Paris – Day 1

Before I discuss Paris, I should note that we left Brussels to take the train.  I had one last waffle at the train station (I will miss them!), and we proceeded to take the train to Brussels-Midi and then take the Thalys to Paris-Nord.  There was some confusion on which train to take, but we figured it out.  I love the high-speed trains.

Once we arrived in Paris we took the Metro to Luxembourg and arrived at the Residence du Palais. The accomodations are small but nice, and the owners are friendly and the location is great. We then headed out for a coffee and a Croque Select at Le Select; a typical sidewalk cafe with great coffee and people watching.

We then headed out for a walking tour. We checked out the beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg, the St Sulpice church with a huge monumental fountain. We continued on to Notre Dame and the Hotel De Ville. We walked the shopping streets near the Pompidou to the Forum des Halles. Then we walked to the Jardin du Palais Royal and the Louvre.

At this point we met up with the Lauers. We walked South back towards the hotel in search of a place to eat. We ended up eating at Les Deux Magots - Paris' oldest cafe. We then walked a few of the same sights as a group, including St Sulpice, Jardin du Luxembourg, and then went to the Pantheon. We stopped for some wine on the corner of the park and then returned to our hotel.