Paris, je t'aime!

Sleeping pills just don't work...ever. I was groggy on the plane but I didn't actually sleep. My eyes were closed and I looked like I was sleeping but I was conscious the entire flight over. And so it was that we hit Paris with no sleep at 8am-ish, the start of a brand new, action-packed day. There was no time to slow down. No time to complain of fatigue. If you're going to hit Paris in ONE weekend, you've got to be on the go all the time...or at least you have to if you're me. :P Do I ever waste time? No! Anyone who knows me knows I am a busy little bee, always on the go. So I was ready...ready to take in the City of Lights.

By the time we landed, we were wide awake and hyper on our excitement. It took all of 30 seconds to pass through customs and then we had to weave our way through the massive crowds to find a free space near the teeny tiny Parisian baggage claim.

"Getting lost in Paris....Priceless." said the sign above the conveyor belt. I laughed and glanced at my siblings. Knowing us, it could have easily happened.

After we got our bags, we walked through the terminals to look for the trains that would take us into the city centre. I vaguely knew where I was going, having studied my Paris guide. My younger siblings followed, trusting I knew where I was going. Haha. Lost in Paris? Just maybe.

But no. We were fine, finding the right train and settling in to our seats. No sweat. :D There were even people to serenade us in our car as we headed into the city. Think typical French accordion music. What a way to set the mood. It was fun!

It's a good thing I had become so familiar with the transit system in London. The Paris system was similar so it was very easy to get around. We headed for the hotel first to check in and drop off our bags. The Tryp François Hotel was on Rue Montmartre right outside the Grands Boulevards metro stop. Quite convenient! And it was quite the fancy place too! Lucky us. We'd sleep very well that night. Though we were tempted to crawl under the covers when we arrived, we just dropped off our bags and then started our touring, Asian-tourist style with our cameras at the ready. Like we cared? Pfft. 3 days in Paris = taking as many pictures as we could. So much to see, so little time!

We hit the Palais Garnier first (I <3 the Phantom!) and then made our way to the Jardins des Tuileries and of course, the Louvre. I can't even begin to describe my love of that Museum. Seeing as it's now midnight as I write this, I won't even try. Let's just say I liked it better than the British Museum and I love the British Museum. Then there was the Musée de l'Orangerie to see the beautiful Nymphéas. If my room was painted with the Waterlilies on all walls, I'd never want to leave my flat. :)

It started to rain as we left that Musuem but we walked in it anyway, making our way up the Champs d'Elysées toward the Arc de Triomphe. Luckily, by the time we climbed to the top, the clouds finally started to clear, the rain stopping and a beautiful rainbow graced the sky. The sun was starting to set and the city seemed to magical from the top of the Arc, the way the lights and shadows played across the faces of all the buildings. Splendid!

We headed back toward the hotel afterwards. My feet were soaked and sore and fatigue was starting to settle in. We wouldn't go to slep until we had something to eat and did we ever eat well. Across the street from the hotel was a restarurant called Le Brébant. I had an amazing salmon steak and Justin had duck. Kristin had a lovely pasta dish and with wine...it was the perfect way to end our first extravagant day in Paris.

It was only the beginning.