We reached Paris at 8:00pm via the Euro rail on the 24th of May 2010 which was a Monday. (It is a good idea to book a taxi from the Grande Nord Station to the destination in Paris in advance i.e. before reaching Paris); I made reservation from UK beforehand. G7 is the largest and reliable taxi service in Paris. There contact number is 00 33 1 47390091 and their website is http://www.taxis-g7.com. Make sure to decide on a price (which should be not more that 45 Euros, depending on how far the place is and exact meeting place and coordinating time as in my case I forgot to do that hence we were unable to locate our taxi, therefore had to get go on this taxi van which the driver stated as limousine thus charging us a 100 Euros, which was the worst. But after that experience we were pretty much smart when it came to dealing with taxis. But do remember the Metro (trains), public buses are all accessible, please check out the bus and train maps at http://parisbytrain.com/map-paris-wheelchair-reduced-mobility-accessibility-metro-rer-bus-tram,) if one has done their homework on travelling in Paris via metro and bus, it is dead cheap, convenient as it goes everywhere in Paris and metro is fast so one gets to places without facing traffic unlike using buses and taxis.
Anyway, our hotel was in La Défense the major business district in Paris known as the Renaissance Paris La Defense Hotel which is a bit far away from the main town centre but as it is a newly developed business area its fully wheelchair accessible. Although being a modern development but still the skyline is like a sketch on canvas. The district is at the western edge of Paris' historical area, which begins at the Louvre in Central Paris and continues along the Champs-Élysées, well beyond the Arc de Triomphe before concluding at La Défense. It consists of many beautifully designed skyscrapers including a Grande Arche de la Défens which was built in 1982 and completed in 1989, the arch holds may business offices and is a breathtaking monument. It is an extreme contemporary work of art and magnificently stands itself in the centre of a busy city district. It also has a big shopping centre know as Les Quatre Temps, it’s really big and has many shops, restaurants, fast food kiosks and ice cream parlours. It’s a typical shopping area where shopaholics can enjoy a whole day. La Defense is easily accessible as they have a huge promenade and below are the bus and metro station which all have lifts to go downstairs.
After reaching our hotel and settling down our luggage we went out for a stroll outside. As it was summer the days were long, and the nights were warm, we were a bit peckish, hence went out to browse the area around and also buy something to eat. Well outside it was beautiful, we all took loads of pictures, and had Mc Donald’s, which was easy and quick and all of us were dead tired. All rights reserved. nadiahmed@excite.com +44 (0)789 6250265
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