First Day in Paris, Spring 2026

So after a very fun day in Iceland filled with amazing sites and stunning natural beauty,  there was a flight to take scheduled for 12:30 to Paris. Not perhaps ideal, but it gave me that wonderful day in Iceland, so I was not about to complain. 

The first flight aboard Icelandair had been awful. Never had a more actively uncomfortable flight. My tailbone started hurting almost literally as soon as my butt hit the seat. It felt somehow tighter and more closed in than most other flights,  and that is saying something. The worst,  though,  was the absence of any kind of a meal. No snacks, even. Nothing to eat. They came around for what they called "complimentary " drinks.  But the fact that they insisted by repeatedly pointing out that it was supposed to be complimentary kind of made it worse,  somehow. 

As if we had not paid for all of this with when we purchased the ticket.

It made the absence of a meal all the more glaringly apparent. Not that meals on flights are fine dining experiences. But on a long transatlantic flight with a duration of six hours,  you should expect to be able to eat something without paying exorbitant airline prices for a frankly mediocre meal.  A glorified TV dinner. 

Give me a break.

So after a full day in Iceland  - and going on maybe two hours of uncomfortable sleep- I was exhausted. And that actually worked in my favor this time, because I could barely stay awake waiting in the airport. By the time we boarded - and for once I was one of the first to board, which was highly unusual  - I was almost asleep,  passed out from exhaustion.  Woke up just for takeoff, when I took picture after noticing that it still was not full dark. Then promptly fell back asleep and did not wake up until maybe half an hour before landing. 

So it went from likely the most unpleasant flight to almost the other extreme. Never woke up when they handed us the drinks. But then I slept through what likely would have been a similarly crappy flight. 

Once we arrived in Paris, there was another problem. Despite another delay, albeit less extreme than the two hour delay at Newark,  we still landed earlier than expected. Originally, we were supposed to land at 6:15 in the morning. Instead, we somehow landed at 5:45 or so. 

Normally,  more time in Paris would be a delight,  an absolute blessing. But it was way too early to check into my hotel or even ask them to hold my luggage. Most hotel guests were still asleep!

So I decided to kill some time at the airport. The flight didn't have the option to recharge the phone,  because of course it didn't. Surprisingly, I couldn't find any at Charles De Gaulle, either. So I tried to write some posts and organize photos and such. Stuff I needed to do online, and the airport had the advantage of free WiFi. But my battery was running dangerously low afterwards. 

By maybe 8:30, after getting a light breakfast, I got tickets for the RER train to Paris. We reached the city by maybe 9:30 or so. Then I had to find my hotel. By 10 in the morning, I dropped off my luggage. Then it was time to visit Paris again. 

Now, I have been to Paris before. Many times,  actually. So I wanted to focus on places which I never quite got around to exploring before, or places which I have not visited in many years.  In some cases, not since childhood. 

One destination was close to the hotel. That would be the Pere Lachaise cemetery. So off I went. 

After that, I decided to try Sainte Chappelle. However, the line was incredible and it seemed like a safer bet to try something else. 

So I headed towards the Pantheon. That was another place which either I had never visited inside or, if I did, I was too young to remember or appreciate it. 

Here's the thing: I grew exhausted. Took some pictures of the St Michel Fountain, which was always one of my favorite spots to visit in Paris. But it was still mostly covered up for restoration. 

Then I stopped outside of the Place de Cluny,  another spot in Paris that I just don't remember visiting. So I found a shady spot and relaxed. 

At that point, it became clear to me that I was very low on energy. My legs were tired and generally,  I felt weak. It seemed like a good time to stop at a café and get a bit of sustenance and rest. 

As it turns out, the café that I picked proved to be perfect in both regards. 

I stayed and sat and pretty much did nothing for the better part of two hours. They were so relaxed about everything that I had to wave her down to get a refill for my drink. Just sitting at a sidewalk café and relaxing,  watching the world go by, instead of rushing around. This,  I realized, was part of the Paris experience as well. 

So I let it happen. 

Then something else happened: I began nodding off. Not outright falling asleep. At least I don't think so.  Just briefly closing my eyes and drifting away for brief moments at a time. Couldn't seem to stop myself. At one point, I awoke to a noise and found the waitress looking at me with a puzzled,  even possibly a worried,  look. I  was a bit embarrassed and ordered a refill. But my time there surely was growing short. After the drink, I paid the bill and left.

By then, it was maybe 3:30 in the afternoon. Time to check into the hotel. 

I returned,  going by the increasingly familiar metro. Got to the station (Nation) and knew by then exactly where to go.  Checked in without any issues,  and went to the room. 

Maybe I checked the television,  flipping around for something good. But I could feel the fatigue coming over me. And I let it. 

That was maybe between 5 to 5:30 or so. I woke up,  and it was fully nighttime by then. Around 11:30 or so. 

Now, I had set the alarm for three hours to allow a nap. Clearly, I needed more sleep than that. So again,  I mentally shrugged. No big deal. 

After that, I wrote for a bit. Felt myself growing tired by about one in the morning,  and slept again,  waking maybe around seven. 

Such was my first day in Paris for spring of 2026.