Although this is a blog about India, it wouldn't be fair to not talk about our flight here that featured a 23 hour layover in Paris. I consider us very fortunate to have found a flight like this (thanks to my many hours of searching and research of new websites I haven't used before.) I have always wanted to visit Paris, and sometimes really resent the fact that I travel to such interesting countries but never get to leave the airport.
Well, I'm not going to lie, sometimes going to India isn't that fun. Between the extremely long plane ride, the heat, the bugs, the overcrowding, I don't feel much like India is ever a 'vacation' for me. However, knowing we had this layover opportunity I was super excited to go.
Arriving in Paris, we had all slept pretty well and ate and were ready for action. We easily found a cab to our hotel and although the cab guy spoke limited english, we were able to manage and get to our hotel safely and quickly. Paris traffic was pretty crazy and the signs and traffic flow was kinda confusing. I thoroughly researched the best and most affordable hotel close to the Eiffel Tower since we didn't have much time and this was the one must see attraction for us.
The hotel was small, but very nice. We had to get 2 rooms, as most Paris hotel rooms have 1 double bed max. I was thrilled to find out we had a view of Eiffel tower from our room!
We settled in and changed and headed off for food and entertainment. The hotel was in a nice place for walking and street cafe seating. This is a common form of eating and gathering in Paris and gotta say- I loved it. The buildings in Paris are absolutely beautiful, I just love the style and atmosphere. The air was cool and crisp and people were out and about everywhere.
The Eiffel tower did not disappoint. It was massive and beautiful and the grounds around it was very nicely maintained and obviously a hot spot for gathering. The other thing I liked is there was no fee to come into that area, its just a big park, so we were able to soak in the atmosphere and just be in awe of such an iconic structure free of cost. We chose to not go up into it, there was a wait for the elevator and honestly none of us felt like it was necessary.
We had dinner in a street cafe, sitting among all the french people was a lot of fun. Lots of young people and couples drinking wine, eating, and laughing and enjoying. The food was awesome and the wine was even better. We got to talking to several people around us and found them to be warm and welcoming. One guy even insisted on buying Shivali a magic wand from a street vendor walking through the restaurant because he just wanted to see her smile.
We settled back into the hotel well after midnight and the street cafe was still hopping. One last look at the Eiffel tower before bed!
Well, I'm not going to lie, sometimes going to India isn't that fun. Between the extremely long plane ride, the heat, the bugs, the overcrowding, I don't feel much like India is ever a 'vacation' for me. However, knowing we had this layover opportunity I was super excited to go.
Arriving in Paris, we had all slept pretty well and ate and were ready for action. We easily found a cab to our hotel and although the cab guy spoke limited english, we were able to manage and get to our hotel safely and quickly. Paris traffic was pretty crazy and the signs and traffic flow was kinda confusing. I thoroughly researched the best and most affordable hotel close to the Eiffel Tower since we didn't have much time and this was the one must see attraction for us.
The hotel was small, but very nice. We had to get 2 rooms, as most Paris hotel rooms have 1 double bed max. I was thrilled to find out we had a view of Eiffel tower from our room!
The Eiffel tower did not disappoint. It was massive and beautiful and the grounds around it was very nicely maintained and obviously a hot spot for gathering. The other thing I liked is there was no fee to come into that area, its just a big park, so we were able to soak in the atmosphere and just be in awe of such an iconic structure free of cost. We chose to not go up into it, there was a wait for the elevator and honestly none of us felt like it was necessary.
We had dinner in a street cafe, sitting among all the french people was a lot of fun. Lots of young people and couples drinking wine, eating, and laughing and enjoying. The food was awesome and the wine was even better. We got to talking to several people around us and found them to be warm and welcoming. One guy even insisted on buying Shivali a magic wand from a street vendor walking through the restaurant because he just wanted to see her smile.
The cab ride back to the airport was uneventful and quick, in spite of several warning emails we got from Air France saying we should be cautious of the traffic for the 70th anniversary of D-Day, and we also learned President Obama was in town the day we arrived. Luckily we didn't get caught up in either and were in and out before we know it and on a plane to India.
In true Kerri form, I nicely consulted with the Air France personal about my concern on seats in the rear of the plane and my daughter's common air sickness (a true story- but also I am finding myself being more and more fearful of turbulence) they upgraded us to premier economy which isn't as good as business class, but way better than economy. We all rode nicely and arrived safely in Bangalore (9 and a half hours later!). Score!!! Love you Air France
In true Kerri form, I nicely consulted with the Air France personal about my concern on seats in the rear of the plane and my daughter's common air sickness (a true story- but also I am finding myself being more and more fearful of turbulence) they upgraded us to premier economy which isn't as good as business class, but way better than economy. We all rode nicely and arrived safely in Bangalore (9 and a half hours later!). Score!!! Love you Air France
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