Discover Northern France by Gate 1 Travel
This is my 7th land tour with Gate-1 Travel. I am traveling with the DW (dear wife). We visited the Provence area of France last June and really enjoyed it, so we wanted to book this tour as well.
Day 0 - Tuesday, April 21st - Travel to Paris
We left the Villa at 11:30 a.m. and took a short Uber ride to TPA. The airport was not busy at all today, and we had time for a nice lunch at Chick-fil-A. We took an AA flight to Charlotte, where we landed just as our trans-Atlantic flight was boarding. We hustled to the International Terminal, where we soon boarded with Group 5 and headed to Paris.
Day 1 - Wednesday, April 22nd - Paris, France
Our uneventful overnight flight landed at about 8:00 a.m local Paris time. We went directly through European Union (EU) customs, then were very pleasantly relieved to see that our luggage had made the flight. We were met by a private Driver that we had booked online from the Tampa Airport through Booking.com. He was excellent, meeting us with a sign as we exited the baggage area and had us at our hotel after an hour drive at about 9:30 a.m. We are staying at the M Social Hotel on Boulevard Hassmann in the Opera District of the 9th arrondissement. It was built in the 1920s in the Art Deco style and operated for years as the Millennium Paris Opera Hotel. For a reasonable fee, we upgraded to a larger room with a view of the Boulevard and took the early check-in option, so after a ten-minute wait and some complimentary croissants, juices, and fresh fruit from the Members Club in the Lobby, we were in our room straightaway. The bed is huge, the same as the one we're used to at home in Florida, and the room is classic. We rested until about 1:00 p.m., then walked for six minutes to the premier shopping gallery in Paris: Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, a grand, century-old department store with a steel-framed Art Nouveau dome ringed by loggias. On the upper terrace, they have a viewing area with the beautiful Palais Garnier Opera House (photo) directly in front and The Eiffle Tower beyond. It was packed with viewers from all over the world. I had hoped to tour the Opera today, but it was sold out for several days forward. I underestimated the demand, but I understand why after reviewing the interior photos. Next trip. I do love this area of Paris, with its architecture and so many dining options. We stopped at Cordial Cafe on the way back to the hotel for a light meal. I had the Croque Monsieur, a very Parisian hot ham & cheese dish served with Frites and Salad, DW had an excellent Vegetarian crepe. We then took a nap and settled into our room. At about 7:00 p.m., we took a walk on the Avenue, heading in the opposite direction, and passed a block of American food places, with Five Guys, KFC, Chipotle, and McDonald's side by side. My goal was to make it to Bouillon Chartier Grands Boulevards (1896) for dinner. This is a very popular French restaurant with three locations in Paris. We ate at the Montparnasse location on our first night in Paris last year. We were tricked by what looked like a short line, but it turned out to be much longer once we entered. They even had a stand midway selling Sangria. After half an hour, we were sitting in the original dining section. The food was excellent. I ordered the Avocado & Shrimp Salad, the Foie Gras, and the Duck Confit with baby Potatoes entree. We split a Rum Baba for dessert. It was excellent and fairly priced. Slow walk back to the hotel, and we were in the room by half past nine. A great first day in Paris.
