Kyriad Lafayette Paris

I fear that this shall too be a boring post.

The Charles de Gaulle airport has been described by many a blogger and reviewer to be a death-trap, cesspool, blotch on the good name of Paris, and is oft compared to a third world country's airport.

I found none of these things to be remotely true. It was cleanly, most of the staff were amazingly helpful, the signs were all clearly marked, etc. It's beautiful.

We ...

... antsy and giddy over the prospect of finally going home, and yet despite my miniature hotel room with nothing to do, I found myself not really thinking about it. Maybe the 7-hour plane ride tomorrow would bring out my anxiousness.

Regardless, that night I slept the peaceful sleep of a young boy who knows he is returning home the next day to the greatest country in the world, which just happens to be--more importantly--his home.

... helped us get settled into the apartment after a hair-raising ride. Those Parisian drivers must all have nerves of steel or a death wish. They race down the street at breakneck speed only to slam on the breaks or swerve into another lane, missing other cars and pedestrians by inches. You really have to be careful when crossing the street here because if the cars or cabs don't get you, the motor scooters and cycles are just laying in wait ...

... the Jardin des Tuileries. The weather was nice; so many people were in the park by the fountains and whatnot. The jardin leads to a plaza with a gigantic obelisk and some pretty bronze fountains. This leads to the Champs Elysees. It was so busy there! It was hard to get by on the sidewalk, which is huge in the first place. Also, we noticed there were at least 3 McDonalds on the street. A little much I think. We did stop in ...

... des Saules, and every year the locals celebrate the arrival of the Clos Montmartre wines with a suitably large party.



This year's wine weekend takes place on the 10th-12th October. It's hardly surprising that a ...

... it was open on all sides. It was very cold and windy on the top floor so we couldn't stay in the open for too long. The view would have been better if the day had been a little clearer, but it was spectacular nonetheless. After the tower we walked North to the Arc de Triomphe, getting another nutella crepe on the way. It is very interesting to see how all the main boulevards of the side spread out from this circle like a star. The arc was ...

I let myself sleep in even thou I was determined to make it to Versailles when it opens up in the morning. I get up at 9am, shower and when I get to the kitchen I notice we have company. Milosz's cousing Anka has come over. I end up chatting with her and Asia for a bit. Anka mentions having some bread and I mention that I bought that loaf of bread in Salzburg. Next thing you know we are having lunch. Asia slices up some tomatoes, brings out some olives and cheese. I bring out ...

... a walk into the Marias area later in the day, which includes the Jewish quarter and some lovely old residential areas such as the Plas de Voges. In a decidedly non-gluten-free friendly place, Rob found some gluten-free bread. Still have not found any gluten-free croissants. They look at you as though you are crazy. Anyway Jenny and I still munch on our lovely crosissants for breakfast. In the afternoon we got back on ...

Today is Thursday, October 11 and I think I am about to catch up with my blog, finally. I am still going to internet cafes to do my work which makes it very difficult. Maybe I will have time this weekend to find someone to help me with my computer. However, if I don't I will download my pics when I return home to put here on my blog. Right now I am at an internet cafe on St. Germain Blvd close to the entrance to Luxembourg gardens. They have american ...

... Notre Dame Cathedral http://www.paris.org/Monuments/NDame/. We can see that it has been newly cleaned, and there is still scaffolding to one side. We stop for a moment on the Petit Pont for our photo op, but have to wait until there is a break in the pedestrian traffic. The queue to enter Notre Dame winds all around the gardens in front of the church, and we elect to leave the inside visit for another day.