What a great last day. First and foremost it was a GORGEOUS day. We did have a scare because we called the airport car rental to confirm our reservation and they had never heard of us. We had to call the US and get it straightened out. Then we had to reserve our cab to the airport to get the car. That done we all headed out to do some last minute shopping at places we had seen before and wanted to return. I got 2 really cool French shirts with designs on them....not your typical US style. Wait Naples, here I come. Even Diana bought one with ice cream bars as a design.
For lunch we all decided to go to the Jewish area to get a falafalah (sp). We wanted to go on Sunday, but it was a Jewish holiday and it was very crowded, so today was more civil. It was really quite interesting with sides of bread, hummus and cucumber salad. That area is so lively and so many small shopping stores....it is a great area to walk around.
Our friends headed back to rest some more while D and I decided to go to the Mont Mart to see the famous church and the art experience. We took the metro and actually WALKED THE FAMOUS STEPS. The church and surrounding views were spectacular and what I like the most was the tacky souvenir places and the center square with about 50 or more artists working and showing their art. It was sooooo much fun. It was getting around 4:00 and so we took the funicular back down (saved our legs some) and took the metro back home....to rest and get ready for our big dinner. We made reservations at this really nice place in the center of the city, midpoint between all our friends' hotel and places. We met 2 sets of friends, one set from Naples and New York and the other set from Boston. One set was had just got in from London and the other from Israel. So we had lots to talk about. The dinner was everything we expected and more and seeing everyone and talking nonstop was great. After we took a taxi back home and we FINALLY got to see the Eiffel Tower lit up..........what an experience. So was the Opera House which was also spectacular. Back home to rest and tomorrow is a big big day. We have to get to the airport, get our car and head out to Normandy!!!!
One very important thing I must say before we actually leave Paris. One hears about and gets advice from friends about how rude and unfriendly the Parisians are. Well.....all we can say that for us it was farthest from the truth. Our visit has been absolutely spectacular. The people have been super friendly, polite, no anger, no rudeness, just nice smiles and also 99% of people we dealt with all spoke English!!!! EVERYWHERE, supermarkets, stores, on the street, in all the restaurants, in public places and even in the metro. Polite, courteous and really REALLY nice.
So off to Normandy.........and oh, the weather report is mid 70s and sunny for the next 5 or so days..............YAHOO!!!! If they are like today, the Normandy visit will be incredible.
Bon Soir!!!
Friday, September 20, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Day 6
Ahhhhh a day without rain!!!
Today was day 2 of museum pass. Our friends had other plans so D and I headed out after a nice home breakfast to the Eiffel Tower to get some close up and personal pics of the iconic tower. The weather was pretty nice but chilly and the metro was very easy. It seems that not many people use the metro....most people either walk or drive around the city. The sight was just unbelievable. It is soooo large and one can see it from almost every point in the city. What a fabulous idea for a symbol of one's city. We got some great shots and decided to walk across the street to see a beautiful carrousel and a stand that sold what we had been wanting for almost a week now.....crepes. I must say that I was still in control and ordered a jambon and fromage crepe....but Diana went over the edge and ordered a strawberry, chocolate and whipped cream crepe!!!! Guess who enjoyed HERS more. After a nice quiet lunch next to the river, we were off to the Rodin Museum. He is one of Diana's favorites and it is set in a gorgeous house and garden. I must admit that many in the garden were absolutely gorgeous and even better we had seen many of the plaster casts in the Musee Dorsey which was really neat. After a nice walk past the Invalid complex we rode our metro back to the Notre Dame station and tried to see the Notre Dame Chapel (not it real name) but the line was tooo long and it did not accept our fancy Paris Pass. So we skipped it and went on to the Pompeidu Museum......the modern museum of Paris. But WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. All the permanent exhibits were not there and only two were there.....a Lichtenstein exhibit which cost another large Euro cost which we just would not pay.....remember we were riding our Paris Pass. And to replace the permanent exhibits was a what I would call an ultra modern contemporary art exhibit. From the start we just were not impressed. There were many but just none impressed us at all. Remember now that we are really into contemporary art but this was just not our style. They were not impressive or even logical. So we had to really struggle through it.
Once done, we headed home.....it was about 4:30 by now. We of course had to stop for food and wine at our local store and headed home to meet our friends who had their own great day of mostly shopping.
We brought out the wine and cheese and compared notes on the day. WE all were so happy there was no rain, I think it was our first without any rain. We also compared pictures as we ate and drank.
We were all exhausted (it is getting tougher each day to get out there) and so decided to eat in tonight. Remember last night was a 200 Euro meal (did you look up cheval???). We had a really good salad from a huge lettuce head we bought with bread, and torttelini (sp) we popped in the microwave. Now they are watching the BBC news and finishing up the wine!!!!
Tomorrow we planned to go to Reims but will cancel because we have to be back for a big dinner with friends from Boston we are meeting. Also, we all wanted to rehash some steps for shopping and seeing if we can see places we missed or could not see because of the long lines. One bad thing is we do not have our wonderful Paris Pass anymore (it was for 2 days only).
One more thing........I was asking people why they think the people who swim in the river are crazy.......we were told that it was because they were....IN SEINE!!!!!!!!
Today was day 2 of museum pass. Our friends had other plans so D and I headed out after a nice home breakfast to the Eiffel Tower to get some close up and personal pics of the iconic tower. The weather was pretty nice but chilly and the metro was very easy. It seems that not many people use the metro....most people either walk or drive around the city. The sight was just unbelievable. It is soooo large and one can see it from almost every point in the city. What a fabulous idea for a symbol of one's city. We got some great shots and decided to walk across the street to see a beautiful carrousel and a stand that sold what we had been wanting for almost a week now.....crepes. I must say that I was still in control and ordered a jambon and fromage crepe....but Diana went over the edge and ordered a strawberry, chocolate and whipped cream crepe!!!! Guess who enjoyed HERS more. After a nice quiet lunch next to the river, we were off to the Rodin Museum. He is one of Diana's favorites and it is set in a gorgeous house and garden. I must admit that many in the garden were absolutely gorgeous and even better we had seen many of the plaster casts in the Musee Dorsey which was really neat. After a nice walk past the Invalid complex we rode our metro back to the Notre Dame station and tried to see the Notre Dame Chapel (not it real name) but the line was tooo long and it did not accept our fancy Paris Pass. So we skipped it and went on to the Pompeidu Museum......the modern museum of Paris. But WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. All the permanent exhibits were not there and only two were there.....a Lichtenstein exhibit which cost another large Euro cost which we just would not pay.....remember we were riding our Paris Pass. And to replace the permanent exhibits was a what I would call an ultra modern contemporary art exhibit. From the start we just were not impressed. There were many but just none impressed us at all. Remember now that we are really into contemporary art but this was just not our style. They were not impressive or even logical. So we had to really struggle through it.
Once done, we headed home.....it was about 4:30 by now. We of course had to stop for food and wine at our local store and headed home to meet our friends who had their own great day of mostly shopping.
We brought out the wine and cheese and compared notes on the day. WE all were so happy there was no rain, I think it was our first without any rain. We also compared pictures as we ate and drank.
We were all exhausted (it is getting tougher each day to get out there) and so decided to eat in tonight. Remember last night was a 200 Euro meal (did you look up cheval???). We had a really good salad from a huge lettuce head we bought with bread, and torttelini (sp) we popped in the microwave. Now they are watching the BBC news and finishing up the wine!!!!
Tomorrow we planned to go to Reims but will cancel because we have to be back for a big dinner with friends from Boston we are meeting. Also, we all wanted to rehash some steps for shopping and seeing if we can see places we missed or could not see because of the long lines. One bad thing is we do not have our wonderful Paris Pass anymore (it was for 2 days only).
One more thing........I was asking people why they think the people who swim in the river are crazy.......we were told that it was because they were....IN SEINE!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Day 5
Wow, it was a great day and a bad day.
Today was museum day. We had a 2-day pass which gave us a fast entrance and a discounted entrance to all the museums. We started with the Louvre. OMG what a crowd. Of course we cruised in but hit the wall right after entrance. There were literally thousands of people already there. It was hard just walking around. The crowd made India look like a deserted island. We really had only one objective, to see Mona. WE found her and even a bigger crowd. We could not even get close to her....but we did see and take a couple pictures of her. Then as we said, "lets get the f&^%k out of here. But we all agreed that the building and rooms were magnificent!!! Our next stop was the museum up the garden from the Lourve (forgot the name) and some Monets and really some great artisst who we had not heard of. Then off to the MO....or as they say Musee d'Orsey. It was around 1 when we got there so we went straight to the restaurant which was a gorgeous French traditionally designed room with huge mirrors and chandeliers...just fabulous. The menu its quite unique and we had to try all kinds of things. It was so neat sitting there overlooking the inside of the museum. After (we hated to leave) we headed for first the art deco area and then off to what the museum is all about....impressionism. Lots of Monets, Gaugon (sp) Renoirs, VAn Gogh and etc. The thing that hit me the most is to see so many iconic paintings IN THE FLESH, as they say. I have seen these paintings hundreds if not thousands of times over the years but never "up close and personal". It was just overpowering. Then to go and see SO MANY incredible impressionist paintings actually got overwhelming. Literally hundreds of them IN ONE PLACE. But we loved it. And the building, what can one say about the architecture of the old train station. JUST UNBELIEVEABLE!!!
By this time it was around 4:00 and we said, tooooo early to quit. So we decided to head out by metro to the ARch of Triumph. One interesting thing about the trip was that I can say that it was probably the longest metro station I have ever seen, we walked and walked and walked underground until finally we got to our destination.
The weather was changing rapidly....cold and very dark. We knew that rain was on its way. With our pass we got VIP treatment and off and up to the top of the arch for a bird's eye view of the city. It was absolutely spectacular views. I had been to Paris several times before but never to the top of the arch.....fabulous. Of course VIP up....and peasant....down. We had to walk down the windy, narrow steps. But it was worth every step.
Now a dilemma, do we take the metro back with all that walking or do we try the hop on/off bus that is free with the Paris Pass. Ah, lets try the bus. OMG what a mistake. The rains came and quite hard and here we are sitting in the top area of the sightseeing bus (the bottom area is filled full). With our rain coats on and my umbrella up, we are off SIGHTSEEING the city on the bus AT RUSH HOUR. Of course we are on the opposite side of the city and the bus goes 8 stops before it reaches our area. Wind, cold and lots of rain hit us, on and on....so we just started to laugh outloud at our situation. But, we did get to see the Eifel Tower at least 5 different views.....but in a rain storm!!!!!
Freezing and tired we finally reach our goal of Notre Dame stop and what.........we have no breakfast food for tomorrow....so after this we have to go food shopping. We did it and we got some really really good cheese and baguette for a quick rest and appitizers before we headed to dinner at really our first REAL French dinner restaurant. Our reservation was for 8:00 and we finally got home around 7:05. So, after a nice glass of wine and some cheese we were off to The Yellow Taxi for dinner. It was just down the street and on this "alley". A very small place and no English menu....and rarity so far here. The owner came out and helped us with the menu and the main reason we picked this particular place was what it served.....cheval. I ordered it. I will not tell you what it translates to in English....look it up. But it was deeeelicious. WE also had duck and lamb.....and lots of wine and OMG the desserts!!!! So I can add another new item" to my "did that" list. We all agreed that we want to go back if we have time.
We got home around 10:30 and everyone was ready for the big bed!!! So, it was quite a day indeed......lots and lots of art, really really great food and an experience that we will laugh about for years to come.
See you tomorrow......more museums tomorrow....especially the Pompidu (sp)!!!
Today was museum day. We had a 2-day pass which gave us a fast entrance and a discounted entrance to all the museums. We started with the Louvre. OMG what a crowd. Of course we cruised in but hit the wall right after entrance. There were literally thousands of people already there. It was hard just walking around. The crowd made India look like a deserted island. We really had only one objective, to see Mona. WE found her and even a bigger crowd. We could not even get close to her....but we did see and take a couple pictures of her. Then as we said, "lets get the f&^%k out of here. But we all agreed that the building and rooms were magnificent!!! Our next stop was the museum up the garden from the Lourve (forgot the name) and some Monets and really some great artisst who we had not heard of. Then off to the MO....or as they say Musee d'Orsey. It was around 1 when we got there so we went straight to the restaurant which was a gorgeous French traditionally designed room with huge mirrors and chandeliers...just fabulous. The menu its quite unique and we had to try all kinds of things. It was so neat sitting there overlooking the inside of the museum. After (we hated to leave) we headed for first the art deco area and then off to what the museum is all about....impressionism. Lots of Monets, Gaugon (sp) Renoirs, VAn Gogh and etc. The thing that hit me the most is to see so many iconic paintings IN THE FLESH, as they say. I have seen these paintings hundreds if not thousands of times over the years but never "up close and personal". It was just overpowering. Then to go and see SO MANY incredible impressionist paintings actually got overwhelming. Literally hundreds of them IN ONE PLACE. But we loved it. And the building, what can one say about the architecture of the old train station. JUST UNBELIEVEABLE!!!
By this time it was around 4:00 and we said, tooooo early to quit. So we decided to head out by metro to the ARch of Triumph. One interesting thing about the trip was that I can say that it was probably the longest metro station I have ever seen, we walked and walked and walked underground until finally we got to our destination.
The weather was changing rapidly....cold and very dark. We knew that rain was on its way. With our pass we got VIP treatment and off and up to the top of the arch for a bird's eye view of the city. It was absolutely spectacular views. I had been to Paris several times before but never to the top of the arch.....fabulous. Of course VIP up....and peasant....down. We had to walk down the windy, narrow steps. But it was worth every step.
Now a dilemma, do we take the metro back with all that walking or do we try the hop on/off bus that is free with the Paris Pass. Ah, lets try the bus. OMG what a mistake. The rains came and quite hard and here we are sitting in the top area of the sightseeing bus (the bottom area is filled full). With our rain coats on and my umbrella up, we are off SIGHTSEEING the city on the bus AT RUSH HOUR. Of course we are on the opposite side of the city and the bus goes 8 stops before it reaches our area. Wind, cold and lots of rain hit us, on and on....so we just started to laugh outloud at our situation. But, we did get to see the Eifel Tower at least 5 different views.....but in a rain storm!!!!!
Freezing and tired we finally reach our goal of Notre Dame stop and what.........we have no breakfast food for tomorrow....so after this we have to go food shopping. We did it and we got some really really good cheese and baguette for a quick rest and appitizers before we headed to dinner at really our first REAL French dinner restaurant. Our reservation was for 8:00 and we finally got home around 7:05. So, after a nice glass of wine and some cheese we were off to The Yellow Taxi for dinner. It was just down the street and on this "alley". A very small place and no English menu....and rarity so far here. The owner came out and helped us with the menu and the main reason we picked this particular place was what it served.....cheval. I ordered it. I will not tell you what it translates to in English....look it up. But it was deeeelicious. WE also had duck and lamb.....and lots of wine and OMG the desserts!!!! So I can add another new item" to my "did that" list. We all agreed that we want to go back if we have time.
We got home around 10:30 and everyone was ready for the big bed!!! So, it was quite a day indeed......lots and lots of art, really really great food and an experience that we will laugh about for years to come.
See you tomorrow......more museums tomorrow....especially the Pompidu (sp)!!!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Day 4
Well, I guess this is kind of my day!!!! I had two quite interesting and quite improbable experiences today. First, while we were in the metro station a young Asian girl approached me and asked in French if I could help her. I said I spoke only English and she asked....ME... to assist HER in getting a ticket in the ticket machine. I had just done that for our own and so I went ahead and helped her. But after I thought......she is asking ME to help her with getting a ticket in the Paris underground....my first time in like 30 years!!!! Quite an unusual experience. Then later in the restaurant for lunch I ordered a salad nicoise and the waitress said, your French is impeccable....the pronunciation is PERFECT. Well, let me tell you I was floating around for an hour after that!!! I have not spoken French since high school. So, yes, this was my day.
So, lets start by saying we shopped today....that is it. There is an area where there are several famous and really nice stores....lets simply say quite upscale. So the first FLOOR of Printemps store was huge but all they sold were hand bags.....women's purses. Thousands of them....at astronomical prices....then we found out that there were TWO COMPLETE FLOORS with only purses. It was truly incredible. Most sales people were Asian and 90% of the customers were Asian. There was every famous designer known on sale. It was really something. Then we hit the 3rd floor and the ENTIRE FLOOR was watches.....again, every upsale brand that one could imagine...with prices in the many thousands. Again, most cumstomers were Asian. So the Japanese and Chinese must be doing well. But the best one was as I walked along beside one watch counter was a cabinet of phones made by the watch company and one phone that I saw was...........$25,000!!!!! So, you all better trade in your 4S Iphone for this new model!!!!
WE checked out the women's floor and the men's departments and moved on to Lafayete another famous department store. They had 3 BUILDINGS....one for female items, one for men and one was for household items....and each one had like 6 floors. Before getting too far into it we stopped for lunch nearby at a crowded, noisy restaurant and had some great food. This time it was my salad nicoise that made me a French icon!!! Then back tto the store, first the female building, then the men's and finally the household items. WE all bought "something" for gifts or for ourselves, but the icing on the cake (literally) was the mezzanine, which was a huge floor with ONLY CANDY AND COOKIES. I was so overwhelmed by it that I had to take a picture. They did have a small wine shop but 95% was candy and/or cookies. It was incredible. And of course lots of gift ideas. Looking at the items gave me a perspective of an example of the idea that something being gourmet is totally relative. I saw a box of Kelloggs cereal that costs 12 Euros or about $15 a box!!! Of course this common cereal to us is quite a gourmet item in France where it is not available except for stores like this. Cool!!!
After in the late afternoon, we worked our way home stopping at knock off purse stores all along the street....all owned & operated by Chinese. They all were wholesalers but of course would "this time only" sell one or two purses. They really did look nice though, really quite nice. So back we are and now relaxing and awaiting doing dinner with some wine, figs and cheese. I guess I may wait until later to do a addendum to Day 4 if dinner is worth mentioning.
Tomorrow we are doing the first museum day and have to plan it well so we get our Paris Pass money's worth. But, I probably will "see" you later to explain dinner.
One more thing....the area around these department stores were just full of people buying....it was not just crowded but really overwhelmingly full of people....and most had fancy shopping bags under their arms!!!
So, lets start by saying we shopped today....that is it. There is an area where there are several famous and really nice stores....lets simply say quite upscale. So the first FLOOR of Printemps store was huge but all they sold were hand bags.....women's purses. Thousands of them....at astronomical prices....then we found out that there were TWO COMPLETE FLOORS with only purses. It was truly incredible. Most sales people were Asian and 90% of the customers were Asian. There was every famous designer known on sale. It was really something. Then we hit the 3rd floor and the ENTIRE FLOOR was watches.....again, every upsale brand that one could imagine...with prices in the many thousands. Again, most cumstomers were Asian. So the Japanese and Chinese must be doing well. But the best one was as I walked along beside one watch counter was a cabinet of phones made by the watch company and one phone that I saw was...........$25,000!!!!! So, you all better trade in your 4S Iphone for this new model!!!!
WE checked out the women's floor and the men's departments and moved on to Lafayete another famous department store. They had 3 BUILDINGS....one for female items, one for men and one was for household items....and each one had like 6 floors. Before getting too far into it we stopped for lunch nearby at a crowded, noisy restaurant and had some great food. This time it was my salad nicoise that made me a French icon!!! Then back tto the store, first the female building, then the men's and finally the household items. WE all bought "something" for gifts or for ourselves, but the icing on the cake (literally) was the mezzanine, which was a huge floor with ONLY CANDY AND COOKIES. I was so overwhelmed by it that I had to take a picture. They did have a small wine shop but 95% was candy and/or cookies. It was incredible. And of course lots of gift ideas. Looking at the items gave me a perspective of an example of the idea that something being gourmet is totally relative. I saw a box of Kelloggs cereal that costs 12 Euros or about $15 a box!!! Of course this common cereal to us is quite a gourmet item in France where it is not available except for stores like this. Cool!!!
After in the late afternoon, we worked our way home stopping at knock off purse stores all along the street....all owned & operated by Chinese. They all were wholesalers but of course would "this time only" sell one or two purses. They really did look nice though, really quite nice. So back we are and now relaxing and awaiting doing dinner with some wine, figs and cheese. I guess I may wait until later to do a addendum to Day 4 if dinner is worth mentioning.
Tomorrow we are doing the first museum day and have to plan it well so we get our Paris Pass money's worth. But, I probably will "see" you later to explain dinner.
One more thing....the area around these department stores were just full of people buying....it was not just crowded but really overwhelmingly full of people....and most had fancy shopping bags under their arms!!!
Day 3 and..........
Day 2 continued........
I forgot to mention that while we walked in the Bastille area, we came upon the largest market in Paris....on Sunday. A huge farm market with every kind of food one could imagine and of course it was very crowded. Of course I got lots of pictures of the colorful fruit and veggies and meats.
Now to Day 3.
It was really a true walking day yesterday. We started by walking to the tourist office to pick up our museum passes which gets us in the museums at a discount and without any ques. Of course it was quite out of the way for us in the northside of the city.
Then we all wanted to ride the Paris' version the ferris wheel which had always been down by the Louvre. So off we went downtown to the Lourve and of course when we arrived the wheel was no where in sight. We were told that it was taken away for the winter. But the Louvre was absolutely gorgeous. The sun shown on the pyramid and surroundings and the area was very crowded with tourists. As we had only a 2 day pass and once started it had to be used, we decided to take some pictures and wait until another day to do all the museums at once. So we were off to the Latin Quarter which is on the left bank. Oh, at the Lourve we got our first view of the grand lady....the Eifel Tower. No matter how many times one sees it, seeing it live is such a thrill. Even though we were still quite a ways away from it.
The Latin Quarter is really 2 separate areas. This is an area where all the big time high end shops are located and window shopping is a thrill, but also once off the main streets, there are gorgeous narrow streets and walkways with quaint shops and cafes all around. Here we stopped for lunch at a true French restaurant. Of course it was packed with workers and busy and loud. Their menu was varied and the choices were again quite French-like. No burgers here. I had the traditional jambon and fromage bagette and one friend had a beef baguette. While our other friend and Diana had gorgeous huge salads. And for dessert, again wonderful French desserts.
More walking along these wonderful quaint streets and window shopping stopping at the most unique stores to browse and even buy a couple of things. Finally working our way back to the Notre Dame and back home to rest and have some cheese and wine. After a couple hours of rest we were off again for dinner nearby (could not walk much after this day). WE chose a place called "Spice" which was absolutely wonderful. I could not pass up some escargot which was done in a great garlic sauce and D and I had a very unique curry ravioli. The unique side is that each ravioli was no more than a centimeter in size....really cool. Back home just in time to see the horrible news about DC Navy Yard and the good news about the Italian cruise ship. Bed felt really good this time. Funny though on the way home on our street which is a very narrow one lane street there was a huge party on one building with lots of people and music....really quite cool. We wished we were invited!!!
Some insight on Paris.
It is an absolutely gorgeous city. Very very clean with no high rise buildings. Seems there are apartments in every building and each one are the same size and very similar architecture. There are large streets and some that a car cannot fit in. The "rent a bike" system is really popular here and there are these stands and bikes everywhere. Similarly, there were very few people with their own bikes. The rent bikes are uniquely designed and stand out easily. Also, there are many 3 wheeled motor bikes here. Motor bikes that have 2 wheels in the front for a more stable ride. And also a large number of motor bikes with roofs....yes, a roll bar style that went over the top of the rider. Good for rain and safety.
Speaking of rain, there was a lot off and on all day but not enough to drive us inside. It would rain for 5 minutes and then sun, then rain then sun....very strange but not bad with our umbrellas. Also, Paris is an umbrella city.....That is simply all you see, no ponchos or coats...everyone just pops the umbrella and are all pros at walking the sidwalks with them.
Well, better go now....we off mainly to shop and see more of the city.
I forgot to mention that while we walked in the Bastille area, we came upon the largest market in Paris....on Sunday. A huge farm market with every kind of food one could imagine and of course it was very crowded. Of course I got lots of pictures of the colorful fruit and veggies and meats.
Now to Day 3.
It was really a true walking day yesterday. We started by walking to the tourist office to pick up our museum passes which gets us in the museums at a discount and without any ques. Of course it was quite out of the way for us in the northside of the city.
Then we all wanted to ride the Paris' version the ferris wheel which had always been down by the Louvre. So off we went downtown to the Lourve and of course when we arrived the wheel was no where in sight. We were told that it was taken away for the winter. But the Louvre was absolutely gorgeous. The sun shown on the pyramid and surroundings and the area was very crowded with tourists. As we had only a 2 day pass and once started it had to be used, we decided to take some pictures and wait until another day to do all the museums at once. So we were off to the Latin Quarter which is on the left bank. Oh, at the Lourve we got our first view of the grand lady....the Eifel Tower. No matter how many times one sees it, seeing it live is such a thrill. Even though we were still quite a ways away from it.
The Latin Quarter is really 2 separate areas. This is an area where all the big time high end shops are located and window shopping is a thrill, but also once off the main streets, there are gorgeous narrow streets and walkways with quaint shops and cafes all around. Here we stopped for lunch at a true French restaurant. Of course it was packed with workers and busy and loud. Their menu was varied and the choices were again quite French-like. No burgers here. I had the traditional jambon and fromage bagette and one friend had a beef baguette. While our other friend and Diana had gorgeous huge salads. And for dessert, again wonderful French desserts.
More walking along these wonderful quaint streets and window shopping stopping at the most unique stores to browse and even buy a couple of things. Finally working our way back to the Notre Dame and back home to rest and have some cheese and wine. After a couple hours of rest we were off again for dinner nearby (could not walk much after this day). WE chose a place called "Spice" which was absolutely wonderful. I could not pass up some escargot which was done in a great garlic sauce and D and I had a very unique curry ravioli. The unique side is that each ravioli was no more than a centimeter in size....really cool. Back home just in time to see the horrible news about DC Navy Yard and the good news about the Italian cruise ship. Bed felt really good this time. Funny though on the way home on our street which is a very narrow one lane street there was a huge party on one building with lots of people and music....really quite cool. We wished we were invited!!!
Some insight on Paris.
It is an absolutely gorgeous city. Very very clean with no high rise buildings. Seems there are apartments in every building and each one are the same size and very similar architecture. There are large streets and some that a car cannot fit in. The "rent a bike" system is really popular here and there are these stands and bikes everywhere. Similarly, there were very few people with their own bikes. The rent bikes are uniquely designed and stand out easily. Also, there are many 3 wheeled motor bikes here. Motor bikes that have 2 wheels in the front for a more stable ride. And also a large number of motor bikes with roofs....yes, a roll bar style that went over the top of the rider. Good for rain and safety.
Speaking of rain, there was a lot off and on all day but not enough to drive us inside. It would rain for 5 minutes and then sun, then rain then sun....very strange but not bad with our umbrellas. Also, Paris is an umbrella city.....That is simply all you see, no ponchos or coats...everyone just pops the umbrella and are all pros at walking the sidwalks with them.
Well, better go now....we off mainly to shop and see more of the city.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Day2 Paris
Well, a day 0with lots of sunshine. We decided today was "going east". We started working our way to the east side of the city, walking and admiring all the gorgeous neighborhoods. Being Sunday, we thought, "oh it's going to be quiet and not many crowds".....oh what a mistake. It seemed like half the city was out and about and enjoying the gorgeous sunny day. But before we left we had our first "continental breakfast". We did get a late start simply because we were all still suffering from jet lag. But off we went and there were families, couples, people of all kinds just enjoying that Sunday morning. WE tried the Picasso Museum but found out when we arrived that the building was closed for renovations until 2014!!!! So, off to more neighborhoods and streets, stopping for photo ops and finally stopping for a delicious lunch at a.....yes, a Spanish restaurant. We had tapas, paeja and beam fish. Then we worked our way south to Ils de St. Louis. It was WONDERFUL. This is a small island in the Seine River and one main street with all kinds of shops and restaurants and most of all.....ice cream shops. I can truly say the at least 50% of all the people on the streets had ice cream cones. There must have been 20 ice cream shops on the main street. Yep, of course we were also one of those 50%. This time pistachio. We worked our way to the end of the island and across the bridge to the Notre Dame island. But as we got across we came upon a huge band concert with at least 500 or more people watching. And another mob walking, sitting, and just enjoying the day. Bottom line, the city was just jammed with people....tourist, locals alike just enjoying this gorgeous day. We slowly worked our way home and stopped for some wine. We arrived home, relaxed and just could not get up again to go for dinner. So we improvised and found a package of sausage in the frig and some tomato sauce and after a couple bottles of wine we had a wonderful sausage/sauce dinner as we sat around the coffee table, talking and drinking wine. Now it is about 10:00 and believe it or not, they are watching Jimmy Fallon on TV. So tomorrow, we are working our way west......and hopefully south to the Latin Quarter on the left bank. As you can see we are really not so much interested in specific sites but more just to get the feel of the city and its people......and of course its food and wine. So, off to bed and I see more rain tomorrow.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
First day in Paris
Day 1
Well we made it!!!! N0 problems, no issues. It was funny because the trip from Phillie to Paris was only 6.5 hours, very quick. In fact we had time for only one movie and a hour or so sleep before we were ready to land. Weather horrible today....drizzle all day. But it certainly did not dampen our enthusiasm. We met our friends soon after landing and got our luggage. We arrived in perfect timing to go to the apartment we rented to meet our landlord and get all the needed info to live there our week. We dumped our luggage (they still had to have the place cleaned from the previous renters) and took off exploring our neighborhood and beyond. We found many more tourists than we ever expected for this time of year.
We visited Notre Dame and around that area, we stopped and had a wonderful lunch at a tiny restaurant where the waiter was also the chef!!! We walked all over and saw down on the river a small food fair. So we went there and found some incredible samples of meat, foi gras (sp), cheeses, wine and chocolate. So of course we had to buy some for our quick dinner this evening. We all decided that we would bring home some cheese, bagettes, and some meat and wine for dinner so we could all go to bed early. Remember we all got about 2 hours total sleep. We finally, around 4:00 got to see and move in our place. It was fabulous, just out of the story book of what a Paris city walk up would look like. Very small but very efficient. It was like an old "shotgun" house from New Orleans, with one long hallway and rooms off to one side. It had 2 bedrooms and 2 baths with showers. But the bad thing was it was 4 flights up......a very narrow, windy, circular staircase. And the street it was on (Rue de Chapon) was again out of a Paris story book. We unpacked, and sat around eating our wonderful bagettes and cheese and meat with some excellent wine and now at good old 6:00 PM we are all ready for bed. So by 7 will should all be out of it until morning.
Tomorrow the weather is perfect...sunny and mid 60s, perfect for touring. Tomorrow we plan on the Picasso museum and just walking around that area.....eating and drinking our way along. So far Paris has been absolutely wonderful......and for those who are always skeptics, we had 2 people who volunteered to help us when we were lost and when Diana got her bag caught in the metro gate. That is another story....nothing awful but we did need help. So Parisians are not as bad as many say they are. Also, we must get used to it......it is an expensive city. Oh oh.....we stopped for ice cream at a stand and it was INCREDIBLE. We got a caramel cone and it was so tasty we plan to visit the same place every day if possible. They have about 20 flavors!!! hehehehehehehhehhhahhahah
So good night all!!!
Well we made it!!!! N0 problems, no issues. It was funny because the trip from Phillie to Paris was only 6.5 hours, very quick. In fact we had time for only one movie and a hour or so sleep before we were ready to land. Weather horrible today....drizzle all day. But it certainly did not dampen our enthusiasm. We met our friends soon after landing and got our luggage. We arrived in perfect timing to go to the apartment we rented to meet our landlord and get all the needed info to live there our week. We dumped our luggage (they still had to have the place cleaned from the previous renters) and took off exploring our neighborhood and beyond. We found many more tourists than we ever expected for this time of year.
We visited Notre Dame and around that area, we stopped and had a wonderful lunch at a tiny restaurant where the waiter was also the chef!!! We walked all over and saw down on the river a small food fair. So we went there and found some incredible samples of meat, foi gras (sp), cheeses, wine and chocolate. So of course we had to buy some for our quick dinner this evening. We all decided that we would bring home some cheese, bagettes, and some meat and wine for dinner so we could all go to bed early. Remember we all got about 2 hours total sleep. We finally, around 4:00 got to see and move in our place. It was fabulous, just out of the story book of what a Paris city walk up would look like. Very small but very efficient. It was like an old "shotgun" house from New Orleans, with one long hallway and rooms off to one side. It had 2 bedrooms and 2 baths with showers. But the bad thing was it was 4 flights up......a very narrow, windy, circular staircase. And the street it was on (Rue de Chapon) was again out of a Paris story book. We unpacked, and sat around eating our wonderful bagettes and cheese and meat with some excellent wine and now at good old 6:00 PM we are all ready for bed. So by 7 will should all be out of it until morning.
Tomorrow the weather is perfect...sunny and mid 60s, perfect for touring. Tomorrow we plan on the Picasso museum and just walking around that area.....eating and drinking our way along. So far Paris has been absolutely wonderful......and for those who are always skeptics, we had 2 people who volunteered to help us when we were lost and when Diana got her bag caught in the metro gate. That is another story....nothing awful but we did need help. So Parisians are not as bad as many say they are. Also, we must get used to it......it is an expensive city. Oh oh.....we stopped for ice cream at a stand and it was INCREDIBLE. We got a caramel cone and it was so tasty we plan to visit the same place every day if possible. They have about 20 flavors!!! hehehehehehehhehhhahhahah
So good night all!!!
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