Wed. & Thurs., Sept. 21-22, 2022
Finally, it was time to travel but where to go and, more importantly, with whom?
Well, Newark, New Jersey was a start . . .
. . . but DEFINITELY NOT our
final destination!
Now THAT'S more like it!
We were in the air for about five hours from LAX to Newark where we then had a four hour layover.
The flight from Newark to Paris took about seven hours.
Now, as for our travel partners . . .
Brian and Koreen FitzGerald
They had never been to France, northern Italy or Spain, which were our travel destinations for our journey.
We had begun planning this trip years ago but then Covid-19 got in the way.
Laurie and I were excited about
a new adventure with old friends
The taxi ride from Orly Airport to our Air BnB near the Eiffel Tower was a smooth one and the things we saw along the way as we entered Paris proper reminded us . . .
. . . that this is 100% TRUE!
New took about 30 minutes to get situated in our accommodations before starting our tourist exploration of The City of Lights.
Unfortunately, we have a weak internet connection in our apartment so uploading the blog is a slow and laborious task.
Sorry, Paul and Michael.
Somber reminders like this dot the city
in memory of the French dead from WWII
Great architecture is found
everywhere you look
Apparently, our new neighborhood
likes to PARTY!
Koreen FitzGerald took this photo of the bottles.
Koreen and Brian with some
random structure behind them
Whatever it is is only a five minute walk from our residence.
Locks on bridges and railings,
Parisian signs of eternal love
Wedding photos near the Seine
One of many bridges that span the Seine
Powerful statue at the Trocadero
which overlooks the Eiffel Tower
View of our traveling group
from atop the Trocadero
We moved via the highly efficient Paris Metro to . . .
. . . the famed Arc de Triomph
that honors France's war dead
The Arc has some impressive statuary
Role call of the honored dead that made
the ultimate sacrifice for their country
Tomb of the French Unknown Soldier
from World Wear I
More statuary on the Arc
From the Arc de Triomph, we started walking down . . .
. . . Champs Élysées
Nothing to see here ladies, please keep moving.
New architecture
Old eatery
Famed for their macaron pastries, it was a packed house so we moved on.
After a nice snack of waffles at a restaurant on the Champs Élysées, we hopped back on the metro.
Our Metro stop
The Pont-Neuf is where our son Michael proposed to Vanessa.
Equally romantic, our son Andrew had proposed to Jenn on the Spanish Steps in Rome a few months earlier.
Good looking guy on
the Pont-Neuf
Ornate clock on the
Palais de Justice
Tribute to another fallen
Frenchman from WWII
We continued walking.
Notre Dame Cathedral was burned
out on April 15, 2019 but it is
making a definite comeback
So are we despite the jet lag.
Charlemagne
Charlemagne again with Notre Dame
in the background
We now crossed another bridge into the Latin Quarter.
It has been selling English language
books at this spot since 1951
Resting in front of Shakespeare
and Company
I had just rejoined them after buying a copy of Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
Ah, the Bohemian lifestyle of
the Rive Gauche
The Sun was setting over the Seine
and we were hungry for our first
Parisian dinner
But, where to eat?
Please credit this artistic sunset shot to the photo wizardry of Brian FitzGerald.
In the Latin Quarter, of course,
at a spot recommended to us by one
of our Bron-Villeurbanne Falcons
years ago
Laurie and had dined their in 2013 and both had fond memories of our shared dining experience.
This cafe did NOT disappoint
us in the least!
I took this trick photo literally
using mirrors but no smoke
the walk back to our abode with the
Eiffel Tower leading the way
We got in some serious exercise
on our first day in France
The Adventure continues . . .
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