24Apr – Paris

Wednesday

We arrived in the City of Light at 5:05 AM…or 11:05 PM the previous day in the USA. I found it to be quite an agreeable arrival time. The customs lines were incredibly short–especially when compared to the large area of real estate dedicated to the (currently empty) snaking barriers configured to contain and direct the “huddled masses” as they slowly advanced towards to the ultimate goal: entry into La Belle France.

We were met by a GCT representative who, at 5 AM, had not had her requisite first cup of coffee. But, kudos to her. She was friendly, engaging and damn helpful, bless her heart. (Are you hearing me, Grand Circle Travel?)

We were driven to a Novetel hotel in nearby Roissy were Edward Iglesias, our tour guide, met us in the lobby. I am not sure how, but Edward was able to secure a room for us at this ungodly hour and we were able to get in a short nap — three hours — before boarding a bus into central Paris.

[NOW WE GET SOME PICTURES, MDR!]

We joined the select group of early arrivers on a short two-hour excursion into the center of Paris. Dropped off near the Comedie d’Arte just north of the Louvre, we proceeded to walk les rues of Paris. Our goal? The Pont-Neuf. Our route? Along the bank of the Seine–which will be our rue principal in a few days.

[If you are wondering, my new camera has a “selfie” feature that I am testing out.]

After a quick sandwich and an unnecessarily-hurried walk to our rendezvous point, we hopped back on the bus and were transported back to the Novetel.

Shortly, thereafter, Rob joined a group of fellow GCT traverelers that explored Roissy.

I caught a few extra Z’s.

At 6 PM, we all gathered for an informational meeting outlining the next couple of days after which there was a group cocktail party to break the ice between this group of mostly strangers.

We ended the cocktail “hour” chatting, laughing and drinking with a quartet of like-minded travelers while a most-accommodating server kept refilling our glasses until the bottles were empty. A good time was had by all!

On the downside, our four “new best friends” all happened to be assigned to the “blue” group. (GCT divides the groups between their guides by color.) We are red.

Fortunately, it’s not political.