arrived to our hotel, Le M in Montparnasse, we waited for a bit for our room to be ready and then took a 2 hour nap before dinner. This has always worked well for us so we have enough energy to go to dinner but not too much sleep to keep us awake all night. The other trick we use to combat jet lag is to take a Tylenol PM for a few days to allow us to sleep through the night. Jay sometimes uses other sleep aids (Sonata or Ambien) that seem to work better for him.
On to dinner. We made a reservation at Eataly in the Marais because we just wanted something familiar the first night. We had been to Eataly in New York earlier in the year and loved the whole atmosphere as well as the food. The Caprese starter was great and the pizza to follow even better, all washed down with a delightful Cote de Provence Rose.
On our walk back to our hotel we strolled by the Tour Saint-Jacques, a 171 ft Gothic tower which is all that remains of the 16th century Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie. The church was demolished during the French Revolution but the remaining tower is considered a national historic landmark in Paris.
When we arrived back at Le M we were treated to a glass of champagne in the lounge perhaps because we had to wait to check-in. Although each time we have stayed in this hotel they have given us a complimentary glass of champagne. This could be why we keep coming back, mais bien sur!
Day 1 in Paris in the books!
