And….. We’re off! Sunshine and above zero temperature as we hustled into New Brunswick and Greater Moncton International Airport. Stopped just once in Masstown for a mug up… Salads and sandwiches that all tasted very homemade! Gotta love little Moncton airport… No one in front of us or behind us in security and you could actually have a conversation with the customs folks. We had a solid hour of the upstairs lounge to ourselves watching planes come and go. Knowing the rest of the journey might not be so laid back it was very enjoyable.
As luck would have it, the flight left close to on time from Moncton and upon arrival at Montréal-Trudeau International we had absolutely no issues finding our next departure gate (bypassing security). Girls scooched away pretty quickly in search of some grub and we had roughly an hour layover. They actually bumped into Mr Mac from SAJS. Too funny! Trudeau is a busy space… Lots of different languages and nationalities.
With take off as scheduled we had an excellent flight across the Atlantic. Very little in terms of turbulence and all hands found something to watch. I got the latest Bond flick in and a couple of hours actually slipped away during that viewing. Janie knew what was coming and both she and Monica got some shut eye. I had a solid hour… Peter was the last to nod off. It’s 6 1/2 hours of air time… And I’m always a bit too pumped to rest much. I knew we’d all be hurting at day’s end (and some earlier than that)!
First order of business at Charles de Gaulle Airport was clearing customs and making the RER-B connection into the city. The plane was about 20 mins late, and customs blew the quality service routine with only a couple of stations open to process visitors. However, after about 15 minutes we were processed and followed the RER signs in order to grab tix and get headed to town. About 10,00€ each to get into town… Taxi use is common but I like knowing the exact charge and taking the train is just another opportunity to learn now isn’t it! Perfectly, the train had a stop just minutes from our apartment.
We were roughly 15 minutes late (not bad after a trek of 6,000 km) for check in with our Paris agent. Galenya gave us the grand tour, some solid tips and dos/dont’s for the premises. We were immediately comfy in the space… It’s going to be a perfect spot for our stay. This was new for us! We have almost always used hotels as home base. However, this trip we wanted to have the capacity to prepare our own food and to see life there a bit more from a local perspective. Our little space on Rue Dauphine seems like a perfect fit!
Janie and I were quickly out the door to check out the neighbourhood. We are just steps from Marche Rue de Buci, a pedestrian street lined with shops of all sort from patisserie to flowers, wine to vegetables, fish to meats and the like. The exact opposite of my trips to Sobeys… A store for everything rather than everything in one store! And street musicians to boot… Lovely 4 piece jazz band right on the corner.
We sourced sandwiches for all, then hoofed it for St. Michel Fountain, meeting place for Sandeman’s Free Walking Tours of Paris. Fellow traveller Mike Hinchey had done a similar tour in another city and was impressed with the guide and the “tip what you think is appropriate” model. Over the span of the 2 hour tour our guide, Bruce, traipsed us through the core of Paris and did an excellent job! We thought it important to give the kids a base to work from, and this was perfect. He served up a little history, a dash of Parisian culture, and a serving of trivia all dusted with humour! We left behind 40 Euros but thought it well worth the tour.
Then a short trip back to Dauphine to regroup (I already like the location of this apartment). The kids were definitely starting to feel the jet leg. We left them behind to head out to secure a few more groceries and set up a very Parisian supper of wine, bread, meats and cheese. It brought Janie and I around, but the kids, as we could see, were doomed! They fell asleep (and stayed asleep until the next morning).
So, Janie and I opted for a Sunday evening mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. Easter preparations were in full swing, and we moved our way through a very busy entry to take seats inside. It was so relaxing… the smell of insence wafted through the air, the voices of the two canters during Vespers, and even the quietness of pauses between readings. Wonderful visit…
On our way back we picked up a treat… Gyros! Hmmm…. Gotta like that! We arrived home at about 6:30 PM with the intention of grabbing a River Seine Tour (boat departs about 3 min walk from here) but after surveying the troops (who were still in state of coma) we decided to just hunker down and get some rest! Nothing moved until Monday morning…
Wow. You guys know how to pack things into a short period of time. I feel like I need a nap after just reading the blog. Glad the Sandeman’s worked out. If you get a chance, give me a rough idea of the location of your apartment. I’m corresponding with a couple of owners through Airbnb and VRBO for our September trip… and I may get you to keep an eye out for a couple of areas to let us know the ‘feel’ of the neighbourhoods if you happen to stroll near them. Looking forward to the first ‘food’ pictures.
Another big day today Mike. We were out the door before 8:00 AM and just arrived back (5:00) with groceries in hand! Big loop around the core of the city today… I’ll detail it in the day 3 blog! Our rental apartment is in the 6th Arrondisement at 59 Rue Dauphine. No views… But we are on the move all the time with the kids this time around. Well… Our food has mostly been at home so far… But we did eat lunch near the Moulin Rouge today. I’ll get a pic of that up as well! Yep… If there is an area drop me a note. We were in the Belleville, Bastille, Montmartre and St Germaine areas today. Monica has us 30,000 steps so far!