Tradition!

First night in Paris and I followed my usual routine. Had dinner at Brasserie Les Cascades, kitty-corner from my hotel (Hotel de la Porte Dorée). Started with my usual Kir Californien, served with wonderful marinated olives, and ordered up the 'vin du moment', which was a St. Chinian 2011:

Plat principal was the Croque Poilâne Provençal (jambon, emmental, tomates, oignons, herbes, served on the tasty pain Poilâne) with a green salad:

Dessert--what else but crêpes Nutella?

Un déca avec speculoos:

All for a mere 22 euros! Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy 'April in Paris' evening.

Inbound: Part One

I flew out of SFO on Sunday afternoon, September 30 and arrived in Paris in the late morning of Monday, October 1. Because of a physical problem, I had a wheelchair and "driver" at both ends! It was a good thing, especially on the CDG end. Delta/Air France flies into Terminal 2, and now into a new section. A lot of walking and you have to take the CDGVAL metro to get to passport control and baggage claim. My wheelchair assistant was phenomenal--he managed to wheel both me in the wheelchair and a heavily loaded baggage cart with amazing skill!

I stayed at the usual place--Hotel de la Porte Dorée in the 12th--and received their usual warm welcome. After a bit of a rest, I went to my customary first-dinner-in-Paris brasserie/restaurant--Les Cascades. Here's a view I took after dining:

On Tuesday, I wasn't up for much, and many of the museums are closed, so I made a brief visit to Bercy Village and the Parc Bercy:

The next afternoon I was off by train to Blois to visit with my good friend Bette, who lives in the town of Villebarou.  To be continued...