Trip report "glimpses"

Walking, browsing, strolling - getting nowhere:

Lesson learnt with 3 elderly (60-75) ladies on tow. It is important to leave time for looong browsing in all the small shops in e.g. Ile St.Louis and for walking veeeery slowly. This means, however, that you don%26#39;t cover much ground on foot. So see to it that you do the strolling and the shop-browsing in one area and then take the train or bus to the next area you want to see, so that they can rest their feet. I learnt that with seniors you cannot do both: the slow-walk and the quick-transport-walk.

La Grande Arche is a MUST SEE:

One of my travel companions had to wishes for Paris: a boat trip after dark and a visit in La Défense to see the danish architect Johan Otto von Sprechelsen%26#39;s cube, La Grande Arche. Well, why not. I am a Dane and have never bothered to go out there. Big surprise !! La Défense is interesting in its own right - some say ugly - but it is impossible to judge the place by Haussmannian standards. When you come up the escalator and see La Grande Arche it is a shock to the sight. The cube measures 110 meters on each side, which is not really big in Paris, but since is placed highly elevated in relation to the square, it is quite overwhelming.

You could do it as a starting or ending point for visiting the axis, going from Pei%26#39;s glass pyramid, through l%26#39;Arc de Carroussel, Jardin des Tuileries, the obelisque on Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysées and Arc de Triomphe.

Place des Vosges, Hôpital St. Louis, Place du Pont Neuf - and Taverne Henri IV:

After Place des Vosges and Hotel de Sully it is extremely interesting to see the beautiful renaissance buildings of Hôpital St.Louis by Canal St.Martin - and the to buildings on Place du Pont Neuf that lead into Place Dauphine. NOT TO MISS: plate of charcuterie in the cellar/wine bar Taverne Henri IV and some glasses of wonderful wine - look at the board over the door: %26quot;Ce mois le patron boit XXXX%26quot;

St. Eustache - maybe the most beautiful church in Paris ?

Next to Basilique de St-Denis St.Eustache is my favorite - and the old ladies absolutely loved it. We had seen Notre Dame (of course), which can be a little gloomy and we had also seen the %26quot;Christmas-gift-wrapping-paper%26quot;-ceilings in Sacré-Coeur - so it was a big contrast and AHAA-experience to visit St.Eustache which really doesn%26#39;t look like much from the outside, but is in fact the second largest church in Paris, only a few meters smaller than Notre Dame. GO SEE - it is absolutely gorgeous, it feels as if the pillars are mile-high and that they are neverending. Louis XIV had his first communion here, Colbert and Mozarts mother was buried from this church. Molière, Richelieu and Mme Pompadour were baptized here - and the church has a very famous organ (I still haven%26#39;t heard it, but next summer a concert there is a must-do)

Canal St.Martin after dark:

If you are in Paris on a clear night with absolutely no wind, take a walk along the righthand side of Canal St.Martin from Rue du Faubourg du Temple (the corner where the McDo is located) . I went there around midnight and it was truly magical. The old lamps under the trees are lit as are the street lamps. And with the water reaching almost up to the banks where you walk, the houses, cars and lights are reflected crystalclear down into the competely still water, so you actually believe that there is another city existing down in the dark water. Try standing on one of the first bridges and look down the canal to see the trees reflected into the water. Trust me: you will never forget it. It is like the heavenly windows of St.Chapelle moved out into the real world. (It is essential that not a wind is stirring the water)

Rue Maurice Utrillo and Rue Paul Albert.

Oh, the secret gems of Montmartre....... Leave the tourists in front of Sacré Coeur and walk to the right. Go down the most beautiful stairs of Paris (if I ever win 1 mill. euro in Lotto I will by a flat there !): Rue Maurice Utrillo down to the little peaceful square at the bottom with trees and 3-4 cafés, e.g. l%26#39;Été en Pente Douce. Climb Rue Paul Albert which goes up to the back of Sacré Coeur, look down Pasage Cottin to your right. And you expect to see bohemian painters in capes and Mistral%26#39;s Daughter coming round each corner. I have been there twice and both times there were practically no tourists - only peace and quiet. So lovely. The ladies were thrilled - but exhausted from the climb. Leave plenty of room for sitting on benches to catch your breath and people-watch when you are with seniors. No hopping along like a mountain-goat all day.

Warning - Funiculaire:

We were met with about a dozen black persons ready with their string scam. I had read about it here, so I had warned my companions that they should say NO in a sharp tone of voice and just walk determined by these persons. The scammers behaved VERY agressively, and I even had a %26quot;F*** you%26quot; thrown at me. I am so angry at these persons because they are like greedy heartless vultures jumping at innocent unprepared people - even elderly ladies and young children. It was a very unpleasant experience, and I cannot warn you enough. Be prepared, because they move very fast with the strings that they tie around your wrist and then force you to pay them money for it. Disgusting.

Apart from that........... Paris was as wonderful as ever and the most lovely weather up to 22 degrees during the daytime, Wednesday and Thursday.

|||

GiiteK -

Welcome back!

Thank you for a delightful — and delightfully written — report! As usual you have found new and interesting places for the rest of us to explore. I particularly liked your poetic evocation of your night-time stroll along the canal St. Martin.

Just one minor point: 60-75 is NOT elderly. (Well, 70-75 *may* be, but very soon it won%26#39;t be either...) ;-)

Good to %26quot;see%26quot; you again!

|||

Gitte - I was amused by your description of looking after your %26quot;elderly ladies%26quot;. It reminded me of my mother talking about shopping with her mother and mother-in-law at the same time. One was a slow walker and the other very brisk and my poor mum was stuck in the middle trying not to lose either of them!

We came across aggressive street sellers and beggars as well.

I got cornered by a street artist outside Sacre Coeur and ended up having to pay for a crap picture I didn%26#39;t want.

On another trip we had to shout at a beggar who was pestering our teenage daughters who were walking just behind us.

Paris has such a lot to offer that it is a shame they can%26#39;t do more to cut down on this sort of nuisance. No city is completely free of this (including my own) but Paris is one of the worst in this respect.

Anyway it sounds like you looked after the ladies well and I hope they all appreciated your efforts!

|||

Thanks for a great trip report ....thinking and accomodating slower tourists!

We loved La Defense where we toured it! Your descriptions brought back good memories!

|||

Welcome back, Gitte!!! You have been truly missed, and the only reason I forgive you is because YOU WERE IN PARIS! What a splendid report ! I%26#39;m sure the %26quot;old%26quot; ladies loved your company, and I wouldn%26#39;t be surprise if their trip made them a lot younger. I%26#39;m glad that you had a wonderful time and were able to discover new gems and of course revisit the ones that you%26#39;ve come to adore over the years.

|||

Thanks everyone - I have been rather busy lately, apart from being in Paris. Now I have bought my summer-planeticket and paid the full balance of the rent for %26quot;my%26quot; 2007-summer apartment, so I can go hibernating with peace in my heart, knowing that there is indeed light at end end of the rough Scandinavian wintertunnel. It will be the last 2 weeks in June, celebrating my 50th birthday which is in November. So, Irish: to me 60-75 IS elderly........ realizing that I shall be turning 50 next year makes me feel stoneage-old.

Anyone looking for a fit of green envy ? Take a look at Rooftop Vista:

www.perfectlyparis.com/Rooftop%20Vista.html

p.s. I will let you know when my hotel review of Grand Hotel de l%26#39;Avenue is on the list. This hotel must be the absolutely best budget bargain in Paris. I have never spent 50 euro for a single room, and had so much value in return.

|||

It%26#39;s amazing that you%26#39;ve barely settled down on Danish soil and you already have your summer trip planned and paid for. Imagine how organized you%26#39;re going to be once you%26#39;re 50! And no, five decades isn%26#39;t ancient. In fact, I started getting younger once I passed 50.......seven years ago. Real age has little to do with chronology. Just keep planning those Paris trips. And an almost Happy Birthday to you! Your birthstone, topaz, would look beautiful with all the brown clothing they%26#39;re showing this year.

|||

Shoesy - I agree, I think my life started over at 50, and I definitely plan to have more fun during this half of my life!

Gitte - I love that apartment, it was booked this year for the time I wanted. Ages 60-75 is not elderly, it%26#39;s %26#39;seasoned%26#39;. Enjoy your birthday!

|||

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; Ages 60-75 is not elderly, it%26#39;s %26#39;seasoned%26#39;. %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Or %26#39;experienced.%26#39; Have you ever noticed that most of the trouble in the world is caused by people younger than 60?

|||

I%26#39;d rather be turning 21 again! and so would my body!

|||

How about %26quot;mellow%26quot; ? I think that%26#39;s an appropriate, positive adjective for this age group.