Day One in Paris

My flight from SLC to Paris was a direct flight.  Luckily, we had a tailwind so we arrived nearly one hour early.  (9 hrs 30 mins instead of 10 hrs 20 mins)  Also, the plane wasn't full, so there was no one next to me.  Unfortunately, the armrest wouldn't go up since I was on an exit row, so I still had to squish in my chair.  And since I don't sleep well on airplanes, I only got about one hour sleep.  Right now it is 8:15 PM Paris time (1:15 PM Utah time), and I have only had two hours sleep since yesterday morning.  But first I wanted to talk about what happened today. Please understand if I'm not very coherent.

I arrived at 10:00 this morning, and got my luggage.  No one was at the douane (customs), so I didn't have to declare to anyone.  Good thing I didn't have anything to declare.  The Paris shuttle arrived around 11:00, and we drove the streets of Paris and arrived at my friend Staci's house about noon.  They have a beautiful house!  Tall ceilings, spacious rooms.  It's on the fourth floor of a building in the 17th arrondissement, which is in the northwest of Paris.  I ate a crêpe with gruyere cheese and jambon (ham) for lunch, and then took an hour nap.  When I woke up, Staci and I walked around the neighborhood for two hours while her kids were at school.  We went in all sorts of stores - a children's book/toy store, a grocery store, a boulangerie (bakery), a chocolaterie (chocolate store), and other stores.  I love walking the streets of Paris.  Just hearing the sounds of the cars (I took a picture of a Smart Car, which is a car that can barely fit two people in it) and the people speaking French.  We saw a few Metro lines, and we bought some Metro passes (and I took a picture of one of the stops because it looks so cool.  I didn't bring my camera cable with me so I will download pictures when I get home).  Then we walked around Parc Monceau, which is a beautiful park with statues and other ancient ruins and stuff, and then picked her girls up from school.  Their school is located in the park.  Elli is in kindergarten, but here they go all day - from 9-4:20.  Xandi is 3 years old, and is in preschool and goes from 1:30-4:10.  On the way home we stopped at the grocery store and I bought Camembert cheese and Nutella, and then we went to the boulangerie and I bought a baguette.  Then we came home, and I called Christian and talked to he and Aidan (I cried because I miss my family so much; Ethan was at school).  

For dinner we had chicken and dumplings - thanks to Staci for making it!  And, of course, we had baguette & camembert, and then for dessert they bought me a "welcome to Paris Erin special cake" - a chocolate and raspberry mousse cake from lenôtre.  It is a fancy schmancy chocolate store in Paris that is quite expensive, but they have started making cheaper versions that they sell frozen at the grocery store.  Then I called home again and talked to Christian and Ethan.  Staci has free calling to the United States on her phone here.  I don't know why, but I'm not complaining!  I can call my family as often as I want to.  

I am so excited for this upcoming week and all of the fun things we have planned!  Heck, even if I sit here and read the french paper and watch french television, I'm excited.  But I have internet access, so I should be able to post something every day, as long as I am not too tired.  But now, it's 8:30 and I am way past exhausted.  I'm off to bed.  

And Christian, I love you.  And tell the boys I love them too.