I have been traveling for way too long. It took about 7 hours from Boston to London and I am still not at my final destination! I have not found any other Contiki travelers. My flight to Paris takes off in about 2 hours. For now, I will travel up and down the high end stores that I cannot afford!
Later that day.....
I am finally in PARIS!! I meet up with two other girls, Katie and Carly when we land. They both seem really nice. We wander around the airport to see some kind of Contiki rep. who will shuttle us to our hotel. We see a curly haired guy with the blue and yellow Contiki get-up. Then we walk a little further and meet up with 2 other people from the trip: Kevin & Janessa. I have the biggest suitcase of the bunch and even have an embarrassing orange sticker on it saying "HEAVY".
>>NOTE TO FUTURE TRAVELERS: do not bring 8 pairs of shoes , 3 pairs of jeans and 6 dresses. These garments do add up and make the suitcase heavier!
So.. we all scramble into a taxi where our taxi driver is AMAZED that us 4 girls were all able to fit plus our suitcases. Our taxi driver, Vincent, is amazing. He is blasting old school jams such as " It's Raining Men", "What a Feeling", and "Your Just Too Good to be True". It's quite comical; he truly gives us the best introduction to this fun city.
We arrive at Hotel Kyriad where all the other 39 travelers have been exploring the city while us 4 have been delayed at the airport. We immediately throw on clothes and jump into our coach. We meet our New Zealander tour guide, Ryan and bus driver, Andy. We travel around the city for about an hour learning about Napoleon and King Louis and see some of the most beautiful sites. We stop at a quick buffet dinner anxiously awaiting our scheduled visit to the Eiffel Tower.
We finally arrive at our desired spot and it is impressive. It looks so much bigger and grander in person. Tons and tons of people surround this tourist trap. I immediately think how are we ever going to get in? Of coarse our tour manager Ryan comes to the rescue handing us our tickets and leading the way to the elevator. I look back to see other tourists envious looks; I feel like a celebrity. All 43 of us pile into such a modern elevator that takes us up to the sky. My
stomach begins to drop and I'm feeling woozy until the elevator doors open to the most amazing view in the world. I feel like I am on top of the world. I see the whole entire neat, grid-like city . Paris is absolute perfection. Everything seems perfectly placed to just look aesthetically pleasing. My group and I decide that this level is not extreme enough-- we decide to go up to the highest level. Now, the sun is setting and the view can't get any more gorgeous. I am speechless. Unfortunately, like Cinderella we have a curfew-- Ryan, our tour master gave us a specific time to meet down at the coach. We have 10 minutes to get down ; I look to the elevator-- jam packed. The stairs seem to be the only solution. Myself and 4 other team members scramble down over 25 flights of stairs.
>>NOTE TO FUTURE TRAVELERS: Don't wear platform heels when traveling to the Eiffel Tower.
I am miserable due to my shoe choice. However, we finally make it down the Tower to see it all lit up. It's like a Monet painting; the sky is a royal blue while the tower is a golden yellow.
Amazing. Thinking this night couldn't get any better I climb into our coach and Ryan gets on the mic and says, " Ok ladies and gentlemen.. we have a surprise for you. Paris is known for many things and one of those things is the Moulin Rouge. Tickets normally go for about 150 Euro-- and you all are all going for free tomorrow night!"
U N B E L I E V E A B L E --- I LOVE PARIS!!!!!!!
--Dani
>>NOTE TO FUTURE TRAVELERS: do not bring 8 pairs of shoes , 3 pairs of jeans and 6 dresses. These garments do add up and make the suitcase heavier!
So.. we all scramble into a taxi where our taxi driver is AMAZED that us 4 girls were all able to fit plus our suitcases. Our taxi driver, Vincent, is amazing. He is blasting old school jams such as " It's Raining Men", "What a Feeling", and "Your Just Too Good to be True". It's quite comical; he truly gives us the best introduction to this fun city.
We arrive at Hotel Kyriad where all the other 39 travelers have been exploring the city while us 4 have been delayed at the airport. We immediately throw on clothes and jump into our coach. We meet our New Zealander tour guide, Ryan and bus driver, Andy. We travel around the city for about an hour learning about Napoleon and King Louis and see some of the most beautiful sites. We stop at a quick buffet dinner anxiously awaiting our scheduled visit to the Eiffel Tower.
We finally arrive at our desired spot and it is impressive. It looks so much bigger and grander in person. Tons and tons of people surround this tourist trap. I immediately think how are we ever going to get in? Of coarse our tour manager Ryan comes to the rescue handing us our tickets and leading the way to the elevator. I look back to see other tourists envious looks; I feel like a celebrity. All 43 of us pile into such a modern elevator that takes us up to the sky. My
stomach begins to drop and I'm feeling woozy until the elevator doors open to the most amazing view in the world. I feel like I am on top of the world. I see the whole entire neat, grid-like city . Paris is absolute perfection. Everything seems perfectly placed to just look aesthetically pleasing. My group and I decide that this level is not extreme enough-- we decide to go up to the highest level. Now, the sun is setting and the view can't get any more gorgeous. I am speechless. Unfortunately, like Cinderella we have a curfew-- Ryan, our tour master gave us a specific time to meet down at the coach. We have 10 minutes to get down ; I look to the elevator-- jam packed. The stairs seem to be the only solution. Myself and 4 other team members scramble down over 25 flights of stairs.>>NOTE TO FUTURE TRAVELERS: Don't wear platform heels when traveling to the Eiffel Tower.
I am miserable due to my shoe choice. However, we finally make it down the Tower to see it all lit up. It's like a Monet painting; the sky is a royal blue while the tower is a golden yellow.
Amazing. Thinking this night couldn't get any better I climb into our coach and Ryan gets on the mic and says, " Ok ladies and gentlemen.. we have a surprise for you. Paris is known for many things and one of those things is the Moulin Rouge. Tickets normally go for about 150 Euro-- and you all are all going for free tomorrow night!"U N B E L I E V E A B L E --- I LOVE PARIS!!!!!!!
--Dani
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