First Day

This year, our flight left much earlier than it has in past years. We left Atlanta at 4:20 pm headed for Paris. Therefore, we arrived at 6:10 am Paris time, 1:30 am Indiana time. Since most of the flight occurred during a time when we would normally be awake, none of us slept much, if any at all.

However, we had to hit the ground running. Our guide, Michael picked us up at the airport. We dropped our bags at the hotel and were searching for breakfast by 8:30 am (3:30 EDT). Check-in time wouldn't be until after 2 pm (9 am EDT). We got a pastry and coffee for some at la Brioche Dorée.

Fortified, we headed for the bastion of shopping, Les Galléries Lafayette - Not to shop, but to see the architecture and learn about the beginnings of the concept of shopping as something other than a necessity.

We then stepped outside and walked around to the entrance to the Paris Opéra. The opera no longer performs there, but the national ballet does. We went in and saw the grand escalier, the grand staircase, which was designed for people to be seen by others in Napoléon III's Second Empire. We saw the fabulous chandeliers and the ornate décor. We even got to peek into the house itself, where stagehands were preparing for another production.

The area is known for stores featuring ballet supplies. We left Veronica and Shonica to browse pointe shoes in the world-famous Répéter shop while we wandered down to place Vendôme to supervise the renovation of the famous Ritz Hotel. (Okay, we just looked.)

By then, it was time for a much needed lunch. We stopped in a café a few blocks away. Michael and I had 'croque' sandwhiches, Kenzie and Deb, Veronica and Shonica all had the pasta dish, while Ashlee, Delany, Leann and Lydia all had the 'bombe burger et frites."

The kids were fading now that they had been awake for over 24 hours, but we still had an hour before we could get into our rooms. So we walked down to the Palais Royal and wandered through the courtyard before heading back toward, "Tim" (our nickname for the hotel). On the way, we passed through one of the famous covered passageways.

Once in our rooms, everyone took a much needed nap. We met back up at 5 pm to head to Montmartre for dinner. We decided to take the Métro instead of walking. Michael told us we had already walked four miles today.

A crowded Métro ride got us to the steps of the Sacred Heart Basicilla. There was only a little bit of grumbling as we walked up the several hundred steps to the church doors, from where we could look out on the skyline of Paris. We did a quick walk through the church and wandered Montmartre for a bit. We saw Paris' only vinyard, and the scenic homes and narrow streets of the former village. After a visit to the man walking through the wall, we headed for La Bonne Franquette for a warm meal.

Two other tour groups were dining at la bonne as well, and we were 'treated' to an impromptu mini vocal recital. We beat a hasty retreat.

We have discovered something important; neither Ashlee nor Leann are likely to become wine experts.