20th Anniversary Trip Report, Paris, Italian Lakes and Rome
Sep 22nd, 2005, 03:41 AM
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20th Anniversary Trip Report, Paris, Italian Lakes and Rome
This is my first time writing a report so please tell me if I am saying too much or not enough. I thought I would start by saying a big thanks to everyone on Fodors for all the great advice before we left, very much appreciated and used. We had three weeks away, 9 nights in Paris, 4 nights in the Italian Lakes and 6 nights in Rome from 31st August to 21st September. I would like to do a detailed report and have decided to start by listing a few key points and then I will give details as I go.
The overall highlight of the trip was the Italian Lakes, in particular Lake Como. A huge thanks for those who suggested Hotel du Lac in Varenna an absolute winner.
Paris highlight was a day trip to Giverny, still wonderful in the autumn and the Paris Perfect appartment. Biggest disappointment was Musee d'Orsay. Lakes highlight was just being there, what a place, biggest disppointment, not enough time spent there. Rome's highlight was the Sistine Chapel, disappointment, everywhere in Rome too crowded.
Best meals: Paris, mine was at the Le Petit Troquet 28 rue de l'Exposition. As recommended on Fodors I had the Pork and lemon confit, sublime taste sensation. My husband had the best duck ever (he eats duck whenever he can, everywhere) at Au Petit Sud Ouest,46 Ave de la Bourdonnais. Worst meal, Thoumieux. Lake Como, all dinners were very good, Il Cavatappi, Vecchia Varenna and Villa Cipresi. Worst meal was lunch at Albergo Plinio in Lenno. Rome, best meal Vecchia Roma, n.18 via della Tribuna di Campitelli. Didn't really have any bad food.
Biggest disaster - wiping three days of photos from digital camera. (put your glasses on - schnauzer)
Worst itinerary mistakes: should have had longer in the lakes and shorter in Rome (by 2 nights). Not driven to Stressa just for one day and one night from Varenna and certainly should not have driven from Stressa to Rome in one quick dash.
Now for the details. Please stop me if I am going on and on. But be kind.
Left Sydney on the Tuesday and flew Qantas to London and then BA to Paris. We were fortunate enough to have adequate FF points to go first class, what a difference it makes when you are travelling for over 24 hours. Landed at CDG, see what Fodorites mean about the airport, very confusing. I think we collected baggage at a satellite, not the main area. To retrieve our bags we had to leave one customs hall, return through a no entry sign and go through to another customs hall, collect bags and then go back outside again. So you have a whole plane load of people all going the wrong way to get their bags. hmmm interesting start.
We took a taxi to the Paris Perfect 'Pinot' apartment in rue de la Bourdonnais. It was great, suited our needs perfectly. Balcony (very small) view of the tower etc. Showered and stocked up on some essentials at the supermarket, had a snooze and then had a meal at the Restaurant La Taverna,22 rue du Champ de Mars. Not fantastic as we had read in reports, but we were zonked so probably not the best critics. Back to sleep. It was very hot in Paris, much hotter than we had prepared for. We had been following the weather reports and it was showing low 20's (centigrade) but it was 30C the day we arrived. The apartment was not air conditioned but we opened the window wide and after a couple of nights became used to the noises.
Day two: After visiting a local market and rue Cler for supplies we headed to Les Invalids and wandered through the huge army museum. It was very interesting, particularly liked Napoleon's stuffed horse and dog!! Walked all the way down rue Grenelle to the 6th. Feet swollen like sausages from the flight and the heat. Never had trouble like this before, see what happens when you get over 45, big decline. Feeling very jaded by this time, everything is starting to whirl around us - you know the feeling. Staggered on to Bon Marche to look for table cloths, actually chemin de table. Metro back to apt for a snooze until 7.30pm. Headed off to Le Petit Troquet (for the first time)thanks so much for the tip on this restaurant. DH had the mussels and duck in blackcurrant sauce, I had a rocket salad and parmesan cheese and the Pork and Lemon confit. Now this would have to be one the greatest meals I have every tasted. If you go to the restaurant please make sure you have this if it is on the menu, point number two, go to the restaurant when it is on the menu, this is worth checking. We went back a second time so my DH could try it and it was not on the menu. Very sad.
Day three. Still very hot and sunny. Convinced DH that we had to be up bright and early to get to the Musee d'Orsay to avoid the queues. I had been awake since 5am so not a problem for me. Got to the museum at 8.50am, you would have been proud of me, we were first in the queue. Lovely to walk around with so few people there. I have to say, now don't get upset d'Orsay fans, but we were disappointed with the art works. Loved the museum itself but there seemed to be hardly any "good", read popular pieces. Maybe they had been taken for another exhibition somewhere else. Yes, there were some great paintings but nowhere near as many as I had been led to believe. Oh well.
We left at 11.45 and there were no queues to be seen. I guess the off season has already started. We then walked over the bridge to the Jardins Tullieres and had a pleasant stroll and lunch in one of the cafes. Walked to Palais Royal gardens and went through a couple of passages. Went to A. Simon cookware shop and another one over the road, nothing that I couldn't really get over here, but fun to walk around in.
Had another snooze and then went to dinner at Le Souffle. We had booked, but they were not full. We were put in the no smoking section (as requested) but of course this tends to leave you in "tourist zone". That is the trade off I guess. The service was good but quite rushed, they seemed to be running to a very tight schedule, I suppose with the souffles timing is everything. We only had a main course and dessert. I had the duck with peaches which was very good, DH had the saute of veal with olives also very tasty. We had the grand marnier and rhubarb souffles for dessert. Very big, but I managed to scoff the lot. Now you know I am australian and yes we can be loud too, but this very loud american couple comes into the restaurant in, yes you guessed it, shorts and sneakers. (We had dressed up for the occasion)asking for an english menu to be told "no we don't have one" oh, we'll get by says the husband, now does this sound mean? but I was dying to suggest the first main course on the menu for them to try which was Pig ears and feet, but no I was well behaved and held my tongue.
Anyway a lovely meal and evening and off back home for the night.
Will finish for the time being as I am very jet lagged still.
The overall highlight of the trip was the Italian Lakes, in particular Lake Como. A huge thanks for those who suggested Hotel du Lac in Varenna an absolute winner.
Paris highlight was a day trip to Giverny, still wonderful in the autumn and the Paris Perfect appartment. Biggest disappointment was Musee d'Orsay. Lakes highlight was just being there, what a place, biggest disppointment, not enough time spent there. Rome's highlight was the Sistine Chapel, disappointment, everywhere in Rome too crowded.
Best meals: Paris, mine was at the Le Petit Troquet 28 rue de l'Exposition. As recommended on Fodors I had the Pork and lemon confit, sublime taste sensation. My husband had the best duck ever (he eats duck whenever he can, everywhere) at Au Petit Sud Ouest,46 Ave de la Bourdonnais. Worst meal, Thoumieux. Lake Como, all dinners were very good, Il Cavatappi, Vecchia Varenna and Villa Cipresi. Worst meal was lunch at Albergo Plinio in Lenno. Rome, best meal Vecchia Roma, n.18 via della Tribuna di Campitelli. Didn't really have any bad food.
Biggest disaster - wiping three days of photos from digital camera. (put your glasses on - schnauzer)
Worst itinerary mistakes: should have had longer in the lakes and shorter in Rome (by 2 nights). Not driven to Stressa just for one day and one night from Varenna and certainly should not have driven from Stressa to Rome in one quick dash.
Now for the details. Please stop me if I am going on and on. But be kind.
Left Sydney on the Tuesday and flew Qantas to London and then BA to Paris. We were fortunate enough to have adequate FF points to go first class, what a difference it makes when you are travelling for over 24 hours. Landed at CDG, see what Fodorites mean about the airport, very confusing. I think we collected baggage at a satellite, not the main area. To retrieve our bags we had to leave one customs hall, return through a no entry sign and go through to another customs hall, collect bags and then go back outside again. So you have a whole plane load of people all going the wrong way to get their bags. hmmm interesting start.
We took a taxi to the Paris Perfect 'Pinot' apartment in rue de la Bourdonnais. It was great, suited our needs perfectly. Balcony (very small) view of the tower etc. Showered and stocked up on some essentials at the supermarket, had a snooze and then had a meal at the Restaurant La Taverna,22 rue du Champ de Mars. Not fantastic as we had read in reports, but we were zonked so probably not the best critics. Back to sleep. It was very hot in Paris, much hotter than we had prepared for. We had been following the weather reports and it was showing low 20's (centigrade) but it was 30C the day we arrived. The apartment was not air conditioned but we opened the window wide and after a couple of nights became used to the noises.
Day two: After visiting a local market and rue Cler for supplies we headed to Les Invalids and wandered through the huge army museum. It was very interesting, particularly liked Napoleon's stuffed horse and dog!! Walked all the way down rue Grenelle to the 6th. Feet swollen like sausages from the flight and the heat. Never had trouble like this before, see what happens when you get over 45, big decline. Feeling very jaded by this time, everything is starting to whirl around us - you know the feeling. Staggered on to Bon Marche to look for table cloths, actually chemin de table. Metro back to apt for a snooze until 7.30pm. Headed off to Le Petit Troquet (for the first time)thanks so much for the tip on this restaurant. DH had the mussels and duck in blackcurrant sauce, I had a rocket salad and parmesan cheese and the Pork and Lemon confit. Now this would have to be one the greatest meals I have every tasted. If you go to the restaurant please make sure you have this if it is on the menu, point number two, go to the restaurant when it is on the menu, this is worth checking. We went back a second time so my DH could try it and it was not on the menu. Very sad.
Day three. Still very hot and sunny. Convinced DH that we had to be up bright and early to get to the Musee d'Orsay to avoid the queues. I had been awake since 5am so not a problem for me. Got to the museum at 8.50am, you would have been proud of me, we were first in the queue. Lovely to walk around with so few people there. I have to say, now don't get upset d'Orsay fans, but we were disappointed with the art works. Loved the museum itself but there seemed to be hardly any "good", read popular pieces. Maybe they had been taken for another exhibition somewhere else. Yes, there were some great paintings but nowhere near as many as I had been led to believe. Oh well.
We left at 11.45 and there were no queues to be seen. I guess the off season has already started. We then walked over the bridge to the Jardins Tullieres and had a pleasant stroll and lunch in one of the cafes. Walked to Palais Royal gardens and went through a couple of passages. Went to A. Simon cookware shop and another one over the road, nothing that I couldn't really get over here, but fun to walk around in.
Had another snooze and then went to dinner at Le Souffle. We had booked, but they were not full. We were put in the no smoking section (as requested) but of course this tends to leave you in "tourist zone". That is the trade off I guess. The service was good but quite rushed, they seemed to be running to a very tight schedule, I suppose with the souffles timing is everything. We only had a main course and dessert. I had the duck with peaches which was very good, DH had the saute of veal with olives also very tasty. We had the grand marnier and rhubarb souffles for dessert. Very big, but I managed to scoff the lot. Now you know I am australian and yes we can be loud too, but this very loud american couple comes into the restaurant in, yes you guessed it, shorts and sneakers. (We had dressed up for the occasion)asking for an english menu to be told "no we don't have one" oh, we'll get by says the husband, now does this sound mean? but I was dying to suggest the first main course on the menu for them to try which was Pig ears and feet, but no I was well behaved and held my tongue.
Anyway a lovely meal and evening and off back home for the night.
Will finish for the time being as I am very jet lagged still.
Sep 23rd, 2005, 12:46 AM
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K33kgrl thanks for the reponse. Is there anything in particular you would like to know rather than waiting or hoping I may mention it? Just let me know.
To continue with report:
Day 4: Really enjoying the apartment, it is everything we hoped for. Had a slow morning this morning, leisurely breakfast and did some washing chores. Good to have the machine.
Weather still very hot and sunny.Did a walk out of guide book (AA) to St. Germain, found it was a really busy area. Glad we had decided not to stay in the 6th even though it had been my first choice. I prefer the quieter life. Saw inside St. Sulpice, can't remember the Dan Brown episode, but enjoyed the church very much. Wandered through the Jardin Luxembourg, very colourful and lots of Parisians out at play. Up to Pont Neuf along the Seine and back down to St. Germain Blvd. Couldn't see the fuss about Les Deux Magots, just another cafe on an extremely busy road. Not into exhaust fumes in a major way. I know all the history behind it but...
Back home, feet still really swollen and sore and then to my horror found out I have inadvertently deleted all my photos. Can't believe how easy it had been to do it. The sun shines on the lcd screen and without glasses couldn't really see what was going on. Very upset of course.
Had bought some fantastic deli items from rue Cler (from the ham shop) and had these for dinner in the apartment. Marinated prawns, veges, terrine, etc and some lovely green and yellow plums and fresh figs from the market. A feast.
Day five:
Very hot and sunny again, walked to the Rodin museum passed the Les Invalids and retook some of the lost photos. Really enjoyed the Rodin museum, such an incredible amount of sculpture and in an amazing setting. The house and garden are just a delight. Highly recommend a visit here. Free sunday of the month so better still!
Got the metro to the Isle de le cite. Went to Notre Dame where a service was in progress which made it even more special. Too hot to climb to the gargoyles. Went also to St. Chapelle very beautiful but as the guide book says best seen with direct sun coming through the windows which would be late afternoon.
Walked to Isle St. Louise and had most enjoyable lunch at Le Caveau de l'Isle, recommended by Fodors. 36 rue St. Louise en l'Isle We were quite late 2.00pm and we were the only people in the restaurant which I thought a bit strange. But we ordered well and thorougly enjoyed the food. I had the bean and mushroom salad followed by the grilled salmon, very very good. DH had foie gras and duck. We had a selection of sorbets and ice creams for dessert, the best ice creams in Paris. I don't know if they were the Berthillion ice cream but they sure were good. Recommend the Cassis sorbet and the coffee ice cream, complete with little pieces of coffee beans. Walked around the island and saw the lovely mansions along the quay side. Took some "doors of Paris" photos.
Wandered over to the Place de Vosges a beautiful square where a string orchestra were playing under the eaves. They were very good and a welcome interlude. The park was crowded being a Sunday.
Walked along the rue des Frances Bourgeois which had some great shops along it. Found Rayure a shop which specialises in black and white shirts, some black, some white, some black and white! Bought a top in Sydney before I left at an exhorbitant price they were at least half price if not less here. Couldn't control myself and bought 5 tops. They are also great for travel as they don't crease. Highly recommend a look in here ladies.
Headed down to the Musee Carnavalet which was chocked full of interesting history. Could have spent a couple of hours in there, but too tired by this time and husbands feet and legs had had enough. Enjoyed the feel of the Marais, actually prefered it to the St. Germain area, at least the area around the Place des Vosges and surrounding streets.
Finished off deli items for dinner after such a fab lunch.
Day 6:
A bit cooler today which comes as a relief. Still very humid and even had a couple of drops of rain.
DH went to the Louvre and I hit the grand magasins. Walked every level of La Fayette and Printemps, mode and maison. Prefered Printemps, no where near as crowded. Didn't blow the bank balance, but managed to find a few things. (another Rayure top!)
Went to dinner at Thomieux 79 rue st Dominique (7th). This had been recommended highly by the apartment owners and I had read about it elsewhere. To be honest it was a big disappointment. Service very slow to start, well ignored if we are being honest here. The first course was quite good, french onion soup and DH had the herrings, but the main course was their speciality which was cassoulet. Very, very ordinary. Small amount of duck, tasteless sausage, fatty piece of pork and heaps of white beans. If you go order something else. I later read in the visitors book at the apartment other negative comments from people who had been there. Wish I had read them earlier.
Wandered through the Champ de Mars and saw the Eiffel Tower lights twinkling. Such a magical sight. Lots of people out on the grass just picknicking. Probably only one of the few places in Paris you can actually go on the grass.
Day Seven:
Went to the SNCF office in rue Dominique to book tickets for Giverny tomorrow. Not many choices of trains. Booked the 8.16am, and only a couple of return times. But we didn't have to book the return time, just come home went we want says the girl.
Took the metro up to Anvers to see the Sacre Coeur. Even on a cloudy day it still looked magnificent. Even more beautiful inside. Haven't been up here before and really enjoyed walking around the area afterwards. Found the area down by the metro a bit grim, certainly wouldn't want to be wandering around here at night. Lots of cheap shops and lots of material shops, if you are looking for material this could be the spot for you, they are everywhere.
Met up with some people and went to Le Bistro d'Henri in the 6th, 16 rue Princesse. (also recommended by Sandra Gustafson) very small restaurant, the only place we came across where you really needed to have booked. Had a really great main course, 7hr lamb cooked with prunes. So tender and tasty, DH and others had the steaks with green pepper sauce which also were cooked very well. The desserts - forget them. They were the worst desserts ever, I don't think they could have made them themselves. They tasted like something from a mass production line, well the bit I bothered to eat that is. I had the clafoutis, which I have made at home and wanted to try a "real" french style, well, I cook a much better one, that's for sure. The other lady had a strawberry tart, which was also dreadful, she left that as well.
Back home for the early start to Giverny tomorrow.
Day 8:
Up very early and in rushing managed to slice toe open on bathroon wall tile, didn't help the case of the sore feet very much. Caught train at Gare Lazarre for Giverny and caught bus to the gardens. Hadn't realised Giverny was so big and such a delighful hamlet/village. I thought it consisted of mostly Monet's garden and the American musuem but was surprised to find there was other things to see and do. The day was beautiful and sunny again which made the garden the highlight of the Paris trip for us. We were so glad we went, there was still plenty to see in the garden and the lilly pond was of course a real treat. A few people but nowhere near crowded.
Had the best salad lunch up at the Ancien Hotel Baudy. This hotel is very historic and at the end of the main part of the village away from Monet's garden. We sat outside and had a lovely relaxing lunch. Chicken salad and duck salad, huge serves at very good prices. Wander around their gardens afterwards.
Decided not to rush for the earlier train, enjoying the day far too much. It meant though we would be there for another four hours. Train times are funny and with each one the bus leaves too early from Giverny to Vernon, leaves you hanging around too long. Went to the American Impressionist museum and enjoyed the paintings, more to see than the d'Orsay (they had be somewhere else) walked around the village and went back for ice cream and tea at the Hotel Baudy again. Information man told us there was an earlier train to Paris than the 6.04m, so we caught the bus at 4.40pm to Vernon to find of course there wasn't one at all, just the 6.04pm so walked around Vernon for a bit. A truly lovely day.
Will leave it here for the minute.
To continue with report:
Day 4: Really enjoying the apartment, it is everything we hoped for. Had a slow morning this morning, leisurely breakfast and did some washing chores. Good to have the machine.
Weather still very hot and sunny.Did a walk out of guide book (AA) to St. Germain, found it was a really busy area. Glad we had decided not to stay in the 6th even though it had been my first choice. I prefer the quieter life. Saw inside St. Sulpice, can't remember the Dan Brown episode, but enjoyed the church very much. Wandered through the Jardin Luxembourg, very colourful and lots of Parisians out at play. Up to Pont Neuf along the Seine and back down to St. Germain Blvd. Couldn't see the fuss about Les Deux Magots, just another cafe on an extremely busy road. Not into exhaust fumes in a major way. I know all the history behind it but...
Back home, feet still really swollen and sore and then to my horror found out I have inadvertently deleted all my photos. Can't believe how easy it had been to do it. The sun shines on the lcd screen and without glasses couldn't really see what was going on. Very upset of course.
Had bought some fantastic deli items from rue Cler (from the ham shop) and had these for dinner in the apartment. Marinated prawns, veges, terrine, etc and some lovely green and yellow plums and fresh figs from the market. A feast.
Day five:
Very hot and sunny again, walked to the Rodin museum passed the Les Invalids and retook some of the lost photos. Really enjoyed the Rodin museum, such an incredible amount of sculpture and in an amazing setting. The house and garden are just a delight. Highly recommend a visit here. Free sunday of the month so better still!
Got the metro to the Isle de le cite. Went to Notre Dame where a service was in progress which made it even more special. Too hot to climb to the gargoyles. Went also to St. Chapelle very beautiful but as the guide book says best seen with direct sun coming through the windows which would be late afternoon.
Walked to Isle St. Louise and had most enjoyable lunch at Le Caveau de l'Isle, recommended by Fodors. 36 rue St. Louise en l'Isle We were quite late 2.00pm and we were the only people in the restaurant which I thought a bit strange. But we ordered well and thorougly enjoyed the food. I had the bean and mushroom salad followed by the grilled salmon, very very good. DH had foie gras and duck. We had a selection of sorbets and ice creams for dessert, the best ice creams in Paris. I don't know if they were the Berthillion ice cream but they sure were good. Recommend the Cassis sorbet and the coffee ice cream, complete with little pieces of coffee beans. Walked around the island and saw the lovely mansions along the quay side. Took some "doors of Paris" photos.
Wandered over to the Place de Vosges a beautiful square where a string orchestra were playing under the eaves. They were very good and a welcome interlude. The park was crowded being a Sunday.
Walked along the rue des Frances Bourgeois which had some great shops along it. Found Rayure a shop which specialises in black and white shirts, some black, some white, some black and white! Bought a top in Sydney before I left at an exhorbitant price they were at least half price if not less here. Couldn't control myself and bought 5 tops. They are also great for travel as they don't crease. Highly recommend a look in here ladies.
Headed down to the Musee Carnavalet which was chocked full of interesting history. Could have spent a couple of hours in there, but too tired by this time and husbands feet and legs had had enough. Enjoyed the feel of the Marais, actually prefered it to the St. Germain area, at least the area around the Place des Vosges and surrounding streets.
Finished off deli items for dinner after such a fab lunch.
Day 6:
A bit cooler today which comes as a relief. Still very humid and even had a couple of drops of rain.
DH went to the Louvre and I hit the grand magasins. Walked every level of La Fayette and Printemps, mode and maison. Prefered Printemps, no where near as crowded. Didn't blow the bank balance, but managed to find a few things. (another Rayure top!)
Went to dinner at Thomieux 79 rue st Dominique (7th). This had been recommended highly by the apartment owners and I had read about it elsewhere. To be honest it was a big disappointment. Service very slow to start, well ignored if we are being honest here. The first course was quite good, french onion soup and DH had the herrings, but the main course was their speciality which was cassoulet. Very, very ordinary. Small amount of duck, tasteless sausage, fatty piece of pork and heaps of white beans. If you go order something else. I later read in the visitors book at the apartment other negative comments from people who had been there. Wish I had read them earlier.
Wandered through the Champ de Mars and saw the Eiffel Tower lights twinkling. Such a magical sight. Lots of people out on the grass just picknicking. Probably only one of the few places in Paris you can actually go on the grass.
Day Seven:
Went to the SNCF office in rue Dominique to book tickets for Giverny tomorrow. Not many choices of trains. Booked the 8.16am, and only a couple of return times. But we didn't have to book the return time, just come home went we want says the girl.
Took the metro up to Anvers to see the Sacre Coeur. Even on a cloudy day it still looked magnificent. Even more beautiful inside. Haven't been up here before and really enjoyed walking around the area afterwards. Found the area down by the metro a bit grim, certainly wouldn't want to be wandering around here at night. Lots of cheap shops and lots of material shops, if you are looking for material this could be the spot for you, they are everywhere.
Met up with some people and went to Le Bistro d'Henri in the 6th, 16 rue Princesse. (also recommended by Sandra Gustafson) very small restaurant, the only place we came across where you really needed to have booked. Had a really great main course, 7hr lamb cooked with prunes. So tender and tasty, DH and others had the steaks with green pepper sauce which also were cooked very well. The desserts - forget them. They were the worst desserts ever, I don't think they could have made them themselves. They tasted like something from a mass production line, well the bit I bothered to eat that is. I had the clafoutis, which I have made at home and wanted to try a "real" french style, well, I cook a much better one, that's for sure. The other lady had a strawberry tart, which was also dreadful, she left that as well.
Back home for the early start to Giverny tomorrow.
Day 8:
Up very early and in rushing managed to slice toe open on bathroon wall tile, didn't help the case of the sore feet very much. Caught train at Gare Lazarre for Giverny and caught bus to the gardens. Hadn't realised Giverny was so big and such a delighful hamlet/village. I thought it consisted of mostly Monet's garden and the American musuem but was surprised to find there was other things to see and do. The day was beautiful and sunny again which made the garden the highlight of the Paris trip for us. We were so glad we went, there was still plenty to see in the garden and the lilly pond was of course a real treat. A few people but nowhere near crowded.
Had the best salad lunch up at the Ancien Hotel Baudy. This hotel is very historic and at the end of the main part of the village away from Monet's garden. We sat outside and had a lovely relaxing lunch. Chicken salad and duck salad, huge serves at very good prices. Wander around their gardens afterwards.
Decided not to rush for the earlier train, enjoying the day far too much. It meant though we would be there for another four hours. Train times are funny and with each one the bus leaves too early from Giverny to Vernon, leaves you hanging around too long. Went to the American Impressionist museum and enjoyed the paintings, more to see than the d'Orsay (they had be somewhere else) walked around the village and went back for ice cream and tea at the Hotel Baudy again. Information man told us there was an earlier train to Paris than the 6.04m, so we caught the bus at 4.40pm to Vernon to find of course there wasn't one at all, just the 6.04pm so walked around Vernon for a bit. A truly lovely day.
Will leave it here for the minute.
Sep 23rd, 2005, 04:29 AM
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Thank you schnauzer! I'm totally riveted by your report. We are headed to Paris/Provence in October.
Keep it coming...
PS: So sorry to hear about your lost photos. (That's something that would happen to me!) I'm glad you were able to recapture some.
mom
Keep it coming...
PS: So sorry to hear about your lost photos. (That's something that would happen to me!) I'm glad you were able to recapture some.
mom
Sep 23rd, 2005, 05:37 AM
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Here is some more for aggiemom (and everyone else who is tuning in)
Forgot to mention with the Louvre we bought a ticket at the metro thinking there would be queues, it cost us more and it was wasted as there were no queues at all, my husband just walked in.
Night of Day 8:
Very tired after a big day so decided to just pop over the road to Au Petit Sud Ouest restaurant for a quick meal. It is a shop that sells all products from the S.W. of France as well as a restaurant, lots of foie gras etc and some really good wines. Its opening times seemed a bit sporadic so we hadn't actually been in before. The service was a bit strange, the owners english wasn't so good, and my french not brilliant either but I was determined to speak it as much as I could. We wanted to share a foie gras for entree and then I ordered the scrambled eggs with truffles, namely because I hadn't eaten truffles before and also just wanted something light. My husband ordered the "real duck" veritable maigret on the menu for the main courses. Anyway the pate comes with the scrambled eggs, a huge plateful. Must say couldn't really taste the truffles and the "bits" of truffles were hard and hmm, not so brilliant. Wasn't worth the incredible 18E. (remember it was just eggs and truffles) she wanted to bring me a duck as well, said no thanks couldn't eat another thing. Anyway my husband who eats duck at EVERY opportunity has now claimed this to be the BEST DUCK EVER. The last contender was a duck dish he had eaten in the Loire Valley about 7 years ago. He has been trying to match it ever since all over the world. And he did, much to his delight. The lady was an absolute delight, explained we were staying in an apartment across the road and she said if there was ever anything she could do for us, get us etc just to pop over. Now wished we had gone over earlier. She also said my french was very good, so I of course thought she was wonderful!!
Day 9:
Last full day in Paris, boo hoo. A later start, want to savour the apartment and breakfast. Decide to take the bus for the first time, left from right outside the apartment and went straight to Bon Marche. Much easier than the metro for this particular stop. Bought a lovely Longchamps handbag and some socks and stocking things. Bon March has the most incredible selection of socks, tights, stockings etc. Lovely ones with patterns had to exercise control. Went into the food market, it was as wonderful as everyone has said.
Went to rue Cler to buy stuff for picnic lunch for the train journey tomorrow. There is no buffet car on board so decided to take our own gourmet picnic. Thought husband was buying stuff whilst I was shopping otherwise I would have stocked up in Bon Marche, anyway he hadn't so we went to our favourite deli and bought veal and ham pie, duck and pistachio pate, comte cheese, some slices of cherry tart and bread.
Went and sorted out stuff in apartment amazing how much one gathers in such a short space of time. Finished packing and then decided to go again to Le Petit Troquet for a second time so DH could try the Pork and Lemon confit. Alas, it was not on the menu, I was glad I had tried it the first night. Had the rabbit in mustard sauce which was still very nice but not the same. We had the cold gazpacho soup to start as it was such a hot night (still). Had the coffee ice cream to finish. The evening was only spoiled by a couple having a rather loud marital dispute at the next table. Well she was very loud telling him everything he had ever done wrong in all the years of marriage and she wanted to go back to the states on the earliest flight available. We rather hoped she did and leave the poor bloke in peace. Very inappropriate behaviour we thought.
Back for last sleep in Paris.
Day 10: Paris to Varenna
A very early start, set the alarm for 5.45am, had small breakfast and got taxi to Gare Lyon. The train was at 8.04am, we had allowed far too much time and were at the station just after 7.00. oh well, better early than miss the train. We had booked first class and wouldn't go any other way after walking through the second class, hot and smelly. The seats were really comfortable and we had good views out of the windows. Looked, read a little, looked some more. Had our yummy picnic lunch and the time just flew by. The six hours was much quicker by train than by plane, if that makes sense. It turns out we could have bought sandwiches on board but they wouldn't have been as good as our picnic.
The weather had started to close in and was becoming cloudy and a little rainy the closer we got to Milan. Arrived at the railway station and had trouble finding the Avis rent a car office. There were no signs what so ever. I ran around like a chook with its head cut off for a while and then asked a policeman who fortunately knew. They were outside the station and quite a way down the road on the left hand side facing the street. Very frustrating, they said they weren't allowed to put signs up in the station. We had made a big song and dance about which group of car we had wanted, but of course they didn't come to the party and we got a larger car, but not as nice quality.
I now proceeded to have a complete brain malfunction. The avis chap asks where are we going? I say Como, thinking Lake Como. Now I had printed off all the michelin instructions from Milan to Varenna but he says Oh como, just take the A9 and you will be there in no time. Yes, we were, but hey, we were going to Varenna, duh and double duh. don't know what happened there, too relaxed after the train journey and not my normal A personality self. We had to cut across to Lecco which was a very slow road, finally got to Varenna at least an hour later than planned. Oh well, we were safe and sound.
Checked in to Hotel du Lac, had a fab room with huge balcony,the Hortensia room, number 11. Room reasonable size, bathroom very small and shower tiny but terrific water pressure much better than Paris.
It is 11.30pm here so better go to bed. will write tomorrow. Please respond those who have read so I can see if I am doing OK.
Forgot to mention with the Louvre we bought a ticket at the metro thinking there would be queues, it cost us more and it was wasted as there were no queues at all, my husband just walked in.
Night of Day 8:
Very tired after a big day so decided to just pop over the road to Au Petit Sud Ouest restaurant for a quick meal. It is a shop that sells all products from the S.W. of France as well as a restaurant, lots of foie gras etc and some really good wines. Its opening times seemed a bit sporadic so we hadn't actually been in before. The service was a bit strange, the owners english wasn't so good, and my french not brilliant either but I was determined to speak it as much as I could. We wanted to share a foie gras for entree and then I ordered the scrambled eggs with truffles, namely because I hadn't eaten truffles before and also just wanted something light. My husband ordered the "real duck" veritable maigret on the menu for the main courses. Anyway the pate comes with the scrambled eggs, a huge plateful. Must say couldn't really taste the truffles and the "bits" of truffles were hard and hmm, not so brilliant. Wasn't worth the incredible 18E. (remember it was just eggs and truffles) she wanted to bring me a duck as well, said no thanks couldn't eat another thing. Anyway my husband who eats duck at EVERY opportunity has now claimed this to be the BEST DUCK EVER. The last contender was a duck dish he had eaten in the Loire Valley about 7 years ago. He has been trying to match it ever since all over the world. And he did, much to his delight. The lady was an absolute delight, explained we were staying in an apartment across the road and she said if there was ever anything she could do for us, get us etc just to pop over. Now wished we had gone over earlier. She also said my french was very good, so I of course thought she was wonderful!!
Day 9:
Last full day in Paris, boo hoo. A later start, want to savour the apartment and breakfast. Decide to take the bus for the first time, left from right outside the apartment and went straight to Bon Marche. Much easier than the metro for this particular stop. Bought a lovely Longchamps handbag and some socks and stocking things. Bon March has the most incredible selection of socks, tights, stockings etc. Lovely ones with patterns had to exercise control. Went into the food market, it was as wonderful as everyone has said.
Went to rue Cler to buy stuff for picnic lunch for the train journey tomorrow. There is no buffet car on board so decided to take our own gourmet picnic. Thought husband was buying stuff whilst I was shopping otherwise I would have stocked up in Bon Marche, anyway he hadn't so we went to our favourite deli and bought veal and ham pie, duck and pistachio pate, comte cheese, some slices of cherry tart and bread.
Went and sorted out stuff in apartment amazing how much one gathers in such a short space of time. Finished packing and then decided to go again to Le Petit Troquet for a second time so DH could try the Pork and Lemon confit. Alas, it was not on the menu, I was glad I had tried it the first night. Had the rabbit in mustard sauce which was still very nice but not the same. We had the cold gazpacho soup to start as it was such a hot night (still). Had the coffee ice cream to finish. The evening was only spoiled by a couple having a rather loud marital dispute at the next table. Well she was very loud telling him everything he had ever done wrong in all the years of marriage and she wanted to go back to the states on the earliest flight available. We rather hoped she did and leave the poor bloke in peace. Very inappropriate behaviour we thought.
Back for last sleep in Paris.
Day 10: Paris to Varenna
A very early start, set the alarm for 5.45am, had small breakfast and got taxi to Gare Lyon. The train was at 8.04am, we had allowed far too much time and were at the station just after 7.00. oh well, better early than miss the train. We had booked first class and wouldn't go any other way after walking through the second class, hot and smelly. The seats were really comfortable and we had good views out of the windows. Looked, read a little, looked some more. Had our yummy picnic lunch and the time just flew by. The six hours was much quicker by train than by plane, if that makes sense. It turns out we could have bought sandwiches on board but they wouldn't have been as good as our picnic.
The weather had started to close in and was becoming cloudy and a little rainy the closer we got to Milan. Arrived at the railway station and had trouble finding the Avis rent a car office. There were no signs what so ever. I ran around like a chook with its head cut off for a while and then asked a policeman who fortunately knew. They were outside the station and quite a way down the road on the left hand side facing the street. Very frustrating, they said they weren't allowed to put signs up in the station. We had made a big song and dance about which group of car we had wanted, but of course they didn't come to the party and we got a larger car, but not as nice quality.
I now proceeded to have a complete brain malfunction. The avis chap asks where are we going? I say Como, thinking Lake Como. Now I had printed off all the michelin instructions from Milan to Varenna but he says Oh como, just take the A9 and you will be there in no time. Yes, we were, but hey, we were going to Varenna, duh and double duh. don't know what happened there, too relaxed after the train journey and not my normal A personality self. We had to cut across to Lecco which was a very slow road, finally got to Varenna at least an hour later than planned. Oh well, we were safe and sound.
Checked in to Hotel du Lac, had a fab room with huge balcony,the Hortensia room, number 11. Room reasonable size, bathroom very small and shower tiny but terrific water pressure much better than Paris.
It is 11.30pm here so better go to bed. will write tomorrow. Please respond those who have read so I can see if I am doing OK.
Sep 23rd, 2005, 05:56 AM
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Schnauzer,
Great read, I love Paris and I adore Varenna! Can wait to hear more about Varenna. You seem to really enjoy travel and FOOD like I do! Keep it coming! Thanks...Oh, yes, I love Bella Rome can't wait to hear what you ate there...
Great read, I love Paris and I adore Varenna! Can wait to hear more about Varenna. You seem to really enjoy travel and FOOD like I do! Keep it coming! Thanks...Oh, yes, I love Bella Rome can't wait to hear what you ate there...
Sep 23rd, 2005, 11:34 AM
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Hello schnauzer, your report is wonderful!! Although I have never been in France I so enjoy interesting reports like yours. Of course it just makes me wish I were in Paris.
And now you are in Italy! I so look forward to your thoughts on Italy, the good and the bad.
BTW, I loved your comment about hoping the wife in the restaurant did go home early and "leave the poor bloke in peace". That was priceless!! I am still chuckling to myself.
Evidently your husband did not have a problem driving out of Milan? Good for him. So many people refuse to drive in the Italian cities.
Best wishes.
And now you are in Italy! I so look forward to your thoughts on Italy, the good and the bad.
BTW, I loved your comment about hoping the wife in the restaurant did go home early and "leave the poor bloke in peace". That was priceless!! I am still chuckling to myself.
Evidently your husband did not have a problem driving out of Milan? Good for him. So many people refuse to drive in the Italian cities.
Best wishes.
Sep 24th, 2005, 12:20 AM
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thanks everyone for the responses glad to know I am doing OK.
To continue then:
We had asked the hotel by email if they could book the Il Cavatappi for us, (much recommended by Fodorites)anyway something got lost in the translation and they hadn't, but quickly made a booking for the following night. We went to the Vecchia Varenna instead. Now we met two couples the following night who said they went there 2/3 years ago and thought it very stuffy and not particularly pleasant. Well, it has changed hands fairly recently I understand and we were very pleased. The wait staff were young, with it and friendly. The food delicious and the views, well what can you say? I started with pumpkin gnocchi and followed with veal stuffed with chesnuts and almonds, absolutely gorgeous, DH had the tagliatelli with dried fish and tomatoes and the grilled veal, also very good. Think my veal was better. We shared the combo dessert of nougat ice cream, apple cake and custard (the best) and a white creamy thing with fruit, a bit bland.
A delightful walk along the old path which runs along the shoreline back to the hotel. In love with Varenna already. We have travelled to a lot of places and seen some spectacular sights, but something about Varenna and Lake Como just sent us into another dimension, it really was special. Thank you so much who ever put me onto Varenna rather than Bellagio. Bellagio was fun, but much more crowded and "touristy". (If it wasn't for all the darned tourists everywhere it would much more pleasant travelling, don't you think?) Also the Hotel du Lac was right on the water, where as most of the hotels in Bellagio had the road and then the water. Not so good. Anyway back to hotel for sleep. Interesting though the worst nights sleep I had were in Varenna all three nights I had very restless nights. Just an aside.
Day 11:
An beautiful sunny day, again. We have been so lucky with the weather. Apparently it had rained all day the day before, today, glorious. We wanted to see some of the villas today, went to tourist info who said the villas tended to make up their times to suit themselves. The Villa Monastero itself was only open in the afternoon, gardens were open all day. We wanted to see inside the villa so opted for a ferry ride to Bellagio hoping to catch either Villa Serbelloni or V. Melzi. Got caught up immediately at the shops! A lovely scarf shop almost opposite the ferry, beautiful silk scarves as cheap as chips. Went to tourist office to find out times of tours for the Serbelloni to be told there was only one tour which had already left (11.00am) and another at 4.00pm the little paper brochure had made it sound as if you could go to the garden at any time but if you wanted a guide then these were the times. You cannot go by yourself at any time. Oh well, decision made Villa Melzi it was. Only the garden is open here anyway. Wandered through town first and walked to the point (punta) which did have amazing views of the lake. through the back streets and out back to Villa Melzi. Very enjoyable walk through the gardens, beautifully set out and most pleasant meandering through.
Caught the 2.05 ferry back to Varenna and walked to Villa Monastero, again lovely gardens walked as far as was possible to the end of the garden and got some terrific photo shots back to Varenna with the church etc. A wedding was taking place so the bells were ringing like crazy. Went inside the villa, great staircase and some lovely furniture. Would not have been a tragedy if we hadn't have gone inside though. Tip for photographers (no expert myself) but take photos from Varenna of the lake in the morning if it is a sunny day. In the afternoon the haze was really bad and the views very unclear.
Went back and got car and drove up to the castle Vezio. Information on opening times etc is very hazy around this area, one brochure says one thing, someone else says something else, a bit frustrating. We were told that the falconer was at the castle all day until sunset. However when we got there, admitedly it was nearly 5.00pm we were told he had gone home at 4.00pm. We didn't bother going to the castle itself. Drove back and kept going through the main part of Varenna to the fiumelatte, the shortest river in Italy. It was positively powering down, a fantastic sight. You could feel the cool air as you approached along the little street quite a while beforehand.
Back to the hotel and went for an early booking at Il Cavatappi which was all they had. Tiny restaurant with only five tables. Mario the chef presented a basket of porcini mushroons he had got that morning and asked would we like him to cook us something. Of course, do your thing we said. DH had porcini gnochi (I don't there are enough cs or hs) and I had thinly sliced porcini with rocket and parmesan with oil and 25 yr old balsamic vinegar which tasted like nectar. We had the lamb chops to follow which were very simply cooked and very sweet. We finished with a trio of desserts, creme caramel, peach mousse and hazlenut cake all freshly made that day. Very, very delicious. Met an english couple and an american couple who ate there everyday they were in Varenna. We tried to book in for the following evening (not to miss out) but couldn't get in. We had to leave by 9.00 for the next booking. A special evening. Make sure you go here but book first. via XX Settembre ph 0341 815349 they have an email address also. [email protected]. The atmosphere was great it was akin to being at a dinner party and meeting new people.
Back to the hotel for a glass of fizz on the terrace and a long look at the magic view and a few thoughts as to how lucky we were to be there.
Day 12:
Weather not so good today, a bit rainy complete with loud claps of thunder. We thought we were heading to Menaggio on the ferry, but hey in great Italian style the timetable isn't quite what it appears and we bypass M completely, no big deal we were heading to Villa Carlotta anyway. There appears to be three stops on the timetable for Villa Carlotta, just to complicate things for us mere tourists. The second stop is the best one, stops right outside the villa, can't imagine why (unless you wish to walk a bit of course) you would get off at the others. It was the first of the Tremezzo stops. Walked around the whole of the gardens and went inside the villa. Really magnificent, well worth the visit. Particularly loved the painted ceilings, wooden ceilings and the padded bedroom walls. Made it very cosy, and you could bang your head against the wall without too much damage - great for us mums. It took about 1.5hrs to do both the garden completely and the villa.
On the ferry again this time to Lenno. Again really confusing info re: the Villa del Balbianello. I had asked lots of questions before I went, but even being there it was still very confusing. Some brochures said it was only open until 12.30 and then again at 3.30pm, others said it was open all the time. Anyway as it was about 1.00 we thought we would lunch first.
My computer is going strange so I will post this and continue in a minute.
To continue then:
We had asked the hotel by email if they could book the Il Cavatappi for us, (much recommended by Fodorites)anyway something got lost in the translation and they hadn't, but quickly made a booking for the following night. We went to the Vecchia Varenna instead. Now we met two couples the following night who said they went there 2/3 years ago and thought it very stuffy and not particularly pleasant. Well, it has changed hands fairly recently I understand and we were very pleased. The wait staff were young, with it and friendly. The food delicious and the views, well what can you say? I started with pumpkin gnocchi and followed with veal stuffed with chesnuts and almonds, absolutely gorgeous, DH had the tagliatelli with dried fish and tomatoes and the grilled veal, also very good. Think my veal was better. We shared the combo dessert of nougat ice cream, apple cake and custard (the best) and a white creamy thing with fruit, a bit bland.
A delightful walk along the old path which runs along the shoreline back to the hotel. In love with Varenna already. We have travelled to a lot of places and seen some spectacular sights, but something about Varenna and Lake Como just sent us into another dimension, it really was special. Thank you so much who ever put me onto Varenna rather than Bellagio. Bellagio was fun, but much more crowded and "touristy". (If it wasn't for all the darned tourists everywhere it would much more pleasant travelling, don't you think?) Also the Hotel du Lac was right on the water, where as most of the hotels in Bellagio had the road and then the water. Not so good. Anyway back to hotel for sleep. Interesting though the worst nights sleep I had were in Varenna all three nights I had very restless nights. Just an aside.
Day 11:
An beautiful sunny day, again. We have been so lucky with the weather. Apparently it had rained all day the day before, today, glorious. We wanted to see some of the villas today, went to tourist info who said the villas tended to make up their times to suit themselves. The Villa Monastero itself was only open in the afternoon, gardens were open all day. We wanted to see inside the villa so opted for a ferry ride to Bellagio hoping to catch either Villa Serbelloni or V. Melzi. Got caught up immediately at the shops! A lovely scarf shop almost opposite the ferry, beautiful silk scarves as cheap as chips. Went to tourist office to find out times of tours for the Serbelloni to be told there was only one tour which had already left (11.00am) and another at 4.00pm the little paper brochure had made it sound as if you could go to the garden at any time but if you wanted a guide then these were the times. You cannot go by yourself at any time. Oh well, decision made Villa Melzi it was. Only the garden is open here anyway. Wandered through town first and walked to the point (punta) which did have amazing views of the lake. through the back streets and out back to Villa Melzi. Very enjoyable walk through the gardens, beautifully set out and most pleasant meandering through.
Caught the 2.05 ferry back to Varenna and walked to Villa Monastero, again lovely gardens walked as far as was possible to the end of the garden and got some terrific photo shots back to Varenna with the church etc. A wedding was taking place so the bells were ringing like crazy. Went inside the villa, great staircase and some lovely furniture. Would not have been a tragedy if we hadn't have gone inside though. Tip for photographers (no expert myself) but take photos from Varenna of the lake in the morning if it is a sunny day. In the afternoon the haze was really bad and the views very unclear.
Went back and got car and drove up to the castle Vezio. Information on opening times etc is very hazy around this area, one brochure says one thing, someone else says something else, a bit frustrating. We were told that the falconer was at the castle all day until sunset. However when we got there, admitedly it was nearly 5.00pm we were told he had gone home at 4.00pm. We didn't bother going to the castle itself. Drove back and kept going through the main part of Varenna to the fiumelatte, the shortest river in Italy. It was positively powering down, a fantastic sight. You could feel the cool air as you approached along the little street quite a while beforehand.
Back to the hotel and went for an early booking at Il Cavatappi which was all they had. Tiny restaurant with only five tables. Mario the chef presented a basket of porcini mushroons he had got that morning and asked would we like him to cook us something. Of course, do your thing we said. DH had porcini gnochi (I don't there are enough cs or hs) and I had thinly sliced porcini with rocket and parmesan with oil and 25 yr old balsamic vinegar which tasted like nectar. We had the lamb chops to follow which were very simply cooked and very sweet. We finished with a trio of desserts, creme caramel, peach mousse and hazlenut cake all freshly made that day. Very, very delicious. Met an english couple and an american couple who ate there everyday they were in Varenna. We tried to book in for the following evening (not to miss out) but couldn't get in. We had to leave by 9.00 for the next booking. A special evening. Make sure you go here but book first. via XX Settembre ph 0341 815349 they have an email address also. [email protected]. The atmosphere was great it was akin to being at a dinner party and meeting new people.
Back to the hotel for a glass of fizz on the terrace and a long look at the magic view and a few thoughts as to how lucky we were to be there.
Day 12:
Weather not so good today, a bit rainy complete with loud claps of thunder. We thought we were heading to Menaggio on the ferry, but hey in great Italian style the timetable isn't quite what it appears and we bypass M completely, no big deal we were heading to Villa Carlotta anyway. There appears to be three stops on the timetable for Villa Carlotta, just to complicate things for us mere tourists. The second stop is the best one, stops right outside the villa, can't imagine why (unless you wish to walk a bit of course) you would get off at the others. It was the first of the Tremezzo stops. Walked around the whole of the gardens and went inside the villa. Really magnificent, well worth the visit. Particularly loved the painted ceilings, wooden ceilings and the padded bedroom walls. Made it very cosy, and you could bang your head against the wall without too much damage - great for us mums. It took about 1.5hrs to do both the garden completely and the villa.
On the ferry again this time to Lenno. Again really confusing info re: the Villa del Balbianello. I had asked lots of questions before I went, but even being there it was still very confusing. Some brochures said it was only open until 12.30 and then again at 3.30pm, others said it was open all the time. Anyway as it was about 1.00 we thought we would lunch first.
My computer is going strange so I will post this and continue in a minute.
Sep 24th, 2005, 03:58 AM
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Me again. Back to the lunch in Lenno. There appeared to be only a couple of places and one was the Albergo Plinio which seemed to have a fair few people in it, locals by the sounds. Ordered a couple of pasta dishes, ravioli and a fettucine. Had hardly given back the menus when the meals arrive, no joke, probably about 3 minutes. These were obviously not freshly cooked for us. Mine wasn't too bad but the fettucine was revolting. Do not eat here, a real microwave reheat job, me thinks.
Walked along the quay to where the boat for Villa Balbianello is moored, we going to walk anyway which turned out to be a good thing because as we approached the jetty the guy slung ropes and took off at high speed. Most peculiar, glad we weren't relying on him. Walked up the hill through the bush track to the garden gate, available Tues, Sat, Sun and public hols. Otherwise you have to use the boat, that is if he waits for you! It is closed Mondays and Wednesdays. We walked through the gate and found the gardens were open all day so we headed on in. This is a place NOT to be missed, amazing. You have to book a tour for inside which we didn't do, there was a group going at 4.30pm if we wished to join them, too late for us. Otherwise they could have rung a guide, who would have arrived in 30 mins but would have cost 60E, we declined. If you are there when a tour goes through I would jump at the chance. The gardens were just magnificent and I would have loved to seen inside the villa. The heavens opened while we were there, we sheltered inside and then it stopped so it did not stop us from enjoying the place. Walked back to Lenno and jumped on a fast ferry that just came through, paid a small supplement. Decided we could fit Menaggio in on the way home, just as we arrived the heavens opened again. We should have taken this as a sign and stayed on board. We ignored the sign and rushed to the Grand Hotel Menaggio to shelter. We went into the tea room area and felt as if we had landed in a surreal movie or something out of a weird book. The average age was about 70, walking sticks, zimmer frames and wheelchairs were de rigeur. Discussions about bingo were heard - oh my goodness, we had landed in geriatric land. Pommie geriatric land no less. I guess it beats Blackpool. Lots of "Our Alf would luv it 'ere", said in broad yorkshire accent would have fitted in well. Help, let me out. We waited for the rain to stop and beat a hasty retreat into town. Can't say a very wet sunday afternoon made Menaggio terribly appealing. Waited a long time for ferry back to Varenna. Had a rest and planned trip to Stressa the next day.
Went to Villa Cipresi for dinner. New chef and very pleasant it was too. Lobster spaghetti to start for each of us and swordfish steak for me and rare steak for Alex, no desserts. The villa seemed really full of atmosphere, in fact I would be tempted to try staying here if I came back to Varenna again. Has anyone stayed at Villa Cipresi? The suite (in the photo) looked really good, much bigger than the room at du Lac and not as expensive. The rooms wouldn't be as close to the water as du Lac but you would have the lovely garden instead. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has in fact stayed here.
Day 13:
Off to Stressa this morning, decided not to rush and try and see all islands, instead to take our time and meander on down. Feeling a little like we are always on a "schedule", running for ferries, opening times etc. Took the scenic road which hugs the lake to Lecco, a very, very slow option. There was a queue basically the whole way. Missed the turn off the freeway, for smaller exits you don't really get any warning and if you in the fast lane you don't have a chance to get across and make a quick exit. It took us ages to get back on track, Italians are not terrific at roads signs we decided. Anyway arrived at Stressa about 12.15pm. Had booked in at the La Palma. Went straight to the room to drop off bags. Had requested a "superior" room, which this definately was. VEry big with balcony and huge bathroom with separate spa and shower with wizz bang jets. Best room and bathroom so far. A shame we are only staying one night. Staff extremely friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend.
Ran to catch 1.00pm ferry to Isola Superiore to have lunch at the Albergo Verbano (Fodors reco) Had saddle of rabbit which was quite good and the cooked veges which were ghastly, way overcooked, reminded me of english school dinners - in other words inedible. The actress Suzanna York was dining there also. Caught the ferry to Isola Bella and did the villa and gardens. To be honest I think we had overdone on the villa garden thing by this stage. Was it worth the long drive from Varenna just for one day and night? Absolutely not, would not recommend it. I would stay longer in Maggiore itself and see more spots, but certainly wouldn't recommend going just for the islands.
Came back to the room and had decadent spa bath. Haven't done that in ages, we are in a water crisis over here, so I prefer to put any spare water on the garden not squander it on a bath.
Maggiore also full of old age english pensioners, shades of Menaggio. They obviously prefer the flat areas of the lake.
Had a beautiful meal at Ristorante Triangolo, via Roma 61. Both had artichoke souffle with mushroom sauce and goats cheese for starters, different, but not a repeat. Both had veal with mustard sauce and hazlenuts. Really, really yummy. Had the best cappucino yet, they actually filled the cup and the froth was thick and after some hints they even sprinkled chocolate on top - I know, sacre bleu!! It was nearly as good as a Sydney cappucino! (we do them very well over here) The service was excellent, quite formal but friendly. Back to hotel to wander around the very large room, king bed, sofa, two easy chairs, desk and chair.
I really got a good feel about Stressa, I was under the impression it was very ordinary, but I could have spent another night there and some of the shops looked interesting.
Day 14:
Getting very nervous this morning. have to drive from Stressa to Rome in one big hit. We have driven plenty of times in Italy and France, in fact we always land, pick up car and drive, drop car fly out. But this time without our son with us I was feeling very nervous, I knew it was potentially the most "dangerous" part of the trip, driving on strange roads, high speeds, crappy rental car. Anyway I am writing the report so of course we both survived the ordeal. Very very busy around Milan, huge trucks which seem to straddle the white line and then make a last minute decision as to which lane they will suddenly veer into. DH drives until near to Florence and then I take over. White knuckle stuff, we stop only once for petrol, no food, no drink, 7 hours. It took much longer than we had thought. Michelin has given 5.5hrs as the guide we took at least 6 and then spent over an hour trying to find Avis drop off at Rome airport. Why didn't I ask Fodors where the drop off was before I left I am sure someone would have known. They are all in the multistory car park. There is only one sign as you are approaching the airport, or course right at the junction, again wrong lane, miss turn. Go around and around, typical male won't stop and ask directions, finally we do, still go wrong, tempers frayed by this stage. Had previously decided to treat ourselves to a limo from airport instead of taking the train as guide books had suggested. On one of my jaunts asking for directions I found a limo place, get card etc. Finally drop off car and AVis chap convinces us that the train in the way to go - so easy he says. He is not lugging heavy bags down three walkways to train station. guide book had said to buy return tickets from airport as Terminii in Rome would be very bush on return. This I dutifully do, 38E for two returns. Get train, not bad, bit slow but hot and very crowded. Get taxi outside airport, make sure he has a meter. Somehow he manages to obscure the meter during the drive with front middle seat of taxi. When we arrive he charges us 27E, WHAT! what can you say, he must have fiddled with the meter somehow and added heaps on. He doesn't even drop us outside the hotel, we are outside the Minerva so have to walk a little way to our hotel. Really cheesed off by this time. So it cost us as much as the limo would have.
Feeling very fragile by this stage, it is now 6.00pm, we have been on the road since 8.45am. repeat no food, no drink. Husband doesn't believe in stopping for such extravagances!! Sniff, sniff.
We are in Rome at the Albergo Del Senato. Smack bang near the Pantheon can almost touch it from hotel window. Wow! very noisy though and am glad of double glazing on windows and air conditioning. Asked for dinner recommendation and went to Osteria Romana. Quite good, but too exhausted to do anything much justice.
Early night.
Will continue tomorrow - tired now just remembering the day!
Walked along the quay to where the boat for Villa Balbianello is moored, we going to walk anyway which turned out to be a good thing because as we approached the jetty the guy slung ropes and took off at high speed. Most peculiar, glad we weren't relying on him. Walked up the hill through the bush track to the garden gate, available Tues, Sat, Sun and public hols. Otherwise you have to use the boat, that is if he waits for you! It is closed Mondays and Wednesdays. We walked through the gate and found the gardens were open all day so we headed on in. This is a place NOT to be missed, amazing. You have to book a tour for inside which we didn't do, there was a group going at 4.30pm if we wished to join them, too late for us. Otherwise they could have rung a guide, who would have arrived in 30 mins but would have cost 60E, we declined. If you are there when a tour goes through I would jump at the chance. The gardens were just magnificent and I would have loved to seen inside the villa. The heavens opened while we were there, we sheltered inside and then it stopped so it did not stop us from enjoying the place. Walked back to Lenno and jumped on a fast ferry that just came through, paid a small supplement. Decided we could fit Menaggio in on the way home, just as we arrived the heavens opened again. We should have taken this as a sign and stayed on board. We ignored the sign and rushed to the Grand Hotel Menaggio to shelter. We went into the tea room area and felt as if we had landed in a surreal movie or something out of a weird book. The average age was about 70, walking sticks, zimmer frames and wheelchairs were de rigeur. Discussions about bingo were heard - oh my goodness, we had landed in geriatric land. Pommie geriatric land no less. I guess it beats Blackpool. Lots of "Our Alf would luv it 'ere", said in broad yorkshire accent would have fitted in well. Help, let me out. We waited for the rain to stop and beat a hasty retreat into town. Can't say a very wet sunday afternoon made Menaggio terribly appealing. Waited a long time for ferry back to Varenna. Had a rest and planned trip to Stressa the next day.
Went to Villa Cipresi for dinner. New chef and very pleasant it was too. Lobster spaghetti to start for each of us and swordfish steak for me and rare steak for Alex, no desserts. The villa seemed really full of atmosphere, in fact I would be tempted to try staying here if I came back to Varenna again. Has anyone stayed at Villa Cipresi? The suite (in the photo) looked really good, much bigger than the room at du Lac and not as expensive. The rooms wouldn't be as close to the water as du Lac but you would have the lovely garden instead. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has in fact stayed here.
Day 13:
Off to Stressa this morning, decided not to rush and try and see all islands, instead to take our time and meander on down. Feeling a little like we are always on a "schedule", running for ferries, opening times etc. Took the scenic road which hugs the lake to Lecco, a very, very slow option. There was a queue basically the whole way. Missed the turn off the freeway, for smaller exits you don't really get any warning and if you in the fast lane you don't have a chance to get across and make a quick exit. It took us ages to get back on track, Italians are not terrific at roads signs we decided. Anyway arrived at Stressa about 12.15pm. Had booked in at the La Palma. Went straight to the room to drop off bags. Had requested a "superior" room, which this definately was. VEry big with balcony and huge bathroom with separate spa and shower with wizz bang jets. Best room and bathroom so far. A shame we are only staying one night. Staff extremely friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend.
Ran to catch 1.00pm ferry to Isola Superiore to have lunch at the Albergo Verbano (Fodors reco) Had saddle of rabbit which was quite good and the cooked veges which were ghastly, way overcooked, reminded me of english school dinners - in other words inedible. The actress Suzanna York was dining there also. Caught the ferry to Isola Bella and did the villa and gardens. To be honest I think we had overdone on the villa garden thing by this stage. Was it worth the long drive from Varenna just for one day and night? Absolutely not, would not recommend it. I would stay longer in Maggiore itself and see more spots, but certainly wouldn't recommend going just for the islands.
Came back to the room and had decadent spa bath. Haven't done that in ages, we are in a water crisis over here, so I prefer to put any spare water on the garden not squander it on a bath.
Maggiore also full of old age english pensioners, shades of Menaggio. They obviously prefer the flat areas of the lake.
Had a beautiful meal at Ristorante Triangolo, via Roma 61. Both had artichoke souffle with mushroom sauce and goats cheese for starters, different, but not a repeat. Both had veal with mustard sauce and hazlenuts. Really, really yummy. Had the best cappucino yet, they actually filled the cup and the froth was thick and after some hints they even sprinkled chocolate on top - I know, sacre bleu!! It was nearly as good as a Sydney cappucino! (we do them very well over here) The service was excellent, quite formal but friendly. Back to hotel to wander around the very large room, king bed, sofa, two easy chairs, desk and chair.
I really got a good feel about Stressa, I was under the impression it was very ordinary, but I could have spent another night there and some of the shops looked interesting.
Day 14:
Getting very nervous this morning. have to drive from Stressa to Rome in one big hit. We have driven plenty of times in Italy and France, in fact we always land, pick up car and drive, drop car fly out. But this time without our son with us I was feeling very nervous, I knew it was potentially the most "dangerous" part of the trip, driving on strange roads, high speeds, crappy rental car. Anyway I am writing the report so of course we both survived the ordeal. Very very busy around Milan, huge trucks which seem to straddle the white line and then make a last minute decision as to which lane they will suddenly veer into. DH drives until near to Florence and then I take over. White knuckle stuff, we stop only once for petrol, no food, no drink, 7 hours. It took much longer than we had thought. Michelin has given 5.5hrs as the guide we took at least 6 and then spent over an hour trying to find Avis drop off at Rome airport. Why didn't I ask Fodors where the drop off was before I left I am sure someone would have known. They are all in the multistory car park. There is only one sign as you are approaching the airport, or course right at the junction, again wrong lane, miss turn. Go around and around, typical male won't stop and ask directions, finally we do, still go wrong, tempers frayed by this stage. Had previously decided to treat ourselves to a limo from airport instead of taking the train as guide books had suggested. On one of my jaunts asking for directions I found a limo place, get card etc. Finally drop off car and AVis chap convinces us that the train in the way to go - so easy he says. He is not lugging heavy bags down three walkways to train station. guide book had said to buy return tickets from airport as Terminii in Rome would be very bush on return. This I dutifully do, 38E for two returns. Get train, not bad, bit slow but hot and very crowded. Get taxi outside airport, make sure he has a meter. Somehow he manages to obscure the meter during the drive with front middle seat of taxi. When we arrive he charges us 27E, WHAT! what can you say, he must have fiddled with the meter somehow and added heaps on. He doesn't even drop us outside the hotel, we are outside the Minerva so have to walk a little way to our hotel. Really cheesed off by this time. So it cost us as much as the limo would have.
Feeling very fragile by this stage, it is now 6.00pm, we have been on the road since 8.45am. repeat no food, no drink. Husband doesn't believe in stopping for such extravagances!! Sniff, sniff.
We are in Rome at the Albergo Del Senato. Smack bang near the Pantheon can almost touch it from hotel window. Wow! very noisy though and am glad of double glazing on windows and air conditioning. Asked for dinner recommendation and went to Osteria Romana. Quite good, but too exhausted to do anything much justice.
Early night.
Will continue tomorrow - tired now just remembering the day!
Sep 24th, 2005, 07:23 PM
#16
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I hope people are still enjoying my report even though nobody has replied! I am the needy type according to Fodor's definiton of posters!! I will continue a bit more.
Day 15:
Weather warm and sunny again, got up a bit later as we were so exhausted from the driving yesterday. Forgot to mention after dinner the night before we went to the Cremeria in via della Rotunda for gelato, thanks for the tip, we loved the hazelnut. I thought it was in the piazza itself but finally worked out it was on one of the side streets.
Went immediately after breakfast to have a look inside the Pantheon. What a beautifully proportioned building. This is something very special, decided we would come early each morning before breakfast to have a morning reflective time. Walked around for a general look see, found the Piazza Venezia with the incredibly ugly Monument Victor Emmanuel. Surely this would have to be a hot contender for one of the most ugliest buildings in the world? What an eyesore. Enough said. Found the very crowded Trevi fountain, again decided for a photo we would have to come back a lot earlier in the day. They sure built things big in Rome in those days! Walked to Piazza Barberini and up via Sistina (super shoe shop details later) up to the top of the Spanish Steps. Rather underwhelmed by the steps. Everywhere very crowded and I am not feeling too good about Rome - not my kind of place. Sorry Rome lovers. I have definately come to the conclusion I am more of a country gal. Got lost on way back to hotel. Had bought what I thought was a decent map but half the streets don't appear to be on it. I had researched some particular shops, had the addresses and then had great difficulty finding the streets. I am getting myself in a knot by this time.
Back to the Piazza Rotunda for lunch in the Dai Tre Amici, which was listed in my guide book as "special". Again it is late, I told you DH doesn't believe in food during the day, only under duress. We are the only ones in there, it is in via della Rotunda 8. We had a couple of pasta dishes, wild mushroom fettucine and vongole pasta. Pretty good, but not setting the world on fire. No atmosphere with only the two of us. They then turn out the lights, subtle hint!! not so subtle, we leave.
Went back for siesta until 6.00pm then went up to the rooftop for a drink. Chatted to pleasant american couple. Salvatore at reception had suggested dinner at Hostaria Costanza for dinner. Had a bit of trouble finding it but eventually we get there. Full of locals, good sign. We shared the antipasto which was OK, nothing to get excited about. I had the grilled salmon steak which was cooked to perfection and really good, with salad. DH had beef chop (interesting cut of meat) and spinach, he really enjoyed his meat also. Walked home through the campo di Fiori which was crowded but nothing seemed to be happening just lots of young people. It didn't have a "good" feeling about it for me. Ended up in the Piazza Navona which had a much more fun and enjoyable atmosphere for my liking. Lots of things going on, fire dancing lady, lots of artists doing sketches, restaurants and a really lively feel. Felt much more comfortable here.
Back to hotel for sleep.
Day 15:
Weather warm and sunny again, got up a bit later as we were so exhausted from the driving yesterday. Forgot to mention after dinner the night before we went to the Cremeria in via della Rotunda for gelato, thanks for the tip, we loved the hazelnut. I thought it was in the piazza itself but finally worked out it was on one of the side streets.
Went immediately after breakfast to have a look inside the Pantheon. What a beautifully proportioned building. This is something very special, decided we would come early each morning before breakfast to have a morning reflective time. Walked around for a general look see, found the Piazza Venezia with the incredibly ugly Monument Victor Emmanuel. Surely this would have to be a hot contender for one of the most ugliest buildings in the world? What an eyesore. Enough said. Found the very crowded Trevi fountain, again decided for a photo we would have to come back a lot earlier in the day. They sure built things big in Rome in those days! Walked to Piazza Barberini and up via Sistina (super shoe shop details later) up to the top of the Spanish Steps. Rather underwhelmed by the steps. Everywhere very crowded and I am not feeling too good about Rome - not my kind of place. Sorry Rome lovers. I have definately come to the conclusion I am more of a country gal. Got lost on way back to hotel. Had bought what I thought was a decent map but half the streets don't appear to be on it. I had researched some particular shops, had the addresses and then had great difficulty finding the streets. I am getting myself in a knot by this time.
Back to the Piazza Rotunda for lunch in the Dai Tre Amici, which was listed in my guide book as "special". Again it is late, I told you DH doesn't believe in food during the day, only under duress. We are the only ones in there, it is in via della Rotunda 8. We had a couple of pasta dishes, wild mushroom fettucine and vongole pasta. Pretty good, but not setting the world on fire. No atmosphere with only the two of us. They then turn out the lights, subtle hint!! not so subtle, we leave.
Went back for siesta until 6.00pm then went up to the rooftop for a drink. Chatted to pleasant american couple. Salvatore at reception had suggested dinner at Hostaria Costanza for dinner. Had a bit of trouble finding it but eventually we get there. Full of locals, good sign. We shared the antipasto which was OK, nothing to get excited about. I had the grilled salmon steak which was cooked to perfection and really good, with salad. DH had beef chop (interesting cut of meat) and spinach, he really enjoyed his meat also. Walked home through the campo di Fiori which was crowded but nothing seemed to be happening just lots of young people. It didn't have a "good" feeling about it for me. Ended up in the Piazza Navona which had a much more fun and enjoyable atmosphere for my liking. Lots of things going on, fire dancing lady, lots of artists doing sketches, restaurants and a really lively feel. Felt much more comfortable here.
Back to hotel for sleep.
Sep 24th, 2005, 07:57 PM
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Hello schnauzer, I am still enjoying your trip report so much! For someone that has never written a trip report before you are writing an outstanding one IMO!
I too would have been tired and grumpy driving all the way to Rome without food or drink. I would have been so crabby my husband would have stopped somewhere, at least at one of the AutoGrills that Italy is famous for, LOL. You are a good sport.
I am so glad you loved Stresa and the Hotel Palma. So do I. I also enjoy Isola Bella but I can understand how that was not the highlight in that you had already been through so many beautiful gardens.
I love Rome but not everyone does and that is understandable. We all have our favorites. I sometimes think the second visit to Rome is better as one knows there way around, well more or less. And I too love being away from the large cities also. That is why I love being in the region of Veneto. It is so lovely and peaceful.
I sure look forward to the next segment of your report. Take care, and thank you again for sharing your beautiful trip with us. P.S. I love your sense of humor!
I too would have been tired and grumpy driving all the way to Rome without food or drink. I would have been so crabby my husband would have stopped somewhere, at least at one of the AutoGrills that Italy is famous for, LOL. You are a good sport.
I am so glad you loved Stresa and the Hotel Palma. So do I. I also enjoy Isola Bella but I can understand how that was not the highlight in that you had already been through so many beautiful gardens.
I love Rome but not everyone does and that is understandable. We all have our favorites. I sometimes think the second visit to Rome is better as one knows there way around, well more or less. And I too love being away from the large cities also. That is why I love being in the region of Veneto. It is so lovely and peaceful.
I sure look forward to the next segment of your report. Take care, and thank you again for sharing your beautiful trip with us. P.S. I love your sense of humor!
Sep 24th, 2005, 08:00 PM
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Hi Schnauzer, Im from Melbourne leaving for Europe next Friday and loving your report!! - Keep going. Ive found our time zone is what makes a delay with our postings. If we post at 8pm for example is its the middle of the night for most fodorites and then the posts often get buried a little by the time the regulars log on.
We went to Italy Lakes 4 years ago and stayed in Maggoire - loved it also and wished we'd had more time(we only had 2 nights there)
This trip we are doing Brussels, Athens/Islands and France.
Fodors is a wonderful resource isnt it!!??
And your Paris report is great. What area was your apartment in?
We've booked to stay in the Marais area but now reconsidering. Your report said you liked the area more than the Latin quarter, but is it as convenient for getting around?
thanks again for the report. Ill be looking for your next episode.
We went to Italy Lakes 4 years ago and stayed in Maggoire - loved it also and wished we'd had more time(we only had 2 nights there)
This trip we are doing Brussels, Athens/Islands and France.
Fodors is a wonderful resource isnt it!!??
And your Paris report is great. What area was your apartment in?
We've booked to stay in the Marais area but now reconsidering. Your report said you liked the area more than the Latin quarter, but is it as convenient for getting around?
thanks again for the report. Ill be looking for your next episode.
Sep 24th, 2005, 08:02 PM
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I am loving this report!
Just a word, we ate at Le Petit Troquet 28 rue de l'Exposition, the first night in Paris in March and loved it. Our son was impressed with the pasta! Did you love the owner? Wasn't he nice?!
Au Petit Sud Ouest,was a block from our apt, we ate there twice! loved it also!
You just make me want to go to Italy that much more, thanks!!
Just a word, we ate at Le Petit Troquet 28 rue de l'Exposition, the first night in Paris in March and loved it. Our son was impressed with the pasta! Did you love the owner? Wasn't he nice?!
Au Petit Sud Ouest,was a block from our apt, we ate there twice! loved it also!
You just make me want to go to Italy that much more, thanks!!
Sep 24th, 2005, 08:08 PM
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Did you love the apt? We stayed in the Pomerol on rue Grenelle 
and the restaurant we ate in twice was just Sud, right on rue Grenelle..
Thomieux was good when we were there, but the waiters can be horrible..sorry you had a bad experience.
and the restaurant we ate in twice was just Sud, right on rue Grenelle..Thomieux was good when we were there, but the waiters can be horrible..sorry you had a bad experience.
