I%26#39;d posted photos here before, I%26#39;d then been asked by a few people if I had a trip report. So I started with London, and Mont St. Michel, and finally have my Paris report done! I hope it%26#39;s not too boring, but I always love going there. The photos are at www.neesie.org, but somewhat out of order as I%26#39;d forgotten which day was what when I did them! Paris is one, big, beautiful blur! :) With the photos, they start with England, and then to Mont St. Michel/Normandy/Dinard, and then Paris - Paris should be around page 6 or so.
Day 8
Back to Paris!
We left Mont St. Michel and (after stopping for some sheep on the way out of the parking lot), we were on our way to Paris! The trip was mostly uneventful, except for the Peripherique around Paris - last year it wasn’t so bad, this year it was terrible both ways (worse on the way back, I ended up with a major ab workout while sucking my gut in and out!) Plus, it took a while to figure out where Hertz was - but eventually, we made it (with no damage to the vehicle!) No more getting a car in Paris, we’ll take a train further out first. :)
It took a bit to figure out where to get the Roissybus, but finally we found it. The Carte Orange we’d bought before leaving for Mont St. Michel covered the bus (which was normally about $10.00) - and got us to L’Opera, where we picked up the metro to Port Doree.
We were staying at the Hotel de la Port Doree - which I LOVED! The neighborhood was lovely, lively, and they had a wondrerful Patisserie across the street. There was a restaurant we discovered a couple of days later called the Villa Romana, as well as a McDonalds (for Steve) and several grocery stores - Monoprix, Franprix, and Ed for me (I love grocery shopping in Europe, as I mentioned in my London posts). We had stopped at the Quick, but had an issue with a cashier that we couldn’t solve (we lost a few Euros) and ended up giving up after talking with someone who was above her. Never to the Quick again! But everyplace else was wonderful. There is a park nearby - Bois de Vincennes, which is great! If you are looking for a place to jog in Paris, this is the place. They also have canoe rentals and such, it’s really a great park!
We checked in, got our room - which was a lovely, queen bedded room with a small terrace (we paid a little under $100 US for it). The bathroom was sparkling, and the room also very clean. I would definitely stay here next time!
We headed to Fat Tires Bike Tours to check out the office (use the internet, etc.). We were planning to do the Monet Bike Tour a couple of days later and wanted to make sure we had a handle on where we were to go as well.
The Fat Tires shop is close to the Eiffel Tower - and I wasn’t sure how far that was from the d’Orsay by foot. We were pretty tired, but asked as far as walking - and a girl at Fat Tires who I assume was fairly new said “oh, you can walk it - in 25 minutes, or if you REALLY book it, 20”.
Well, we learned our lesson on that one. About an hour later, we dragged our fatigued bodies into the d’Orsay. :) We got our Museum Passes, and spent an hour or so there. Whistlers Mother was in Chicago, but I love the Van Goghs, Monets, and other impressionist work. This is my favorite museum in Paris thus far.
I was too tired to stay longer - but it was nice seeing the museum during the evening hours, when it wasn’t as busy as when we were there last year.
Day 9
Paris
I went to the Patisserie across the street for a pastry - yummy! and the Monoprix for something to drink, as well as some fruit for the day.
I ran down to the park to exercise - If you do go to Boise de Vincennes, you need to watch out in the morning. If you are walking, you are in the minority - so I had to keep moving out of everyones way when not jogging. :) I did go to the park 3 or 4 mornings, and plan to explore it more the next time (it is HUGE - I read it was about 4 times the size of Hyde Park).
Today I really, really wanted to get to Bertillon. It was one of those things we didn’t do last year that I’d been looking forward to. We got off the metro at a stop close to Notre Dame (which was very busy, we’d been planning to try the stair climb this year but didn’t). I hadn’t realized how close Bertillon was to Notre Dame - it is the best ice cream ever! It is expensive, but the chocolate (and white chocolate especially) are amazing.
We then burned a few calories hoofing it to the Louvre. It was a busy day, we didn’t even bother with the Mona Lisa, I’ve seen it twice before and expect to see it again. My favorite part of the museum so far I think is the Medievel Louvre - it is a canaverous area that is part of the original Louvre. It’s just incredibly interesting to me. Another part of the museum had paintings of the Louvre from when it was a palace. That was pretty neat too - seeing how some (many?) of the exhibits were around then, not in a museum but in a place where someone lived. We were only there an hour or two - for some reason, the Louvre is hard on my feet. I don’t have that problem anywhere else, but I think I need something more cushioned for the museum next time!
We headed over to Invalides/Napoleans Tomb. I thought that it would be a small structure - but it’s so full of artifacts from various times (wars) and was really quite interesting. Seeing the place that Napolean is laid was also quite an experience. It is on the museum pass, I definitely recommend a visit. We missed the exhibit with the more recent displays, so that is also a must-do for next time. It is also near the Rue Cler, but Steve’s feet needed a rest, so we headed back to the hotel. The Rue Cler is very famous for being “truly Parisian”, though it is now also known as the “Rue Rick Steves”. :) I’d like to see it sometime - maybe it will be on the “ long list of things to do next time!”
We were planning on doing Altitude 95 for dinner, but neither of us were up for it. I got dressed up anyway, and we walked a few doors down from the hotel for what became our favorite Parisian restaurant - Villa Romana! I know some French, but they came over to us with English menus, and the owner knew we were American and even brought Steve some ice in his glass (which wasn’t asked for). They really treated us well each time we were there, and the food was great. It didn’t take hours for dinner, we were in and out of there each time (without rushing) within an hour. That first night, we were sitting at a table next to a magistrate from another area - he has to come to Paris a couple of times a week, and he was very friendly - very boisterous. We had a really fun time talking with him.
Day 10
Paris, Monets Gardens with Fat Tires
We met at the Gare Saint Lazare train station to meet up with the Fat Tires group - I’d chosen this tour over the Versailles tour due the Versailles construction (I plan to go back next year when the Hall of Mirrors is open again).
After everyone met, we caught the train to Vernon. We were there in a little less than an hour. Our tour guide was Stacy, who was terrific. Once in Vernon, we picked up our bikes and went to get some food for our picnic along the Seine. We had about a half hour to scour the open market or head to the Monoprix, before we did our short bike ride to the banks of the river.
This was our only sunny day in the Paris area, and one of our only ones in 2 1/2 weeks in Europe! It did help keep everything cool (and it felt like fall in Paris!) The ride was very easy, and the picnic lovely (and cheap!)
The ride to Giverny was about a half hour or so - not a hard ride at all, on a bike trail that was often behind homes. It was actually a really neat ride. We stopped at a cemetary that held Monet as well as some of his family, which was close to the gardens. On the way, a marriage procession came through - which actually reminded me of a funeral procession in the US, with the limo in front, and the cars in back (but it seems like a very cool tradition to do it for weddings!). We locked the bikes up near the gardens, and we had maybe 90 or so minutes at the gardens and house. It’d have been nice to spend more time there, but we did have enough time to see everything we wanted. After seeing the gardens so much in paintings, seeing it in person was incredible - it really was like being in a painting. I highly recommend a visit. The gift shop was actually reasonably priced, though I really didn’t have much room in my suitcase for anything extra!
The ride back was a bit less relaxed, we’d waited for some (late) people to meet up with us at the bikes, so we booked it a bit. Not bad, we even had a couple of minutes for a store stop (for a couple of people, a beer stop for the train!). We made it for the train with minutes to spare after locking the bikes back up in their garage.
We went back to the hotel, and kicked back for the evening. I picked up some prepackaged cous cous, fruit and Pom Potes (my favorite item!!!!) for myself and I stopped at the McDonalds across the street for Steve. For those who don’t know what Pom Potes are, they are squeezable applesauce - very portable. I wasn’t that big into applesauce until I had one at the McD’s in Bayeux (part of my Happy Meal). Next year, I’m bring some back with me!
Day 11
Paris
Monoprix wasn’t open today (unfortunately!) - but most family-owned type shops and markets were.
We started out by stopping at the Port Doree’ aquarium. I wasn’t expecting much, but it was actually pretty large with interesting exhibits (many different fish than what we see at our aquariums here). It is on the museum pass, though it looked like the Sunday we went was a free day. We haven’t yet made it to the Port Doree’ zoo, but that seems to be popular as well. There is so much in the 12th I would have liked to have seen, like the zoo and Bercy Village and such. Next time! :)
Steve wanted to go to the Pompideu Center, which is what we did. I am not into modern art, I really don’t understand it at all. However, the museum boasts some wonderful views of Paris! It’s really neat seeing all the rooftops from there - I find the roofs in Paris very interesting - none seem exactly the same. The Center is on the Museum Card - so even if you aren’t into modern art, I think it’s worth the visit.
From there we went to the Latin Quarter and had lunch at a gyro counter service restaurant we’d gone to last year. The interior has a funky, colorful decor - and it’s cheaper than anyplace close to the museums. The counter guy was a bit cranky this time (he thought we wanted 3 plates of food, when we’d asked in French for 2). But it was still pretty good, if not a pretty greasy meal!
I did mention that we went to Bertillon 3 times? We stopped after lunch again (two single scoop chocolates!) and hung out again by Notre Dame. We watched a band play on the bridge, they were really great!!!!!
I’d booked the Fat Tires Paris night bicycle tour for that evening. It was something I’d really wanted to do last year but we’d not had a chance to. This was one of the highlights of our trip!!!! I thought our guide was great, though he didn’t seem too warm towards the French (perhaps a few bad experiences, who knows). But overall, riding through the streets of Paris was wonderful - through the Louvre courtyard, to Bertillon (our second stop there that day :)) Did I mention that the white chocolate ice cream was amazing? I normally don’t even like white chocolate. We took a boat ride with them down the Seine, including champagne. I am looking foward to doing it again. I really do recommend Fat Tires, both tours were fabulous, and a different way of seeing Paris. They also do the Segway tours - for those of you who don’t mind showing that you are really a tourist in Paris! (just like the bike tours!) I was concerned about taking the metro at midnight, but it was really pretty busy. And honestly, we didn’t have any odd people like we seemed to at other times - so maybe they are all in bed that late!
Day 12
Paris
The patisserie across the street was closed, as it was the next day too (unfortunately!) I haven’t mentioned it yet, but I had one interesting experience there. I’d ordered an eclair the day before in French - and then in a perfect (American) English voice, the employee asked “would you like anything else”? I found out her mom was American, her dad I guess was French - but I found it really suprising the number of people who spoke English in this neighborhood in the 12th (as I kept reading that it was hard to find anyone who did). When I went to the laundromat, it was the same - there was an issue that caused the laundromat to need a reboot, and when the owner came, he was very interested in where I lived, and he spoke English pretty well.
We’d considered going to Disneyland Paris - but pricewise, it didn’t really seem worth doing for just a day (and we’ve been there before). So we chose instead to do the Fat Tires walking tour of Monmartre, and then the Eiffel Tower. We did start the day out at Villa Romana for lunch - we ordered a pizza that feeds 3 or 4, which was really too much for us. But it was great!
The walking tour started at Pigalle. I’ve been to Sacre Couer once, but was glad to have someone who knew the area to take us around. Not that it seems imposing in the daylight at all, I’d go back next time without a tour (we went on a walk up to Sacre Couer that bypassed all the bracelet people and such). If you don’t know what a bracelet person is, they try to grab you and put cheap bracelets on your wrist (to get money). They block a walkwak to/from Sacre Couer, I was sort of hoping for them to grab me so I could yell at them - but they didn’t seem interested! I think that having a man with you makes it less likely to be hassled.
I did enjoy the tour, though our guide didn’t seem terribly excited (he was knowledeable and very nice, but seemed a bit bored!) We went to Monmartre cemetary for a few minutes, and then walked up the hills of Monmartre until we got to Sacre Couer - learning a few things along the way (I had never heard of Dalida until this trip, and we saw her gravesite and her house).
After the tour, we headed to the Eiffel Tower. I’d been, Steve hadn’t - and it wasn’t really crowded at all. One of the ticket booths had a fairly long line (though not like the 2 hour waits we’ve seen!), the one we were in was maybe 5 - 10 minutes.
The other time I’d been to the Eiffel Tower, some friends and I had stayed from dusk to nighttime. It was very nice, but Steve and I were ready to go back after an hour or so. The line to go down was longer than the line to go up (we were on the 2nd floor), so we took the stairs to the 1st floor. It was really easy - the stairs are wide, and even though I’m nervous about heights, it wasn’t like you can look down at your feet and see the ground (just the stairs!) I’d like to try walking up next time. We walked around the 1st floor for a few minutes - I didn’t know where the stairs were on the 1st, so we took the elevator (no line at that time).
And then we went back to Villa Romana for dinner! My new favorite restaurant in Paris, I can’t wait to go back! Steve had a rib steak for 10 Euros, I had the spagetti bolognaise for 7 Euros. That came with bread, and I always had a lovely lettuce salad with a very nice dressing. Our bill generally would come out to around 23 - 27 Euros for everything. Oh - and their menthe ice cream is great!!!!!!! I am glad we walked so much with all the ice cream and eclairs!
Day 13
Paris/Edinburgh
This will be a short one! I was able to get one last morning at Bois de Vincennes, then stopping at Monoprix for a few gifts (soaps, chocolates and such) and breakfast before we headed out.
I always hate leaving Paris - it is the most incredible city I’ve ever been to.
We took the Eurostar to London, and then GNER (1st) to Edinburgh. It took us about 8 hours for the full trip - and I know we could have gotten a flight, but we really did enjoy seeing the countryside as well. Oh - and I don’t love flying, so I do as little of it as possible. :)
We arrived at the station around 7:30pm Edinburgh time, and took a cab to the Fountaincourt EQ-2. We were given a huge 2 bedroom apartment (we were supposed to have a 1 bedroom, but were upgraded). I think Steve could have spent the next 3 days in the apt, with the large HDTV flat screen TV. I do really do recommend this hotel! They put some items for breakfast in the fridge, and you get a (very small) washer/dryer and Molten Brown products in the bathrooms.
I was very happy with all of the hotels I chose. I put in a lot of research, looking for value as well as good reviews. Each of the hotels/bed and breakfasts I chose this trip will be the hotels we’d return to next time. We rarely paid much above $100.00 for anyplace, whether in London, Paris, Mont St. Michel - though Edinburgh was more, it also included a full apartment (and I did get a great rate).
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To anyone who calls their trip reports long-winded - they always take much longer to write then to read - I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;ve found one long winded yet!
Thanks for your detailed report! What time of year was your trip? And who was your tour with?
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Thanks, it feels long-winded with all the writing!
We went last month, September 6th to London, but arrived in Paris a week later. The only tours we did were day tours - Fat Tires for the bike tour and walking tour in Paris. :)
Denise
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Thanks for the trip report! Villa Romana sounds good to me. Where is it located?
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Villa Romana is in the 12th - which isn%26#39;t in central Paris, but I don%26#39;t find much in Paris far from other areas. If you go to the Port Doree stop, it%26#39;s really close to the Hotel de la Porte Doree (about a minute walk, not towards the Quick).
I know that there are many lovely restaurants in Paris, but I loved this one. There are some outside tables, but we never had one (we never asked either). If the owner is there, he speaks enough English to know what you need, you can ask for the English menu and he may even get you some ice unasked! If the owner isn%26#39;t there, then they probably won%26#39;t bring the ice unless you ask (which is fine, it%26#39;s nice that they had it at all!)
I don%26#39;t think I posted it in my report - but one evening when we were there, a kid came in (maybe 13 years old?). It appears the owner knew him and maybe the kid was going to be bothering patrons, because the owner took him by the collar and threw him out of the restaurant. I wish you could do that here without being sued! It%26#39;s one of those things you see in Truffaut (and other French director) films - it was neat seeing it in person. :)
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I notice a picture of you riding a bike in Paris? How was bike riding in Paris? Was it sometimes rough with cobblestone streets? Any problems with traffic? (I don%26#39;t remember Paris having bike lanes?, and traffic is quite wild?). We rode bikes in Munich and it was a wonderful way to see the city--but Munich is very bike friendly--many bike lanes--on the street or bike lanes on sidewalk. So I%26#39;m curious about your experience in Paris.
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Somerset -
You are right in that Munich is a very bike friendly city! Paris doesn%26#39;t cater to bike riders to that degree. But there are times where you have bike and bus lanes. The rest of the time, when we weren%26#39;t riding through a park (or along a park or wide sidewalk area), we were out in the middle of the road! The Fat Tires guide told us when to go, and we took up a whole lane (i.e. - blocking traffic).
We didn%26#39;t go on a terribly heavy traffic day (Sunday evening in Paris). So that would be the day I%26#39;d go again! :) It was really cool riding down the Champs d%26#39;Elysee, and seeing the Arch de Triomphe in front of us - or biking around the Louvre courtyard. It is a wonderful, wonderful way to see the city!
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Thanks for the trip report!
%26quot; Monet as well as some of his family%26quot; hubby and I tried to find the cemetery but we thought maybe it was a myth! Search as we did! We never found it!
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The church isn%26#39;t far from the gardens - maybe just a few minutes or less by bike, probably not much more on foot.
It%26#39;s worth a few extra minutes if you are there again. I think just one of the gravesites holds Monet/family, I didn%26#39;t recognize anyone elses names.
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Someone asked about following-up, I am just bumping up (the only time) my trip report, in case anyone is interested and hasn%26#39;t seen it.
The Hotel Porte de la Doree%26#39; was great, as was Fat Tires.
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Nice report, many thanks for taking the time to write it!
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