Arrival into Paris

Arrival into Orly could not have been easier. There was no paperwork to complete. We were shuttled to the airport terminal and led right to passport control. There was a line, but it went quickly. I greeted the agent with my first "bonjour"as I handed over my passport. I was cleared without having to answer any questions.

I only brought a carry on so there was no wait at baggage claim, and I had nothing to declare. The trains are accessed at the airport and signage is clear so no issues there. Once boarded I was able to sit. There was only one transfer from the Orly bus to RER B, it was pretty flawless.

There are two main multi passes sold for transport. The first is more expensive, it is a Paris Viste pass sold by your choice of days and zones. The other is Navigo which is a better value it is strictly valid Monday morning to Sunday midnight, regardless of what day of the week you buy the pass.



The right one depends on your length of stay. I actually bought both. First, the three day pass for zones 1-3 (26,65€) This covered Thursday-Sunday. It would have been slightly cheaper if I had purchased two weeks on Navigo (one pass is 22,80€ + 5€ for the card good for 10 years)... Lesson learned. Before purchasing a Navigo pass you need a passport size photo. The stations have photo booths. You get a sheet with 5 photos for 5€. You bring it to the window and the agent cuts and pastes and presents you a hard plastic smart card. Both passes cover RER, Metro and Bus. Only OrlyVal train from Antony is excluded.



I booked my hotel via Hotwire. I stayed at Hôtel Le petit Paris. It is only a couple blocks from the Luxembourg station. Again, the hotel was easy to find. Check in was painless. My room is small, but comfortable. It has a king bed made-up with two twins. I kept rolling into the crease no matter how much I tried to avoid it. The bathroom is adequate. It is worth noting there are no washcloths. I bought facial cleansing wipes, too, before the trip. But, of course, I forgot them. Washing my face with a giant hand towel feels awkward. That's my only real complaint. Though, I find it difficult to make the room a comfortable temperature. I've been leaving the window open, because it gets warm and stuffy otherwise.



My first dinner was Italian at Pizzeria Arrivederci. Go figure. But it was delicious. I enjoyed wine from Orvieto and pizza with speck, olives and truffle oil. After, I popped into a bar named Confessionnal. It was extremely crowded, but the bartender was friendly and juggled the crowd well. I had a pint of their "fucking last 1" and continued on my way. I strolled past the pantheon and was stunned to catch my first glimpse of the Eiffel tower as I turned the corner. It is much more impressive than the one in Vegas.







I found it difficult to sleep my first night, and now my second and every night since. I was only capable of napping. I could not string together more than three hours of shut eye. The sun does not rise til 8am. I was able to plan my day, exercise and dress bright and early. Then, I waited for the city to wake.