If you ever get the chance, fly Air India, as it is an experience unto itself. Obviously, almost everyone onboard is from India. Women are wearing saris and sandals, everyone has tons of luggage full of gifts for back home, and you get free earphones. We were on a red-eye flight so weren't expecting much by way of food, but not only did we get a snack (drink and crispy/spicy bagged snack), but dinner as well. You even get a choice of entree as they wheel by. I got chicken and it was all right; much better than whatever you get on AmericanAirways. Then there's the inflight entertainment- an American movie and Indian tv. Another surprise was the light breakfast of fruit and croissant and coffee before landing.
So marked the beginning of the longest day ever. I think we both managed to catch a couple of hours of sleep but were still a bit tired when we got off the plane and found our hostel- the Montclair in Paris' Montmartre neighborhood. We got there about noon and checked in, but couldn't get into the room until after 3pm. No problem! We found a bakery where we bought some sandwiches (this place made the best sandwiches we found during our stay) and managed to find a park to sit and eat. As far as I can tell, parks in Paris have nice trees, playgrounds, plenty of benches, but you are supposed to keep off the grass! All the grassy areas have fences around them. I guess that's one way to maintain your landscaping. Also, French sandwiches are very nice- all made with a baguette and most come with cheese and/or meat. Some come with lettuce and tomato.
We continued our wanderings, slowly making our way to the Sacre-Coeur. When there, I got my first look at the whole of Paris. I don't know what I was expecting, but not just a big, sprawling city. :-( Then we climbed higher and into the basilica proper and caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower which made me gasp--I was really in Paris! Afterwards we made our way back to the hostel, settled into our room, and decided that an early dinner followed by early to bed was in order...
...Only to discover that there's no such thing as an "early dinner" in Paris (or the rest of France as we've just learned from our Couchsurfing hostess). After reading countless hand-written signs that service didn't start before 7pm we decided to do the French thing and sit and have a drink before dinner. I managed to order a glass of white wine with my horrible French and Froody ordered a beer. I will say that I do enjoy lingering at a cafe; so much more relaxed and civilized than back home. Following this we did find a restaurant (not full of other international tourists) and had a very good meal.
Next day we slept in and awoke to a perfect day- mostly sunny, cool breeze, no humidity. In fact, most of our days in France were pleasant and not hot at all. We took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe. I was impressed by it! Luckily the line for tickets was very short and after walking around it, climbed the steps inside. I was greetd by another wonderful view of Paris, only this one included the Eiffel Tower. :-) From the Arc, the Sacre-Coeur was a lovely object, sitting on top of the tallest (only?) hill. Below Froody and I marveled at the traffic surrounding the Arc. Sheesh! Sometimes cars or even buses would just stop, waiting for an opening in the next "lane." A tour guide later told us that insurance companies will not cover an accident in that particular round-about and I could totally see why.
Of course, we had to walk down the Champs de Elysees. Midway we stopped at a cafe about a block away and I got to order another coffee and milk in French. More lingering, but this time with a purpose. We needed to find out how to pay the bill! The day before we just left money on the table, but since everyone lingers and talks over coffee and wine it took a while before we finally saw someone leave. I guess we did it correctly, but if we ever need change, Lord help us!
Continued our walk and found the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. Entered the Petit Palais and both of us loved the building. It's really one of the most beautiful places around. And it's free! Made it to the end of the Champs de Elysees and the Place de Concorde, the Jardin Tuileries, and the Louvre. Rested by the glass pyramids and decided not to go in. I know, I know, you're sitting there and can't believe we're not going to see some of the world's most important pieces of art. But it was really busy and we just didn't have the time this trip to see the Louvre.
Back to our own neighborhood and went shopping for dinner. I think having small specialty stores is very nice: handmade pasta from the pasta shop, onion and tomatoes from the produce store, and pastry from the bakery. Discovered that the hostel kitchen is very poorly set up with one functional burner, one knife, a couple of forks and spoons, and tons of plates! Oh, and one collander.
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