darlenef17

First I want to thank everyone for the wonderful input and help in planning this trip. This is the first of three trip reports - one for each city. WARNING: It's LONG! The others will be forthcoming, but I don't know how soon I will get to transferring my notes into something readable.

This was a college graduation trip for my daughter, and it was just my daughter and I traveling. We were abroad May 12 - 27, 2013. We stayed in apartments in all three cities. In Paris we were in a lovely apartment in the 6th. Feel free to ask any questions - I'll be more than happy to answer them if I can.

I'll start by saying that I love Paris and am already looking forward to a return trip someday! I had hoped the weather would be beautiful as it usually is during late May, but that wasn't in the cards. The weather did put somewhat of a damper on the trip, but we made the best of it. We didn't have time to do everything I had hoped to do, but we did a LOT! Probably more than we should have as we didn't really take time to "smell the roses" so to speak, but then again, parks and sidewalk cafes aren't really very pleasant in the rain, wind or cold. So, here's a detailed recap, and probably more information than you bargained for when you all made me promise to do a trip report!

DAY 1: Day 1: Air France has to be the best airline I've ever flown. Arrived CDG 40 minutes earlier than scheduled and got through customs quickly. We bought our museum passes and a Navigo Card at the airport. Took the RER B to St. Michel-Notre Dame, which was less than a 5 minute walk from our apartment. Lost my child when a guy with a DOOR and a whole bunch of other crap, couldn't move his stuff out of the way in time for me to get off of the train. Slight panic settled in when the train left my daughter on the platform with no money, credit card, or passport, and me on the train with no orientation to the city. Thankfully, the turnaround was an easy one, and she had the good sense not to move. We were reunited shortly. By the time we got settled in and hit the streets, it was 11:30. We walked to Luxemburg Gardens, which were beautiful. We wandered around St. Germaine area and saw St. Suplice. We had delicious macaroons from Pierre Herme -I would have loved to have had one of everything in the shop! At 2:30, we meet up with Discover Walks of Paris outside of Norte Dame for a walking tour of the Latin Quarter with Timothee. It was a great walk and very informative. Highly recommend. Met a mother and son from New Zealand on the walk. He had just graduated as a computer engineer and is looking for a job Houston or Austin-wow - we're from Texas too and my daughter is in chemical engineering! Small world and a lot of people in it seem to like Texas. After the walk ended about 4, we went shopping at the Monoprix for apartment essentials, got a tart and a baguette from Paul's to bring home, dropped the goodies off and want back out for dinner. We got to bed about midnight. It was a long first day, but amazing! The weather was overcast, chilly and windy with occasional sun.

DAY 2: Got to the Eiffel Tower about 10:30. Is one of the ugliest monuments I've ever seen. It reminded me a giant oil rig. Joanna kept seeing the physics and math equations that kept it standing. Wonder if these are normal reactions? I think not, but we were underwhelmed, although is it beautiful at night - more on that later! Walked down the Champs Elysees, lots of high end and known brand retail. It could have been Chicago or New York - nothing special here. Arch de Triumphe was amazing. I especially loved the tomb of the unknown soldier. We were planning come back to climb it at night, but that didn't happen. We also went to the Opera Garnier, which was beautiful both inside and out. I would have loved to have been able to see a performance there, but they were sold out of tickets for the days we were there. Went back to the apartment to rest a while, then out again to the Deportation Memorial, Tulier Gardens, Place de Concorde, and Napoleon’s Tomb, which was open late. Deporation Memorial – it always disturbs me how in modern times such a travesty could have occurred – over 200,000 people from France alone, exterminated. When we exited, the attendant asked me to watch the entrance, so I was directing people as they came in. Joanna just shook her head in wonder that I find myself in these situations! The quote at the Memorial is very appropriate: “Forgive but never forget." Tulier Gardens was beautiful, but would have been even better if the weather were nice, it was gray and dreary, but you could tell it would have been gorgeous on a sunny day - everything was blooming in the gloom. I can only imagine Paris in the spring, which is what I was going for, but some things are just not controllable. A highlight here was the sighting of "Garden Goats." These were random GOATS in the middle of Paris eating grass under a small bridge in the gardens - really?? Photo op was essential, so in true Folse woman fashion, Joanna got on the grass (Stay off the Grass) to get a shot! Place de Concorde – a very busy intersection/public square with a cool monument, a pretty fountain, and some good photo ops. Napoleon’s Tomb is beautiful inside. An added bonus was a concert in an adjacent church. You could hear the music through the walls. It was both haunting and beautiful. We tried to leave the grounds, but it appeared that we were locked in. We had done a tremendous amount of walking already and didn’t want to leave the way we came in. We were actually analyzing the situation to see if we could jump the wall, but there was a giant dry moat preventing that. We must have been being watched, because the police made sure we got out! We went back to our side of town for an awful meal at Latin Cafe. If you're ever in Paris, just don't go.

DAY 3: Ate breakfast at Paul's. Delicious bread. Meant to get a croissant, but got distracted and ordered a baguette instead. Oh well, still good. We were sitting next to a really nice couple from Washington DC, and had a lovely visit with them. Tables in Paris are so close together that there is always an opportunity to get to know your dining neighbors. Sometimes this is a good thing, but the ability to have personal space would be nice. No such thing in Paris-it's very communal. Musee Orangerie. Non-remarkable except for the water lily room. I could have easily spent an hour or more in those tranquil rooms - they were beautiful. Late morning brought us to the Rodin Museum. It was gorgeous and clear for a few hours, but the weather didn't hold. The statues were great and the garden lovely. We got a great photo with the Thinker, the EIffel Tower and Napoleon's Tomb all in the background with a perfectly blue sky. Couldn't ask for more! On the Metro back to our side of town, we saw an adorable “Hipster child” with a mop of blonde hair and wearing little round glasses. I wanted to take him home. We had lunch on the isle at a small little café. The quiche was wonderful! After lunch, we went to Notre Dame to join the 2:30 free guided tour in English. Our guide never showed up, so we saw ND on our own. I'm sure it would have been far more interesting with a guide – we were just sort of aimlessly wandering. That said, the church was beautiful, but rather dark and commercialized inside. It didn’t really feel like a sacred space as much as like an attraction. We got commemorative coins there, and I looked like some kind of a scammer stopping people and waving paper money to try and get change! After finishing inside the church, we went to the top and hung out with the gargoyles for a while – great views of the city! At some point we used a rather odd public toilet – everything was automated – it talked to you, gave you instructions, and cleaned itself after every use. Very advanced toilet, but each process took about 10 minutes to complete so the wait was long. Next stop was Sainte Chappelle. The stained glass was the most gorgeous I've ever seen ANYWHERE! Highly recommend seeing this church if you haven't. It's just a few steps away from ND on the isle. It was under renovation, and one half of it was covered with scaffolding and drop clothes , but it was still breath taking. I can only imagine what it looks like when there isn't construction going on and full sun is streaming into the windows. We had dinner and then went to the Louvre as it was open late on Wed. We had about 2-1/2 hours there, no line and hardly any people, so we were able to see quite a bit in that time. Mona Lisa is overrated, as is Venus de Milo, which I expected. My favorite part of the museum was the area with all of the sculptures. They were so beautiful.

DAY 4: We went to the Cluny Museum to see The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, which were, unfortunately, on loan to a museum in Japan. There was nothing else of interest to us there, so it was a quick trip. We headed over to the D’Orsay after that, and it was by far, my favorite. We spent a long time there as we are both fans of impressionist art. It was a highlight! We met Discover Walks later that afternoon for a walking tour of Montmarte, which was fabulous. I was able to see a side of that part of town and learn interesting facts that I would have never uncovered on my own. Highlights were the Moulin Rouge; Sacre Coure; the area's past as a haven for artists, writer, cabarets and a generally decadent lifestyle; and learning about the modern day "Booboos" (bohemians/bourgeois) who now live in the area. A bonus for me was stumbling upon a special Chat Noir at the Montemarte museum. I love Chat Noir and this was a real treat. The museum is small and doesn't house a regular collection as far as I can tell, but hosts small special exhibits throughout the year. This made up for the missing tapestries! We also loved the view from Sacre Coure and watching the artists in square. The area does have some sketchy people, but I was aware of that beforehand. There was even a small incident with some sort of vagrant, but the police were right on it and hauled him off. I would go back there, but never at night. I’d like to explore more of the shops and restaurants in the area and see the inside of the church. That evening we went on a night cruise on Seine. It. Was. FREEZING. The first half wasn't bad so we were able to be on deck. We were able to see the ET at night and caught it twinkling on the hour. I like it much better at night! The second half of the cruise, the wind picked up and the temperature seemed to drop like a rock. Just about everyone went below. It was too miserable to be on top. I would take the cruise again in warmer weather.

DAY 5: We got up this morning and went to the Shakespeare Bookstore. My daughter had a book stamped with their stamp, but found nothing to buy. We finally got a photo of the one of the perpetually flowing water fountains (drinking water) that are located throughout the city. Too bad bathrooms aren’t as prevalent. We wandered around a little and then took a train to Versailles. We had a wonderful lunch at a sidewalk cafe on the way. What can I say about Versailles? Magnificent doesn't even begin to describe it. The Hall of Mirrors was fabulous! I wasn't very impressed by the grounds. While they are massive, the gardens aren't nearly as lovely as some that I've seen in England, but the palace itself, WOW! When we got back to Paris, we took the metro to La Defense. It was very interesting to see how the new, modern Paris contrasted with the old, European Paris. You could see the Arch de Triumphe from Arch at La Defense, which was cool. We went back to our side of town and watched the Eiffel tower twinkling on the hour one last time before heading back to the apartment.

DAY 6: Unfortunately, there were renters accepted for the apartment today, so our agreed departure time was 10:00. The new tenants were coming in from a long flight, and the owner asked if we could leave at 9:30 in order to get everything ready faster. What’s 30 minutes, so I agreed. Our Easy Jet flight didn't leave for Pisa (where we would take a train to Florence) until 2:30. We had luggage and no convenient place to store it, so we just headed to the airport. I was disappointed that he didn't allow us to keep our luggage at the apartment for about 2 hours. It would have been nice to spend a couple extra hours in the neighborhood rather than 4 hours at the airport especially since it was a beautiful day - just as we were leaving. Murphy's Law in action.

We loved the apartment, the location, and Paris! I would definitely stay in the 6th again on any future trips. Contrary to everything I had heard, I found Parisians to be overall helpful and friendly. The next trip, I want to do more shopping and less sightseeing. This time around, I wanted to do the things that you can only do in Paris, and it didn't leave much time for anything else. In fact there were a few things that didn't get done such as going to the top of the Arch de Triumphe, exploring Marius, etc. But there's always the next time!!!

I highly recommend Discover Walks. They are free and operate on gratuities only. Their guides are fantastic and interesting, and we were fortunate to never have a group larger than 8 for either walk. We used the Metro CONSTANTLY, so the Navigo card was a steal, especially since we arrived on a Monday! We brought our photos from home to avoid having to pay for photos from the photo machines. The metro was very easy to navigate! For better or worse, this is our 5 days in Paris in a nutshell!

darlenef17

Practical Information:

Packing:
I packed everything in a carry on, and my daughter did the same. I cannot stress how important this is, especially if you are visiting multiple cities.

What I Wore:
Every first-timer seems to want to know what to wear in Europe, and it really doesn't matter! what you wear. The people (residents and tourists) look like anyone else. There's a mix of everything and I PROMISE - NO ONE is looking at your clothing!

I (against most advice) brought 2 pair of jeans (dark - no holes!), 2 pair of black pants, one pair of capris and one black skirt - never wore the capris or the skirt as the weather cold turn cold quickly. I brought tank tops and shirts for layering in chose a color palette of black, grey and red. I didn't regret bringing the jeans - I lived in them most of the time and could go anywhere except the most upscale of restaurants. Comfortable shoes are essential - I can't stress this enough! I brought one pair of Nike Frees, a pair of Mary Jane flats with good support, and a pair of flip flops for when my feet just screamed to be set free. Wore the MJs on the plane.

Maps:
Highly recommend the Streetwise Maps. They are the perfect size, waterproof, easy to read, accurate, and can double as a seat on a wet surface. Get some post it flags and put them on your destinations of the day so you can find things easily.

Apps:
A metro route app for Paris was invaluable. Used it ALL the time. Cannot remember the name, but it was for Android. Also used city-specific Trip Advisor apps for Paris, Florence, and Rome - not the general TA app. These city specific apps were great.

Phone:
Did not need one in Paris. Bought a SIM card from Vodaphone in Italy. It worked fine, but they couldn't figure out some setting on my phone and could not get the data to work. I had my tablet and didn't want to spend too long in the phone store, so I did without it. Next time, I might try Wind or the other big one.

Purse:
We wore cross body bags to carry the essentials. Did not load them up as they can get heavy after many days and hours. We both had small-ish LeSport Sacs.

Safety:
As two women traveling alone, we always felt very safe. That said, we used common sense too!

Debbielynn

Loved your report and love Paris!

kerouac

Excellent report. I wish more people would realize that you can pack everything you need in a carry-on.

Rich

Great report ! !

tailsock

I'd like to read more. Thanks for sharing w us. I too had a patch of windy rainy Paris but made the most of it indoors

darlenef17

Thank you all so much for the kind comments. In re-reading, I must apologize for the typos, but I typed this up very hastily and didn't proof it before posting.

Tailsock - I will be getting to the Florence and Rome reports within the next couple of weeks!

Rhea58

Super report & agree that you can do carry-on which is so much easier. Looking forward to the next 2 cities.

d_claude_bear

My wife and I are about one week from the end of a six-week visit: 9 days in Arles, Avignon, and Lyon, then June in Paris. One carry on each, plus a large purse for her and a messenger bag for me. Definitely doable, especially as the Paris apartment has a washer and dryer.

denisea

Great report. You saw a lot in Paris and some of your favs are my favs ((D'Orsay and Ste Chapelle).
Couldn't agree more regarding the one bag/carry on! I hope the Lady and The Unicorn tapestries are back at The Cluny when we visit in December.

Gretchen

Nice report. I know there is no need for explanation of personal likes and dislikes, but your impression of the Eiffel Tower is so diametrically opposed to mine--I am absolutely thrilled every time I see it or am near it--in many trips.
You had a full trip!!

darlenef17

d-claude: All of the apartments we stayed in had a washer and dryer as well. I don't like having to spend precious time in laundry mats when time is limited, and I didn't want to take more than I could carry. We did take along one of those fold up duffel bags for items bought there, and we checked bags on the flight home because 1) it was easier and 2) it didn't matter if they got delayed - no major inconvenience.

denisea - According to the docent at the Cluny the tapestries will be back as of Nov. 1. They are renovating the rooms that housed them, so they sent them off during the renovation. This is only the second time in history that they've left France. Just our luck.

Gretchen - This was my first time in Paris, and I was truly taken with the ET at night, just not so much so in the day time. That said, it's such an iconic landmark that many times when we saw it in the distance, I would have this realization of, "Wow - We're in Paris!" I think up close, I just wasn't too blown away.

TDudette

Had to laugh about your engineer daughter's "take" on the ET!

Did I miss the name of the apartments?

rncheryl

I am in awe of all you packed into your first day. Do you have a get-rid-of-jetlag secret?

lemoxster

What a great report!!! It was perfect for me to pass along to the other couple we will be travelling with in Sept. You were there the same weekdays we will be (we don't have Friday ),covered a number of sites we will be visiting and offered your opinion on what you saw. This is their first time in Paris..our 4th...so we are trying to get a mix of the "must see's" for them and new experiences for us. I actually don't think we will ever find a time when we are NOT having a new experience in Paris...for us Paris is always a new experience each time
Would love to have the names of any of the places you did enjoy eating at.
Thanks
lm

bdsbeautyblog

An interesting report. I am amazed that you found the water lily rooms tranquil; I always feel that people chatter FAR too much (and take WAY too many pictures - with or without flash) whenever I visit. Equally, I could wander around the downstairs galleries at the Orangerie for ages - but I suppose art is a personal thing.

darlenef17

TDudette - I had a laugh too. And, no you didn't miss the name of the apt. I hadn't posted it. I hope this link from VRBO is allowed. I also reviewed the apartment here under the name Darlene In Texas. It was the most recent review the last time I checked. http://www.vrbo.com/81771

rncheryl: No real secret to avoiding jet lag. I can't sleep on planes as we fly coach, but I do try to rest. I think the main thing is that once arriving, the adrenaline tends to flow because of the excitement of being there. Coffee upon arrival and again at about 4:00 pm also helps. The one thing I swear by is to try to stay outside and moving as much as possible. I think the body responds to daylight! Also, don't plan to do anything that requires a lot of exertion (climbing Notre Dame) or thinking (museums, etc.). You'll notice that on our first day, we basically explored the area around our apt., shopped for apt. supplies, and took the Latin Quarter walk. I could not have faced a museum on day one!

Lemoxster: Thanks so much for the kind words, and enjoy your 4th Paris trip! I'm ready to go back as I type! As far as the restaurants go, regretfully, we didn't have any "wow" moments. We didn't plan ahead and basically just stopped in places that looked good when we were hungry. We grazed a lot because of all of the amazing food available at every turn. That said, we did enjoy a few good meals, but I have no idea where! However, the Latin Cafe stands out as a firm NO (enough so that I remembered the name and mentioned it earlier!), even though Trip Advisor has rave reviews. There is no accounting for taste though, so perhaps it was just us or a bad night. If I can remember a couple of the good experiences, I will post.

bds - We were very fortunate throughout our time in Paris to have very few crowds or lines. I was surprised as May is part of the high season. The water lily room was uncrowded and amazingly tranquil - we had no problem sitting and moving to other spots to look at the various walls from a seated position. I was a bit "zenned out" by the whole experience. I was not prepared for the wall-sized murals that surrounded me, and it totally exceeded my expectations. There were no photos allowed when we were there, and personnel was strict in enforcing this. The downstairs was fine - I didn't mean to imply otherwise. The water lilies were just a VERY hard act to follow!

denisea

Thanks Darlene for the Cluny update. We have never been after many trips to Paris, and will be staying close on this trip. Would be totally bummed if the tapestries were on vacation.

Love those huge water lily paintings at L'Orangerie. Am dying to to Giverny one day, the LOrangerie the next!

Leely2

Thanks for this report, Darlene. Sorry you had cold weather; every time I've been to Paris in May I have <I>melted</I> (and I hate hot weather). Isn't that always the way?

Incidentally, I agree with you about the Eiffel Tower. Very pretty at night though.

Questions about your apartment:
How was the wifi?
And were there extra pillows somewhere? Those in the photo look a bit thin.

Looking forward to reading about Florence!

darlenef17

Desisea - glad I could help. Enjoy the tapestries. IMO, it's just one more reason for me to go back! =D

Leely2 - Wifi was EXCELLENT and there was a desktop to use as well with a very fast connection. Also a telephone with free calls back to the US and to anywhere in Paris. The pillows in the photos are actually the decorative pillows for the bed. There were 2 larger pillows underneath those when we were there. The owner is very accommodating, and I'm sure if you asked him for extra pillows during your communications before you arrive, he would provide them. I cannot stress enough how comfortable and convenient this apartment is, yet very quiet too.