Best of Burgundy Day 2
Best of Burgundy
DAY 2 - Tuesday - 9-20-05 - Frankfurt/Arrive in Paris/Explore the city
We were able to sleep quite well on this flight with the seats reclining as far back as they did. Two hours before we reached Frankfurt, the flight attendants turned on the lights and proceeded to try to get everyone to eat some breakfast and get ready to land. I had some coffee and juice, it had only been 5 hours since we ate dinner, so I was not very hungry. Gennie slept until 10 AM, 30 minutes before we landed. Being able to stretch out was an amenity we enjoyed. We arrived at Frankfurt a little early but we had to wait on the tarmac for our gate to open as another 747 was still loading. After 15 minutes we taxied in and were able to disembark.
After going through passport control and having our documents checked, again, no problems, we continued on to gate A-30 where we were able to sit in the business class lounge, read the papers, and get a soda or coffee while we waited for our flight to Paris. We had started to look for OAT yellow baggage tags, but had not seen any other Overseas Adventure Travelers yet.
At 11:20 they called our flight and we were able to board. The 45 minute trip took us over checkerboard fields and groves of trees. Our pilot pointed out Luxembourg and after a little snack and drink we were already beginning our descent into France and the Charles-de-Gaulle Airport. Our luggage arrived as safely as we did and right beside the baggage claim area we were greeted by Paula, our OAT airport representative. We walked outside and met Stanley, our driver, and by 1:30 we were on the road to Paris. Paula apologized for this area of the city - not too scenic - as this was the industrial complex. As we got closer to the city center she began to point out historical and religious sites, one of these being the huge soccer complex built just before the 1998 World Cup. It seats 85,000 people and they use it for games and concerts.
It was 70 degrees and a bit hazy but there was a cooling breeze as we got closer to the city. Our hotel is right in the city center, within walking distance of the plaza of Charles de Gaulle and Avenue Des Champs Elysees. The streets are lined with trees even downtown. We had to walk a bit as the area in front of our hotel is torn up because they are laying underground pipes.
Just inside the hotel we were met by our tour leader Michel, who welcomed us. We agreed to take our things to our room and then meet him back in the lobby for a brief tour of this portion of the city. We walked from out hotel to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champ de Elysees to see the famous shops and the street side cafes. One of the most interesting was the Peugeot showroom where we saw a new prototype of their sports car.
As we walked and talked, Michel told us about the city and we exchanged ideas on life in the big city. As we passed a sidewalk café a voice called, "Mr. Garcia?" I turned around and saw Sara Distelzweig (Lancaster) and her family who were here in Paris for a wedding sitting at the Vesuvio Café. What a surprise to see one of my ex-students and soccer player who had graduated in 1986. It was so great to talk to her and her parents, meet her husband and see her two cute young daughters. Gennie and I have been fortunate to have this occur to us all over the world, to see students from Lewis-Palmer as we travel.
We continued on our walk and Michel took us to a large record/DVD store where we were able to buy several CDs of typical French music for the CD I will create after this trip. Michel left us there and we wandered around this busy avenue until about 4 PM. We saw a Brazilian teenage dance troupe who are performing here this week. We returned to the hotel, taking photos along the way. We showered and got ourselves organized so that we would be ready at 6 PM to meet our group. We met in the courtyard of the hotel for a wine reception and Michel gave us the welcome information. After an introduction we found out we have three WWII veterans who were in France over 60 years ago. As they introduced themselves, Michel shook each one of their hands and thanked them for liberating France. A really classy act! Our guide gave us a description of the calendar for the next 10 days and few suggestions for dinner this evening. Most every had had long flights and we decided to go our separate ways and meet tomorrow at breakfast at 7:30.
We went to the Bistro Romania for dinner and then we returned to our hotel to finish this log and send out Day 1 and 2.
Accommodations: Villa Alessandra
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