Rouen & Paris Anniversary Trip

Old Jul 21st, 2017, 01:03 PM
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Rouen & Paris Anniversary Trip

I didn’t spend much time journaling on this trip and that is unusual for me. Perhaps it was the heat and humidity but in the room in the afternoon or evening some days I just didn’t write. This will be pieced together from some journal entries, photos, souvenirs, ticket stubs and memory. We planned to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in Paris, a city we have visited a few times and love. We chose to start our trip in Rouen as it was easy to reach from CDG and would allow us to visit some new places.

On Monday June 19 we flew Air France from LAX to CDG, arriving at 11:00am on Tuesday . We had arranged a car service, Elegance Limousines, to drive us from CDG to Rouen. Didier, our driver, met us after we had our bags and we headed to Rouen. Even though we had Premium Economy seats I didn’t sleep much on the flight and had difficulty staying awake in the car. I’m sure Didier is used to passengers from the airport being sleepy, I just hope I wasn't snoring.

We arrived at the Hotel de Bourgtheroulde but had to wait a little for our room, #216. It was a lovely room with wood paneling, a big comfortable bed and a huge bathtub. Less than 5 stars was the terrible hose style hair dryer in the bathroom and the lack of outlets in the room. I understand it’s an old building but how about a lamp with a couple of USB plugs? We tried out the air conditioning which worked great on this very warm day—air conditioning was the reason we chose this hotel.

We strolled a little in town to begin to explore and find dinner. It was hot and crowded and not much appealed. We ended up back at the hotel restaurant which must have been good as we returned there another night (no notes or recollection of what we ate).
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Old Jul 21st, 2017, 01:29 PM
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Wednesday June 21, Rouen

We slept great, nearly 10 hours. The buffet breakfast was fine with plenty of selections for both of us. As I mentioned, we chose this hotel for the air conditioning and we would need it today as the temperature was predicted to reach 99 fahrenheit.

We walked to the cathedral and after viewing the front exterior toured inside. We lit a candle for our friend Mary in the Blessed Sacrament chapel with the lamb window. We also saw the amazing Escalier de la Librairie, the staircase to what was once the library. Ok, I know that is French for bookseller but read that it lead to the library. None of my libraries had staircases like that! We also discovered that Richard the Lionheart’s heart is buried in this cathedral while his body is in the Abbey at Fontevraud which we visited in 2003. We have paid our respects to all of his remains.

After a leisurely cathedral visit we walked around the central town and looked at shops and restaurants on the way to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen. We found a small crepe restaurant that is even open for dinner that we would try later in the week. Even thought it was hot and humid we had a very good lunch outdoors under the shade. Mr. Wonderful had a salad with sliced ham, melon, green tomatoes and potatoes. It looked great. I had chicken, veggies and a potato puree. It was completely delicious but I suspect there was some wheat or other contaminant (to me) in the puree which triggered a reaction later.

We toured the Picasso exhibit that focused on his time living in Normandy then went upstairs to the Impressionists. I wasn’t feeling great so we didn’t stay long before getting a cold drink in the café then returned to the hotel and napped.

In the early evening we strolled and visited the Joan of Arc Church and listened to some of the musicians playing throughout the town for the Fête de la Musique which is apparently celebrated through much of France on the longest day of the year. Mr. Wonderful bought a sandwich for dinner that he ate while we strolled. We went to Monoprix and I bought yogurt and some gluten free snacks to make dinner back at the hotel.
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Old Jul 22nd, 2017, 07:17 AM
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Thursday June 22, Rouen

Although not as hot as Wednesday I needed an easy day today. We walked to the Church of Saint Maclou this morning only to discover it is open 3 days a week, Friday, Saturday & Sunday. It is a smaller (than the Cathedral) gothic church with a single steeple. Other disappointed visitors took seats at the cafes that were beginning to open on the square but we decided to walk further along the rue Martainville finally turning back for tea and coffee at the pretty Dame Cakes shop. It turned out to be a disappointing experience. There was a little garden at the back and though the door was open we were told we could not sit there. It was very warm inside even though the day was cooler than Wednesday and on top of that our drinks were average. They served Mariage Freres teas but it must have been their brewing methods (does anyone except the British really get it right?).

We then went to the pottery shop Faiences St. Romain where my sister had shopped a few years before. We bought a gift and a long plate to display in our kitchen. We walked back to the hotel with our purchases then set out to find lunch. We chose Tarte Tatin around the corner for fresh salads. After my experience with lunch the day before I was cautious of ingredients and pulled out my food allergy card written in French to share with the waiter. A man at the table next to me generously offered to translate so I could be sure there was nothing lurking in the leaves.

In the afternoon we walked back to the art museum to see what we had missed the day before. On the way we spotted a used book shop called Achat et Vente de Livres which was decorated with cats. I suspect a play on words in the name of the shop but could not figure it out. We enjoyed the museum but noticed that some of the human figures in the paintings had terrible looking facial features. Hm? After my experience yesterday we chose to dine at the hotel’s reliable restaurant this time outdoors on the square. Later one of the staff at the desk reserved our tickets for Giverny the next day so we would not have to wait in line. She also ordered a taxi to take us to the train station in the morning.
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Old Jul 22nd, 2017, 09:46 AM
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enjoying your story and looking forward to more. thanks for sharing!
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Old Jul 22nd, 2017, 10:51 AM
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Along for the ride...Rouen has been on "the list" but we haven't made it there yet.
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Old Jul 23rd, 2017, 04:09 PM
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Thanks Irishface and Denisea. Rouen is worth a visit and if you want to rent a car there is the abbey trail and Honfleur not far away.
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Old Jul 23rd, 2017, 04:14 PM
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Friday June 23, Giverny

This was the day I most looked forward to on our trip; we were up at 6:00. It takes a long time for my newly bobbed hair to dry with the terrible hose dryer in the room. Taking the train was easy from Rouen. It left at 9:15 and we had plenty of time to buy tickets, stop at a drug store across the street and then find our train. Soon we were in Venon following footprints from inside the station to the Giverny Shuttle. Two buses were parked but no drivers were in sight. We walked back to the sign behind the second bus and found the shuttle didn’t leave for an hour. As I suspected the shuttles are only timed to the Paris trains so we found a taxi for the short ride to Claude Monet’s former home.

Surprisingly there wasn’t much of a ticket line. We went in and began admiring the lush and magical gardens. There were tree roses that dripped in blooms almost like an umbrella. I think I need one of those and will be searching in catalogs and figuring out a space for one when we get home to “Shady Acres”. Most of the bulbs seemed to have finished blooming but there were so many other flowers from large peonies to lacy hydrangeas and delicate fuschia. Of course we saw the lily ponds which reminded me of the children’s book Linnea in Monet’s Garden. I took lots of photos but did not pose with one of the handsome gardeners as some young women did.

We waited in line to walk inside the house and this is where it was most crowded (although we overheard a guide say this was not a really busy day). The glorious yellow kitchen was my favorite part with two beautiful Provencal dish cabinets and a monstrous stove. What a lovely morning. We walked a little in the village and had lunch at Les Nymphaes. There was a gift shop next door where I bought Gien plates for my sisters and some water lilies napkins. I could have done some serious damage with more money and a larger suitcase.

On the train returning to Rouen I thought of my coworker Nina giving painting lessons to school-aged children first by studying Monet and then painting water lilies on the old fabric wall covering in the children’s room before it was torn out for refurbishment. She really helped them capture the flavor of Monet’s work.

We had dinner at La Creperie Bleue which we had spotted earlier and then packed for Paris. We had a good stay at the Hotel de Bourgtheroulde and recommend it for comfort and services but they really should upgrade their hair dryers and the number of outlets
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Old Jul 23rd, 2017, 07:34 PM
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And if anyone is going to Giverny, you take the train to VERNON. I wish I could edit corrections in a post.
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Old Jul 23rd, 2017, 07:41 PM
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Saturday June 24, Les Andelys

On Saturday morning Mohammad with Elegance Limousines picked us up at the hotel in Rouen for the drive to Paris. Our first stop was Château Gaillard, Richard the Lionheart’s ruined castle above the town of Les Andelys. We used a car service on our trip to England last year to take us from Heathrow to Bath with a stop at Stonehenge. We enjoyed it so much that we wanted to create a similar experience this year. The view from the hillside was beautiful looking over the ruins, the town and the Seine. Now we have seen Richard’s castle and his two graves.

Down in the village Mohammad recommended Chaine d’Or (as had posters here on Fodor’s) for lunch but that was too elegant for our purposes. Our plan was to walk around until we found something that appealed. We settled on a Creperie which was a good choice. One woman ran the front while someone was in the kitchen cooking. We were the only Anglophones. We were also the only ones having wine (me a cotes du Provence and Mr. Wonderful a Sancerre) rather than cidre in Normandy.

After lunch and a walk by the river we returned to the car and Mohammad drove us the rest of the way to Paris. We enjoyed talking to him, particularly about Ramadan practices. The fast ends very late in this part of the world but then he told us he has a cousin living in Norway!

Mr. Wonderful and I had not visited Paris for 5 years and it was exciting to spot the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty as we drove to our hotel. It was like greeting old friends. We crossed the Seine and drove down the Avenue de la Bourdonnais, passing the building on the corner of the rue du Général Camou where we once rented a tiny apartment from Paris Perfect. The beautiful Pharmacie De La Bourdonnais was on our right and finally we made the left turn onto the rue du Champ de Mars, across the Avenue Bosquet to the Hotel Relais Bosquet at number 19. We bid Mohammad good-bye and rolled our suitcases inside.

We stayed at the Relais Bosquet in 1998 and 2007 and were glad to return. However the greeting was not what we had come to expect. The young woman at the desk seemed rather harried and probably could have used some help on a busy Saturday afternoon. We waited to check-in and were given room 31 in the front building with a view on the courtyard. We found our room and unpacked. It was a superior room but seemed smaller than our room ten years ago with an awkward entry. The bathroom was very nice with the double sink we expected. The rooms had been redone since our last stay and this one was painted a soft gray with creamy trim and had a sturdy upholstered headboard. Waiting for us on the desk was a bottle of champagne from my sister Nancy to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary—what a nice surprise.

We set out to purchase our museum passes from a tabac on Avenue de la Motte Piquet just a couple of blocks away. We strolled in the neighborhood and eventually had dinner at Café Central on the rue Cler. That night I would discover one of the world’s hardest hotel beds (the other being on the AmaCerto river boat).
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 06:15 AM
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We had the exact same problem at the Relais Bosquet with a hard bed this past June. We spent 2 of the 5 nights there in room 51 before they were able to change us to room 32. We actually looked at room 31 when trying to change rooms but felt the bed was just as hard as room 51.

I had stayed there twice previously and not had that problem. I guess just luck of the draw. I am enjoying your trip report. Rouen is definitely on our list.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 06:31 AM
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Interesting Irock5, perhaps the Relais Bosquet will figure out that they made a mistake and will replace with better beds. If we return to Paris I will be hesitant to stay there again unless I can be assured of a good mattress.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 06:46 AM
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L, I thought about you with the bed issue at Relais Bosquet! Scootoir--we rented the same apt on General Camou a few years ago!
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 09:25 AM
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Enjoying your report. I did visit Rouen but a long time ago, so it's good to get your impressions. Did you visit any of the sites related to St. Joan of Arc and what did you think? I did not like the modern church very much.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 09:48 AM
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Well at least we know the hard beds were not a figment of our imaginations. I'm sure the Relais Bosquet was not surprised to have 2 guests saying the same thing within a few weeks of each other. Regarding the woman who checked you in, I went down to try to change rooms and explained about the bed. She informed me she would look but they were completely booked so we would probably have to wait another day to change rooms. I said ok. Then we got an email from the manager asking if everything was alright with our stay. It was a generic email that goes to every guest. I replied using the attached form and explained our issue. I got a very terse email back from that woman telling my me that as she already explained she would try but they were full.

We thought about going to Rouen on this past trip but it was so hot we ended up staying in Paris. We went to Giverny in 2016 and I loved that yellow kitchen too. Can't wait to read more.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 10:38 AM
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I remember that denisea. We might rent from Paris Perfect again but would choose a larger apartment. That bathroom was not to be believed.

Thanks 5alive. We did visit the Joan of Arc church which was beautiful inside but the exterior and the setting were disappointing especially since it was on a picturesque main square. Lost advantage. The statue of Joan inside the church didn't have the same impact for me as her stature in the Notre Dame in Paris.

Irock5 that woman just didn't have the same customer service skills we used to find at the Relais Bosquet.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 10:49 AM
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Sunday June 25, Paris 9th Arrondissement

Oh dear, I slept very little on the hard bed and while lying there in the early morning contemplated moving to a different hotel. I expected that all the rooms at the Relais Bosquet had been given hard mattresses in the refurbishment and there would be no other solution for me. I talked to Mr. Wonderful about it in the morning, and while he thought it was firm he had been able to sleep. We decided to talk to the staff after breakfast. I checked for availability at the Hotel Walt which we had passed the night before but it appeared to be full.

We approached the desk and saw that the same woman from yesterday was there. We told her the problem and she immediately began to look at their inventory. The manager came out from the small office behind the desk and we said hello and remembered him from our previous visits. He told us he has been the hotel manager for 28 years. The two of them discussed the problem and one of them mentioned (in English) that room 31 had a “special” mattress. Finally they gave us a key to room 16 at the back of the building and said we should take a look at it. It turned out to be a standard room so it was smaller and had only one sink in the bathroom. The marble bathroom was actually nicer and the placement of the WC was less awkward than our original room. And of course the bed was better. It wasn’t Sheraton Kauai good but I was sure I could sleep on this one. We quickly moved our things from one room to the other and resettled.

Now we were finally off to see some of Paris. First stop Metro: Ecole Militaire for a carnet of tickets and the ride to a stop near Galeries Lafayette. After a walk and a great view of Sacre Cour we reached the Musee Gustave Moreau. We had seen one of his paintings at the Huntington Library and with a little research discovered this museum. Moreau left his home and a huge collection of his works to the state as a museum. The number of works and the stifling heat as we climbed the stairs to the third floor (American) was almost overwhelming. Later I messaged a former colleague whose first career was as a conservator to ask about the impact of indoor temperatures and humidity on the artwork—he had quite a lot to say about it and not of it was good. This was our first summer trip to Europe and I expected a museum a day would provide a cool spot for us but we learned that this was not the case with some museums in Paris.

After the Moreau museum we walked back to the Galeries Lafayette for the view from the rooftop and some lunch at Angelina. The store was really busy but Angelina provided a bit of a refuge. They must do a huge business at the perfume counters on the ground floor.

This evening we had tickets to a concert at Sainte Chapelle, the glorious medieval church on the Ile de la Cite. The music and setting were lovely but the air was close and we were glad to step outside and walk in the evening eventually taking a taxi back to our hotel.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 10:53 AM
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Monday June 26, 1st Arrondissement

After an easy Metro ride to Concorde we walked to the Orangerie (air conditioned). We had visited 10 years ago and after our recent visit to Giverny wanted to revisit the Water lily series by Monet. The museum also houses the Jean Walter - Paul Guillaume collection which includes paintings by noted Impressionists. A painting I really liked was Roses Dans Un Vase by Andre Derain. From a distance it was a rather dark still life but up close the brush strokes brought the flowers to life.

We walked through the Tuileries and had lunch in one of the little cafes under the trees. Watched people on the amusement rides on the north side of the Tuileries and planned to visit Marechal, a small shop on the rue de Rivoli that specializes in Limoges boxes. I was hoping to find an anniversary box. Sadly Marechal is gone and has been replaced by a shop selling Laduree labeled candles and trinkets. Interestingly a woman attempted to pull the gold ring scam on us as we walked but we saw it developing before she picked the ring up from the sidewalk and shook our heads at her. Mr. Wonderful said he should have turned tables on her and grabbed the ring before she did then offer her the “deal”.

Now we made an error—going to the Louvre. I don’t think I’ve had a good experience here since 1982 and that did not change today. With the museum passes we thought we could easily slip in for a short targeted visit but there is something about the floor plan that foils us. At least it made for some good photos of the crowds and people (including us) standing over the air conditioning grates in the floor. The AC just couldn’t cope. We didn’t stay long deciding to head back to our hotel and contemplate dinner.

After a rest we walked around “our” neighborhood and settled on La Terrasse for dinner. I tried the Minuty rose which was a blend of grenache and cinsault. It became a favorite on this trip.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 11:55 AM
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We were in Paris for 12 nights and spent the first 5 at the Relais Bosquet before moving to my friend's apartment in the 15th. Room 51 must have the same bed as room 31. Haha! I just know if we go back we will request room 32.

We had to leave my friend's apartment the last 3 days of our trip snd find a hotel with air conditioning. It took a while to find one. While I love Paris and will be back again for a few nights next June, I will never take a chance on the air conditioning again. We live in Texas and are used to the heat but Paris was baking and that does not make for a great vacation so I totally understand about the heat.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 12:47 PM
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Oh my gosh Irock5, it was so hot and humid some days I had flashbacks to grad school in the Midwest. I am so glad we did not listen to people who said we would not need air conditioned hotels! We have sworn off summer travel.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 01:10 PM
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Tuesday June 27, Our 30th Anniversary

This morning we were off to explore Saint Germain in the rain. We started at the Saint Germain de Pres church but it turned out that a five-year restoration project is underway and much of the church is not accessible. Should have done a little research before leaving home. We walked around some of the streets nearby, peeking in shops and returned to Café Bonaparte for lunch with a view of the church. After lunch we shopped then visited St. Sulpice which was interesting, especially the vestment room but not as beautiful as St. Etienne du Mont near the Pantheon.

Heavier rain drove us back to the hotel and after naps we got ready for our anniversary dinner at the Bistro St. Dominique. There are three restaurants on this little square, the famous La Fontaine de Mars, the pricey Les Fables de La Fontaine and this little bistro that was more our style. We had enjoyed a restaurant in the same location 20 years ago and the current menu and location appealed to us. The rain over we sat outside. We started with a small Camembert roasted with honey that was delicious. We both had salmon filet which was very good (we almost never order the same thing). Mr. W enjoyed a Sancerre while I tried another rose but it was quite as good as the Minuty. It was a very enjoyable dinner.

We walked to the Eiffel Tower and down the steps to Bateaux Parisienes for an evening cruise on the Seine. We chose to sit inside near an open window rather than on the crowded top deck. I love seeing Paris from the river especially lit up at night. It was a lovely way to end the day.

As I am writing and reading this I think I figured out why I didn’t journal on this trip—I was napping! Mr. Wonderful is an expert napper but a 20 minute cat nap never did it for me so I would read or write while he slept. Must be changing as I’m getting older.
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