First two days

Lori: Quelle chance(what luck)! All flights were on time or early and we arrived in Paris around 1:00 yesterday afternoon. Our hosts, Jean-Claude and Viviane Tourne picked us up at the airport- what a luxury! We were tired and smelly after 16 hours of traveling but we only have a week in Paris and we have no time to waste. After a tour of the lovely home of Jean-Claude and Viviane, we brushed our teeth and went to the Val d'Europe which is the largest mall in France. We lusted after some very cool shoes, but we spent most of our time there in Auchan, a big grocery/home store. It is so fun to look at all the different types of food. You wouldn't believe the bread aisle. Incroyable! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner complete with an aperatif(du champagne rose), entree(smoked salmon and avocado salad with fresh radishes and tomatoes), plat principal (roulade de porc et potatoes), fromage-of course, and a dessert of sliced green grape "soup"- grapes soaked in a sweet dessert wine. Yummy French bread and wine during the meal too. YUM! After that I was beyond exhausted, and I had no problem sleeping soundly from 10:00 pm until 9 the next morning! This morning we enoyed fresh croissants and jam, yogurt, and French coffee for breakfast. Jean-Claude and Viviane were driving to Paris for lunch with Jean-Claude's mother, so they gave us ride into Paris. We took a long walk in the Marais, a neighborhood similar to the East Village in New York. We both had yummy salads with warm goat cheese and a glass of Cote de Rhone for lunch. So fun to people watch. Many stores are not open on Sundays, so we shopped for souvenirs and took lots of pictures of the sights. J'adore Paris!