Bayeux to Paris
The train ride to Paris took about 2 1/2 hours. The seats for second-class tickets were a little cramped…next time I’ll try first class. The hotel (La Fleche d’Or) was in a good location, just a few hundred yards from the St. Lazare train station. And it was within walking distance of a McDonalds. The only complaint I had about the hotel was the sit-down shower…somebody needs to tell these people about a little invention called the shower curtain.
Paris, France
The next day we spent a full day seeing the city of Paris, but didn’t really see a whole lot because our on-off tour bus was moving like a sloth. We did get to see the Arc du Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Bob really wanted to go up in the Eiffel Tower but after he saw the line of people waiting there he changed his mind. I think by the end of that day we were all ready to get back home. Except for Billy, he caught a train to Germany late that evening to visit our cousin Chris and a friend. His vacation lasted an extra week and took him all the way to Hitler’s Eagles Nest…which fit right into the WWII vacation theme. After grabbing a meal from McDonalds, we went back to our hotel, switched the TV to CNN and watched live coverage of the WWII Memorial dedication ceremony back in Washington, DC.
The next morning the rest of us got up at 3:00 AM and headed to the airport at about 4:15 AM. You wouldn’t believe how many people are still up at 4:00 on a Sunday morning…I guess the nightclub scene is pretty active in Paris. The Louisiana gang flew out at 7:00 AM with a couple-hour stopover at London Gatwick, then on to Houston. The Alabama gang left at 11:00 AM to Chicago, then down to Nashville.
All in all it was a most excellent trip. Other than the 1-day delay that held up the Alabama gang, the trip went exactly as planned…I would say better than planned. It will be something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
D-Day Twins 