5.14.2010
In Paris at last.....
We landed at Orly in Paris and were immediately hustled by a driver
to take us into town. We opted to take a regular taxi and 20 minutes
later we arrived at our apartment on rue Sevigne in the 3rd district
of Paris. I was off on my timing so we had to wait an hour for the
agent to arrive and give us the keys to the place.
The apartment is on the 4th floor, 5th by American standards and there
is no elevator. Infact the building is older than the United States
being built around 1720 and you can tell. The stairs are almost vertical
and it is a chore to get the luggage to the top. The only good part
of being on the high floor is that we are away from the street noise
and there is no one above us to listen to.
We were shocked to find that the previous tenant had left and no one
had cleaned up the place. The agent gave us a free night to make up
for it and Lisa cleaned up while I ran down the street to the laundry
and washed the sheets and towels.
After getting situated we ran down the street to the local market
and picked up some basic necessities. On the way we decided to stop
by the local creperie and try some crepes which were very delicious.
Our street is loaded with shops and was very crowded with people just
hanging out.
Posted by Scott
5.15.2010
Getting situauted.....
Walked down Rivoli Boulevard to the Forum Les Halles complex and stopped
in for sushi on the way. The sushi was cheaper here than at home but
it also is very simple and not as tasty. At the Forum we found a public
swimming pool that we decided we would try but we need Paris appropriate
swim suits in order to go in.
We stopped in Darty which is a Best Buy equivalent and bought a speaker
for the iPod and a clock. It seems every large store you go in has
small little LCD displays for the price of the item instead of a tag.
They also have the sales tax built into the price so that is nice
as the pirce you see is what you pay.
On the walk back we stopped in a Chinese takeout and picked up some
dinner to take to the apartment. They are all over the city and sort
of like a Panda Express where all the food is deli style and ready
to go. After dinner maddie opened a cabinet that was hidden and found
the washing machine we did not know we had.
Posted by Scott
5.16.2010
Street markets.....
We started the day by going to the famous Mouffetard street market
to see what is was about. We ended up buying a loaf of bread, a rotisserie
chicken, avocados, cheese, tomatoes and some rocket. Once back we
made fresh sandwiches that were incredible. After that we worked for
a while on getting the phone to work and finally made some calls.
Maddie and Lisa did some school work and I walked around the block
and took some photos. The local park seemed to be the place to hang
out on a Sunday afternoon with a clear sunny sky. I also made friends
with some locals (ha ha see picture).
Later on we ventured around the neighborhood and maddie bought an
outfit at a local designer shop. After wards we stopped at a café
and had an apple toffee crepe with ice cream then walked over to a
finger puppet shop, not too exciting.
When we got back to the apartment I ended up talking with the owner
on the phone and she was able to help us with some unanswered questions
about the place.
Posted by Scott
5.17.2010
To the grocery store....
We left the apartment and decided we were going to Carrefour which
is the European equivalent to a Walmart or Target to get some items
for the place. We had to take two different subways to get there and
had a hard time finding the entrance since the store was built under
a park. The grocery part of the store had a huge selection of foods,
probably even more than we have in the U.S. We also bought a roller
hand cart to carry the stuff back in, seems to be the standard over
here.
On the way back we stopped and got a pizza down the street and then
back to the apartment. After a few hours of rest we decided to go
to the movies and catch the new Robin Hood for the $3.50 show. We
also stopped by and bought maddie a scooter and we all got swim suits
so we can use the public pool. They do not allow shorts or bikinis
so we needed appropriate suits and caps.
After the show we headed home and made tacos for dinner but the shells
we premade and very stale.
This was an entire day without the camera. Note no photos......
Posted by Scott
5.18.2010
Of to Eiffel...
Ran down to the local Patisserie and picked up an éclair and a napoleon
for breakfast, actually that would be a power breakfast. On the way
I tried to use the Velib bicycle system but failed miserably as they
will only work with European ATM card. The cards over here have a
security chip with contacts built into the card. The Velib system
is 1,500 stations with 20,000 bicycles across Paris that you can rent
for free as long as you make it to another station within 30 minutes.
We decided we would go see the Eiffel Tower today so we started off
by going to go sport to buy a scooter for Lisa. On the way out the
door I stepped on a security tag at the register and the nail shaped
piece went through toe. Luckily it came right out or I would not be
able to leave the store without the alarm going off.
On the way to the Eiffel we grabbed a cheap lunch at a Middle Eastern
diner and then picked up some pastries next door which we enjoyed
on the bank of the Seine River. The boats and barges were busy hauling
their cargo up and down the river as we sat there stuffing our faces
with baked bliss.
Now that half the day was done we were off to the Eiffel, finally.
So we decided we would shortcut through the Louvre Park and then cut
down the Champ Elysees past the royal palace. Well 4 hours later we
were only half way there and figured by that time we would not be
making the Eiffel today so we grabbed some dinner at a local French
bistro. Lisa finally got to have her French onion soup in France so
it worked out good.
On the way back we stopped in a perfume store the size of a Walmart
and by the time we left I think my nose was permanently damaged. I
have never seen or smelt so many fragrances, good and bad. Once back
we setup a $25 DVD player we had bought and Maddie watched a Harry
Potter movie. The TV in the aprtment has only 2 stations in english
and they are both news.
Posted by Scott
5.19.2010 |
