Day 1: Paris

The adventure started bright and early at 8:15 a.m. on February 22, when I left my cozy little apartment for the airport. We flew United into Chicago, where we got to hang out in the prestigious Air France lounge waiting to board our flight, which we had business class seats on. I had never flown business class before. And the meals... This is the first course of the meal we had on that flight, smoked duck and asparagus:

It tasted just like smoked ham.

I didn't sleep at all on the flight. I just don't do well with sleeping on planes. Or anywhere besides my bed, for that matter. Anyways. Once arriving in Paris, we got an executive car shuttle to our hotel in the business district of Paris known as La Défense. It's on the west side of the city across the Seine. We stayed in luxury Sofitel hotels throughout the trip. The first was the Sofitel La Défense Centre. Click the link and then check out my picture below:

What do you think, do they match?? :)

And here was my hotel room, with the luxurious Sofitel MyBed:


Here is the view out the window:

La Défense was FULL of interesting buildings and structures like this one.

Our first hotel inspection was, of course, at this hotel. They served us an enormous lunch (or at least it seemed to us to be enormous because the courses just kept coming).

Then we set out on the city. I got my first look at the Eiffel Tower:

Doesn't look like much here, but I got better pictures later.

We also happened upon the Paris Opera House:


And of course did lots of riding around on the Metro.


We then did hotel inspections at the Hotel Scribe (that picture in the link is of the lower level of the trés chic 2-level loft they offer) and the Hotel Sofitel Le Faubourg with this gorgeous lobby:

(which you can also see by clicking the link... another match?) :)

We then set out to shop on the Champs Elysées for a couple hours.


Our last hotel inspection of the day and our dinner were hosted at the Sofitel Arc de Triomphe:


Which, of course, is near the Arc de Triomphe (sorry for the dark picture!).


After ANOTHER fabulous several-course meal, hosted by our perky hotel guide who taught us the proper French way to eat croissants and that real Parisians never butter their bread, and that accidents in the roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe are always 50/50% fault, we concluded our day and headed back to our wonderful beds at the Sofitel La Défense Centre for some much needed sleep. More to follow...