In Paris the Yanks Have Landed

I am reminded of that old saying from WWI about the doughboys seeing Paris and never wanting to go home.  We're probably not quite there yet as our arrival was, first, uneventful and, then, eventful.

We went from Columbus to Boston uneventfully, and the first two hours of our journey to Paris were uneventful as well.  About two hours in, I was sleeping relatively soundly (thanks to the accoutrements of Delta One class and its lie-flat bed) when I heard a ping and an announcement of "If there are any certified medical personnel on board, please ring your call button!".  My life partner Cheryl had her call button ringing before the announcement was completed.

Turns out a 62 year-old woman in the back (steerage class for snobs like me) had fallen and hit her head and began vomiting.  Cheryl raced to the back with the grateful flight attendants following her like the mother goose, and found their medical supplies woefully lacking.  For awhile, I was thinking we'd be diverted to somewhere else (the UK?) and that would've been disappointing but understandable.  With the help of an EMT and a physician, they got her low blood pressure stabilized and things were looking better.   

Initially they simply had the woman lay flat in the galley in back as there were no other seats on the plane.  Of course no surprise to those who know her, Cheryl volunteered her lie-flat bed in Delta One class, and simply switched seats with her.  

Now the difference in fare is pretty sizeable and there's obviously no reclining in 46B where the woman was initially sitting.  But Cheryl insisted and I awoke after about 5 hours of sleep (she had about two) to find a strange person in the next cubicle, lying flat and sound asleep.  Since I knew we had a plan for the day that didn't involve napping (so we could acclimate to the five-hour difference), I dreaded what Cheryl would be like after a whopping two hours of sleep.  She never fails to surprise me, though, and soldiered on wonderfully throughout our day.  

We left Charles De Gaulle airport for the one hour ride into Paris and our wonderful driver took us straight to our apartment at 45 Rue Vivienne.  We - myself and Cheryl and friend Connie Melton is our first week guest - unpacked and headed to lunch at Le Grand Colbert (seen in the Jack Nicholson/Diane Keaton/Keanu Reeves movie "Somethings Gotta' Give") and it was super delicious.  There is a definite culture difference in eating in restaurants here all the way from how the menu is constructed to how leisurely the French take their meals.  Different than America, but not worse by any stretch.  My lunch consisted of raw oysters and then macaroni with morel mushrooms - delicieux!

The Toot Bus was our afternoon with a two hour cycle around the major attractions in a hop-on-hop-off fashion (if you liked - we were tired so we hopped on and stayed on).  It had its pluses and minuses, not the least of which was a big bus moving ever so slowly through Paris traffic (which is heavy), and sitting with a bunch of people you don't know.

Still it was great to see the major attractions from when we were here 16 years ago for our 20th. anniversary, e.g., the Musee D'Orsay, the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, the Eiffel Tower, the Trocadero, Les Invalides, and the Opera Garnier - all spectactular just as I remember them.  We'll use the next four weeks to visit each of them (and many, many other sites) up close and personal with our guests - first, Connie Melton, then Jeff and Leigh Mace with Ray Creamer and Brenda, then Jenny and Dave Thomas with granddaughters Ava and Niamh (Gigi), and closing out with Aaron and Melissa Mace and granddaughter Chloe.  It's going to be wonderful.  

We trudged back to our apartment about 5 p.m. and got our grocery bags (no plastic bags in France) and walked through a mild rain to Carefour City, a grocery store about 10 minutes away.  There are a million restaurants in the vicinity of our apartment so we'll be doing more eating out then eating in although we do have a full kitchen.  Maybe we can get our guests to commit to cooking one night out of the seven that they're here - we'll see.

Tomorrow is Sunday and we're starting with Mass at Notre Dame at 8:30, followed by a tour of Ile de Cite (and the Concierge and Saint Chappelle) that it lies on.  We'll probably break down for a nap after lunch because we head to Moulin Rouge to see the cabaret and the famous "Can Can" tomorrow night.  We're off to a great start and appreciate those of you who take the time to follow along.  Au revoir for tonight, our first of 30 nights here in the City of Light.