Good morning PARIS!
After a 13-hour flight on AirAsia X, I arrived to Orly Airport, which I thought was pretty decent and less chaotic than CDG. Happy that I had 6 hours of sleep in the plane and ankle (still in recovery) was still hanging on ok 🙂
I had initial worry that immigration might be difficult but a greeting, “Bonjour, sava?” brought a smile to the officer’s face and he kindly stamped my passport and off I went 😉
Paris greeted me with a sunny autumn day! Leaves were brown and yellow, and the sun was shining brightly against the blue skies. I couldn’t have asked for a better morning!
Part of me still feels a bit surreal that the RTW trip has started with me stepping foot on French ground. Perhaps after I get some good rest, the excitement will come and the adrenaline would start pumping positively.
No time to waste, I took the VEA bus that brought me to Disneyland station. From there, Blue Eyes joined me to get to our accommodation in the centre of Val d’Europe or so-called Disneyland City.
We’re staying at Elysee Val d’Europe. Agoda.com had a good deal for 74eur per night without breakfast (unfortunately). It’s centrally located and within minutes to Disneyland where the World Weightlifting Championships 2011 Paris will be held. Stefan greeted us with a smile and kindly checked us in although we’re 3 hours ahead of the check-in time at 3pm and the room was ready within the next 30 minutes. What a great 1st impression!
The Internet connection at the lobby was great but when we got to the room, the Wifi wasn’t working. Later in the evening, we mentioned it to Stefan and he got it sorted quickly. Lunch at the hotel was delicious! (no, it’s not because we were hungry!)
Well, more stories after this. But for our first day in Paris, I’m glad to say it’s been a GREAT START!
