Day 1 - Seattle to Paris

Art for sale along the Seine

Delta flight 615, nonstop Seattle to Paris. I used miles to travel and being that this is low season, I was able to fly Business Elite for essentially 1/2 the miles that would otherwise be required during the high season. If it were spring or fall, I would definitely have been sitting in coach! The service in Business was nice and some of the food was pretty good but at the end of the day, it's still airplane food. The cold dishes were more successful than the hot. The Seattle-based flight crew was okay but I was expecting a bit more personalization such as calling me, "Mrs. Jensen". (How spoiled do I sound? Note, my return flight from Paris was much better in this regard.) The lie-flat seat was really nice but there was quite a bit of turbulence over the Atlantic which made sleep difficult. The 9+ hour flight seemed to go pretty quickly, however.

On to Paris! The flight arrived about 45 minutes early. Passport control was a breeze; they didn't even look at my photo or ask a single question. There are several transportation options for getting into the city from the airport: cab, shuttle, bus or RER train. I knew a cab would run me about 50 Euro ($65 USD) and I had read the shuttles were somewhat unreliable. Most of the destination experts on Trip Advisor tell you to "just take a taxi" due to convenience and jet lag one would sure to be experiencing. And many warn of pickpockets on the RER. However the RER train is only 9.75 Euro ($13 USD) and traveling alone, I just couldn't justify spending $50 more than needed on a taxi. Also, the RER is considered the quickest way into the city. I understood that if you don't have 9.75 in Euro coins (no bills accepted in the machines), the line to buy an RER ticket at the airport can be quite long; but I had also read it is possible to buy a ticket at the Tourist Information counter with bills. Well, the TI was right outside of my baggage claim and there was no line whatsoever so I had my ticket in hand within minutes. I followed the clearly-marked signs for "Paris par train" and about 5 minutes later was onboard the RER. Being that it was midday on a weekday, the train was fairly empty. No signs of pickpockets. Approximately 40 minutes later, I was at my stop, St. Michel-Notre Dame. I had also been warned to be prepared to haul my bag up many flights of stairs from the RER. Again, this was not the case. This particular station had escalators and I only had to physically walk up 15 stairs to the street. I had looked at a map beforehand to determine the correct Sortie (exit) to take out of the RER station and a 10 minute walk later, I was turning the key to the door of my rental apartment.

I rented an apartment through Paris Best Lodge, Studio Mazarine in the 6th Arrondissment or the St. Germain neighborhood. I could only find one specific review on this apartment itself before booking it, but I hadn't heard one bad word about Paris Best Lodge and the experience was just fine. I would consider this studio apartment large, especially for Paris and more than enough room for one person. It could accommodate a couple easily. The location was great, approximately 5 blocks from a Metro station, 2 minutes from the Seine and walking distance to many tourist sites. For the amenities, location and price, I was very happy with my choice. Was it perfect? No. But my particular issues were relatively minor (e.g., no view and thin walls).

The day was overcast but it wasn't raining and I definitely wanted to get out and walk around the neighborhood before crashing. As it was so close, I walked to Notre Dame and toured the inside of the church. I was surprised that they still had a huge Christmas tree on display outside (this was January 31st) but it would come down several days later. I then strolled along the Seine and found a grocery store for some supplies before retiring from this long travel day.

Notre Dame - Overcast Afternoon