An American Girl in Paris, Part Une

What a day it has been... and what day is it, exactly? Now I know fully what it means to have jet lag.  Today was May Day in Paris so the shops were closed, which worked out for me, because I was desperate for a long nap.  Before I get ahead of myself, I have to back up a bit...

First/Business Class is just superb.  I don't think the international flight attendants were quite prepared for my Aunt Diane and me. We had one hell of a time trying out the seats - they reclined into several positions, all the way to flat for sleeping. We sipped Mimosas and wine, and dined on French cheese, etc. etc. After an Ambien-induced nap on the plane we woke up 7 hours ahead of our internal clock. Motion sickness hit pretty hard on the landing, which took me about an hour to overcome.

But I digress.

Paris is very much like you think it would be. The architecture is beautiful, the cars are small, the rain  is steady but very light.  Our hotel sits just down the street from the Arc De Triomphe and the Champs De Elysee.  And to my Parisien friends, I apologize for any spelling errors... I'm just that tired.

Our dinner lasted more than 3 hours - God only knows how many courses and glasses of wine, but it was all excellent.  After dinner, we went to see the Eiffel Tower.  Lit up at night, it was just beautiful.  Have you ever waited so long to see something that you think you might be disappointed to discover it's not as you had imagined in your dreams?  Not so for the Eiffel Tower. It is truly magnificent.  I'm looking forward to seeing it in the day time.

Of course, this is a tourist attraction, and the hawkers were out in full force trying to sell their plastic Eiffel Tower replicas for "just one Euro!"

In my library at home hangs a framed picture of the Champs De Elysee.  It is a beautiful painting of a tree-lined street, fresh and peaceful after a light rain.  The real thing is no less a sight to see, but it did seem much more commercial to me in real life, and not unlike Madison Avenue in Manhattan.  I'm not sure whether this was a disappointment or a relief to me. I do love Manhattan, but it did take away just a bit of the romance of this city of lights.

Tomorrow we leave the hotel at 9:15 am for several tours, the first of which will take us to a Patisserie where we'll learn how to make French Macaroons, and taste more amazing French wine.

I wanted to post a few pictures by blogger is giving me hell and I'm in no mood to fight, so... tomorrow.

Bonne nuit mes amis!