Europe: Paris 1/4

If you seek advice on visiting another country, I would say: it requires serious and patient planning. I began researching our Europe trip in November 2022, a year before our scheduled trip in November 2023. I started looking into places to visit, museums to explore, and popular landmarks. We booked our trip through Costco Travel, and I will share the link once I complete my blog. We selected Air France as our airline to Paris. After carefully considering various hotels, we decided on the Paris Westin Vendome for our stay.

The Flight: Our journey starts at Tom Bradley. After securing our tickets and checking our luggage, we proceeded directly to security. We navigated the long tunnel to reach our gate. Although our flight was scheduled to depart at 3:25 pm, it was delayed. We boarded the plane about 15 minutes later. Being an Air France flight, the attendants communicated in three languages: French, English, and Spanish. Contrary to many travelers' claims about the attendants being rude, we found them to be very friendly. The estimated flight time to Paris was 11 hours and 3 minutes. Falling asleep was easy since we hadn't slept all night. Our plane landed at 10:50 am (Paris time), and we went through immigration and customs. Afterward, we searched for our Costco transportation to the hotel. The journey from Paris CDG to our hotel took an hour. Upon arrival, the hotel exuded a cozy ambiance, though it was quite cold. As our rooms weren't ready when we arrived at 2, we left our luggage and headed to the Musée du Louvre. On our way to the museum, we passed through the Jardin des Tuileries, one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen. Entering the Louvre filled me with excitement. However, the museum is vast, and it's easy to get lost. My top priority was to see the Mona Lisa, which took me 46 minutes to find. Seeing it was surreal, given how small the painting is. After leaving the museum, we went to McDonald's to eat, but exhaustion hit us hard since we hadn't slept for what felt like 48 hours. The next day, we attended a family event in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was a dream come true to stand before it. The day after, we ascended to the summit, where I enjoyed the breathtaking view of the City of Love. While I took the elevator in 2023, if I travel again this year, I plan to take the stairs.

Unfortunately, the next day arrived, and it was time to bid farewell to Paris. I was at a loss for words to express my sadness at leaving. The Costco Travel Transportation was prepared to collect us from the hotel and take us back to Charles de Gaulle, a journey that took an hour. There I was again at the airport, waiting to board my flight to embark on my next adventure... Venice.

Pros: the landmarks are breathtakingly beautiful

Cons: Visiting the Eiffel Tower in November meant enduring temperatures of just 36° with no sun and strong winds.

Would I return for another visit? Absolutely

Optimal time to visit: Despite the cold, November is the ideal month to travel to Paris.