Paris, Day 1

I only got one view of the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. A reminder to push the record button once you set up the shot. 😊

While in Paris, we stayed at the Novotel Paris Vaugirard Montparnasse.

Meet our tour guide, Simeon

I booked my trip with DeTours, Inc., a small female and minority-owned travel company. More on DeTours, Inc. in another post. There were nine of us with DeTours, Inc., which contracted with Gate 1 Travel for our Paris and London adventure. Our Gate 1 travel tour guide was Simeon. He was such a delight and I loved to hear his French accent whenever he spoke.

Pizza Hut in Paris

Upon arrival at the hotel, my room was not ready so I took a little stroll down the street from the hotel and look what I found.

When I returned to the Novotel, my room was ready so I grabbed my suitcase and proceeded to go upstairs. I held a few suitcases for those whose rooms were not ready. Below are videos of the room and an outside view from the window.

Reconnecting with an educational colleague

I'm so happy I had the opportunity to reconnect with Elnora (aka Cookie), a colleague I've known since the days of working in the Flint Community Schools.

DeTours, Inc. crew at dinner

Dinner on Day 1 was held at Quindici Trattoria, inside the Novotel. This was our first meal with all nine of us together. From the front on the left - Edee, Donna, Sherry, Cookie. From the front on the right - Sue, Camille (DeTours, Inc. owner), Ar'Ree, Shawn and Lauren.

Menu

While I did brush up on my French a bit, some things on these menus were a bit of a challenge. It also helped to have a former French teacher (Camille) with you. In addition, our wait staff was very kind and patient.

And voila, the finished products were amazing (I'm going from memory so I hope I got the meals right):

Cotoletta Alla Milanese

Risotto Al Tartufo Nero Del Molise

Gnocchi Gamberi E Limone

Lasagna Emiliana

After dinner, we needed to walk off that wonderful meal so we accompanied Camille to check out a dinner spot for the next day. This also gave us a chance to scout some of the area surrounding our hotel. Here are some video and picture views.

We found Blomet, our restaurant for dinner tomorrow evening. It's a short walk from our hotel and the neighborhood surrounding it is full of character.

Impromptu photo op.

The Rooftop Bar at the Novotel

When we got back to the hotel, I wanted to check out the rooftop bar on the 7th floor. The view was absolutely amazing! Yes, that is the Eiffel Tower in the background. After one cocktail I was ready to retreat to my room. It had been a long and exhausting day, and Edee On-The-Go could go no more.

Video of View from the Rooftop Bar

Stay tuned for Paris, Day 2 in an upcoming blog.