We are in no particular hurry, but hope to connect with our friends once they have checked in to their new place later this morning. Checking out goes reasonably well until I ask the concierge to have our bags held until later pickup. She indicates to wait and she will get someone to help. Nothing occurs so finally we grab a bellhop and he takes 30 seconds to organize it. Another frustration with the Marriott Rive Gauche hotel - don't stay there. Lana speaks to the manager who is very apologetic about the number of times during our stay that the service has been truly disappointing.
We are into the subway on what is a warm and sunny day in Paris. We make it to the Opéra subway station and as we arrive discover our friends have relocated and it is a short walk away on Haussmann Boulevard. Beautiful tree-lined and wide avenue with very little foot traffic and vehicle traffic. Almost a serene oasis in the middle of busy Paris.
We will need to be back to our hotel before 4 pm. Our Air France flight from Terminal 2 departs at 6:25 pm. It is about a 45 minute trip by RER B train and then around a 15 minute walk to the departure gate we think. We have about 3 1/2 hours of time in Paris with our friends before we need to get back on the subway.
Both couples are keen on having a good lunch. On the way to the chosen restaurant we find Eric Kayser which according to a Food Network show (America's Test Kitchen) has the best croissants in Paris. Lana's friend Albert Chow was on a mission to find the best croissant in New York when we lived there last year and he wasn't successful. We decided to take this picture and forward to him as a big tease. Yup, the croissants are very delicious; fluffy, crispy and buttery.
We make it to Angelina's restaurant located across from the Tuileries. The restaurant is 110 years old and is famous for its hot chocolate drink. Of course, each couple indulged in this very decadent shot of hot chocolate goodness. You pour it from the small pitcher into the cup and then scoop out some whipped cream. It is like taking a sugar hit from a needle. The chocolate is delicious and super thick. My brain and body was jumping for hours after drinking a cup. I guess the combo of chocolate and caffeine peaked my blood. Why keep awake with uppers when you can drink one of these?
Lana was on a mission to find another Chanel store that carried a dress she was keen on seeing and possibly purchasing. No luck though, but we had a good walk on very busy Paris streets adjacent to many high end label clothing and jewelry stores. Unfortunately, time is against us so we are back in the subway by 3:15 pm. Said our goodbyes to our friends who have a couple more days of fun in Paris.
Pick up our luggage and backpacks at the hotel and into the subway by 3:45 pm and then a quick connection to the RER B train that will take us to Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Terminal 2 airport (just like it brought us in) or so we thought. We noticed that where the fork in the rail is prior to the airport that CDG did not show. Oh well, we will just get off at the last station prior to where the rails branch off and then catch the next RER to the airport. The train is packed with people, but fortunately we find seats for a long trip.
At the station where you get off to then wait for RER B3 train to CDG there are train officials. Apparently, the train is NOT running today to the airport! What the heck! We are advised we had two options. First option get off the train and then grab a bus to the airport. Then told option two was to get back on the same train tracks and take the next train to the final destination and then bus from there. We decided on option two. Time is our enemy right now as the train is taking so much time and we had to lug our suitcases back on to the platform. Getting worried as we are still on the train and it is close to 5 pm! We stop at the final station and then are herded towards waiting substitution buses that will take us to the airport. The bus is packed off course with other travellers who are confused like us and similarly worried/stressed about not making it to our plane on time. Close to 5:30 by the time we are dropped at the airport and then we need to find the tram to take us to Terminal 2. We run in Terminal 2 to gate 9 to be checked in. Fortunately, we are not late for the plane and the Air France gate agent with checks in our baggage. Both bags are within weight limits fortunately. Security was relatively quick although had to take off my belt to make it through the security buzz. We are at the gate by 5:55 pm for a 6:25 flight. Phew.... we can take a deep breath finally as we will make our flight.
Air France flight to Frankfurt is about 70 minutes and is uneventful. Take a shuttle bus from the tarmac to Terminal 2. Hmmm, that is the second bus of the day. With the unplanned bus in Austria that makes three buses as transportation on this trip so we should change the title of our blog to "Buses, Planes, Trains and Automobiles!"
Wait quite a while for our luggage at the carousel, but we are in no rush. On the way to our airport hotel, Hilton Garden Inn, we bought a couple of sandwiches. The German bread is so yummy with a hard crust and soft middle. I decided my last opportunity for a German lager was now so we stopped to eat our sandwiches and drink a cold German beer. In addition, found a bakery and ate a plum filled danish. Aaahhhh!
In our hotel room with free wifi!!!!! It has been a long day, but we are no longer stressed. We have no rush tomorrow morning as our Lufthansa flight does not depart until 1:10 pm.
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