France 2010
Day 1 Thurs 9-9-10 apartment Ile de la Cite Paris
I have dreamed about going to France since 7th grade at age 12 when I started to learn all about France and the French language from Madame Marche. I continued to study French through high school, and for four years in college. So,I have been dreaming about a trip to Paris for about 37 years now, and finally for my 50th birthday here I am !!! We left Boston at 8:30 PM, arrived in Munich at 9:30 AM, then caught a flight at 10:30 AM that arrived in Paris about noontime. Luckily we flew first class, so there was plenty of libations and food, but it was still next to impossible to get any sleep even in the fully reclining chairs! We were met at the airport by our driver, then arrived around 12:30 PM at our rental apartment for two nights which was located on the Isle de la Cite, which is located on the Seine, one block away from Notre Dame Cathedral. I had originally planned our trip to leave on 9-12-10. Up until about a month before we left, Jon thought we were only going to France for about two weeks, so once he discovered we were actually coming for a much longer period, while in his surprised state of mind, I just tacked on a couple of extra days in Pairs. This is how we ended up at the apartment because the hotel I booked for our Paris stay, was full the two nights we arrived early. We arrived and checked in with the owner of the apartment, George, who also owned a restaurant the "Au Vieux Paris." Although we tried to pack light, we still managed to each have a large rolling duffel and one carry on, we are are talking about 50 pounds a piece, so it was still quite a bit to lug around. George led us though two huge wooded doors with a code on the door, through a courtyard, to another door with a code. We then went up 3 flights of winding stairs, finally to our room. Our room was actually a small apartment with 12 foot ceilings and big window that opened onto a courtyard. We got situated then headed out for about four hours to explore the Latin Quarter. We wandered around the street and alleys of the Latin Quarter, and toured through Notre Dame at 5:00 PM mass which was fabulous with the big pipe organ, a singer and service. The stained glass windows were breathtaking, and I loved the resonance of the pipes from the organ. We then went back to our apartment, freshened up and headed back out. We walked around Ile St - Louis, home of the famous Berthillon ice cream which I somehow managed not to partake in before dinner, and then over to the Latin Quarter for dinner. We ate at a cafe directly looking over the Seine at Notre Dame. Our first dinner consisted of half a loaf of bread cut in half lengthwise, smothered in about an inch of cheese, then toasted, accompanied by a pitcher of red wine – I know I am going to love this place ! We got back around 9:00 PM, and were both asleep before our heads hit the pillows.
Day 1 Thurs 9-9-10 apartment Ile de la Cite Paris
I have dreamed about going to France since 7th grade at age 12 when I started to learn all about France and the French language from Madame Marche. I continued to study French through high school, and for four years in college. So,I have been dreaming about a trip to Paris for about 37 years now, and finally for my 50th birthday here I am !!! We left Boston at 8:30 PM, arrived in Munich at 9:30 AM, then caught a flight at 10:30 AM that arrived in Paris about noontime. Luckily we flew first class, so there was plenty of libations and food, but it was still next to impossible to get any sleep even in the fully reclining chairs! We were met at the airport by our driver, then arrived around 12:30 PM at our rental apartment for two nights which was located on the Isle de la Cite, which is located on the Seine, one block away from Notre Dame Cathedral. I had originally planned our trip to leave on 9-12-10. Up until about a month before we left, Jon thought we were only going to France for about two weeks, so once he discovered we were actually coming for a much longer period, while in his surprised state of mind, I just tacked on a couple of extra days in Pairs. This is how we ended up at the apartment because the hotel I booked for our Paris stay, was full the two nights we arrived early. We arrived and checked in with the owner of the apartment, George, who also owned a restaurant the "Au Vieux Paris." Although we tried to pack light, we still managed to each have a large rolling duffel and one carry on, we are are talking about 50 pounds a piece, so it was still quite a bit to lug around. George led us though two huge wooded doors with a code on the door, through a courtyard, to another door with a code. We then went up 3 flights of winding stairs, finally to our room. Our room was actually a small apartment with 12 foot ceilings and big window that opened onto a courtyard. We got situated then headed out for about four hours to explore the Latin Quarter. We wandered around the street and alleys of the Latin Quarter, and toured through Notre Dame at 5:00 PM mass which was fabulous with the big pipe organ, a singer and service. The stained glass windows were breathtaking, and I loved the resonance of the pipes from the organ. We then went back to our apartment, freshened up and headed back out. We walked around Ile St - Louis, home of the famous Berthillon ice cream which I somehow managed not to partake in before dinner, and then over to the Latin Quarter for dinner. We ate at a cafe directly looking over the Seine at Notre Dame. Our first dinner consisted of half a loaf of bread cut in half lengthwise, smothered in about an inch of cheese, then toasted, accompanied by a pitcher of red wine – I know I am going to love this place ! We got back around 9:00 PM, and were both asleep before our heads hit the pillows.
A tres jolie Jon - popcorn ala Paris
Latin Quarter
Metro in the Latin Quarter
Notre Dame 5:00 PM
Notre Dame at 9:00 PM
Notre Dame from the Seine
Entrance archway to Notre Dame
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
Amazing Stained glass at Notre Dame
Cafe below the apartment we stayed at
Fri. 9-9-10 Ile de la Cite Paris We did not wake up till 10:00 AM, but by the time we got rolling it was 11:00, so we started at a cafe on the right bank for cafe au lait, and for a wake up period. We then mosied down the right bank toward the Eiffel tower. We took several hours walking, marveling at all of the architecture, and browsing all of the book stalls which line the bank of the Seine river. As we walked we passed the Louvre which is the size of small city ! We approached the Eiffel tower, and bit by bit, it began to reveal more of itself. We continued on pass beautiful bridges, and enjoyed watching all of the barges both transiting, and tied up and rafting along the banks of the river. We talked about how fun it would be to stay on one of the barges tied up on the bank. We fell in love with the Alexander bridge. Just beautiful and extremely ornate. We kept making our way toward the Eiffel tower seeing more and more as we approached, until finally, we could see the entire spectacular sight. I just stared at it, then wept - it was amazing for me, all of those years, then voila, finally there was the Eiffel tower - tears of joy !! We needed to get back to meet Dick and Dorothy who were arriving, so we walked back to the hotel they were staying at, and met them around 4:00 PM. Dick and Dorothy are out friends from Alabama that we met a few years back while traipsing through the Copper Canyon in Mexico. We had walked about 7 miles, so we all sat at a cafe to rest and catch up over some wine and cheese and bread. I know we walked seven miles because Jon brought his trusty pedometer with him, very much to my chagrin! After we re-charged, we then took the metro to the Louvre because it was open late on Friday nights. We did all of the major things we wanted to see, The Winged Victory statue, Mona Lisa, The Wedding Feast, and Venus De Milo. We toured the Egyptian section, then called it a night for the museum. One could easily spend a week at the Louvre, and still not see everything. We walked back along the Seine, and ate dinner at a cafe back at the Latin Quarter, then planned to meet the next morning to head to Versaille for the day. According to Jon's pedometer we logged 22,000 steps - now this was a big walking day, I don’t care how much time I spent at the gym this summer – I think I am going to pay for this tomorrow AM when I get up. Above all, it is a day I will never ever forget - a life time dream come true for me ..........
Our first morning, off to see the Eiffel Tower
Typical book stall on the banks of the Seine
Walking by the outside of the Louvre
We are getting closer
One beautiful bridge after another
Barges tied up on the bank of the Seine
More barges rafted up
Some complete with cars
morning game on boules - lawn bowling
The Eiffel tower in the palm of my hand
the Eiffel tower behind the Alexander bridge
I was overwhelmed with tears of joy when I was first able to see the entire Eiffel Tower !
Voila - the Eiffel Tower !
Pont Alexander from the left bank
Louvre courtyard
Louvre courtyard
A master piece - the Mona Lisa
Only Jon - the backside of Venus De Milo
Hotel D'Albe” Paris We were up early, and lugged all of our luggage over to our new hotel, the hotel D'Albe which is right smack dab in the heart of the Latin quarter. Many will say that this area is very touristy, and they are 100 % right. For us it is perfect, near all of the sights and a brief stroll to any type of transportation we need. Our room is small, but the whole hotel has just been renovated so everything is in perfect condition. We have a floor to ceiling window with a balcony, and I can see the Seine right out my window. We met Dick and Dorothy and then headed out. All started well, but then we realized along with a small group of people that we all had taken the wrong train to Versaille. We had to head back, change to another train, then we finally arrived at 11:00, just in time to see the fountains that only run twice a day on the weekends. So much for arriving when they opened at 9:00 AM ! We were actually underwhelmed by the fountains, so we found a restaurant and had a coffee and baguette. We headed off again, and toured one of the buildings, the Grand Trianon. We realized it was then already 12:30, and we had only toured one building, so we caught a train trolley, and headed to the main palace. We along with 1,000,000,000 people toured through the palace, it was mobbed, hot, and overwhelming, but really, can you say BLING ? We then left around 3:00 PM and took the train back to the city. We were glad we went to Versaille, it was over the top, which is why the people stormed it in the first place, but ol’ Louis and Antoinette had quite the life style ! Once back in the city, we regrouped, then headed out for wine then dinner, in that order, in the Latin Quarter again !
Dorothy and Dick on train to Versaille
Trying to figure out what train to get back on to get to Versaille
the hall of mirrors
Gold mural painted ceilings
Gardens at Versaille
Pipe organ
Lavender garden
The dancing fountains
The front yard and green of Versaille
Fountain statue
Latin Quarter by night
Accordian player
Latin Quarter at night
Us
Dorothy, Dick and Jon
Jon shopping for sweets for Susan
Jon hat shopping
Day 4 Sun. 9-11-10 “Hotel D'Albe” Paris
Today we began our hop on, hop off - hoho, part of the trip. This consisted of tour buses that had four different narrated routes around the city which enabled us to get off and on a bus at any point. It also included a fleet of boats that went up and down the Seine that you also could get off and on. We took the green line bus first which was the Paris grand tour. The green route covered all of the major sites including Notre Dame, the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Les Jardin des Tuilleries, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, La Madeleine, Trocadero, Eiffel Tower and Hotel des Invalides. We then transferred to the yellow line which is the Montmatre - Grand Boulevards route which covered the Opera Granier, Place de la Republique, and Sacre Coeur. We toured by the “red light” district complete with all of the “sex” stores and cabarets which included Moulin Rouge. We never made it to a cabaret because we could not stay awake that late at night! We took the St Pierre funicular to the top to see Sacre Couer which provided us with a fantastic view of Paris. This is also the kind of artsy/bohemian section of Paris. We were entertained by various street performers, and then hit a café for more wine and pizza. We then split up with Dick and Dorothy and Jon and I made a beeline for the Rodin museum, making it just in time before it closed. Luckily we had purchased a museum pass when we arrived, because the ticket gate was closed, and if we had not had the pass, we would not have been permitted to enter. We saw the statue of the Embrace (one of my favorites), The Man With the Broken Nose, Hell's Gates and The Thinker. We then strolled through some parks watching all of the families out on a beautiful Sunday, flying kites, playing soccer, picnicing etc.... We then hopped on the boat, and cruised back down the Seine to our hotel. We got back, regrouped, met up with Dick and Dorothy, then headed back out for more wine and dinner at a great Greek cafe. The Latin Quarter’s narrow streets are lined with restaurants of every ethnic variety, so the choices are endless. We learned pretty quickly that ordering a pichet (jug) of house red wine, was the way to go, as well as ordering the plat de jour which often times would be a special that included three courses. It is of course, much more food than we need or usually eat, but hey, we are in Paris, Jon is tracking every step on his pedometer - so why not ?! We ended our night at another cafe for more wine, and watched a clown approach unsuspecting passerbys, and engage in various interactions like stalking behind them, grabbing their ankles and barking, replacing a man's arm around a girl with his own, kissing girls, he was soooo funny !
Today we began our hop on, hop off - hoho, part of the trip. This consisted of tour buses that had four different narrated routes around the city which enabled us to get off and on a bus at any point. It also included a fleet of boats that went up and down the Seine that you also could get off and on. We took the green line bus first which was the Paris grand tour. The green route covered all of the major sites including Notre Dame, the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Les Jardin des Tuilleries, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, La Madeleine, Trocadero, Eiffel Tower and Hotel des Invalides. We then transferred to the yellow line which is the Montmatre - Grand Boulevards route which covered the Opera Granier, Place de la Republique, and Sacre Coeur. We toured by the “red light” district complete with all of the “sex” stores and cabarets which included Moulin Rouge. We never made it to a cabaret because we could not stay awake that late at night! We took the St Pierre funicular to the top to see Sacre Couer which provided us with a fantastic view of Paris. This is also the kind of artsy/bohemian section of Paris. We were entertained by various street performers, and then hit a café for more wine and pizza. We then split up with Dick and Dorothy and Jon and I made a beeline for the Rodin museum, making it just in time before it closed. Luckily we had purchased a museum pass when we arrived, because the ticket gate was closed, and if we had not had the pass, we would not have been permitted to enter. We saw the statue of the Embrace (one of my favorites), The Man With the Broken Nose, Hell's Gates and The Thinker. We then strolled through some parks watching all of the families out on a beautiful Sunday, flying kites, playing soccer, picnicing etc.... We then hopped on the boat, and cruised back down the Seine to our hotel. We got back, regrouped, met up with Dick and Dorothy, then headed back out for more wine and dinner at a great Greek cafe. The Latin Quarter’s narrow streets are lined with restaurants of every ethnic variety, so the choices are endless. We learned pretty quickly that ordering a pichet (jug) of house red wine, was the way to go, as well as ordering the plat de jour which often times would be a special that included three courses. It is of course, much more food than we need or usually eat, but hey, we are in Paris, Jon is tracking every step on his pedometer - so why not ?! We ended our night at another cafe for more wine, and watched a clown approach unsuspecting passerbys, and engage in various interactions like stalking behind them, grabbing their ankles and barking, replacing a man's arm around a girl with his own, kissing girls, he was soooo funny !
On our balcony at Hotel D'Albe with Seine in the background
Susan's favorite place - a bakery !
Jon on the Ho Ho
the Arc de Triomphe
Sunday at the park
Rodin's - Hell's Gates
Rodin's "Thinker" and Blake's "The Clueless"
Our version of Rodin's "The Kiss"
Typical market
Sacre Couer
Entertainer on the steps of Scare Couer
View over the city from Sacre Couer
Another entertaining entertainer
The funicular at Sacre Couer
The red light district
Moulin Rouge
A homeless woman with kitties and puppies
Dorothy with her new friend
The mime with another unsuspecting victim
Susan and the mime
Dorothy, Dick, Jon and friend
Day 5, Monday 9-13-10 “Hotel D'Albe” Paris
We were up early and the took the train to be the first in line to go to the top of the Eiffel tower. The structure up and close is truly remarkable, and I adored very inch of our ascent to the top which is reached by two different elevators. Once at the top, the views went on forever. It should be noted at this point, we have already over 1,000 pictures, and I think 500 of my mine have been of the Eiffel Tower ! We got separated from Dick and Dorothy, so while waiting for them seated on a bench at the base of the Eiffel Tower, I was entertained by all of the hawkers, that would scatter like a flock of seagulls every time a police officer on a bicycle would chase them. We then took the boat back to the hotel, and jumped on the hoho orange line bus which was the Montparnasse - Saint Germain route. This route included the Sorbonne, the Pantheon, Jardin au Luxembourg, Montparnasse Tower, and St Germain Blvd. We grabbed a Gyro and wine for lunch, then headed off to the Blue line hoho which was the Bastille - Bercy route. This route covered the Bastille, the Canals du Martin, Ile St Louis, France’s National Library, Parc de Bercy, Le Marais, and Place Des Vosges. We then went back to the hotel, and packed up for our departure. The the last remaining thing that was on my bucket list for Paris: Sit on the Rive Gauche, drink Rouge Vin and eat pain avec frommage. So, we marketed, got our cheese, bread and wine, and off we went to the Left bank. We found the perfect spot on a bench next to the Seine, and greeted everyone who walked by, and waved to all the tourist boats - again we were easily amused, but we really had fun. We then went and ate dinner on the Isle de Cite, and ended our last night in Paris with an illuminations cruise on the Seine. The city and night with all of the lights was beyond imagination, and the cruise was topped off by 100 more pictures of the Eiffel tower.
We were up early and the took the train to be the first in line to go to the top of the Eiffel tower. The structure up and close is truly remarkable, and I adored very inch of our ascent to the top which is reached by two different elevators. Once at the top, the views went on forever. It should be noted at this point, we have already over 1,000 pictures, and I think 500 of my mine have been of the Eiffel Tower ! We got separated from Dick and Dorothy, so while waiting for them seated on a bench at the base of the Eiffel Tower, I was entertained by all of the hawkers, that would scatter like a flock of seagulls every time a police officer on a bicycle would chase them. We then took the boat back to the hotel, and jumped on the hoho orange line bus which was the Montparnasse - Saint Germain route. This route included the Sorbonne, the Pantheon, Jardin au Luxembourg, Montparnasse Tower, and St Germain Blvd. We grabbed a Gyro and wine for lunch, then headed off to the Blue line hoho which was the Bastille - Bercy route. This route covered the Bastille, the Canals du Martin, Ile St Louis, France’s National Library, Parc de Bercy, Le Marais, and Place Des Vosges. We then went back to the hotel, and packed up for our departure. The the last remaining thing that was on my bucket list for Paris: Sit on the Rive Gauche, drink Rouge Vin and eat pain avec frommage. So, we marketed, got our cheese, bread and wine, and off we went to the Left bank. We found the perfect spot on a bench next to the Seine, and greeted everyone who walked by, and waved to all the tourist boats - again we were easily amused, but we really had fun. We then went and ate dinner on the Isle de Cite, and ended our last night in Paris with an illuminations cruise on the Seine. The city and night with all of the lights was beyond imagination, and the cruise was topped off by 100 more pictures of the Eiffel tower.
At the Eiffel Tower
View from the top of the Eiffel Tower
View of the Seine from the top of the Eiffel tower
View of the Arc de Triomphe from the top of the Eiffel Tower
Looking down at the structure of the Eiffel Tower
Looking up
Jon and Dick plugged in
The Ho Ho boat
Finally, Vin Rouge, Le pain, Le frommage and the left bank !
Wine and snacks on the bank of the Seine
Us - last dinner in Paris
Jon, Susan, Dick and Dorothy - night Seine River cruise
The Eiffel Tower view from the Illuminations Cruise
Hotel D'Albe at night