Paris

Travel Schedule:

Outbound: November 12 & 13, 2015

• Boeing 757-200 DEN – ORD  UA263
• Boeing 767-300 ORD – CDG  UA 987

• Travel from/to Charles De Gaulle Airport via RER B & C
• Hotel:  Renaissance Paris La Defense Hotel

Return:  November 17, 2015

• Boeing 767-300 CDG – ORD
• Boeing 737-900 ORD – DEN

Observations:

This was my first “post-retirement”trip.  I have visited Paris over decades and so, obviously, it is one of my favorite cities to walk around and visit favorite spots.  There is always something new to see and this trip proved that to be true. I was ready to start shedding my former work stress in this upbeat city, only to have terrorists slow that beat down and diffuse the energy for the duration of my stay.

Thursday November 12, 2015

Long towns, short towns, miles of quilted farms and wind farms, squares, circles, Mississippi River, flying into Chicago. These old United 757s are in need of a rehab. Crowded lounge, flight to Paris on time and I sleep most of the way after trying to watch several bad movies. Pretty sad when there is nothing entertaining  coming out of the entertainment machine.  Arrive Paris 20 minutes early on Friday November 13, shuttle from terminal 1 to RER station, purchase Paris Visite 5 day zone 1-5 pass, RER B to Les Halles then RER A to La Defense.  The Grande Arche is under rehab and the entire plaza area to the southeast is bustling with construction of the Christmas Market. Renaissance check in is easy once I found how to get into the Hotel.  Rm 528 very nice but not enough available electrical outlets for all of the devices, batteries etc that I carry around.  American Problem. Out for a walk.

I took the train from La Defense into Charles De Gaulle Etoile and started my walk.  Took in the easy monuments, some old favorites as I eased into the time change, +8hrs from Denver.  Nice day turned to dusk and around 7:30pm I headed back on the train from Chatalet to La Defense.

 

 

Found a solution to power everything and headed to bed.  A few hours later I awoke to the devices beeping and ringing as my family was reaching out to see if I was OK.  The terrorists had struck around 9:30pm Paris time.  I spent the rest of the night reassuring loved ones of my safety and watching the various news channels versions of the latest events.  By the morning Paris was in a state of fear, confusion, shutdown and clean up.

Saturday November 14, 2015

Quiet Breakfast Room and few people on the sidewalks as I head to the station to see if the trains are running.  The Museums and Monuments are closed as are a number of businesses on what otherwise would be a very busy Paris Saturday. The station is deserted but there are trains so I ride into town to see what the aftermath looks like.  There is still fear that the attacks are not done, there are armed police and soldiers in constant view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was strange to not have the city flow engaged. I had planned to visit the old opera house for a tour, but it was closed.  Likewise the Louvre and Orsay museums were shut.  The Tuileries Gardens were closed by some unknown threat. The lights did not get turned on at the Eiffel Tour which also fed into the low energy feel of the day. The Pub was open for dinner and I made my way back to the hotel to catch up on the day’s news. Tomorrow I head out-of-town for a day trip to Amsterdam.

Sunday November 15, 2015

La Defense to Chatalet and change for Gare du Nord where I catch the early Thalys train to Amsterdam.  Forecast is for rain and it hits the train causing a slow down as we approach the coast, big driven buckets of water whipping in from the sea.  Arrive late into Amsterdam, but I have 5hrs+ to walk around.  This is another city I have visited a few times and can get around especially in the core and immediate areas. First stop is Starbucks, get on the wi-fi and check in with home.  The Starbucks is diagonal to another frequent stop, Wok To Walk, where I get lunch. Periods of heavy rain, but settles into lighter rain as I head for the Van Gogh Museum.  There was an addition and design work going on the last time I visited, so interested to see the changes.  Even on a rainy day there was a long line at the new entrance bordering the park. This used to be the additional exhibit space, but now you descend from ground level to what is now the foyer and the museum shop.  You ride the escalator up into the museum and you are right where you previously entered the museum.  Don’t see the benefit as now you have a bottleneck which is the escalator. Sure there is more to it but not apparent to me. Anyway, I toured the museum seeing some new paintings. I attempted to enjoy the little cafeteria on the way out, but they were closing.

Wandered around the core then headed back to Central Station for the ride back to Paris. Get back late and train from Gare du Nord out to La Defense.  Many more armed military standing guard than when I left this morning.

Monday November 16, 2015

The town is coming back to life after the tragic weekend.  Museums and Monuments are open and commuter services are back up to normal.  The rain that followed me from the Netherlands is periodically rolling through, but there are people on the sidewalks and vehicular traffic is busy.  I’m going to pay my respects to the victims of the violence, so head for Les Halles and walk around the area.  I can’t talk to this moment of tragedy other than to say this could happen anywhere at anytime and there’s little that can be done to prevent these incidents, but the key is to regroup, rebuild and reunite.

I walked out of the area up the Saint Martin Canal and caught a train for Place de la Concorde.  The Jardin des Tuileries were open again, so I walked through to the museum. Visited the Louvre then started the walk over to the Tour Eiffel which was reportedly lit again.  And it was in proud tricolor healing some of the pain.

 

Tuesday November 17, 2015

Travel Day.  Big Breakfast and packing up.  Navigate back to Chatelet and catch the RER B for the airport.  Easy check in and immigration’s, plane to IAD Washington Dulles on time and next flight to Denver is on time and I am back the same day.

 Summary:

I am putting this post together 7 months after the trip, so all details are as of today.  The exchange rate was approx. 1 euro = $1.06 usd.  All transportation worked well and the day in Amsterdam allowed me to regroup and get away from the depressed Paris. It was good to be somewhere with out the constant military presence and fear. The hotel, though out-of-the-way of the city center, was very comfortable.  Easy rides in/out via train.   I look forward to the next time in Paris.

Resource:

various websites.