Day 1 and 1/2

Our journey starts in Providence with Jim coming home to escort my mother Anne, Erin and myself to the Boston airport. Despite some heavy traffic, we arrived on time, and found had the luxury of "priority acccess," which only my mother recalled was on or boarding passes, but it let us check in expeditiously and then using my husband's platinum card we had access to the AA club, sweet, free snacks and beverages before departure. Then priority access let us pre-board like first class, nice! We had exit row seats, plenty of leg room! The weather was perfect for flying, 6:50 pm departure. We arrived yesterday, to Charles de Gaulle airport with out a hitch. Short wait for luggage, and through customs no wait.
We easily navigated the airport to the RER to get from CDG to Paris. It was a bit of a hike through the airport which was jammed with people even though we had landed quite early. My credit card, sans chip, got us our billets to Paris, to the train and voila, Le Metro. Same ticket got us on to the line to Chatelet/Les Halles, where we then transfered to the yellow (line 1) to our stop, George V. We exited the Metro on the Champs Elysees into the bright sunlight and a busy thoroughfare of pedestrians. Two blocks southwest and then five blocks on Rue Berri landed us at our 178 rue Faubourg St Honore.
There was a huge green set of doors with a key pad. While on the train I had pulled up the email from our landlord that had the instructions for entry and left it on the screen, but on slipping it back in to its' own purse pocket, the email disappeared. "No worries," I thought, "grab it out of the trash." I found it there but when I tried to open, it read, "message not down loaded." Though I had international phone service, perhaps not email?? I  scavenged through the older emails from her but none had the code. I didn't see a bell. I thought, "Remember the code," and pushed each number and then click the door unlocked.
I was familiar with such entries, from touring grand homes in Europe before. but myself had never entered into a courtyard with multiple residences within. I remembered again that it was block H that we wanted and found another keypad and an electronic pad with access to the residents apartments numbers inside. Standing in front of this mysterious barrier to our entry with a quizzical look, we were rescued by Elaine W. the gardienne of the complex who cheerfully introduced herself and showed the simplicity of calling up to Sabine de L.

The door buzzed open like at "home" and we lugged our baggage in and into the elevator. Just one flight up to the appartement(flat) where Sabine introduced us to the nuances of the residence, the antiques we were to avoid, the three rooms, an LR, with the antiques not to touch, the DR, which had the second bed in it, hmm.., and the "master bedroom."  a short hallway with a wardrobe with a few items for cleaning, and "quilts" and then a long narrow hallway, with lights malfunctioning from recent water leakage, a room to be locked from us (a small office, sadly ideal for another sleeping chamber) and then the kitchen, cute long and narrow. The kitchen furnished with an espresso machine, and counter height fridge, freezer, washing machine, no dryer, and the usual eating equipment, plates, tons of glasses, etc.
But most of all, Sabine had supplied us with fresh croissants, a baguette et du beurre, a scrumptious treat, since we hadn't dined since the boxed airplane subpar degustation!
We made our goodbyes. Sabine has a south of France trip, and we three stared at one another and plopped down on the couch. It was a lovely deep red, but slightly soiled, and Sabine did email me, later in the day photos of the soilage, I believe documenting the couches state. Nice to know, but then we thought, how will we measure up when it is our time to depart??
Mom and I made the beds, which really look like cots, a thin mattress on a metal spring base. Erin and I split the trundle, and of course Erin and I insisted Mom take the master. It had a beautiful double window breaking out onto a courtyard. No dressers for any of our clothes, we set up our suitcases and were able to hang some items in the one closet.
We all agreed a nap was in order. It was 12n Paris time but 6 am our time and the "sleep" on the plane had been in adequate for us all. None of us had any trouble drifting off into a deep slumber, at 3:30 pm, though and still quite sleepy, I dragged myself out of bed. Mother rose as well, and then shortly, Erin too. We decided we were still quite dull, and couldn't accept any challenging sight seeing so opted for a Champs Elysees walk.

Leaving via the courtyard

We had a fabulous stroll down C.E. across Place de la Concorde, festooned with stands for the upcoming Bastille day, or is it for Le Tour de France??? Je ne sais pas. We ambled through the Tuileries

Tuileries Lavender

 and towards the Louvre, but opted to cross the Seine and save the glass pyramid for a day at Louvre. Outside the Louvre, we spied a Fat Tire bike tour group, and learned from a traveling Russian woman that the Louvre is free the first sunday of the month, good to know, that's in two days...
Now we are getting hungry, and my memory tells we across the Seine we are near the tony St Germain de Pres. We crack open Rick Steves, consider wandering to Deux Maggots, but I am swayed by my comrades to consider eating ops near Rue Cler, a RS favorite spot, and towards the direction of home rather further east.
We choose the river side walk, and make it past Mussee d'Orsay, how I remember waiting there with Jim 5 years ago, on the day we were to leave, after a 5 day anniversary trip, but the line was long, since I believe it was a Tuesday, and the busiest day, since the Louvre was closed, or was it Monday? Whatever..
We walk just a bit farther and then decide to turn left down a charming street that opens up to the Rue St Germain de Pres, of course a charmer, we head down our rue, but then a crossing street vista frames a cafe with a traditional beaux arts Metro sign and we are reeled in. We find Cafe Concorde with empty seats and decide this is our spot for dinner. Le menu has a 20 euro "formule" with terrine de lapin, or salade capresse and bavette(steak) or poulet. Erin and I opt for "le formule" and mom chooses, salade nicoise, of course. Une verre du vin, rouge and blanc, et un cafe pour ma fille and we are in heaven.
Oddly enough, it must be a touriste spot. Two asians sit behind us with their guide book, but les francais, smoking, on either side. It's about 6:30. too early for the natives to eat, just beer and wine after work on a Friday, before home, I suppose.
A clearly American family sits in front of us, three children and parents. The trigger is how much does it cost to send home text photos, and we speak further, and yes, there are from Boston!  Traveling Paris for three days, she has family in Germany and will spend the summer there with the children. He has to go home to work, hmm sounds familiar....

Cafe Concorde

We finished up, no dessert, but cafe, the waiter offered to take a photo. J'ai lui dit que c'etait nos premier jour de quatre semaines en Paris. He spoke back to me, but it was hard to get all he said, even for Erin, our translator deluxe.
We decided a short further post-prandial walk would be ideal, and wandered towards the our Eiffel. The sky full of sun at 8:30 pm coaxed us onward. But reaching Tour Eiffel, we recognized our fatigue, and decide to opt out of an ascent, instead turn towards the "homeward" journey. We return at 10 pm. Quite a tour we had made, we plopped down, lower pantlegs and shoes coved in the beige dust from the Tuileries' stone chemins. Entry not a problem this time, with our access vigik key for the outside door, touch it to the black panel and a click opens the entree.
Dead asleep all night, and rousing this am at 5 am but too tired and had to drag myself out at 10. I hadn't bought a journal, I had tracked a prior trip by my emails to Jim, but then assembling them was sub optimal. Then I remembered Megan, my step daughter had created an google based blog when she traveled to Brazil. I make a cup of espresso and here I am. Erin and Mom are still asleep. Its' 11am time to wake then up.