Day 1 - Paris on our Own

Once we were oriented to our new home by the pleasant concierge...all in French of course...we began our usual routine of searching out the grocery stores and shops.  We set up the two extra beds and reorganized things a bit to make as much room as possible for us all.  The apartment is located in a high-end part of Paris is the 15th city district, about 30 minutes south of the city center.  The shops are mostly organic and high priced so we were careful about what we purchased for our first few days.  $120 USD dollars later we had enough to cover dinner and a few lunches...LOL.  We settled in nicely, with a good meal and enjoyed the views from the balcony.  Later that evening we were joined by our dear Ivan Mercier (Frenchy), our adopted French son who we met five years ago on the Silk Road trip and who has since visited us in Alaska two years ago.  He joined up this evening and will be our eyes, ears, and mouths as we travel the Loire Valley over the next several days.