I got Mom all checked in at Charles de Gaulle and grabbed a train into central Paris. I’m at an AirBNB for the next two nights before I head on to Brussels. The place I picked was supposedly close to the Eiffel Tower — when in France, if the price is right, why NOT be close to the Tour Eiffel, am-i-right?
Well, the place is very Harry Potter-chic. Very cupboard under the stairs of 4 Privet Drive, albeit I think Harry might have had a bit more room. It is NOT a place I would have remained if Mom were with me; this is BEYOND the Kyoto train sleeping car berth pod rooms. There’s no way to capture it photographically, albeit I tried from several angles. If you look at these two panoramas, they form a 360 degree view of the “lower room.” You’ll see the “kitchen,” the “bath,” the fold out chairs and kitchen table, and then a ladder next tot he door that leads to the “upstairs,” a sleeping loft with a TV affixed to the ceiling. Hey, she’s not done with the renovations but it works, ya know? Suits me for the time being.
The instructions and codes to get into this makeshift Parisian nook are hilariously complex. I’ve blocked out the ACTUAL codes themselves, but I think you can still get a feel for what entry is like:
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As I type this, it’s 6 PM and I’m waiting for the sun to set to grab some photos of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. I have to go by my watch as there are no windows… and in a nod to the Phantom Manor / Haunted Mansion of Disney fame, I’m not even entirely sure there is what one might call a door. It’s more of a board on hinges. I kid, I kid. It’s got a frame and a lock and a handle and hinges, so really, isn’t that all the characteristics of a door? If it looked like a duck, we’d call it a duck. It looks (kinda) like a door, so we’ll call it a door.
Anyhoo, knowing colds are always worse at night, I tried to pack in a lot of classic Paris tourism into this afternoon. I did what I consider the nickel franc tour… and I’m well aware the franc has gone the way of the dodo courtesy of the Euro, but bear with me.
The Eiffel Tower!
Plus, though I overpaid for the crepe, it was both delicious and necessary as a prop for a photo!
I made a triumphant return to the Arc de triomphe de l’Étoile.
From there I strolled the Champs-Élysées… and even took a photo outside the Disney Store as a tribute to my Mom. Miss you already, Mom!
A quick detour to the Louvre… only to remember the Louvre is CLOSED on Tuesdays. As a result, I took this photo outside the famed pyramid… I hope it came out. It was hard to get the image on my phone to show up so I tried tweaking it a bit.
From there, a walk to Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris.
I was craving a dessert so I thought I’d have a Nutella crepe to complement my jamon and fromage savory one at the Eiffel Tower. But there were so many crepe stands and restaurant fronts to choose from. How ever would I decide? I went for name recognition. Wouldn’t YOU trust Quasimodo to offer you crepe sanctuary?
Post Script (10:05 PM) Et Voila! Paris a nuit:
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