Our trip to Paris started on Thursday around noon just before Easter.  Jouni drove Heini and me to the airport.  After getting to the taxfree area we headed for lunch.  Pasta before flight was needed as our cheap tickets did not include any meal on the plane.  Flight landed on time to Paris and after the formalities we went to the bus stop heading to Porte Maillot.  More sights seen from bus but we saw only the motorway and peripherique full of vehicles.  Sari was waiting for us on the stop, a relief as our 20kg of luggage was heavy to drag the way to Sari's place.  Warm almost summer weather was a surprise to us, too many layers of clothes and no short leaves or trousers, also in the luggage.

View from Sari's and Ari's balcony:

Nice welcome with champagne in the house.  Before the welcoming dinner at a restaurant nearby we went to check the offering in Monoprix.  Had to buy a linen shirt to have at least one light top for the rest of the trip.  Heini found a Vuokko Nurmesniemi replica hat, big sun shade.  Reaturant La Table des Oliviers was small and cosy, the owner(?) shaking hands with the regulars (Sari&Ari), good food from starters to last drop of coffee.  Couple of hours flew by and we needed to get some rest before starting off to the East in the morning.

After a good night sleep I went to the local bakery to get "bonjure, dö paquet cereal silvuplee" :)  No French, me, no thanks.  Had a first taste of city life, fresh morning air, boulevard waking up as people hurried to work, cars and horns in the roundabout... oi, what a pleasure.  Back for breakfast, Ari went to pick up car and we watched Amelie to get first sights of Paris before leaving to Champagne.  The plan was to go first to Epernay and have a light lunch before our visit to Mercier, champagne house.