Hi Friends,
Well, I don%26#39;t know how much I%26#39;ll get done here, but we%26#39;ll see. This is long, so you may want to print it out and read bits at a time. I know that most of you do separate posts for each day, but I%26#39;m just not organized enough on vacation to do that. I%26#39;m actually organized at home (too much maybe) so I just don%26#39;t want to be too very organized on trips to the point of going where and exactly when and all of that.
We started our trip in London (my daughter and I) and I know this isn%26#39;t the right forum, but there is one thing I have to share so you%26#39;ll get more out of my Paris follow up.
We arrived in London on Thursday, and on Friday, my daughter and I were on our way to put some things in a safety deposit box in the hotel. We had a security guard with us (I guess he%26#39;s in charge of the safety deposit boxes) and I tripped close to the top of the steps...and then I couldn%26#39;t stop going. My poor pregnant daughter was trying to catch me, the security guard was trying to catch me, but I was running like I was going for a touchdown! As fast as I was going, I would have scored! I was finally stopped by a door. Had a huge bump above my eyebrow and by the next day the worst black eye I%26#39;ve literally ever seen! Actually, it only hurt for a minute or two (my hand was a bit sore too because I put out a fist to stop myself but my head was faster than my hand!) The injury actually got us some upgrades on shows (at the shows they didn%26#39;t want me walking up a lot of steps) and on flights. So I guess it was worth it! I%26#39;m really not a clumsy person...never a black eye, broken bone or stitches!
So on to Paris....the first night I woke up at 5am with a horrible bladder infection. Okay...maybe not the thing to go into here on the forum, but this was in addition to the black eye!!!! Luckily we have a friend who is a pharmacist who was able to help. So the advice to you is that if you do have a medical condition in Paris, go to the pharmacie and see if they have something that they can give you, or they can at least point you to a doctor. There%26#39;s a medical clinic in CDG and you can see the doctor for 20 Euro if you need that info. Luckily I didn%26#39;t.
We found (even after my several trips to Paris) that it%26#39;s almost impossible to hail a taxi. So don%26#39;t expect to. You could get lucky, but it%26#39;s difficult. I%26#39;m not sure why. Maybe because when you call for one the meter starts at the time you call but when you hail one from thje street, the meter starts at that point. You do the math. We even had two taxi drivers who wouldn%26#39;t take us to our destination because it was too close. Of course we weren%26#39;t sure where we were and wandered around for awhile before finally getting our bearings.
The next thing you need to know is that most of the metro stations have done away with ticket windows. They are for info only. The machines take credit cards, coins and bills up to (I think) 10 euro. It may be twenty. Here are a few things to know: on the machine there is a roller-type apparatus. If you are buying single tickets or carnets (sets of 10) roll the roller to the top selection. After that, roll it all the way to the bottom and it will give you the option to pick your language. Then use the roller and decide if you want single tickets or the carnet of 10. Or whatever else. (You can buy two carnets). Once you%26#39;ve chosen what to buy, you%26#39;ll insert your credit card (I don%26#39;t think you can use an ATM but I could be wrong) and if you%26#39;re lucky....your tickets will fall into a little window. Those of you who know more about this please educate us!
Speaking of the metro...have a plan if someone gets left on or doesn%26#39;t make it on with everyone else. My daughter and I had discussed this before leaving, and darned if the first time we rode the metro I got on and she didn%26#39;t. She didn%26#39;t realize that you have to move quickly! Here%26#39;s what we do: If one gets on and one doesn%26#39;t, the one who gets on gets off at the next stop, turns left and walks as far down as possible (this provides you with a meeting place). The one that got left gets on the next metro, then off at the next stop and goes all the way to the left where your companion is waiting.
If one gets off and another stays on, the person who stayed on gets off at the next stop...walks all the way to the left, and the one who got off, gets on the the next metro, off at the next stop and walks all the way to the left meeting your companion.
On Tuesday evening, we had dinner with our good friends Anne and Alain Sfez...always one of the highlights of our trips! You will know her on TA as AnneParis.
I am not a museum person really (I know...you%26#39;re shocked!) but we did go to the Rodin Museum and I can honestly say that even if you aren%26#39;t into museums, this one is incredible. Don%26#39;t buy the ticket for just the courtyard to see %26quot;The Thinker%26quot;, do the entire museum. It%26#39;s small; just enough for you to be totally impressed!
On Wednesday evening, we had dinner at le Taverne du Sergent Recruteur with three other couples from TripAdvisor. This is the third year we%26#39;ve done this (different groups each time) and every single time each person has had a wonderful time. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting and spending time with all of you. I still feel terrible about being late!
We went to Sainte Chappelle on a sunny day, and you can imagine my surprise when the ticket person said, %26quot;Do you have a museum pass?%26quot; I told her no, and she said that tickets were free that day. I have no idea why. And it wasn%26#39;t overly crowded. As usual, it was breathtaking.
The next problem we had (after the black eye and bladder infection) really provided the most anxiety. We went to the Louvre on Friday night at 6pm (my daughter was free since she%26#39;s under 26) and all she had to show was her passport. We stopped at the Royal Palais du Louvre metro stop and followed the signs to the Louvre (or Carousel du Louvre), through the shopping mall and there was hardly any line at all! There are very good signs showing you how to go this way. So my daughter showed her passport and then just stuck it in a flimsy tote bag that had no zipper or closure. We stayed in the Louvre for awhile, left and got a taxi and went straight back to our apartment. Her passport was gone! We were scheduled to leave the next day (Saturday) but the American Consulate is closed on the weekend, so you can%26#39;t get a passport until Monday morning when they open at 9am. Luckily, Northwest was very understanding and didn%26#39;t charge us any additional charges, and the apartment complex had an available apartment that we could use for Saturday and Sunday nights.
In some of the metro stations (ours was Hotel de Ville) there are photo machines and one option is passport photos. So that was easy. You can also download the forms you need for a new passport from an internet cafe which further saves time. When we got to the consulate, we had all of of our luggage with us because we had been told that it could take up to 3 hours to get the passport and our flight was at 1:55pm. We had to leave for CDG by 11am, so taking the luggage seemed like a good idea. Except that you can%26#39;t take luggage into the consulate. So my daughter went in and I sat on the sidewalk with all of the luggage (pretty cold!) with my black eye looking probably like a bag lady. I probably should have starting singing since I%26#39;m a vocalist and held out a cup! Moral of the story? Put a copy of your passport in your bag, and your original in your hotel safe or safety deposit box if available. Or hide it somewhere in your hotel room or apartment.
Speaking of apartments, as soon as I can get to it, I%26#39;ll post a review of ours, but in the meantime, it%26#39;s at 10 rue Aubriot in the Marais district, Number 4) and we definitely would not recommend it. I%26#39;ll go into details in the appropriate hotel/apartment review area.
For you ladies, I have found the best foundation makeup (and maybe some of you gentlemen too!) You get it in the pharmacie. The brand is Vichy and the type is dermablend. It makes your face look exceptionally smooth! I found it back on my last trip in May, and this time loaded up on it. It%26#39;s the best foundation makeup I%26#39;ve ever found and it covers everything! But I didn%26#39;t cover the black eye because that would cut down on the sympathy!
I%26#39;m planning on updating my notes (I know some of you have read them), and I%26#39;ll include most of this info, and the website where you can download the forms you%26#39;ll need if you lose your passport.
So...I know this is long! If I think of other things, I%26#39;ll let you all know.
Vicki
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Oh My! Black eye and all......waiting for your apt. review and everything!
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