Getting pastries at CDG
After getting off the plane, we were famished, since the Air France food was just OK. And with a three hour train ride ahead of us, we knew it was a good idea to get some stuff in our stomach. On the third floor of the train station in CDG, there's a Paul. It's a chain bakery, that's probably on the same quality level as a Dean and Deluca, if only D&L baked their own goods. It's not the best in France, but it's probably the best in the airport. If we had anything like this in NYC, it would probably catch on fire.
The pain aux raisins is a buttery concoction studded with raisins. It's a good hit of sugar for those of you who prefer something sweet for breakfast. Sometimes I would go for that, but just for the hell of it, I skipped the pain aux raisins and went for the croissant (yea I know, how typical). The croissant left me happy enough. There's something about just getting into the mood of being in France right when you step off the plain. Already though, I can see that my reaction to the airport was not the same as last year, when all the poster ads for banks left me in awe. It's hard to regain that lost in a new place kind of feeling when you first visit a foreign country when every little detail is new. How you adapt and enjoy the details goes a long way in life.
We also got a bottled water with lemon. I suppose this is like the flavored water that Gatorade tried to do with Propel. I'm not feeling flavored water too much since if it's water that I want, then I want it plain. This took a little getting used to, but after a couple of sips I thought it was agreeable enough. Haven't seen the flavored Volvic water in the U.S. yet though, so I'm not sure if one can even get this stateside if one desired. After our quick breakfast, it was time to take the train.
I suppose the really nice part about CDG airport is that there's a train station there that will take you almost anywhere you want to go. There's a commuter rail line that'll take you straight into Paris, which makes it really easy for tourists. The train station also has trains that help French people get to other parts of the country. I can see the benefits to having high speed rail in a smaller country. For the U.S., I just wait for the day that robots can drive our cars automatically and safely (nytimes).
After arriving at Steph's parents house, we were greeted with a nice dinner of roast pork. Mmmm... pork and potatoes. Few things can be so simple and deliver so much happiness. Anyway, more later. It's time to sleep.
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That roast pork and potatoes looks spectacular! Only few things can top a good home cooked meal :) Enjoy your trip, super excited to read all your France posts!
Kathy
September 11, 2011 4:25 pm
@Kathy,
It was spectacular! Thanks for the comment and I'll be posting more about my trip. Stay tuned!
Danny
September 11, 2011 5:10 pm