After a really calm departure and take off, we had a very easy flight. The students didn't sleep a lot because they weren't really tired. The stewards commented on how well behaved they were. There were lots of free seats, so it was easy to move around.
We met up with our bus driver with relative ease, and quickly arrived in the city. The fact that it was a Saturday meant that there was quite a bit less traffic than in previous years. It was pretty cold, so the students who had packed their coats in their suitcases were rather chilly, but it didn't rain - so that was good.
We drove straight to Montmartre, where we got out of the bus and walked up the steps to the top of the hill. We split up into 3 groups to do a little shopping and to grab a little tasty street food (mostly crepes and baguette sandwiches).
Next we headed for Notre Dame, with a drive by the Opera and the Louvre. The line was too long to go in Notre Dame, but we had a good look at the facade, and hit a few more tourist shops before heading for the Eiffel Tower. After a quick look around, and a few photos, we jumped back on the (warm) bus and drove to the Arc de Triomphe. We warmed up in a little cafe on the Champs Elysees, then headed back to the airport.....which is another whole story.
Instead of an 8 p.m. flight to Rennes, we were put on a 9 p.m. flight to Nantes...and then a bus (+/- 75 minutes) to Rennes. They did give us a voucher for free dinner, which helped perk us all up, but almost all of us slept deeply during the second flight and the bus ride. Despite the fact that we arrived at midnight, the French students still turned out to meet us with their posters, and other passengers on the bus remarked on our "welcoming committee". It wasn't quite the arrival we had planned, but we were only 3 hours late, so it wasn't too bad.
I am still struggling with this blogspot mobile app, so please be patient with me regarding photos.....
