On leaving the train, we had a light lunch
at a sidewalk cafe' with a good view of the Cathedral. Then we walked the narrow
streets of the old town. We made a point of visiting the old post office that we
had seen from the bus.
View from our Paris hotel room
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We returned to the bus at 2:00 for the drive to
Paris. Arriving there at 3:15, we checked in to the Sofitel Paris Forum Rive
Gauche hotel on Boulevard St. Jacques. Although some distance from Paris'
principal landmarks, the hotel was convenient to subway and bus stops. Our room
was on the top floor facing north toward the city center. We could easily see
the nearby Pantheon and, in the distance, the glistening white Sacre Coeur
church. With a little effort, we could also make out the towers of Notre
Dame.
Laurent took our group on an orientation walk at 4:00. Then we had
time to unpack before the "welcome drink and finger buffet" at 6:00. This event
was for the entire group (115 persons) that would be on the river cruise. It
turned out to be much more lavish than we expected, with unlimited kir, wine,
and juice, as well as very substantial snacks (including quiches, lox, petite
fours, and incredibly rich dark chocolate kisses). We had planned to go out to
dinner after the gathering but, after stuffing ourselves at the buffet, we
decided to skip it. We went back to our room about 8:00, glad for a chance to
relax.
