JET LAG REPORT

We're back. What a fantastic trip! I will share the best of about 600 photos when I get a chance.

Standing in a queu for an hour and a half at Charles DeGaulle airport yesterday was not pleasing to say the least. The line was not for security or customs but for getting a boarding pass and baggage checked. I will complain to Northwest Airlines. The security and customs lines were not too long. The lines in Detroit were not too long either.

I know I said the food was expensive in France last week but I have reconsidered. The quality of the cuisine is excellent and similar quality here in the USA would cost a similar amount of dollars as we paid in France. Hotel costs were not unreasonable either even when measured in dollars rather than euros.

And it's simply wonderful being in France!

So, it was totally worth the cost.

The drive from the airport in Syracuse to our home (about 50 miles) was challenging since it was at 11 to 12pm in New York and 5am to 6am in Paris. I had to work at keeping my eyes open and staying focused on driving.

I had a good night's sleep. Maybe I will be lucky and not feel too much more fatigue. The trip was exhilarating. It's good to be home, re-united with family and friends and our poodle.

REPORTING FROM PARIS (2)

I heard a clarinet solo on one metro ride and a violin solo on another ride!

My search for the world's best parkbench continues. I found a great one near the Seine with a view of a statue of a Greek God or something like that, the river, a nice garden, and the Eifel Tower. I took several photos there. I walked along the river and took way too many photos of le tour Eifel. I also took photos of l'arc de triomphe and the vista from Sacre Cour Church on Mont Martre.

It is a little cool in Paris.

Food is very expensive.

Mary is getting a lot of work done at conference which ends today. Now she can relax and enjoy Aquitaine and Paris for next 6 days.

Today, very soon, we will take TGV to Bordeaux. Tomorrow, I attempt to drive in Aquitaine! We will be there for 3 days. Then we will be back in Paris for our 39th anniversary July 12 and for Bastille Day July 14.

Last night I figured out how to use an International Calling Card. We called Sharon when we returned from the gala conference dinner. It was 1 am here and 7pm in NY when we reached her.

The Parisians don't have dinner until 9 or 10 pm.

REPORTING FROM PARIS (1)

Bon Jour

It just took me 15 minutes of my one hour for 2 euros to figure out how to use this keyboard!

You have to use shift for numbers and you have to use the alt gr key and the 0 key for the @ symbol which is required for Yahoo! signing in here in Paris.

I went to Chartres yesterday. The catheral definitely lives up to its reputation. WOW! I took photos of some of the famous stained glass windows. The cathedral was built in the 13th century after a fire took down an earlier cathedral. The town is quaint. It is an easy one hour train ride from Gare Montparnasse. Allez retour second class cost 26 euros. Even though it was not hot outside, the train was a lttle too hot for this Norwegian-American!

I have walked around the city a lot. Mary is quite busy at the conference until tomorrow noon.

Galleries Lafayette is quite an impressive department store. Mary found a nice raincoat on sale.

WHAT WILL WE DO IN PARIS (1)

+ On Monday the seventh of July we will be at the gala dinner of the International Consultation on Incontinence at Le Pavillon Dauphine in Paris.

+ On Monday the fourteenth of July we will be back in Paris after a few says in Aquitaine. 14 July is Bastille Day, The big French national day.

WHAT WILL I DO IN PARIS (3)

+ Maybe I will walk through the Square des Bastignolles near our hotel in the seventeenth arrondisement.

+ The Tour de France will be happening during our stay in France. But we probably won't get close enough to the route to see it.

PARIS BUS ROUTES

5 days to go so I'm now on a steep learning curve. I found maps of all of the Paris bus routes. Busses stopping at the Louvre are 21,24,27,39,48,68,69,72,81 and 95. 69 is one of the most popular since it goes near the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, Musee D'Orsay, Notre Dame and more. Just change the number in the URL to see other bus routes.

It's a little later now and I'm adding to this post the bus routes which go to L'Opera: 20,21,22,27,29,42,52,53,66,68,81,95. I now know we can get a bus from Charles DeGaulle Aiport (CDG) to L'Opera at a reasonable price thanks to Tom's Guide to Paris. From L'Opera, we can take a bus or metro or taxi to our hotel on our arrival day, this Friday, July 4.

I also found an interactive map of the Paris Metro and an interactive map of the Paris Bus System.

WHAT WILL I DO IN PARIS? (1)

I will have some time to roam around Paris while Mary is busy at a conference. July 4-8. So, I'm looking for lots of ideas. Here are some websites I'm exploring:

http://www.bugeurope.com/paris/info.html

http://www.understandfrance.org/Paris/AmericanCommunity.html

http://www.paris-anglo.com/

http://troi.cc.rochester.edu/~tdip/tomsguidetoparis.htm

SHOULD I GO BICYCLING IN PARIS?

I met another travel blogger at a Presbyterian Seminary Support Network meeting named Dana. Check out The Traveling McMahons. I responded to a post she wrote recently: Paris on two wheels. I need to get into better shape so I can do what she did if it is offered on a day when Mary is attending a Nursing Research Conference this July.