Friday, December 20

We're here. Through a crazy set of circumstances, we were able to switch, at the last minute, to a non-stop flight from Dulles to Paris. The downside was that we arrived VERY early--but fortunately Lloyd was able to notify our regular taxi company, Victor Cabs. Victor himself was waiting for us when our flight arrived.

Since we were so early, we asked Victor to drop us at one of our favorite cafes, the Cafe Constant so that we could "kill" some time and have a relaxing cup of French coffee.

There were people sitting at the bar, just to the right of this picture, so it wasn't as deserted as it looks. For those who have been here, they know that this cafe is usually packed, with a waiting line, both at lunchtime and for evening dinner.

When we left here we walked to the Paris Perfect office to drop our bags (our apartment greeting was not for an hour) and then took the opportunity to stop over and introduce ourselves to Florent, a friend of our friend Joan Grace, a regular Paris visitor. Florent owns a delightful cafe not far from our apartment. Since he was between the morning rush and the lunch time service, we were able to spend some time getting to know him. His cafe is warm and inviting and we were pleased to finally be able to meet him.

                                                Florent and Lloyd in the cafe Flirt The (Tea)

Finally, time to check in. Our apartment is in the heart of the 7th arrondissement--with a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. The one bedroom apartment has all the pleasures of home plus a wonderful towel warmer that makes the morning shower towel toasty warm! It is situated in the corner of a building that is at the merge of rue St. Dominique, Bourdonnaiss and Rapp--therefore the living room and dining room are odd-shaped, to fit the contour of the building.

Shots of the LR, DR, K, BR and the view from the living room window (yes, Dorothy--you are in Paris!)

We unpacked, settled in, Lloyd went to get a jambon (ham and cheese) baguette sandwich at the boulangerie two doors down, and then we headed to the grocery store to stock up on a few essentials. The afternoon was spent exploring the neighborhood. We stopped at a favorite people watching spot and thought about an afternoon glass of wine, but decided that since we were both beginning to fade a bit we wanted to wait until dinner. (I know--that doesn't sound quite like us, but the airplane trip drained our energy slightly.)

                                             Lloyd reluctantly walking away from La Terrasse

We finished our day at a tiny, charming restaurant quite near our apartment-- Phillipe's. Phillipe welcomes diners, brings the hand-written chalkboard listing the daily specials to the table, takes the drink orders, then disappears into the kitchen to prepare the food. It is the epitome of a one-man band. The food is not extraordinary, but it is very good, it is French, and it is exactly what we needed on a chilly night in Paris.

                                                            +JoAnn, Lloyd and Phillipe

After dinner we walked back to the apartment while enjoying all the Christmas lights on rue St. Dominique, then crashed into bed to get ready for a full day tomorrow.