First Day in Paris

We landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport at about 7:45am, about 90 minutes late. Getting through customs was surprisingly efficient. We caught the inter-terminal train from terminal 1 to terminal 3 in order to catch the RER train to Paris. We alighted from the RER at Chatelet de Halles train station near the Louvre and walked to our Airbnb at 3 Rue d’Alger, a stone's throw from Jarden de Tuileries and the Louvre.

The walk from Chatelet Station to our apartment reminded us what beautiful things there are to see in Paris. We walked past amazing

cafes and the grand front entrance to the Louvre, which was once the main palace of the French kings. Our apartment is just off Rue de Rivoli, the main street that takes one past the Louvre on the right bank.

Our Airbnb apartment is on the fifth floor of a typical 1st arrondisement Paris apartment building. The five stories of stairs would be challenging without the 2 person lift installed. The lift works really well, thankfully. The apartment is really nice. It is quite spacious as Paris apartments go, with a separate kitchen, lounge, main bedroom and ensuite. Very comfortable and very Parisian. The owner loves Asian art and many of the ornaments are from Japan. She has also helpfully left us maps of the local attractions and the best patisseries and food shops in the area.

We showered and set off on a walk to the local patisserie and market

where we sampled our first French food for the day. From there we walked through the streets of the 1st arrondisement and enjoyed some window shopping, ending up at Place de Vendome. This famously opulent town square has a huge pillar in its centre mimicking Trajan's pillar in Rome. The most expensive jewellery and fashion shops are situated around this octagonal square. The Ritz is also situated on this square. We decided to explore the Ritz and enjoy a coffee and cake there. It is a sumptuous and luxurious hotel. Famous people like Hemingway and Lady Diana were regulars there. In fact, Lady Di left from this hotel on the night she died in the car accident. Priscilla and I shared a coffee, some chocolates and a mille feuille at the Ritz dining room. Ian Thorpe happened to be sitting at the next table.

We left the Ritz and walked to the Paris Garnier Opera House. This beautiful building is surrounded by statues of famous musicians and

composers decorating its exterior. We walked further to Galleries Lafayette, a very famous and spectacular shopping centre. It is worth visiting here merely to see the magnificent domed pavilion and the iconic view of Paris from the seventh floor terrace.

We then walked to the Church Madelaine, modelled on a Greek Temple, a huge imposing church on one of the main axis roads in Paris. There are fantastic concerts held here very often and well worth catching. The shops around Place de la Madelaine are very exclusive. The best caviar and truffles can be bought at various famous outlets here.

We walked from there to the Place de la Concorde, the main square in Paris where the guillotine was set up during the French Revolution. We wandered from there through the Gardens de Tuileries. It was a warm sunny day so the garden was full of Parisians sitting with their faces to the sun in every possible vintage point. The cafes in the gardens were doing a roaring trade.

We wandered home after a full day in Paris and looking forward to dinner and sleep. We visited the local delicatessen and patisserie and bought some food for dinner. We had an early night, although our body clocks were telling us that we were more than ready for sleep.