P- P- P- Paris!!

We made it to our first stop safe and sound and with pretty much the most minimal hassle ever. It must be the little voodoo statue from Benin that I brought with me. I loved the Orly airport - fastest time through customs ever.

The flight(s) were very tiring between leaving Ouagadougou at 00h30, stopping an hour later in Niamey, stopping for a short layover (that we ran through) in Casablanca at 6h30, then arriving in Paris at 12h15 and at my cousin Nico's apartment after some trains and metros at around 14h20.

A total of ~13 hours of travel (w/time zone change) to traverse around 7,000km is pretty good!

We are tired, though:

I'm so happy to be staying here in my cousin's place and getting to hang out with him [well...he's not home from work yet, actually...but soon] and with my aunt Jill who came from Strasbourg to see us!! Plus, Nico's apartment is right around the corner from Moulin Rouge (ooh la la!) and is on the 7th floor such that on one side you can see la Tour Eiffel while on the other you can see the hill up to the peak of Montmartre...it's pretty spectacular (more photos to come). 

Last thing, we ate our first Parisian meal; and let me tell you - it was fancy:

Just kidding. Some street food on the way 'cause we were starving. But street food in Paris means a chicken/cheese panini, prosciutto sandwich, and cherry cokes. So, we're happy.

Looking forward to some good home cooking with Jill and Nico tonight and maybe a foray into the neighborhood and/or on to the rooftop of this lovely apartment building...