Paris at day and at night

Bonjour tout le monde -- we arrived a bit late in Paris this morning because Air Canada had to switch planes -- from a big big Jumbo Jet to a regular Jumbo Jet. The big big Jet had major engine issues. So when going to a smaller jet, that meant 72 people could no longer board. They read out the names of the passengers who would not be boarding, promised them to cover their hotel and meals, gave them a $500 voucher for the next trip, informed them that they would fly to London, the next day and then to Paris. Meanwhile their luggage would remain on the original Paris flight. Needless to say there was alot of shouting and angry comments coming from the passengers who didn't make it. We thought for sure that our names would be among the 72 people but greatly relieved when we were not! A big phew!

Great in-flight service and entertainment all the way to Paris. When we arrived at our bachelor apartment on Victor Hugo street, we were impressed with the location and proximity to Eiffel Tower and all the great sites. There is a wonderful bakery nearby, bank machines nearby (important details!), and cute chocolate shops. The apartment is okay, bare bones but the chap renting to us is very kind and helpful. We are his first "tenants" so the beds are new, the tv is new as well as the wireless internet. He brought us croissants and water to welcome us here. It's neat to be living like some of the folks in Paris. We crashed for a 4-hour snooze and then began our exploration of Paris.

We took the hop-on hop-off bus tour (similar to the one in NYC) and saw all the main Paris sites. Will be uploading pix once my camera battery is recharged. It is a lovely city! Rosie wants to move here, she says. Lots of scooters and mini-coopers. Hardly any North-American cars.

Had a nice dinner tonite -- pâtés, french bread, pickles, steak, home-made fries and Tim had this huge boiled egg walloped with mayo along with steak and fries -- never seen that before. I had a nice glass of Beaujolais to wash everything down - then in my excitement being in Paris I sprayed the whole family with the wine! Oh well, we are baptized now! Tomorrow, we will get on that bus again (pass goes for 3 days) and then go shopping aux Champs d'Elyssés. Nighty night....