Flying *A from Australia to Europe

[boomy]

The menu:

 

[boomy]

Again DOM 2004 served pre-departure.
First course was my favourite caviar served with a shot if vodka and this time also French Chardonnay.

Second course was duck liver.

For main I pre-ordered Prawn Pa-Nang, very tasty dish, full of flavour. It was washed down well with some Bordeaux red.

For dessert I decided to try the cheese again and this time it was very good. I guess they loaded cheap Australian cheese on the previous leg and this time they got the good stuff.

Finished dinner with ice cream.

 

[boomy]

I'm full, drunk and tired. Time to sleep

 

[Welsh-Kiwi]

Looking forward to reading the rest of your TR. Very good so far.

 

[boomy]

For breakfast, first course was muesli and yogurt.
View attachment 28923
I didn't feel like the usual eggs and sausage so I asked if they have any caviar left. Being only 3 pax in F they had plenty left
View attachment 28924
Finished with coffee and fruits.
View attachment 28925

 

[boomy]

Just before landing in CDG I thought I saw my favourite plane - the Concorde - born again... I wish!

 

[boomy]

After landing I went to the *A lounge to have a shower before going out to the city. The lounge was ok, it had all the basics but I didn't bother spending much time there. Took a shower, used wifi for Skype and left to Paris.



I had about 10 hours to spend in the city before returning to the airport.

 

[boomy]

I must say CDG is one of the ugliest and most uncomfortable airports I've ever been to. I can't believe the most visited city in the world has such a shocking airport.
But then again, NY has JFK...

 

[boomy]

Now it's time to my favourite segment - things you only hear in France.
#1. Just before passport control there were 2 lines: EU and non-EU.
The officer in charge asked me: "Do you have an American passport?"
Me: "Nope".
Officer: "Take the EU line Sir".
Looks like someone skipped a few Geography classes...
#2. I asked a police officer outside the terminal how to get to the train station.
The police officer replied: "I don't speak English, go to information".
No problem there except it was all said in fluent English!!

 

[boomy]

Finding luggage storage in CDG was hard.
The lady at lounge told me they closed down all storages at the airport and the best option left is to store my luggage at Gare du Nord. Problem was I didn't need to stop at that station on the way to the city.
Lucky I didn't give up and asked 2 more people who worked at the airport.
Apparently they closed the one they had in terminal 1 for security reasons but there is still one left in terminal 2. I had to take a shuttle to get there and then catch the train to the city.
A bit annoying as my flight to ATH later departs from terminal 1.

 

[boomy]

I took the train to the Eiffel Tower where started my day with a cruise on the river seine.
Note Dame Cathedral can be seen in the distance.

The prison where Marie Antoinette was kept and later executed.

The old Gare D'orsay, now a museum.

The White House was built according to this model.

Tsar Alexander Bridge.

 

[boomy]

I got very lucky with the weather, it was a sunny day. The official temperature was 21 degrees but under the sun it felt much warmer. It was weekend and the city was packed with both locals and tourists.
All in all I had a great day in the city. I've been in Paris before but I was too young back then to fully appreciate all the landmarks.
View of Eiffel Tower from Champ de Mars.

Arc de Triomphe.

The Obelisk.

The Louvre.

Notre Dame Cathedral.

 

[blackcat20]

Looking like a great trip!

 

[OATEK]

What a day trip!

 

[boomy]

I tried some of the local cuisine such as Escargot, Beef Tartare with French Fries, Crepe Suzette and local ice cream. All were excellent.


Relaxation time at Tuileries Gardens, facing the Louvre.

 

[boomy]

Entrance to Champs-Élysées, facing Arc de Triomphe.

Shopping Paradise (lucky the missus is not here )

Some hard core sport fans.

 

[boomy]

A beautiful sunny day to lie down and relax.

View of Notre Dame from the other side.

Everyone wants to get married in the most romantic city in the world.

So many padlocks!

 

[TomVexille]

mmmm, escargot

 

[boomy]

Third leg CDG-ATH departs 8.30pm.
Back to CDG and after it picked up my bad from terminal 2 I went to terminal 1 to check in. When I arrived there was a long queue in Y but no one in J.
After check in I was invited to SAS lounge which was the closest to the gate. I was the only one there. It's a small lounge with not much to offer. The cognac was not too bad.

 

[boomy]

When boarding announced J and *G first and I was the only one to go forward, it felt very strange.
The J cabin had 2 rows with same seats as Y with the middle seat blocked, welcome to Europe!
I was the only one in J tonight.

They later closed the curtain to give me complete privacy.

Reasonable legroom.