And so it begins.....

Day 2: First day in PARIS!

Our day technically began in flight. After landing in Paris around 8:30, the real journey could begin. The plane landed and we were greeted by rain. We walked from the plane to a bus that took us to where we needed to be in the airport. Once I stepped on the ground, it finally sunk in to where I was. The idea of being in Paris was so surreal until I was actually outside. Being in another country and on another continent was not only exciting, but it was also scary. A phone call home was not an option at this point. Not going to lie, one of the hardest things about leaving the U.S. was having to turn off my phone. It was hard, yet liberating at the same time.

We met our tour leader, Rafael, and he arranged to have the bus pick us up. We were taken to the hotel and given about a half hour to get ourselves ready for the day. All I cared about was getting my hairwashed after a long day in the air. I was paired up with Mollie and Alyssa for roommates and we quickly got ready and headed down to meet the rest of the group.

Our first adventure was taking the Metro to the Opera. The Metro was another first for me. Once we arrived at the Opera, we were able to exchange money and explore the area for a couple hours. I was rather surprised that we were being trusted so early in the trip to "do our own thing". My first stop was a bank. I gave $700 and got back around 450 euro. I was a little disappointed! Next up was going to the top of a mall behind the Opera. This was the most amazing mall I have EVER seen, and I about died when we walked in. Mollie, Alyssa and I rode up numerous escalators until we reached the roof. Rafael told us that this was the best view in Paris. Even though most people think the best view would be from the Eiffel Tower, Rafael thinks this is because you can not only see the city, but you can also see the Eiffel Tower. I never thought about it that way. Yes, it would be fun to go up the Eiffel Tower, but not being able to see it would make it a different experience.

From there, my small group went and got our first meal in Paris. We found a small restaurant and had a fun time trying to figure out how everything works in France. Communicating was a little difficult until we met a waitress that LOVES Americans. She even lived in California at one time. It was nice feeling welcomed, because it is very normal for people in France to be rude to Americans. We ordered an "appetizer sampler" and were basically running to get back to the group. Because we were on the street with the Opera, shopping would be SUPER expensive. In fact, this area is the most expensive part of Paris. Secretly, I wanted to do some shopping either in a Coach or Chanel store. :)

Rafael wanted to take us to a cheaper part of town where we could do shopping and eventually have our first group meal. Lucky for me, I was able to find a few stores to start spending some Euros! One of my favorite stores was called Six. I even went in two seperate times to make purchases. Yes, I am just that cool! By this point in time, everyone was exhausted and looking forward to sitting down for supper. My feet felt as if they were falling off and I couldn't wait for an excuse to sit for more than 10 minutes.

Of course, our first meal served is the one thing I hate......Fish. I didn't feel too left out, because the group concensus was that the tuna was awful. In fact, I think only a couple people were actually able to choke it down. I was a little disappointed, because I was looking forward to a great meal....not to mention I was starving.

We hit the Metro and headed back to the hotel. A few of us connected to the Internet before heading to bed. We made sure to have a wake up call and before I knew it, I was out.

My first day in Paris was everything I could have hoped for!