What a productive morning - waking up at 3.45am allows me loads of time to get stuff done ;-) Okay so I'm too excited to get back to sleep, I might as well make the most of the time! It does mean a relaxed morning and I even have time to go to the market for some fresh flowers to welcome my man :-)
So I'm at the airport an hour early - who's surprised? But having never taken the Metro and RER (train) to the airport I'm not sure how long it takes nor how complicated, and........ oh never mind, you know what I'm like! My proud moment is asking for my ticket using complete sentences totally en français.........and being understood!! :-)
So being early gives me time to get our return train tickets and have a look around Terminal 2C - hmmm, well that takes all of 10 minutes, it's not the most exciting airport in the world ;-)
An hour later (and several chapters of Tim Keller's book "Generous Justice"), at 12.30pm I'm waiting with excited anticipation in front of the arrivals door for what feels like hours! He's flown on an Airbus 380, which holds between 500 and 850 passengers and I'm pretty sure 90% of them must have already come through the doors. I stand there for about 40 minutes, peering through the doors every time they open to try and catch a glimpse into the customs area. No sign of him so far and I'm just starting to look around at the rapidly dwindling crowd of welcomers, wondering how much longer when, as the next group of travellers comes through the door, I see his beautiful smile ..............
Later in the afternoon we head out for some daylight to help avoid the jetlag, walking along the promenade of the Port de Plaisance de Paris Arsenal and down to the Seine. We wander on and cross at Pont Charles de Gaulle, continue along Quai St-Bernard on the other side of the river until we get to Pont de Sully. It's almost dark and getting cold so it's back up Boulevard Henri IV for a "Bienvenue à Paris" dinner and a glass of red in our cosy little home away from home.
17/3/13
It's Sunday, so late morning we head off to church with enough time to wander via my earlier wonderful gastronomic discovery, Rue Mouffetard on the Left Bank. One of the joys for me over the next few weeks will be sharing such experiences with my lovely new husband :-) We stroll along this gorgeous cobbled street, past restaurants to which we may well return for an authentic French dining experience.
After church we slowly make our way back. At a corner on Boulevard Edgar-Quinet we stop to watch a talented trio playing swing music, the sounds of Paris :-)
We continue through the Jardin du Luxembourg, and along Carrefour de l'Odeon to Boulevard St-Germain, where we pass a lolly stall that smells divine and is very tempting........! We walk through St-Germain des Près to Place St-Michel where we find a brasserie that looks warm and inviting for lunch on a cold grey Paris day. One Coq au Vin and one Boeuf Bourguignon later (not to mention Oeufs en Mayonnaise and Mousse au Chocolat......) and we're ready to keep wending our way back.
We take the route along the middle of the islands, past Notre Dame, stopping for "un baguette traditional" (crusty and chewy and soft in the middle, mmmm!) and some delicious and warming Chocolat Chaud when the rain comes. Then it's home to our warm apartment, hand in hand through the city of love, the way it should be :-)
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