Yesterday afternoon we handed back the car/van rental which I struggled to get the return address out of my hire company I used. I used LDN Hire which I eventually found out is an agency for Budget and Avis at half the price. I paid 1200 GBP and Avis was 2500 for the same vehicle so try figure that one out which is absolutely crazy.
I took a photo of the gauges because I trust no one these days and after being given a 1/4 tank originally they got back half a tank. Every time I have used a car hire I have received a full tank and returned a full tank in order to avoid extra service charges. This is how this works and why I have kept proof so I do not get screwed plus I made them make a note of this.
Last night we flew into Paris after completing the UK part of our trip and now we can get to try and relax. The airport shuttle driver must have been worried when he saw how many bags we had and we spent a good 30 minutes trying to make it all fit. The Mercedes Vito is that much smaller than the Ford Tourney we had hired. We checked into the hotel after midnight and luckily down the road was a KFC still open that closes at 1am in order to grab a quick snack.
What was noticeable on arrival is the police presence everywhere in preparation for the Olympics which starts next week. Most roads leading to the Seine River have been cordoned off as this will be where the Olympic Rowing event will be taking place.
As you can see from the above photograph the tourist sightseeing boats have been replaced with upmarket food venues for the Olympic rowing event. They have placed temporary stands across the bridges with most of them now closed to traffic. This was a 15 minute walk from our hotel this morning and we had to change plans knowing the boats have been stopped.
I am generally a foodie type tourist and will try any food at least once. This market stall was virtually directly outside our hotel this morning and we bought a selection of goodies to try whilst walking. The black thing in the front is a cheese centered type bread and you don't eat the burnt part. Don't ask me what it tastes like as I do not eat cheese and is the only food I do not eat.
Today the plan is to take it easy and get our bearings before we start exploring. The hotel we are staying at is rather small and instead of fitting us into 3 rooms they have given us the entire floor which consists of 4 bedrooms. I had an open mind not knowing what to expect as brochures do lie and this is not the Ritz and is a 2 star hotel n the center pf Paris. I will sneak a picture of the lift later on as it literally takes 1 suitcase.