The Adventure Begins

Long before we boarded Air France on the way to Barcelona via Paris, I have made inquiries on how to maximize our 6-hour layover in Charles de Gaulle. My sources? Yahoo Answers (where I always get accurate information in the past), co-workers who have been to Paris, other travel sites. All of them said with six hours, you can do it, with heavy reservations. My co-workers even went as far as saying it would be near impossible.

But they did not know me and my husband. When he zooms in on a goal, he will be hell bent on achieving it. And boy was I glad. I didn't think it would be possible to be honest with you. But we had to do it. The other option was to sit out the 6 hours in CDG, which was unacceptable. We have gone to the lengths of arranging this itinerary to include Paris, since we are going in this region anyway. We had to see Paris (as much as our limited time would allow).

(Train from airport to Paris center - busker inside train, a first for me)


Armed with research about Paris trains and the stops we needed to take for each sight we wanted to see, we first stopped at the Tourist Information Desk - a must when traveling - for additional information that we might have missed on our extensive research. The lady at the Tourist Information Desk was very helpful and in her deliciously heavy French-accented English confirmed what everyone else have told us - it's very difficult, nearly impossible, to see Paris in that little time. Train from airport to Paris is 45 minutes one way. And here's the kicker - there is a transport strike in Paris which would mean that the train we would be taking from the airport will not reach Paris center. A transfer was required in order to see the city, which means more delay, less sights to see.

With specific instructions on which station to transfer and what platform to take, we ran from the desk to the train station, which is a looong way. I don't mean to whine, but I was carrying a very heavy back pack. I felt like I was backpacking and running in a foreign city. I don't watch the Amazing Race but I felt like that's what hubs and I were on that day.

(Busker collecting "tips". We gave him $, he asked for euro. $ is very weak when we visited *sad* nobody wanted $)

Imagine our delight when the we found the train waiting for passengers. We got good seats and pretty soon the train was moving. We found a group of Americans on the train and from their conversations I learned they are on a layover too. Their final destination was Cairo.



From the window I managed to take some shots. Graffitis are universal I guess.

It's fall in Paris. One of the images I took as the train passes by on the way to Paris.
So, with limited time to explore Paris, can you guess which three sights we managed to visit and take photos of before we barely made it to the Barcelona-bound plane that evening?
This post is for MY WORLD. Fellow players, I know that I have always posted on my other blog, but the Christmas season is making it very difficult for me to maintain two blogs.



Comments

  1. Great post and great shots! I think we were lucky when we visited Paris -- we came from Germany where my husband was stationed and we traveled all over Europe via train and it was such fun! Allowed us to see so much of the country, but also the people!

    Hope you're having a terrific time! It does sound like it!

    Enjoy!

    Sylvia

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  2. The snaps of Paris in fall are very nice. The idea of research before going to the place is right way to go.

    Bhojeshwar Temple, Bhojpur

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  3. Beautiful captures!

    Hope you're having a great time :)

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  4. What an exciting way to spend a short layover in Paris! My guesses would be:
    1 - Eiffel Tower
    2 - Arc de Triomphe
    3 - toss-up between Notre Dame and the Louvre

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  5. Wonderful post and it brought back memories -- the bus from the airport and transportation strike -- I think there must always be a transportation strike in France! :D :D

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  6. Great post. I enjoyed this so much.

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  7. Great post, I am glad you got to see some of Paris.

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  8. I would be too afraid of missing my plane to do that! LOL OK, I guess the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Arc de Triumphe. :)

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  9. How lucky you were to spend time touring Paris, thanks for sharing your wonderful journey.

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  10. The views are great. I love the busker! I love the graffiti, too--a universal language.

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  11. Looks like you had a wonderful time ;-)
    Hugs and blessings,
    My World

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  12. When you set a goal, you can do it! I bet you had fun, looking and glancing at your watch!

    Looking forward to more photos of your adventures!

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  13. i didnt know that vandalism is evident there. the busker looks cool. hahaha... this adventure is something to look forward to.

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  14. I'm guessing Eiffel Tower?
    It's nice to see photos of Paris. and Barcelona.
    I hope you have a really good experience.

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  15. wow
    must have been so exciting!
    sure you can participate in the amazing race!

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  16. Great documentation of your trip!

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  17. when i read a 6-hour layover, i was actually thinking of the Amazing Race. what an experience...i stayed 5 days in Paris and it felt like i need to come back to see more! i'm sure you and your hubby had great fun!

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  18. I've enjoyed so much this nice post! It reminds me of my many trips to Paris, a really pleasant and interesting town.
    Thanks for the link, I'll put yours immediately.
    Happy new week!

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  19. Good for you! I bet you went to Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and either Mont Martre or Sacre Coeur, am I right?

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  20. Having been to CDG many times and to Paris a few times, I would have said you were crazy. BUT I guess it'd be worth it if you had never seen the city. I guess we'll hear all about it later??

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  21. @GINNIE -- hahaha, we were crazy alright. It was nice being crazy away from home though :)

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  22. So France is a bit behind with fall. I've never seen a busker inside a transportation either. US dollar in our part of the globe still has some strength, but we've noticed it has become easier against the local currency.

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  23. Flikr is banned in the U.A.E. so I can't view your pictures. But thank you for the lovely comment on my blog. And hope you have a great week :)

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  24. That's some adventure, trying to see Paris on a layover. I'd pick one site and be done, but I'm sure you saw everything. Great photos.

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  25. 1.Eiffel Tower
    2.Arc de Triomphe
    3.Champs Elysées.

    Wow...you are aventurous... 6 hours to see Paris !

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  26. If I have 6 hours layover myself, I'll definitely be going out the airport terminal and see Paris a la Amazing Race. Here's my guess what you saw: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame cathedral.

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  27. 6 hours is a pretty long layover but then Paris is a pretty modern city a quick visit won't hurt. Seeing the famous landmarks like the Eiffel and the Champs Elysees is a must but I also enjoyed Paris at night - the cabaret shows and the amazing food :)

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  28. Ha! I could almost imagine your limited time, the running here and there, the long line for the metro and the transferring from one transpo to another, raises the adrenaline. I've been to Paris for a good whole day and I even didn't manage to see all the beautiful places...I'm excited for the next series of photos. Come post quickly!

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  29. Nice story and pictures, Maria. I couldn't imagine the rush you had to do to visit all the places that you wanted to see. Can't wait for your next post!

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  30. I look forward to reading and seeing more of your adventure. I'm not sure I could leave the airport the way you did.

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  31. You and your husband sound like my wife when it comes to travelling: all planned and researched to the details. I'm more a relaxed guy, I guess. It sound like a fun adventure, by the way. Will be looking forward to the next post: Louvre? Eifel? Champ D'elise? Dunno ... :P

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  32. Wow, Paris! How wonderful to be on a holiday with hubby! It does sounds like Amazing Race. haha....

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  33. I especially like it when it becomes a little challenging when I'm travelling. That's an awesome experience. I miss riding the train.

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  34. lucky you to be able to use your 6 hours wisely. my turn to go on a vacation this christmas and new year! :D

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  35. hope to see Paris again. it's a lovely city. thank you for sharing the photos.

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  36. That's brave of you guys to take off with only six hours! I'd be constantly worried that I wouldn't make it back to the airport in time...Just seeing the city views from a train or bus is worthwhile in my opinion...can't wait to see the next posts...

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