Paris (Dec 2nd-11th)

[RadioRob]

I promised a few folks that I would post about my recent trip to Paris.  So this is somewhat of a brain dump to capture some of the sights/sounds/experiences.  For this trip, I was with two other friends and had another four friends that also scheduled their vacation there at the same time.  So at times, we had as many as seven crazy Americans running around.

In the Air
The flight to Paris was a Christmas gift from my friends.  As a result, I did not have much say in the selection or booking of the flight.  We took Delta from MSP to CDG leaving Friday afternoon and arriving Saturday morning.  I was able to hang out in the Delta SkyLounge at MSP while we waited for our flight.  Once in the air, we entertained ourself in Economy with the infotainment system.  

We were served a chicken dish for dinner (they were out of the pasta dish).  It was not that great...  only ended up eating a few bites.  Instead we ended up grazing from food we brought from the SkyLounge.  

Where We Stayed
For the first half of the trip, we stayed at the Renaissance Paris Nobel Eiffel Tower in a Junior Suite.  It was a fantastic hotel with great staff.  Everyone was very friendly and helpful.  

This location made it pretty easy to get around to the destinations on the western part of the city.  We walked to the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triumph, etc.  The little street cafes were fantastic and a great way to start the morning with a croissant and fresh squeezed orange juice while people watching.  

For the back half of the trip, we moved further east to the Moxy Paris Bastille.  Just like it's US counterpart, you don't book at the Moxy for the room or for the service.  Instead you have a basic room and if you're at the hotel, you're hanging out in the well furnished lobby area which felt like a giant living room.  While we were there, we watched the France vs England game on the giant TV.  It was a loud and interesting experience to say the least.   The bartender literally made the experience there.  Great service and he happened to be a true mixologist.  So we just had him serve us liquor...  dealer's choice.  We did not have a single drink that disappointed.  Several drinks also never made it onto the tab as the bill was much smaller than I expected it to be.  (While tipping is not the norm, I did tip well as the service was absolutely top notch.)

Eiffel Tower
Friends booked this, and apparently they booked it late.  As a result, the tickets for the elevator were sold out.  We ended up walking up the first 30 flights of stairs to the first landing before we decided that was enough.  We were all huffing and puffing after getting about 15 flights up.  It was pure determination that let us make it to the landing.  The was a fantastic view though!  

 

Arc De Triomphe
Visiting here was the day after climbing the stairs at the Eiffel Tower.  Realizing there were EVEN MORE stairs to climb here made me realize I was going to be in pretty good shape once I left Paris.  This was such an amazing set of views and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier really made me realize how much we all feel pain and loss no matter where in the world we happen to be.  

Notre Dame Cathedral 
The venue is still not opened yet following the fire there a few years ago.  As a result, we could only catch a view of the exterior.  Its expected to reopen in 2024, and I definitely would love to go back and visit it once it's restored.  

I have more pictures to post...  just need to finish editing and cleaning them up.  I'll share some more later when I have a few minutes.

[+ keroscenefire]

Wow! Sounds like an amazing trip. Brings back memories of my trip back in May. Paris truly is a special city. So glad you got to see experience it.