Back to France for further exploration.

I’m back in Paris for a few days, and then headed to San Sebastián. After that, planning to spend sometime in Bordeaux. As soon as I get un jet lagged I’ll update this. I had a nice easy, not crowded flight to Paris from Seattle. Got through immigration quickly and then got stuck trying to buy an RER ticket. The machine wouldn’t take an American credit card and the cash option was not obvious. By this time there was huge line to buy tickets at the counter. I decided that rather than wait an hour in line I’d take a taxi, which FYI is 55 euro flat rate. Good thing it was because it took about an hour and a half. I definitely prefer the train. New hotel seems nice, I have a 6th floor room, with elevator, at Grand Hotel Univers St. Germain. Roughly the same price as my favorite Welcome Hotel, but has an extra star and slightly better reviews. Had a good walk over to Notre Dame and down through Isle St. Louis. Jet lag was leaving me pretty tired this afternoon but now waking up!

After a good solid walk to Notre dame and then across the Isle St. Louis and back to St. Germain, I tracked down an interesting Cocktail place for an Apero. The place is called the Prescription Cocktail bar and apparently launched a movement and interest in cocktails. Turned out to be an unlabeled store front a few blocks from my hotel. Tried a Negroni, which they did well. Then a quick bite at L’Avant Comptoir de la Terre, the land based version of the tapas place next door by a similar name. Then it was off to the Bastille to find a speakeasy called “The Moonshiner”. It’s a pizza parlor, but you walk through the door of what looks like the walk in refrigerator and there is a whole bar hidden in the back! Very cool!

Lunch at Danton, Odeon.