The Island Explorer

After spending a combined total of 6 days in Paris,  I was quite anxious to get out already. But we still had one more stop before we left the day: the Versailles Chateau. 

We woke up to a new year relaxed and energized again. We decided to have a late lunch after a hearty breakfast at the hotel. We ended up going to Madeline, and find a good restaurant there using our Blackberries.

Though very much against our will, we had to say goodbye to beautiful Venice. It would just be too costly to change plans, and we were to spend our New Year in Paris.

We were already getting bored with Paris, so we opened our guidebook and read through the walking tour options. Our choice was the quaint town of Montmarte, popularly known as the bohemian capital of Paris.

So it was Christmas, and the sun shone for the first time since I arrived. The pleasant weather was perfect for Day 3 of our European escape. We wanted to see more of Paris, hence we decided to go to the Eiffel Tower. 

I woke up at 5AM to meet Lizzy and Kats in the Latin Quarter area, where our next hotel was situated. I was supposed to stay for two nights at Cuadron, but since I arrived in Paris a day late, I had to spend just one night. We checked in Albe Hotel, which had a very good location in the Latin Quarter, just off Saint Michel station.

This begins my account of my first trip to Europe last Christmas 2010. I took a KLM flight to Amsterdam from Manila. However, the flight from Manila was delayed, so we missed our connecting flight to Paris. We were billeted overnight in Ibis Hotel at the Schipol airport, and boarded a morning flight to Paris the next day. So, I arrived in cold Paris after lunch, still dazed by the fact that my schedule got messed up, and I had one night in my hotel foregone. I was also in limbo because I couldn't believe I was in Europe. I had a very busy year, and just before my flight, I had to attend several Christmas parties.