First Tastes of Paris

Dan

I love a challenge. I guess that’s why I also love to travel, as it provides lots of opportunities to problem solve and deal with random events that come along.

In Singapore we tackled the train system (what a joy to travel in a place where the trains arrive and depart on time) and we overcame the heat (nothing like an airconditioned bar to make one feel refreshed!)

On landing in Paris, we were tired and grumpy (as you would be at 2.30am “our time” with only an hour or so nap during 17 hours of transit) and had to face immigration officers, barking orders at us in French and corralling us into lines with hundreds of other travellers looking similarly dishevelled and bleary-eyed.  After 10 or more minutes as our line progressed forwards, I realised that we were in the wrong line – we were not EU Passport Holders!

I looked around and spotted the All Passport Holders section, which had huge lines stretching back as far as I could see. With Stella and Daisy beyond anything other than sleep, I moved to the side of the EU line and spoke to the officer in charge in the best high school French I could muster, explaining that I had made a mistake. I’m not sure whether it was the appearance of the kids, the weariness in my eyes or the quality of my French, but she took pity on us and let us through to the EU Passholder gate and into the baggage claim area.  An hour later we had picked up our cases, navigated the trains to Terminal 1 and found our hotel.  Paris here we are!

Jac

Yay we’ve arrived in Paris… sleep was our top priority and once again the airport hotel served us well. Sad about Notre Dame, which has meant another addition to our list of unvisitable iconic sights #unexpectantly ruined. Allows us to spend more time at some other famous Parisian sites such as the Hard Rock Café at Montmartre!

Settled into our Parisian abode in Marais- great spot and opposite the Mad Monkey nightclub. We’re surrounded by restaurants, cafes and French fashion. My school French is surprisingly intact, with my default being to say the English word in a French accent – and it still seems to work.

Ah yes, those French patisseries – hard to think hips when these calorific delights are passing your lips, along with a fair smattering of Roquefort cheese! Anyway I’ve got a bit of catching up to do following the Emirates strictly vegetarian meal range, which was more rejection than digestion.

Tomorrow will be first off the bucket list for Stella and Daisy- top of the Eiffel Tower…..

Stella

Day 4 – I am Luckily recovering from my death I am very weak but I will right as much as I can.

Okay today was awesome 
We caught a train  into Paris. We walked down into a park and played there for about half an hour then we walked down into the place we were going to stay
at. Then mama and me went for a walk. We went into a toy 🧸 shop and there siting on a stool was the stuffed guy of my life and I just knew that I was meant for him. I even made up a song.

Once I walked into a shop and there siting was that guy that I knew I was meant for. He was 165 dollars  so I could not afford his life. And then later the next day he got married to someone else. When I heard this news my heart got grounded into a million pieces.  But the next day when I walked into the shop, there he was sitting in his regular spot.

Daisy

We woke up to a sunny day. The air was fresh and the sky was bright. Ok enough of that!

We got on a train  bright and early. This took 30 minutes. After that we wandered around our new neighbourhood and I had the most amazing, delicious meal of….. carbonara! 🥰 Stella had a mini burger 🤢🤮, Jacqui had soup 🥣 and advocado toast 🥑 and Dan had a smoked salmon salad and chicken curry 🤣  Finally I will show you what Dan looks like 🤯.

Place de la Bastille