On Our Way to Paris

Thursday, November 15 was a beautiful day in Sicily. We enjoyed the magnificent views of Mt. Etna as we boarded our plane and flew towards mainland Italy and our connection in Rome.

View of Mt. Etna from the runway before taking off

Mt. Etna from the air

After changing planes in Rome we boarded our flight to Paris. Most of the flight we were above the clouds but they parted for a bit and gave us a spectacular view of the snow-covered Alps.

Looking down on the Alps

We arrived in Paris mid-afternoon and once we collected our luggage we set off to find out the best way to get to our hotel. Our initial plan had been to take the RER train into the center of Paris but lucky us, we decided to vacation in Paris during a major transit strike. No RER trains were running.

After talking to a nice lady at the tourist information desk we found out that the best way to our hotel would be by taxi. 60euro and an hour and a half later we arrived at our hotel, the Hotel Des Victoires. We settled into our cozy (that means tiny) room and then headed out to explore the neighborhood and find dinner. We were staying in the Les Halles neighborhood and set off towards the Marais neighborhood.

Our first stop was a swanky bar for drinks before dinner. I ordered a Kir Royal (my favorite French drink, champagne and creme di cassis) and Les had a vodka martini. The prices were high, but hey, we were on vacation. When we paid we discovered that French Happy Hour (at least at this bar) means two-for-one drinks, so of course we had another round.

After two glasses of Kir Royal I was champagne giddy and in need of some food. We walked a bit farther and found a Brasserie. We ordered three course meals, complete with wine. We tried the Nouveau Bougoulais wine. It was so good! Way too easy to drink!

Me, enjoying my third course, Creme Brulee, one of my all-time favorite desserts

Full and happy we began the long walk back to our hotel. Much to our surprise on our way back we saw a Starbucks! Now I know to most this really isn't a big deal, but we hadn't seen a Starbucks in over a year and I love Starbucks. I can't believe how excited I was. (maybe it had something to do with all of the wine??)

Our first look at Starbucks in over a year

We decided that it was too late for coffee that night but to return in the morning for breakfast. A few wrong turns later we finally found our way back to our hotel, crawled into bed and slept like babies.

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