Bonjour from France!

First glimpse of the streets of Paris after coming up from the underground train station

We are finally here!  All the months of planning, dreaming, decluttering (!) and now we are in France.  Our trip didn't start off very smoothly... a 4 hour flight delay in Toronto made for a much longer travel day and also cut into our already short time in Paris.  Once we navigated the trains and the crazy streets of Paris with our luggage, we finally arrived at our apartment rental... only to find the owner was not there! We sat in a hot apartment foyer for an hour before it was sorted out.  We were so tired from our trip and I was nervous we would not have a place to sleep... but after alot of help from the neighbours (a restaurant owner and the hotel manager next door) the woman showed up.  She was not pleased with us and was frustrated that we were so late.  She did not speak a word of English either and was obviously stressed out.... Simon did an amazing job of explaining our situation (ie.) flights were delayed, we couldn't get in touch with her because she gave us an incomplete phone number, we had no WiFi, etc.  I was very proud of him for a) understanding what she was actually saying and b) for being so calm.  Whew!

View from our apartment in Paris

The apartment itself was very disappointing - a bit of a dive actually - with inadequate bedding, the oven didn't work, there were no provisions in the fridge as promised, it was falsely advertised... I could go on!  But the one good thing about it was the location.  We were right in the heart of Paris, in the 4th district, within walking distance of Notre Dame, the Seine River and all sorts of shops and restaurants.  It was loud, crazy and awesome!

Our first croissants and baguette... our dream has come true!

The first day was wasted as we didn't get into our apartment until 4:00ish.  We all had a nap and then Rodger went in search of some food for dinner.  He came back with frozen pizza which is when we realized the oven didn't work.  So much for that!  In the evening we walked around and found a place where we could have some food and drinks, and watch the semi-final Euro game, with France playing.  They won and it was fun to be in such a huge city of celebration!  To bed!!  Exhausted.

View of Notre Dame from the Seine River... did a hop on/off ticket

We started wandering and found a Boulangerie... our first croissants and baguette in France!!  They did not disappoint, they were delicious!  Then, next door was a tiny little coffee/tea shop where he brewed us some espresso from a little outdoor cart.  I wish I had taken a photo of his shop, it was really neat.

We found Notre Dame first and walked in to wander.  The highlight was the stained glass windows, the architecture and just sitting in the pews to gaze up and around.  Impressive indeed!  From there we ended up at the Seine River, where we bought a "hop on, hop off" day pass... we sat on the boat for an hour while it slowly passed Notre Dame, Musee D'Orsay and other major sites.  It was a relaxing way to get the lay of the land.  We got off the boat at the Eiffel Tower!  Woo Hoo... the kids were so excited to be seeing it in person.  It's those moments when you realize we are actually here, in Paris!  We had to wait in line for about an hour to take the elevator up to the 2nd level.  But it was worth it.  The view was amazing and we couldn't believe how big Paris is!

View from the Eiffel Tower... amazing!!!

Can't believe we are here!!  (Euro Cup soccer ball hanging from the middle)

Got back on the boat and exited at the Louvre, where we wandered around the massive building.  We didn't go in but it was still neat to be there and see the glass pyramid.  One day when the kids come back on their own, as adults, they can go into the Louvre and appreciate it then.

More walking... ended up eating Falafels from a small take-out restaurant for an early dinner.  After making it back to our apartment and having a rest, we decided to wander the streets again.  That's what you do in Paris... walk, walk, walk and walk some more.  So much to see at every turn.

Leaving Paris in search of the rental car

In the morning we wandered again and found a Bistro to have breakfast... scrambled eggs, bacon, baguettes, cappucinos and hot chocolate.  Then it was time to pack up, and patiently wait for Rodger to navigate the streets and roads of Paris to find our rental car at Gare du Nord (huge train station.)  We left at 1:00 pm and started weaving out way out of the city.... yikes!!  The drivers were crazy and they didn't seem to stay in their lanes or really follow any rules.  Rodger drove like Parisian (when in Paris...) and we managed to make it out alive!  It was still a long drive to our House Exchange in St. Laurent en Royans, but we made it by 8:45 pm.  Their neighbour, Laura, was there to meet us and show us around, in her broken English.

Our home in St. Laurent en Royans

Local church where the bells ring every hour

We are finally "home"!  So happy!!  It is perfect for us and the view of the Vercors is amazing.  Rachel, Jean-Michel and Roxane have left us with an immaculate home which is very organized.  I hope they are equally happy with our home, even though it may not be quite up to their standards.  :-)

We all had a good sleep in our new home, and hung out while Rodger drove back into Lyon early the next morning to find our Exchanger's car that they left at the airport.  He was back by noon.... Whew!!  Now we can relax!!  (Our little car is perfect for us, very compact but plenty of leg room.)