Jim Reisert: Travel

Saturday, June 7

Rue Cler, Eiffel Tower

We left Boston on Friday, June 6.  We arrived at Charles de Gaulle International Airport at about 6 a.m. local time on Saturday.  Our expected transfer wasn't waiting for us at the airport, and it took us quite a while to get a hold of someone at the office to take us to the Hotel Château Frontenac near the Arc de Triomphe. When we arrived at the hotel, we discovered our room would not be ready for another hour, so we had the continental breakfast for a mere 15€ per person.  At the time, the Euro was worth about $1.18. When we finally did check in, we found that continental breakfast was included - great! The room was spacious and overlooked a Gianni Versace store on the corner.  The hotel was only a few blocks from the Champ Elysee.

After a short nap, we took the Metro and spent the afternoon in the Rue Cler area.  This is near the Ecole Militare, the military school that Napoleon attended.  Rue Cler is similar to the Haymarket in Boston, with open-air vendors selling fruits and vegetables, butcheries and cafes. We got a chance to visit a small French supermarket.

From Rue Cler, we walked to the Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel).  The lines were long, so we decided just to sit and people watch.  There were many people trying to sell souvenirs and bottled water.

For dinner, we went to (Phillipe's place), a typical small 10 table restaurant. Everyone there had the same tour book we had and they were all from the U.S. so we didn't quite get the complete French feeling we were after just yet, but the food was yummy. Carol had beef bourguignon that Jim gave the highest praise to - it was as good as mom's!