A working day in Paris - Day 2

Expensive breakfast:
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I wake up around 5.30 in the morning and started getting ready for work. As I normally do in american hotels, I walk down to the lobby for a free continental breakfast only to find that they do not offer anything for free here in Paris. But unfortunately I found this out after I had my breakfast and was charged 14 euros(thats about $20). I found that ridiculously expensive. But I did learn a lesson. I come back to my room, pack my laptop and head off to the metro station.
Paris Metro rail:
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It took me 12 minutes walking to the Les Sablons metro station. I was told by a friend of mine to ask for a "carnet" at the ticket counter which contains a pack of 10 tickets costing 10.5 euros. I did the same and the lady at the counter was very happy to receive exact change for the tickets and she handed over 10 tickets. As I got to the platform, I was susprised to see a clock that counts down the exact time to the second when the next metro will approach the station. The frequency was one metro a minute. It was a short 7 minute ride to the "Grande Arche La Defense" station where I get off to get to my work place. The ride was noisy but quick. It was a new experience and I liked it.
Grande Arche La Defense:
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As I get out of the underground metro station, I find myself amidst towering skyscrapers in every direction. It was a sight to see. This is supposed to be the business district of Paris called "Grande Arche La Defense". My office was in a building called Tour Areva which was right next to the subway exit. So I walk in and check in at the reception, get a badge and go up to the office on the 40th floor. First time in my life I will be working anywhere above the 3rd floor of a building.
I get to work around 8.30 and I find myself to be one of the first comers in the building other than the receptionist. So I wait for a while before my contact person comes in around 9AM. I then learnt that people in Paris come to work only around 9.30 and that he was early to work that day. It sounded odd to me who is used to going to work at 6AM in the morning.
Pathetic lunch:
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I get myself settled at work and when it was time for lunch, we ventured out to lunch to a nearby sit-down restaurant. I was glad that I took my french speaking colleague with me since I could not have eaten anything if not for him. Me being a vegetarian, I could not find a single vegetarian item in the menu. So I had to choose an item and have them remove the meat from it so that it becomes edible for me. I had to ask my french colleague explain it to them. He was really helpful in explaining it to them. The lunch was ok. Nothing to call home about.
Grocery shopping:
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Since there was no free breakfast at the hotel, I had to fend for myself. So I thought I would go do some grocery shopping for some breakfast items and snacks. Got directions from the lobby to the closest grocery store which was about a kilometer away. The shopping experience was very similar to a convenience store shopping in the US. Carried the stuff back to my room. It was a good workout for that day.
Dinner:
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I still had packets of poori and pickles that my wife had packed for me. So had that for dinner with some carrots, fruits and yogurt. It was a sumptous dinner. Then had a long telephonic chat with my family reliving the experience in Paris and dozed off to sleep around 10PM.