sheilasview.com

We took the train and underground to the station to catch the Erurostar train to Paris. It was very stressful because we had our luggage (hard! and we had only half, or less, than what we are taking home) and our tickets had not arrived. The tickets were guaranteed to arrive and here we were not even sure if we could get on a train.

Finally arriving at the Waterloo station we went to the “immediate travel” office. A clerk in the office felt sorry for us and talked to a manager who sold us tickets at a reduced rate. Not as good as receiving our tickets but better than having to pay full price again. We went through to the waiting lounge until boarding the train. Trista and Chloe had seats together at a four person table while I was seated behind them with another woman. She was from Paris and when learning I was visiting Paris for the first time said the city was lovely and I would love it. After a while no one had joined the girls and I moved to their table. The trip only took just over two hours.

Upon arriving we learned quickly how hard it is to be in a country where we do not speak the language. We could not find the area to buy underground tickets and could not find anyone who could figure out what we were talking about. We finally found out where to buy underground (Metro) tickets. (On the bottom floor) We bought a five day pass which saved us money over daily tickets or, I am sure, trip tickets.Trista found our way to the correct train and connections and brought us to our street, Rue De Cler. It is a very nice street with lots of street markets and shops and restaurants. The street is very pretty and just what you would think of as a “Paris” street.

Checking into our hotel we found that it is good for the price. My cousins had traveled to Paris a couple years ago and the economy hotel they stayed in had much to be desired so we were quite happy. We were on the third floor and the elevator was so small it barely held one person with their luggage. We had two twin beds and a clean bathroom on the front of the hotel so we could look out onto the street.

Since it was early evening we found a place to eat on our street. Of course we chose Trista and my favorite, Italian. We ate at Caffe Vergnano. Trista and I found the food to be very good. Chloe was not as happy but Italian is not her favorite either.

After a long day we are very excited to be in Paris!