day 1

John and I arrived in Paris early morning, Monday June 1, 2009. After landing at CDG airport we made our way to the RER train. At the St. Michel stop we arrived at street level and found a very quiet city. We soon discovered that it was Penticost Monday, a holiday in Paris. We walked the few blocks to our hotel on Rue Des Ecoles. The hotel California, Ste. Germain. The room was not yet ready, so we left our bags and went out walking. We stopped for our first meal at a brasserie at the Metro stop named Maubert. It was called brunch and it cost 16e. It was made up of a large coissant, an oversized piece of toasted bread, orange juice, yogurt, a ham & cheese omelet, and a cup of coffee. John and I split it, yum! We then visited Notre Dame and the Place des Vosges. We headed back to the hotel at about 11:30. John went to bed and I went out to find the Touilleries. I decided to try the metro and asked the ticket agent for help in getting there. Unfortunately, I discovered that the Paris Metro is so complex that even she could not give me accurate instructions. I ended up at Les Halles and had no map to figure out how to get to my destination. I walked around feeling a bit lost until I recognized some American tourists with maps and asked them to point me toward the Louvre. I knew that the Touilleries are near the Louvre. I headed off again on foot and walked down the Rue de Rivoli thinking that this was the entirety of the Louvre. It wasn't until I made it to the front of the building that I realized that it was only one wing of the place! The enormity of it just took my breath away. And this was once a palace where people lived! WOW! I hurried excitedly down the steps into the Jardin Touilleries and found them to be very disappointing! The gardens were all dried out and barren. The white pathways were made of old tile dust which was caught in the slightest breeze and made into mini-dust storms. The place felt like a desert, not the lush gardens I expected. The statuary helped redeem the place, and the views of the Place de Concorde and Arc de Triumph brought back my excitement. I had to hold back from walking all the way down the Champs-Elysees. I was going to have to walk back to the hotel on the other side of the city since I had no idea how to get back on the metro. I walked toward the direction of the Seine and found my way back to St. Michel, only this did not look familar. I saw the fountain of St. Michel and enjoyed the performances of some street people. This neighborhood is very alive and full of colorful shops and many places to eat. I wandered the streets of St. Michel for quite some time trying to find something familiar, but not worried at all about finding my way back. I enjoyed exploring this area. I found some inexpensive street eateries in a carnival atmosphere near the Church of Saint-Séverin. Then I tried to use my AT&T cell phone to call John to let him know I was on my way back. You see it was 2.5 hours after I had left the hotel and I figured he might be wondering where I was. The phone would not complete a call, and I was very frustrated. I hurried back to the hotel and found John up and dressed and ready for dinner. We went back to the area next to the Church of Saint-Séverin, and had a fairly inexpensive(10e), but good meal. The next day we read that this area is not recommended by the guide books because they are known for padding the bill with extra charges, but we did not find this to be true. We walked over to the Saint Julien le Pauvre church for a piano concert that had been advertised on posters all over the Latin Quarter. It was excellent!!