When moving to a new home, as we’ve done every 2-4 years for the last 25, we’ve always traveled with pets. When we were traveling with a 100-lb dog requiring (due to his size) a separate booking on a cargo flight, the object of the game was to get to our destination as soon as possible. But with only two cats, the calculus changes – and it becomes preferable to break up long itineraries and give everyone a break. Especially when that break happens in Paris!
After the long transatlantic flight, though, all you want to do is take a nap. Luckily we woke up after a few hours and managed to drag ourselves into the city – a half-hour train ride from the airport. Which left us about 6 hours to paint the town red!
We bought a “Paris Visite” metro pass, which allows you to use the train to/from the airport, and all of the city metros, until midnight. and then we basically bounced around tourist sites. We’ve been there a number of times, so there was no pressure to see any specific site(s).
We made our way up to the Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre, which were packed with tourists, and had a nice crepe and coffee.
We wandered the streets a little randomly and opted to stop by the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.
We ended up having a great meal at one of the countless restaurants just south of the Ile de la Cite and got back to the hotel shortly before midnight, well-refreshed and rested, and ready to complete the second leg of our journey and to start a new chapter. On to Madagascar!
All of the photos from Paris can be seen here.
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