Paris!

The next morning, it was time to head to my favorite city in the world, Paris! We got a wake-up call at 5. I decided I would lie in bed "a few more minutes." A few minutes turned into an hour. At 6, Dad came to wake Jackson and me. I had packed most of my belongings before bed. We made a mad-dash and quickly got our stuff out, managing only to leave behind a few belongings. I was very thankful that we had made such a rush because we ended up sitting and waiting for at least half an hour. Finally our coach rolled in and we headed to St. Pancras Station. Once we cleared customs, I bought breakfast/lunch at Cafe Nero, an Italian-coffee shop popular in England. 
    Then, it was time to get on the train. All but one of us boarded the Eurostar. There was one group from Hawaii on the trip. One of the girls in that group left her suit case at the hotel. The Hawaii leader had to take a taxi all the way to the other side of London, get the girl's bag and take another take back to the train station-a 30-minute taxi ride at that. Sadly, she missed our train. During the trip over, the group took power naps. As we all started waking we realized that we had crossed the Channel and were in France.
    Next think we knew, we were pulling into Paris's Gare du Nord, the busiest train station in Europe! After getting of the train we boarded a new coach and went to our Aparthotel, the Adagio. As we were checking in, the Hawaiian leader appeared in the lobby and exclaimed, "Je suis est ici!" (I am here!) We were all relieved and glad to have her back in our midst as she was an expert and very interesting to be around! There I roomed with cousin Stephen, and two boys from another group. Chris, the tour director,  planned for everyone in the group to rest that after noon. 
      However, Mother had our group headed to the Place de la Concorde, and stroll up the Champs Elysee. Highlights of the walk included stopping at the place de la Concorde, a Creperie, macaroons at MacDonalds, and finally stopping the the Arc de Triomphe. Next, dinner was served near the Moulin Rouge. That night included the Seine River Cruise, the Eiffel Tower, and one of my favorite activities, the Paris by Night bus tour.