Arrival in Paris

Heading into the 8th arrondisement of Paris to our hotel near midnight was exciting beyond words. We had a wonderful flight over from London to the Charles de Gaulle Airport, and then the train to the Gare Saint Lazare Station, (which had train and metro lines that connected you all over the city).

The night was cool, in mid May, but beautiful with architecture of white and lightly colored buildings, not appearing to be higher than 5 floors for the majority. The windows for the most part had balconies, and flower boxes and shutters of a darker color.

The streets were very broad and spacious, with scooters buzzing by, equal to the number of cars.

It was close to midnight but the city was not asleep, (if you peeked around corners and walked down narrow alleys to the open cafes and bars).

Just as I had been reading all my life, the Parisian cafes had small tables and chairs set out in front and from one to several people quietly talking and drinking and leisurely enjoying the evening.

 In 1795 Paris originally was planed to hold 12 arrondissements (municipal districts), and started with numbers 1 through 9 on the right bank of the Seine, going from west to east, and numbers 10 through 12 on the left bank. These were again subdivided into four quarters.

The city boundaries were then enlarged in 1860, to expand to twenty arrondissements, as it is today.

The pattern of the districts are arranged in a clockwise wheel,  beginning at the center of the city, with the first arrondissment on the north side of the Seine, (the Right Bank).

Walking to our room along the right bank in the "Elysee" district, we headed to number 16 Rue de la Pepiniere, the Saint Augustin Hotel, and were lucky enough to be situated at the back of the building, facing a quiet section of more apartments.

The elevator that brought us up was so tiny, that three people just fit (minus luggage), but it was great to adjust to, laughing and enjoying the uniqueness of the building. 

Our room had very high ceilings, and the best aspect of it was the gorgeous windows, large enough to walk through.

We threw them open, as it was extremely quiet and reminded each other not to sleep walk during our stay!

For tonight, we threw down our overnight bags, and started to explore the streets, finding a good number of bistros along the way. The one we chose was perfect, the windows were almost to the ceiling, the chairs soft, large and worn, the wooden floors, high ceiling, and casually placed vases of beautiful flowers made for a wonderfully pleasing atmosphere.

The waitress was young and helpful suggesting wines that would compliment the goat cheese, herb and tomatoes grilled on small toasted french bread. It was the best way, to just sit back and take in the whole feel of the place, after a few hours of travel. 

We would sleep well tonight, and see what tomorrow would hold...