Day 1: Today the tour starts!
Waking up in Europe was amazing! We woke up very early, got dressed and headed downstairs for our breakfast! We took the advice of our guidebook and asked if they could store our luggage while we explored, this worked out perfectly for us! Our tour wouldn't meet until 4pm, so the day was ours to explore beautiful Paris! Since our tour group was going to meet up in the afternoon, Nicole and I explored Paris. After breakfast, we were on our way! We are early birds and were able to get out and walk Paris early, as shop keepers and Parisians headed to work.
Our first stop was Hotel Invalides, this military museum housed many artifacts from various wars as well as the tomb of Napoleon I. We made our way through the museum using the audio tour available at the front counter.
We continued to roam Paris after visiting the museum, stopping by the local grocery store [which is teeny-tiny, but full of useful things!], as well as the sandwich shop for some delicious lunch!
Our first stop was Hotel Invalides, this military museum housed many artifacts from various wars as well as the tomb of Napoleon I. We made our way through the museum using the audio tour available at the front counter.
We continued to roam Paris after visiting the museum, stopping by the local grocery store [which is teeny-tiny, but full of useful things!], as well as the sandwich shop for some delicious lunch!
Some tips and observations will be bullet-points throughout our scrapbook!
- The rooms are tiny, but quaint! Feel free to open the windows and let the fresh air come in as well as the birds.
- If a blow dryer is an important item, you may considering bringing one, European blow-dryers resemble shop vacs with slow air!!! (I shared my 15 dollar Sally Beauty blow dryer with many tour members)
- Be sure to ask for a city map at the front desk! They have wonderful easy to follow maps of the city and were so helpful in giving us directions and recommendations for places to eat! Keep your american ID with you. Some places, like Hotel Invaides require a "deposit" of an ID, credit card or passport for the audio tour rental. While in Europe, my credit cards and passport are much more valuable to me than my United States ID…so we gave that up just in case.
Our new friends meet up for the first time!
Our night on the town!
As we walked into our first hotel of the tour, I knew this was going to be a great tour. We walked up to the desk and they already had our first days itinerary posted, it was very nice to see the punctuality and professionalism of our guide already! We received our keys, freshened up and headed to the lobby to meet our group. We found that our group members came from all over the States and were just as passionate about Europe as we were. Not a grump in the group!
Our first group dinner was great! We had delicious wine and were given options for our courses. Nicole is the adventurous one and opted for the escargot, while Mike stayed with the safe choice of salad. After our delicious dinner, we headed out on a romantic Seine River Cruise and was able to see the Eiffel tower sparkle! Wow, what an amazing night!
Our first group dinner was great! We had delicious wine and were given options for our courses. Nicole is the adventurous one and opted for the escargot, while Mike stayed with the safe choice of salad. After our delicious dinner, we headed out on a romantic Seine River Cruise and was able to see the Eiffel tower sparkle! Wow, what an amazing night!
- Group dinners are at delicious authentic restaurants, so be adventurous with your choices! Dive into where you are and trust your guide, they won't lead you astray!