jeanne

We arrived in Paris on 10/17 and took the AF Shuttle to Gare Montparnasse...cab from there to Hotel Bonaparte. The shuttle service was great, but I think we probably only saved about 15 euros over taking a cab the whole way. <BR><BR>This hotel is fabulously located right around the corner from Place St. Sulpice. Great shopping area. The rooms were a little aged, but a good size. My friend had room #2: large bedroom, tiny bathroom. She paid 125euro. I was in room 13, not quite as large, but a huge bath (with window in the bath...I like that). I paid 104 euro, but had reserved much earlier, in June. The staff was extremely nice and helpful, even helped me with my poor french! Breakfast is available in the room: coffee, croissant and juice. Again, very nice staff.<BR><BR>It was raining and cold, which didn't bother us at all because we could wear our boots (we're from the Gulf coast and don't get much winter weather). But the rain didn't stop us from wandering around the St Sulpice and Luxemburg Garden areas. Our first Parisian meal was an unforgettable jambon et frommage crepe at a stand on Rue St. Michel...Mmmmm. After that and a cafe creme we headed back to the hotel for a little freshening up before dinner. <BR><BR>We ate that night at Rotisserie d'en Face. Walked in the cold rain and realized our map didn't have accurate street listings....be careful of this. We walked several miles more than necessary that night. (After this I used the maps in my Eyewitness Guide...heavy, but good maps). Service at d'en Face was uninspired, but the food was perfect. 102euro (all meals include a bottle of wine). When we left it was even colder, but the rain had stopped. So we wandered through the glistening streets of Paris back to Hotel Bonaparte for a good night's sleep.<BR><BR>DAY 2: Well, I didn't sleep as well as I'd hoped, so it was up and out for a long walk at 6 a.m. Paris doesn't stir until about 7:30, so I had Ile de Cite, Notre Dame, Hotel de Ville and Blvd. Saint Germaine all to myself. The City of Light lived up to its name...the Seine sparkled just for me. It was my first real discovery that Paris is one beautiful street after another. Everywhere I turned I found beautiful churches, monuments, bridges, palaces, bridges, etc. softly lit in the early morning darkness. Sigh.<BR><BR>After a wonderful breakfast, we took the metro to Palais Royale and toured the Richelieu wing of the Louvre: Napoleon's apartments, Flemish masters, Marly horses (fabulous). Then we walked...and I mean walked. Through the Tuillerie Gardens, past the ponies and carousel, to the Place de la Concorde (what views!). Then across the Pont Concorde and all the way back down Saint Germain to the St. Sulpice area. There's an alley behind Hotel Bonaparte, beside Cafe de Marie. Lots of casual restaurants so we had another crepe for a late lunch. Then we crashed for a nap until dinner. <BR><BR>(I'll post another segment in a little while)<BR><BR> <BR>

Peg

Jeanne, Great to read your report and I'm looking forward to the rest! As you were arriving on the 17th, I was on my way to CDG, heading home. Sorry we didn't get the chance to share a glass of wine. I'm glad that your trip was wonderful!

jeanne

Day 2 cont'd: <BR>I woke up to the sound of a heavy sleet hitting my window. It soon turned to rain again, though.<BR><BR>Dinner this night was at La Mediteranne, 2 Place de L'Odeon--facing the theatre. C'est excellent! We had the menu: tartin de aubergine, lamb shoulder and a bottle of red wine. 80euro. I really recommend this restaurant. The little windows looking over the theatre are lovely and the service was tres charming. The food was, of course, terrific. <BR><BR>We hadn't eaten dessert, so we decided to stop in somewhere for a creme brulee and coffee. Oops. There's a moules and frites place on Blvd. Saint Germaine kittycorner from the Duex Magots. We told the maitre d' what we wanted and he didn't seem to have a problem...but the waiter did. Mon Dieu, he seemed to say when we only ordered dessert! He was caustic and rude. It was slightly embarassing, but we had our dessert and coffee and then called it a day. <BR><BR>[Let me add at this point that 2 different people had told me this day that my French was very good (limited, but good). Tres surprising since I only started studying in June! I only tell you this to recommend the methods I used. First, I bought the Michel Thomas set of 8 CD's. After mastering those, I found a Barron's course at my library. It's entirely in French to help one's ear get accustomed to the language. It has a book with some english translations....I highly recommend it.]<BR><BR>Day 3: A full 8 hours' sleep! It's cold, but sunny. Today we started out to see the Iles. Started at Notre Dame, but didn't wait in line to get in..later. We just walked through the lovely streets on both Iles, lovely manor houses, charming narrow streets. Stopped to share a croque monsieur for lunch...how do they eat so much cheese?? But it was soooo good. (I like that they serve all their food very hot.) We then walked through the Marais: Bastille, Place de Vosges, into the Jewish quarter. I wanted to have a Falafel at L'as du Fallafel, but they were closed! Dommage! It was Saturday, so it occurred to me that perhaps they close for Sabbath? We intended to hit the Musee Carnavalet, but just kept walking till we came to the Pompidou Center. The mimes and other acts were out in force, so we sat and had lunch and a Nutella crepe at a nearby cafe. Then a metro ride to Galleries Lafayette...oh my! The food courts, the shoes, the perfumes...incredible. <BR><BR>Back to the Bonaparte area and dinner at L'Huile d'Olio, a little restaurant in that alley behind the hotel (very near Le Marche St. Germaine). The food was terrific...I had a lamb kabob dish which was beautifully presented. But the service was lousy. It was Sat. night, so they were packed. 70 euro for full menu, including dessert and wine. I would recommend this place, but try it on a week night.

jeanne

Peg: Did you put up a trip report? Please tell me the title.<BR><BR>Day 4: Today we are meeting friends for lunch. Before they arrive, I head over to the Marche for flowers...ranunculas in October...can you believe it?! So now my room is tres jolie! We all went to lunch at La Vieux Bistro across from Notre Dame. It was good, but didn't live up to my expectations from the reviews I've read on Fodors. After lunch, we walked beside Notre Dame and noticed a side door standing wide open. So we bypassed the lines and walked right in (and I believe in Hell!). It's enormous, huge, dark and gorgeous. I like that they've left it dark. Didn't get to go up to the gargoyles. There was scaffolding all around the tower...would that ruin the views? We then went over to Saint Chappele to see the magnificent stained glass windows. Long walk home via Place Saint Andre des Arts, rue Jacob, Rue de Furstenburg and a stop for coffee at Cafe Bonaparte. I headed over to the St. Michel area to find an internet cafe for emailing. A light snack and for dinner tonight. I loved walking the Paris streets, even alone. Window shopping in Paris could be a favorite passtime! You've probably figured out by now I'm big on walking, too. <BR><BR>This is getting very long, so I'll cut it down a little. <BR>Day 5: We discover Monoprix. I was looking for infant wear and they had a good selection. We then wandered through the 7th, stopped for a quick lunch at a patisserie. A lovely little spinach quiche which was perfect...until we discovered the smoked salmon. Ick. Our walk was diverted by a huge demonstration of artists and theatre workers. I think they were demanding free fois gras or something...no one was sure. We came to Les Invalides but it was closed. We then wandered over to Rue Cler for some crepes and a coke...very good. Then, the long march down Champs du Mars toward the Eiffel Tower. What a beautiful part of the city! Went up to the 2nd level just in time to watch the lights come on. Magnifique! Dinner was at La Petite Zinc and it was perfect. We didn't have reservations, but only waited 10 or 15 minutes for a table. We both had the menu with dessert and wine: 140euro. Excellent!<BR><BR>Day 6: We took the bus to Musee D'Orsay but the line was out of sight. So we walked over the bridge and headed to Place Vendomme, very beautiful and very expensive! Then on to Opera Garnier...can't begin to describe how beautiful it is! Unfortunately, they were rehearsing, so we couldn't see the theatre. But I was not disappointed. It was magnificent. We ate lunch near Place de la Madeleine; heavy lunch of chicken and country potatoes. So...more walking. All the way down Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe...<BR>and it's roundpont! I'll NEVER drive in Paris after seeing that. We walked around the 8th where the embassies are until it turned very cold and rainy, so home to Bonaparte. We ate at a little Italian restaurant in that alley behind the hotel...and learned something new. <BR>My friend ordered pasta carbonara, a favorite dish. When it arrived, it was topped with a RAW EGG! We now understand that this is not unusual in France. <BR><BR>Day 7: Back to the Louvre for the Italian masters. Mona was beautiful, but I absolutely adored Winged Victory. Wow doesn't do it justice. But then we went over to the D'Orsay (with our musee pass...no line) and...Oh my! Monet, Renoir, Pizzaro, Van Gogh. One visit could never do this museum justice. Then home by way of Rue Vertueil and St. Perez, the antiques quarter. Very chic and very expensive. Dinner at Perraudin, 157 rue St. Jacques in the 5th. Very good. 100euros. Home to pack for tomorrow's new journey.<BR><BR>(sorry, I'll finish this tomorrow)

kavey

Lovely report Jeanne!<BR>Thanks!<BR>You probably figured out - the carbonara is topped with a raw egg that you then mix into the pasta immediately - the heat of the pasta when it is served is enough to cook the egg a little as it coats the pasta...<BR>YUM!<BR>Kavey

sandi

We probably passed you in the streets! We were there at the same time with a similar report. Nice to hear anothers perspective. Great report.

jeanne

Sandi: <BR><BR>Sorry I missed you...wasn't it beautiful?! I loved the rainy weather. That's the way I've always imagined Paris.<BR><BR>OK, DAY 8: We caught the train at Gare Austerlitz to Limoges. Picked up our rental car and breezed down to Sarlat with no problems. We were a little nervous about the driving, signs, etc. But no need to worry...it was easy. (The first roundabout gave me a little pause, but after that I liked them, wish we had them in the states.)<BR><BR>I'm going to shorten the report for the countryside. If someone wants more details, just let me know.<BR><BR>2 days in Sarlat. Hotel Madeleine...very nice. Dinner in their dining room was one of the better meals of the trip. Visited the chateau at Beynac and drove around the countryside. Dordogne is lovely country. Lots of fois gras, walnut products and truffles! We went to the Lascaux caves. the tour was entirely in French so I was glad I had studied up beforehand.<BR><BR>Drove up to Perigueux, but we didn't like it and it was early so we kept driving. Ended up at the Hotel Mercure in Angouleme. OK if one is going to be in Angouleme anyway, but nothing special. <BR><BR>The next day we drove up to Saumur and loved it! Stayed at the Loire Hotel across the river from the Chateau. For $67euro we had a large room, nice bath and balcony with full view of the castle. The shops looked very nice, but were closed on the day we were there.<BR><BR>Next we went to Pont Aven, which was mostly closed down. We got a room at the Hotel Mimosa, almost at the end of town at the harbor. Had wanted to stay at the Moulin de Rosmadec, but they were closed. The Mimosa was nice and they have a comfortable, casual seafood restaurant. A welcome change from all the cheese and fois gras. We also drove down to Moelan sur Mer because I wanted to check out a place I'd seen on the web, Moulin du Duc...an old mill which has been converted with rooms and a gourmet restaurant. We didn't stay there, but it was incredibly beautiful if anyone's looking for a fabulous place in Southwest Brittany. We also passed Manoir de Kertalg, which looked equally tempting.<BR><BR>On to Paimpol for a night at the K'Loy Hotel, right on the harbor. This was lobster night and we found a lovely restaurant near the hotel which was fabulous! We loved Paimpol, but this was when we started running into shops closing midday and we missed several things we wanted to see.<BR><BR>The next day we saw Dinan, St. Malo and Dinard. Stayed at the Grand Hotel in Dinard...what a treat! Huge room, grand bath with shower AND bath and two sinks, terry robes and every conceivable luxury. Only 145euro, not bad compared to the prices in St Malo!The staff was wonderful. They carried our luggage (imagine!) and parked the car. After checking out the town we had dinner at the hotel and it was magnificent. I highly recommend this hotel and its restaurant. Only thing was the portions were soooo huge, we left half the food on our plates. <BR><BR>The next night we were going to stay in Rennes near the train station to make it easy to catch the train back to Paris. But Rennes didn't really appeal, so we turned in the car, switched out our tickets (all in French!) and took the train back to Paris...arrived about 9:30 pm.

mimi taylor

Thanks Jeanne, Sorry you missed the Rosmedec, my fav in that area. Did you get to Belon? Outside Pont Avon, noted for the best oysters also for crepes there at chez angele. Next to Provence, I like Brittany and Normandy. I'm glad you posted and had a great time.

jeanne

I tried the &quot;famous&quot; Belon oysters and didn't think they were anywhere near as good as those we harvest here on the Gulf coast. They were small and puny, whereas our homegrown oysters are large and plump. But all the other seafood we had was terrific; I discovered Turbot and loved it. As for crepes, the only crepe I ordered in Brittany had a raw egg on top of it. Not my cup of tea <BR><BR>

tcc

Loved hearing about your time in France. Man, do I wish I was there right now. And you're a walker like I am (I now live in New York City so I have to be). By the way, New Jersey has plenty of circles or roundabouts. Can you imagine learning to drive at 16 and having to maneuver around them. Not fun but you get used to it.

jeanne

Drats! I just did a long, wrapup post of our last few days in Paris and now it's disappeared. I'll wait to see if it shows up and, if not, will write up the end of the trip later.<BR><BR>

jeanne

OK, here's a quick roundup of our final 3 nights.<BR><BR>We stayed at Hotel de Notre Dame, the one on Rue Maitre Albert, 5th. The room was smaller than at Bonaparte, but I'll take its location anyday! We took a taxi from the gare and I was a little surprised when he turned into the little narrow street by the river. We were looking at a full night-lit view of Notre Dame through the misty rain and yellowing leaves of the trees on the riverbank...absolutely gorgeous. We couldn't see ND from the room, but our view looked down that old narrow street right onto the river about 100 yds away. (150 euro per night, plus 7 for breakfast.)<BR>http://www.hotel-paris-notredame.com/index.html <BR><BR>Maybe it's because of my early morning walks, but I can't imagine a better neighborhood. Every morning I set out about 6 AM and headed straight for Pont Archeveche, behind Notre Dame. Just me and the merchants hozing off their sidewalks, the occassional gendarme, the baker finishing his pastries for early morning customers, the waiters setting up their sidewalk tables, etc. Every street and sidewalk glistens that time of morning. I will keep these as my very favorite memories of Paris. If you can, try to take in Paris before the sunrise.<BR><BR>For the next two days we both shopped like crazy. Souvenirs and Christmas shopping. We were pleasantly surprised at the shops on Ile St. Louis. I had thought they would be tres expensive because of the location. But they were really reasonable compared to what we had seen elsewhere. Souvenir shops on Rue de Rivoli near the Louvre had the best selection and prices for T shirts and other touristy souvenirs. We visited the Picasso Museum, but only an hour before they closed. It was OK, but I wished we'd gone to the Rodin...next trip!<BR><BR>That Friday, it turned cold and rainy in the afternoon, so we stopped for a glass of wine at a cafe just around the corner from the hotel, across from Pont Archeveche. As we sat there, I noticed a little restaurant close by which was on the list of research I had done before the trip...Ponte Vecchio. (This is almost directly across from Ponte Archeveche on the left bank). It didn't look like much, but we were both getting tired of all the cheese and fois gras, so northern Italian sounded pretty good. We came back that night and were happy we did. We were seated at the table at the window overlooking Notre Dame. A lovely place and the food was marvelous! (If you go, be sure to try the eggplant parmigiana appetizer and the veal piccata.) About 100 euro, including an apertif, a bottle of wine and dessert. Good Italian wines. And the owner is tres charming! Good-looking Italian man speaking French in Paris....they don't come more charming than that! In fact, it was so perfect we returned the next night for our last meal in Paris. C'est excellent!<BR><BR>After packing all our purchases, we really worried that we would exceed the weight limit. But we had no problems and had a good trip home on Sunday. A few sleepless nights, and now I'm back to my normal routine...sadly. <BR><BR>As I check the clock, I note that night has fallen in Paris. The monuments and fountains are beautifully lighted. The last leaves have fallen and the sidewalks are golden with the carpet they've made. And I miss it sooooo much!<BR><BR><BR><BR>