Day Two- Arrival In Paris, Exploring Paris on Our Own

Sunday November 4, 2007

To our excitement, we woke up on the plane 45 minutes to landing in Charles de Gaul airport, Paris. The landing was extremely smooth. Customs was a breeze, and all of our luggage arrived safe and sound. The Uniworld representative was waiting for us. We met several nice peoples , including Debbie, who would be joining us on the River Baroness.

By the time we were transported to the ship, and our bags unloaded, it was 9:45 am. Most of the guests were in the lounge, but my mom and I decided to explore. The shipped was docked in a pretty good area, right across the street from the Metro station. Uniworld provided us with a map, metro tickets and off we went. Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower, which was only 4 metro stops away. We got off the metro, and were walking around cute buildings from the eighteen hundreds. There was a sudden gap in the buildings and there it was. It was so beautiful!

We got plenty of pictures with the Eiffel Tower. We really wanted to ride to the top, but the lines just to buy tickets were three hours long. We decided to skip it and go somewhere else…like Notre Dame!

Notre Dame was only two metro stops after the Eiffel Towers, so onward we went. What a sight! It was Sunday, so when we entered at about 12:30 pm, high mass was going on. There was a full choir singing while mass was said in beautiful French. The sounds of the choir reverberated in the cathedral. It gave me chills all the way to my soul. We walked around the cathedral, taking in the impressive sculpture and art. The stained glass windows were also amazing, especially the famous rose window. After the first mass ended, we snagged front row seats for the next mass, which was just as beautiful.

After the mass, we tried to get into the catacombs, which were closed for renovation. Then we wanted to climb to the top of the bell towers, but the line was several hours. Instead, we walked across the street to explore the small and turning streets that make up Paris. They were full of cafes, markets, artists selling prints and canvases. There were street performs and venders. We bought crepes with natella (similar to hazelnut, but more like sweet milk chocolate) and peach jam. Suddenly, at about 4 pm, it hit us. We were exhausted!

We made our way back to the River Baroness and were escorted to our rooms. Awaiting us in our suite was a bottle of wine and fresh fruit. We unpacked and freshened up. At
6 pm local time, all the passengers were invited for a welcome drink, and let me tell you that Uniworld has some AMAZING champagne! We met our cruise director, the fabulous Emmanuelle and the sweet Hotel Manager Sebastian.

And on to dinner! Let me preface the rest of these posts with how incredible the food was. There are no words. Every meal, from breakfast to dinner, was a parade of gourmet delicacies. And if you were allergic to any thing, or the menu didn’t float your boat, they would make you ANYTHING you requested! The service was always impeccable, and the staff really got to know you well.

While we were feasting on the incredible spread laid before us, the boat left port. We sailed past the Eiffel Tower during the light show, and viewed the night lights of Paris. The best part of the sailing was that we could not even feel the movement. It was so smooth. Not only that, but it was extremely quite. The engines made some noise pulling away from the shoreline, but once we were moving down the Seine, it was silent.

After the great dinner, we collapsed into bed, hit hard with the day’s activities and jet lag. Awaiting us was a folder telling us what was to follow the next day, along with some history notes about Paris, and different things to see. The most exciting addition was a personal invitation to join the Captains table for the Captain’s Welcome dinner. My mother found the beds extremely comfortable, where as I did not. I chalk it up to my difficulties sleeping anywhere not my own bed.

Thus ended our second day!