Flashback: My first days in France (Part 1)

It has been awhile since I first arrived here in France, and yet I still remember how I felt and how I struggled to adjust to life here.

My plane landed on CDG Airport last April 28, and I remember how eager I was to get my luggages and go and see if my friend was there to pick me up. The unloading of the luggages from the plane took awhile, and I remember seeing my luggages on the conveyor belt pass by me once before I was able to position myself between the other passengers who were as eager to get their own luggages. Alas, I was able to get my two heavy luggages and put them on the trolley.

Little did I know that I will have my first taste of adventure in France as soon as I stepped out of the airport. I only had so little pocket money with me so budgeting it as soon as I landed was a priority that was hard to ignore. My friend suggested that we take the RER (pronounced as: er-ou-er) to get to Paris, and take the connecting metro from there. It sounded like a good idea, since the RER ticket from CDG airport to Paris only costs 8 EU each and a Metro ticket costs 1.60 EU each. Compare that to a 50 EU rental for a car, or more if you decide to take a taxi.

What I did not know was that taking the RER and the Metro would entail lifting my two (weighing approx. 23 kg. each) luggages up and down the stairs while we transfer lines from the RER and within the Metro stations. We took a minimum of three lines total, and that equaled to even more stairs (some stations had 2-3 flights of stairs).

To make the long story short, I had a backache by the time we reached our destination but even this was not enough to dampen my spirits. My adrenalin was high and as soon as we were able to take a nap (my friend had to as well since she took the night bus to CDG and waited for my flight to arrive that morning), I was given my first tour of Paris. The first stop was the Eiffel Tower or Tour Eiffel in French.

The photo above shows Ecole Militaire which is is just across the Eiffel Tower.

On our way to the Latin Quarter

If my memory serves me right, we proceeded to the Latin Quarter in search for a Chinese resto since I was craving for Chinese. Little did I know at that time that the Notre Dame was just a stone-throw away from where we were. This is why, I saw the Pantheon first before I got to see the Notre Dame.

Having studied Interior Design, seeing the Panteon was a must on my first day and I must say that I was not disappointed.