On Wednesday, we choose to sleep in and have a leisurely morning before our train left for Paris. We had VIP transfer service, which was awesome. We were able to remain in our suite until 30 minutes before the train was due to depart. The concierge had our luggage packed onto a porter’s trolley, and he escorted us to the terminal where we were fast tracked through security. We were then personally delivered onto the train.
Our awesome concierge (who was from Poland):
The Eurostar from London to Paris took just over 2 hours. We loved taking the high speed train, it was convenient, reasonably priced, and comfortable. Once we arrived at the Gare du Nord terminal in Paris, we took a taxi to our hotel.
We stayed at a Marriott property right on Champs-Elysees. Champs-Elysees is considered the most beautiful and well-known avenue in Paris. The Arc de Triomphe is located here. It is known for its theatres, cafés, and luxury shops, as well as for the annual Bastille Day military parade, and as the finish of the Tour de France cycle race.
Our room:
Our room had a view of the street and we loved opening up the windows and sitting to watch all the people walk by and cars driving around.
Here I am looking out of our hotel room window:
This was my view looking out the hotel room... you can see the Arc at the end of the street:
Here is a better view, just steps from the doors to our hotel. I love all the mopeds in the picture (a common form of transportation in Paris):
We walked down to the Arc and it was then that I caught my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in the background:
One of the things I was most looking forward to about Paris was being able to just sit at a café (and preferably one that had sidewalk seating). Paris and cafes just go together! So that is just what we did when we arrived. We went for a walk and stopped to have dinner and it made my heart so happy!
After dinner it was off to Ladurée for dessert! How convenient was it that it was just across the street from our hotel! I couldn't wait to get my hands on one of their famous macarons. Jeff is not a sweets kind of guy, and he had never tried a macaron before - but, when in Paris! He really liked it! And I have to say, it was hands down, the best macaron I ever had! I can certainly understand why they are the premier seller of macarons and why they sell 15,000 a day!
We ordered 4 mini macarons and split them in half so we could both try each of them. Out of these 4, the coffee one was my favorite. We also tried lemon, rose, and lavender. But don't worry, we went back 2 days later and tried 4 other kinds!!
This was the room we sat in, the Laduree Bar, which was for people wanting a quick bite or a dessert with coffee or tea. However, they had many other fancy rooms and also outdoor seating on the street:
After having dinner and dessert we headed back to the Arc.
We purchased our tickets to walk to the top and reached the top just as the sun was about to set.
Seeing the Eiffel Tower from the Arc:
Champs-Elysees:
Underneath the Arc:
It was a perfect late afternoon/evening for our first day in Paris!
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