Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

Springtime in Paris and Provence – April 2015

Springtime in Paris and Provence – April 2015

Old May 1st, 2015, 12:17 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,082
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Springtime in Paris and Provence – April 2015

One of my daughters has become obsessed with running marathons and last summer, she (along with several members of her running group) decided to try to get in to the Paris Marathon in April. Unbelievably they all received bib numbers so they started making all the necessary arrangements. At a family gathering shortly after they found out they had made it in to the race, it was decided five of us needed to go along and cheer for her – hey, any excuse to go to Paris, right??

So we booked a tiny apartment (6th floor with a lift - it had a partial Eiffel Tower view from the loft skylight and from our bedroom window) near Place Victor Hugo in the 16th arrondissement for April 4th through the 14th. Our daughter chose this area because it was hopefully within easy walking distance of the marathon’s start/finish lines and because her running group was staying at a nearby hotel. My wife and I decided to extend for 5 days in Provence after the kids went home. The kids booked relatively cheap flights from ATL in and out of CDG on US Airways with a connection in Philadelphia each way. My wife and I booked our flights (direct in to CDG then out of MRS to ATL with a connection at CDG) and a hotel in Saint Remy (Hotel Sous les figuiers). We also bought/printed 1st class TGV tickets (45€ each) from Gare Lyon to Avignon and reserved a rental car at Europcar through AutoEurope to pick up at the TGV station in Avignon.

This was the 8th trip my wife and I had taken to Europe (3rd to France) and it was going to be a LOT different than our usual style – we were going to try to be frugal – something we are not used to while we are on vacation. The apartment the six of us (2 kids, 2 grandkids plus the two of us) were going to stay in was a 2 bedroom plus pullout sofa/1 bath for only 150€ per day through airbnb. The deposit was only one night’s cost with the balance payable in cash upon arrival. I can’t believe I had willingly agreed to stay in a one bath apartment with 5 women – I only hoped Paris would not run out of red wine while we were there. I also could not believe I had agreed to stay in an airbnb apartment with virtually no online reviews and nothing in writing except a string of emails. What was I thinking???? When asked before our trip what her goals for the trip were, my wife said she only hoped we would not all hate each other after the 10 days.

The good news is we had an absolutely incredible time. And for all but the first day the weather was simply gorgeous – better than we have had on either of our two previous trips that were in June. Even though it was our 3rd trip to Paris, my wife and I did a lot of new things as well as a lot of the usual touristy things. We really liked the neighborhood we were in and as my daughter hoped, it really was very convenient for getting to and from the marathon start/finish. There was a little grocery store, a pastry shop, several decent restaurants and a couple of metro stops very close to the apartment.

The kitchen and dining table/chairs were fine but the couch and the queen bed were not comfortable at all. The second bedroom was a loft area reached by climbing some crazy stair system built in to the side of a cubby hole/bookcase thing. You could not stand up in the loft (mattress was on the floor) but it worked fine for some of our younger family members. I only ventured up there one time. We kept telling ourselves how Parisian we felt. Honestly the entire apartment was not much bigger than our master bathroom area at home. That just could be one of the craziest (for several reasons and on several different levels) statements I have ever been able to make.

We somehow figured out a bathroom rotation routine and only having one bathroom was not an issue (other than the fact the toilet was squeezed in between the sink cabinet and the glass shower partition in the bathtub - you were pretty much wedged in once seated). We joked we might need and an extraction team for me – it was a TIGHT fit. And the ring would just about fit a tiny 5 year old butt. It’s amazing what one can tolerate if given enough red wine. Enough about the bathroom - sorry if that is TMI.

Another thing different about this trip was the fact I did not write one thing in my journal. I usually keep up pretty well even if I have to catch up a couple of days later but somehow on this trip it didn’t happen. We were on the go every day from early to late and the lack of comfortable seating in our apartment didn’t help. I really like to have a journal so I’ll have to look at pictures and talk to my family to try to fill it in. Once I do that I hope to add a little more here.
john183 is offline  
Old May 1st, 2015, 01:08 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Keep going, sounds like an interesting time!
livetoroam is offline  
Old May 1st, 2015, 01:41 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,609
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Sounds like a great trip. Did you feel that the photos on AirBnB were misleading?
thursdaysd is offline  
Old May 2nd, 2015, 04:51 AM
  #4  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,082
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
livetoroam - thanks - it was interesting and fun.

thursdaysd - the photos were not misleading at all. It was a cute, tiny apartment and the airbnb description and pictures were accurate. What we could not tell from the airbnb pics was how incredibly hard and uncomfortable the cushions on the couch were and how the mattress on the bed was shaped like a V - rolling us to the middle of the bed. Even with these things, we got along very well in the apartment (did I mention there were copious quantities of red wine involved? LOL!!). It was all a part of our adventure. Every one of us stepped up and did what was necessary to make it work - it turns out we have a really fun family.

I just tried to pull the apartment up to look at it on the internet but the link we had is no longer working. I tried searching for it on the airbnb site and it is not there anymore. Wow - I'm feeling pretty lucky right now that it worked out so well for us.
john183 is offline  
Old May 2nd, 2015, 05:12 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,609
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Interesting. I wonder if it was taken off because of the Paris crackdown on illegal listings. The cushion and mattress problems are the kind of thing you can only learn from reviews, not photos.
thursdaysd is offline  
Old May 2nd, 2015, 05:35 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,282
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Sounds like a fun trip, especially the wine part.
I'm interested in the area that you stayed in as we have been thinking about changing from our usual stay on Ile St. Louis for a different experience. We were afraid it might be too residential so glad to hear about the grocery store & restaurants.

I'll be following along glass of wine in hand---ooops, it's only 8:30am. I better read, glass of wine in hand, later in the day.
TPAYT is offline  
Old May 2nd, 2015, 06:00 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 29,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'm in. More soon, please!
TDudette is offline  
Old May 2nd, 2015, 06:32 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,209
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I look forward to reading about your days in Paris & Provence, John!

Years ago, DH & I ventured into the 16th arr when we visited the Marmottan Museum. I recall charming neighbourhood streets and walking through a pretty park on the way to the museum. Glad you enjoyed your stay there.
2010 is offline  
Old May 2nd, 2015, 10:24 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 23,773
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Interesting start -- and you really were lucky with the weather because now that May has begun it is rainy and cold here! I may even turn on the heat again this evening, even though I have had it off for 3 weeks.
kerouac is online now  
Old May 2nd, 2015, 11:30 AM
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,082
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
thursdaysd - Not being able to find any online reviews made me nervous but we gambled - and overall I think we won.

TPAYT - It is never too early for wine. LOL! We stayed on a small street (Rue Yvon Villarceau) and it was very residential but there were lots of places close by. Our first day in Paris we dropped off our luggage at the apartment while the cleaning crew finished up and went to a nearby place for coffee. It was about 11 AM and I decided it was late enough for a glass of wine but did not see wine on the menu. I asked our server if they served wine and could I get a glass if they did. With mock seriousness he said "Sir, this is France - every place serves wine. I even have wine with my breakfast. Of course I can serve you wine - but I cannot serve you food, the kitchen doesn't open until noon." Too funny!

TDudette - more to come hopefully soon.

2010 - I'll talk about the 16th arr more later but wanted to let you know we liked the Hotel Sous les figuiers a lot.

kerouac - I couldn't believe how nice the weather was. The forecast for the days we were going to be there was for highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s but except for the first day, it was about 20 degrees warmer than that - which was perfect for me. Sorry to hear it is turning cold - my wife's sister leaves today for 10 days in Paris and some other friends leave Tuesday for a week in Paris.
john183 is offline  
Old May 3rd, 2015, 08:29 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,209
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
wanted to let you know we liked the Hotel Sous Les Figures a lot.>>

That's wonderful! Now I am REALLY anxious to read about your trip!
2010 is offline  
Old May 3rd, 2015, 10:05 AM
  #12  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,082
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
2010 - The grounds were gorgeous - there was a huge lilac in full bloom as well as tons of other flowers. We had the private cottage in the back - it was not luxurious but it was very nice. And it was so peaceful in our little garden area. We had Kups bring us breakfast there one morning. Katherine, Kups and Giselle were all great. So was the dinner we had there one night. I can't remember the cook's name but she served a very nice intimate dinner upstairs. It was an easy walk to restaurants. We enjoyed our time there a lot.
john183 is offline  
Old May 3rd, 2015, 10:17 AM
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,082
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Two days before departure – A big change in plans

Our oldest granddaughter had just graduated from college and had been offered and accepted her first job (she was really happy and excited about it) a few weeks before we were due to leave. Her company was OK with her travel plans and we were all set. Two days before we were supposed to leave, an unfortunate situation occurred with one of her employees at her job. It was serious enough that she felt she needed to cancel her trip to deal with it. After much discussion, everyone except my wife and I agreed with her decision but we all supported her and we were all very sad she was not coming.

Paris Day 1:

Because the girl’s flight had a connection in Philadelphia they left much earlier than we did so my wife drove them to the airport. I worked in the morning, came home in time to finish some last minute packing then we had a quick and easy limo ride to the airport. Easy to get through security and we had some time to kill before our flight. Even though ATL has a new international terminal F, our last 2 flights to Europe left from the old terminal E so we were able to go to One Flew South for some wine and sandwiches. This time we were leaving from terminal F and decided to go to Ecco. It was pretty good (we had mussels, some kind of fried cheese and wine) but it isn’t One Flew South.

An uneventful flight and a few hours of ambien-aided sleep later, we were at CDG. Our flight was scheduled to arrive within a few minutes of the kid’s flight and I had arranged for Victor’s Cabs to meet us at the airport. It took longer than expected to get through the long lines where they checked our passports but as my wife and I walked out of baggage claim we saw the guy holding an iPad with my name on it and he led us to his Mercedes van. Rather than have the kids try to find their way from their terminal to our terminal, we had arranged that my wife and I would be picked up first then we would drive to their terminal to pick up the kids. The driver told us to text the kids exactly where we would meet them and it worked out well. Even though we wanted to be sort of frugal on this trip, one thing we always splurge on is finding the easiest way to get from the airport to where we are staying. After a long flight we think it is worth it - we want to start things as hassle free as possible.

It was a nice ride to the apartment near Place Victor Hugo and we were dropped off at the apartment door. Now was the time of maximum stress for me – to see if the apartment actually existed (our apartment fiasco in Rome last June had me very worried). We had been given a relatively complex set of instructions we needed to follow. We entered the combination we were given at the outside door and it worked. We then entered another combination we were given to the mail box – and it also worked thank goodness. Inside was the apartment key with a fob that we used to get through two more security doors and we found the tiny elevator was actually up a half flight of very narrow winding stairs. We sent my wife up first with two bags and our granddaughter ran up the 6 flights of steps to meet her and help – which was a good thing because the elevator stopped a half flight below our apartment and there was no landing. The elevator door opened on to the narrowest winding part of the steps making it difficult to get out of, even without luggage. The apartment door key actually did open the door – and the place looked exactly as advertised – YAY!!!

The cleaning crew was still there so we just dropped off our luggage and went for a walk to check out the neighborhood – and we liked it a lot. We found a nice place and stopped for a coffee. It was about 11 AM and I decided it was late enough for a glass of wine but did not see wine on the menu. I asked our server if they served wine and could I get a glass if they did. With mock seriousness he said "Sir, this is France - every place serves wine. I even have wine with my breakfast. Of course I can serve you wine - but I cannot serve you food, the kitchen doesn't open until noon." Too funny!

After that we walked to the Trocadero to have a look at the Eiffel Tower. We knew we were going back to it later in the week so we just took a few pics and headed back towards our apartment and stopped for a nice lunch of croque-monsieur and madame sandwiches, French onion soup, cheese trays and one of us had lasagna. Then back to the apartment, unpacked and figured out the sleeping arrangements. We took what seems like a few hundred thousand pictures of the apartment and the Eiffel Tower from our windows. The view of all the rooftops from the loft’s skylight was beautiful too. We then went to the grocery store (La Ferme d’Hugo) to pick up some supplies. It had everything we needed and even had a little outdoor fruit/vegetable stand. The store also had a nice selection of Bordeaux wines for about 6€ a bottle that turned out to quite good. It was my favorite kind of wine – really cheap, really good and red.

After a while we had a nice dinner at a nearby restaurant. It was at this restaurant that we found they served our granddaughter’s favorite drink (Pschitt sparkling lemonade) in a Pschitt glass. My wife and I went back to this place later in the week and were able to talk them in to selling us three unopened bottles and a glass to give to our granddaughter as a surprise. The people at the restaurant were very nice to us when we told them what we wanted to do. As has been the case every time we have been in Paris, the people everywhere were just incredibly nice and helpful. Anyway, our granddaughter was very happy when we gave them to her and she decided to give one of the bottles to her French teacher.

We went back to the apartment and watched the Eiffel Tower light show from our windows/skylight. I think we took another few hundred thousand pictures of the flashing lights. It was especially gorgeous watching the full moon rise over the rooftops. After sampling some of the Bordeaux we finally went to bed – an excellent first day in Paris!
john183 is offline  
Old May 3rd, 2015, 04:58 PM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 229
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
John183 - I'm enjoying your trip report! I was in Paris for 10 days and left for home the day before the Paris marathon. I could not believe the fabulous weather!
Looking forward to the rest of your adventure.
powhatangal is offline  
Old May 3rd, 2015, 05:46 PM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,420
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Great report. I hope your daughter had a good race.
CarolA is offline  
Old May 3rd, 2015, 06:40 PM
  #16  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,082
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
powhatangal - thanks - It was fabulous. Any chance you will write a trip report?

CarolA - I can't believe I left this out. Several months before the race, one of the women in my daughter's running group found out she could not go to Paris and my other daughter agreed (or maybe she was coerced - I'm not sure how it happened) in to taking her race number. So it turns out both daughters ran in the marathon - and they both finished close to the times they were hoping for. We were proud of both of them.
john183 is offline  
Old May 4th, 2015, 06:44 AM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,209
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi John:

From your description & the Sous Les Figuiers website, it looks as if there have been some changes to the property since we were there! It continues to be a pretty, peaceful retreat and nice to hear that Kups & Giselle are doing well. The evening dining option is new. I wonder if that is for hotel guests only?

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's still your time in Paris to hear more about!
2010 is offline  
Old May 4th, 2015, 09:12 AM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 29,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Excellent day one. Really good, red and cheap works for me!
TDudette is offline  
Old May 5th, 2015, 02:15 PM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,282
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Wine yes---food no! Too funny!
The French have the right idea.
TPAYT is offline  
Old May 6th, 2015, 05:21 AM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,282
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Any photos of that full moon over The Eiffel?
TPAYT is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -