I've just returned from an eight-day trip to Paris. I have to admit, I was really looking forward to it, and it lived up to my expectations. I had a lot of fun. There was only one part I didn't like, but I'll come back to that.This was a business-related trip, not a vacation trip. I attended a European laboratory medicine congress, and spent the majority of my time in either committee meetings or scientific sessions. So the sight-seeing I did was limited, but I managed to enjoy what I did do.
My hotel was a nice little place called the Hotel Belfast, about a block from the Arc de Triomphe. So it was fairly centrally located and the Metro subway access was half a block from the front door. That Metro station was two stops from the convention center, so the first day in I bought a rail pass for central Paris and then used the Metro to get around the rest of the week. Easy traveling and commuting. The Hotel also had a complimentary breakfast, which was really handy.
The sight-seeing jaunts I took included going down to the Louvre and areas around it, and going to the Eiffel Tower and areas around it. And lest you don't get a feel for just how big the Eiffel Tower is, I took a picture standing at it's base. The day I went to the Eiffel Tower I walked along the Seine river until reaching the Louvre. So I did do quite a bit of walking while there. Which is lucky because I also did some serious eating.
I have to say, I had some incredibly good meals while I was in Paris. And most of them were not planned, just walking down the streets and picking a sidewalk restaurant that looked interesting. DELICIOUS food, at every one of them. I ate salmon and scorpion fish and beef fillet. At one place, we sat down and the waitress came and asked how we wanted our meat cooked. It turns out the restaurant had one thing on the menu, sliced beef cooked to order and covered in a delicious sauce and served with thin french fries. It was sooooooo good. One of my best memories though was of a cheese cake desert at one of the little places. OMG. So thick and smooth and creamy. Basically, it's amazing that I came back to the US the same weight as I left it.
I flew Business / First class, which was nice (done on frequent flyer miles). But traveling wasn't all smooth. On the trip to Paris I booked AA to Newark and BA from Newark to Paris. While I was in the air going to Newark, BA canceled their flight. So when I got to Newark, I went to the BA terminal, which required a terminal change and the little train system was delayed, taking a bunch of time to switch terminals. At BA I discovered the canceled flight. Luckily they could get me onto a United flight to Paris. But that required another terminal change with the delayed train system. All a hassle, but I got to Paris. And the biggest miracle of the whole trip - my luggage made that United flight with me. That was a miracle because the BA flight was scheduled to fly into Orly airport in Paris, so my luggage was checked from DFW to Orly. The United flight flew into Charles de Gaulle airport. I was truly amazed to see my luggage on that baggage carousel.
The only part of the trip I didn't like: The day I left, all the Paris taxis went on strike, protesting Uber. So not only were no taxis running in Paris, but they blocked roads as well, so the buses couldn't run. So I left very early and took the rail system, Metro and RER to the airport. That was a pain mostly because of my luggage. My main bag was 45 pounds, plus I had a carry-on and a large tote. So dragging that all through the rail system and train connections wasn't fun. I have bruises on my arm and leg from manhandling it up and down stairs and onto and off trains. In fairness, three times various nice French gentlemen helped me navigate stairs with the big bag.
I also forgot that my rail pass was for central Paris and that doesn't include Charles de Gaulle airport. But when I left the hotel at the first Metro stop I had trouble getting my luggage through the turnstile, so the agent there gave me a ticket to use if my pass wouldn't work, and that ticket actually got me out at the airport, where my pass wasn't good. So it worked out that I had trouble at first but it saved my later. And although it took about 2 hours to do it, I did make it to the airport, and many, many people had trouble getting there, including our flight crew.
The Congress Special Evening event on Wednesday night was drinks and hors d'oeurves at the Museum D'Orsay. That was simply stupendous. Actually seeing in person the paintings you always see in books or online was so awesome. Van Gogh and Monet and Manet and Renoir. Just to name a very few. Plus the building itself is pretty amazing, having once been an old train station.
Overall I would say that my trip was really good. The food was great and the people I dealt with were incredibly nice, helping me even though I spoke no French. I'm glad to have gone and hope I get a chance to go back some time.
