Je suis à Paris!

Bonjour de Paris!  Let me get you caught up!

At the airport by 5am!  I hope my bag is under 50lbs!

Yesterday I arrived in Paris after my hop from Ontario, CA to Houston, TX to Paris FRANCE!

My mother and I (mostly her genius) have been planning this 2 week trip for me for the last 3 weeks.  She's amazingly detailed and fantastic at designing vacation plans.  (I think she should do this for a living when she retires)  I have 7 whole days in Paris, then a 3.5 hour train ride to Geneva, Switzerland to spend 8 days with my friend Veronica and her husband.  (She mention a possible weekend in Italy - but work and weather permitting.)

An early morning - up at 3:30am with a 6:30am flight time

Here we go!

Farewell Riverside!  It's been fun!

 The flight was just nifty...other than my glasses falling from their perch and being stepped on during the night.  I flew United and the night before decided to cough up another $129 for an economy PLUS seat.  OMG.  So worth it!  I'm 5'11.5" and having 5 inches IN FRONT of my knees on a plane is UH-MAY-ZING. 

Inflatable pillow - thanks dad!

Economy PLUS = tall people seating!  LOVE IT.

Waiting waiting...eeeeeeee!!  My flight to Paris!

The flight went by in a flash because I had a free television in front of my with a zillion movies to watch - I didn't even make it to the tv shows or music.  I watched Safe House and J Edgar.  Somewhere toward the end I couldn't seem to keep my eyes open.  I'd only laid down for 1hr (between 2:30 and 3:30am) the night before.  No sleep.  There was a little bit of crankiness that set in when I just wanted a bed. 

I heard somewhere the vegetable option is better - and it WAS.  Curry with rice, salad, brownie, roll.  All was YUM.

Lots of drinks

Then night came so quickly:

So beautiful up there

Loved keeping track of myself!

Oooo-eeeee almost there!

But somewhere along the way I fell asleep in my seat and awoke to sunlight, a flurry of business on the plane as the stuarts served a breakfast of buttery croissant and fruit.  It wouldn't be long now until we'd be landing and everyone was preparing and collecting their belongings.  

Feelin good!

Daytime again over France!

landing at CDG in France!

Landing 8:40am

Voila!

Voila!  Ya learn "Sortie" real fast here = Exit

When we landed I was anxious.  This was my first time in a strange place that wasn't English speaking and my bags were insanely heavy (with awesome trip stuff) and I had no apartment until 5:30pm!  But just before 9am I made my way off the plane, around the terminal in the round glass corridor, across the walking sidewalk, past the man who stamped my passport and into the baggage area.  (I used my very first french on him and he gave me a big smile!)  As noted on my self-generated step-by-step instructions from my Paris book - I grabbed myself a free luggage cart and found my carousel.

I made it!  This was easy!  I waited for my luggage and went to lift the bag of rocks off the moving track.

Waiting for the luggage.

I spied my luggage. I lifted like She-ra.

OH NO.   NO, no no no no.

Someone's taken stuff out of my baggage.  There was no lock (the one thing I'd forgotten at the airport after having the bag weigh in at EXACTLY 49.5lbs.)  This bag was NOT heavy enough.  My heart sunk.  I didn't want to open it without being in front of a United person who could witness for a claim.  I had NO IDEA what was missing as my mind raced - my mother had packed that bag.  I went and had it weighed but it was Kilograms.  I didn't know the conversion and neither did any of the 4 workers there.  22.4kg  I received a claims card and left to find the free internet.  The first thing I did?  Look up the conversion.  How could it be??  almost exactly 49.5lbs!!  I guess it just felt lighter than i remembered.  I was so relieved.  It was all in my head!

I needed time to mentally recuperate - so I sat in the comfortable chair for another hour before leaving.  I talked with a lovely young girl studying business in Chardonnay, France.  She initially said she didn't remember the name but wine was a big deal.  LOL!  I guess so!  

I made my way past the men in the blue suits otherwise known as customs and out to the Information Desk.  They pointed me to the tourist visitors desk where I bought my museum 6 day pass and my metro cards.  I also bought my RER train ticket in to Paris center.

Yay!  This woman was so welcoming - and very helpful!

Isabelle!

So much planning and research - thanks MOM!

Shuttle to RER train ride into Paris - on my way to check bags at the Louvre!  (thank God they do!)

My terminal - bonjour!  A shuttle ride to the RER train to Paris...

I stood waiting for the doors to open - I didn't realize there's a button to press!  I almost missed it!

The entire ride to Paris is graffiti-ed.

This is ME relaxing.  Ahhhhhhh....

Doesn't he look poetic?  I thought so.  This was a gentleman sitting across the train.

Off to check my bags at the Louvre! A ride on the express RER train to the Louvre was quick -- but getting out of the shopping mall on top of the Metro station?  SHEESH.

:45 trying to get out of the train station/shopping mall above it -- but this was my first view of Paris when I finally did!

Finally:

I'm finally here - can you see me??

I'm finally here - can you see me??

Under the pyramid!

My ATM in the Louvre - still don't know what the fees were!  It never said....eek!

Let me just say my big and small suitcases and small bag were HEAVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting around the airport was a breeze.  Riding the RER - a breeze.  Walking from the RER station to the Louvre cumbersome.  Walking from the Louvre to the Metro and up and down at least 12 flights of stairs?  nearly killed me.  It took FOREVER and my palms are still sore!

But :45 late, I finally made it to my apartment at Rue Tiphane in an area near the Eiffel Tower.  My host was no longer waiting for me, so I began asking a neighboring dry cleaners to give the host a call when she walked up and asked if I was Victoria!  She helped me get my bags to the second floor, showed me the tiny apartment and was on her way.  I closed the door and exhaled.  I made it to Paris!!

More soon...xoxo

Ahhhh my apartment. :)