pjsparlor

Hello, We just returned from a great trip. We were gone from March 20 to 29th.

Arrived in Paris on March 21st [my birthday] We flew Air France from Chicago and took the RER to our hotel.We were a party of 4 women. We stayed at the Hotel Mayfair, I got a nice surprise they upgraded me to superior room. My room had two twin beds and very nice bathroom with seperate water closet. We had two french doors that led to a balcony that we could sit outside. Alas it was nasty weather so we never enjoyed the balcony!

First day we meandered Montmartre. We took the stairs at Rue De Abbess but the painted murals are gone.
We went to the church right there, it is bryzantine style. We then just started walking checking out the windmills and cute shops, la apin agile, working up to place tertre.
We then went into Sacre Cour. This is my 13th trip to Paris I am never dissapointed.

We had reservations at Chez Franciz, the food isn't outstanding, it is good but the view of the Eiffel tower is just wonderful.

Tommorow is Marmotten and a wine and cheese tasting at Harriet Welty Rochefort. Plus I get to meet some fellow fodorites~

pjsparlor

Hotel Mayfair fact Sheet:
3 rue Rouget-de-Lisle
75001 PARIS
Tél : 33(0)1 42 60 38 14

we had a wonderful breakfast, everday, yogurts, fruit, cheeses, cafe latte in a lovely room.

pjsparlor

March 22nd Wednesday, it is a crisp spring day and I am heading to Musee Marmottan. I loved this museum, there are no crowds like musee d'orsay and the Monets were wonderful. The museum pass does not work for this museum. I liked the setting too. I kept missing this museum so I finally indulged and it was a find. Here is the address:

2, rue Louis-Boilly
75016 Paris


Tél. : 01 44 96 50 33
Fax : 01 40 50 65 84
[email protected]

teacher33

Can't wait to hear all the details. Anytime a group of women travel together, there are wonderful tales--usually involving lots of laughter.

pjsparlor

My friends did not attend Harriet's cheese tasting.

I am off on my own to Harriet's who lives right by Pere Lachaise cemetary.

I ring the door to get into her complex and her husband Phillipe greeted me and took me to their apartment. The three fodorites I met were Toupary, Brioche, lynbann. There was also a book store owner from California and a couple from Texas.
We started the day with champagne, Harriet is delightful and the conversation was very rich. It is always fun talking about travel, food, different cultures.
Phillipe served us mise un bouche Gazpacho, so flavorful. They had great breads also, french and olive from their local bakery. Harriet told us when she has a dinner with her american friends she will usually go through 2 loaves of french bread, when she has french friends she usually plans on one loaf of bread for two people.
We move onto the wine and cheese tasting:
sauvignon 2005 loire valley
pont l'eveque
pave de touranine

chitry 2005 red burgundy
cantal
boulette d'avesnes
perail de cabasses
concoillotte

tariquet 2006 southwest france
roquefort
bleu d'auvergne
munster
comte jeune and comte vieux
livarot

cotes du rhone 20004 rhone vallet
mimolette

graves 2003 red bordeaux
ossau iraty
brebis des pyrenees
brillat savarin

Then we had salade verte aux lardons
Then more champagne and macarons, orangettes, calissons d'aix

I arrived at 12:00 and left at 3:30. It was so worthwhile, It was one of my hightlights of my trip.
Here is Harriet's website www.frenchfolio.com

pjsparlor

The late afternoon I spent meandering Pere lachaise, then I went to Harriet's cheese shop and bought some cheese! I bought some olive oil and wonderful framboice vinegar also.

we have dinner reservations at La Petite Chaise

This is our 2nd visit, I haven't been for 3 years but it was still a treat.

Here is the some info on the restaurant.




La Petite Chaise

Cuisine TRADITIONAL FRENCH

Hours Daily noon-2pm and 7-11pm

Address 36 rue de Grenelle, 7e

Location 7th Arrondissement (Eiffel Tower/Musée D'orsay)

Transportation Métro: Sèvres-Babylone or Rue du Bac

Reservations Reservations recommended

Phone 01-42-22-13-35

Prices Fixed-price menu 24€-29€ ($31-$38)

Credit Cards MC, V




Frommer's Review


This is Paris's oldest restaurant, opened as an inn in 1680 by the baron de la Chaise at the edge of a hunting preserve. (According to lore, the baron used the upstairs bedrooms for afternoon dalliances, between fox and pheasant hunts.) Very Parisian, the "Little Chair" invites you into a world of cramped but attractive tables, old wood paneling, and ornate wall sconces. A vigorous chef has brought renewed taste and flavor to this longtime favorite, and the four-course set menu offers a large choice of dishes in each category. Examples are magret of duck with sweet-and-sour sauce, pot-au-feu whose ingredients change with the seasons, and grilled sea bass on a bed of fennel with a light butter sauce.

pjsparlor

Today is the third day in Paris and we are going to have lunch with ladies that live in Paris on rue de Sévigné in the marais district.

I am starting to feel sick but am desperatly trying to ignore it.

The ladies we are having lunch with come to chicago every year and shop at dane county flea market the love 1950's kitsch. They buy alot and ship it back to their stores in paris. One in the marais district and one in St. ouen market.
we ate at a spanish tapas restaurant on rue sevique. Very quaint and good. We had great conversations again and then we are off to Musee Carnavalet.

I love this museum, I alway see something I missed from before.

Now I cannot ignore the my sickness and I leave my ladie friends and am off on a adventure to find a Dr.
I go to a pharmacy, and ask for the pharmacist for help. He gives me an address on place d'vosages. I arrive at a huge ancient door that I have to ring to get in. I ring, the door clicks, I open it and am now in a courtyard.
I am greeted by the receptionist who doesn't speak much english and I cannot speak french.
Anyway long story, a lady in the wainting room translates for me. Everyone was so sweet and helpful. I did see the Dr., I had strep throat, she writes 5 prescriptions, all in all the doctor visit and all my meds cost me around 75.00. U was pleasantly surprised since I was at their mercy. Very good experience.
I decide it is time to head back to the hotel and take it easy!

pjsparlor

I am feeling pretty good, after resting. So like a dummy I cannot stay complacent when I am in paris. My friends are still out and about so I decide to visit Louvre and L'Orangerie at night. It is Friday night. I fell in love with L'orangerie, trying to soak up those huge Monet panels it is fantastik. Plus there are great Renoir's, Picasso, Cezanne downstairs. What a wonderful museum.
Louvre was a treat that night also, they had classical musicians in different rooms. Just imagine the beautiful art and music together like that in the louvre. It was magical. Now off to bed, and tommorow Reims!

ira

Hi Pj,

Thanks for the report.

>We took the stairs at Rue De Abbess but the painted murals are gone.

c'est dommage

easytraveler

Hi, pjsparlor!

Great report!

Really enjoying going along with your trip! The cheese tasting sounds wonderful!

Looking forward to the rest of your report - but do try and keep well!

pjsparlor

It is Saturday and I bought prem tickets to Reims for 20 euros roundtrip. We arrive at gare d'est and we are off to Reims. It is around 1 1/2 hour trip.
I am so excited about seeing the cathedral. I am such a history geek,I loved seeing St. Denis where the french kings are buried so I have to see where they were crowned. Plus cathedrals are so awesome I loved Chartres on a different visit.
The weather has pretty much been miserable the whole trip. Today it is raining hard and windy and of course cold!
Reims Catherdral is magnificent, I loved the chagall window.beautiful gothic church.
We have reservations at Pommery so we cab it to the house of Pommery from the church.
Great tour, I loved exploring the Roman tunnels where they store the champagne. I read the history of champagne, Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times. Excellent book and really made visiting the house of Pommery even more interesting.
We had our choice of ordering 2 glasses of good champagne or 1 excellent glass of champagne. I chose one glass, the rest of the tour chose 2 glasses. My glass of champagne was superb, but the man who was pouring kept refreshing my glass as I drank so I got a real good deal! It was very nice gesture and I enjoyed every drop!
We eat in Reims and it was not memorable. We take a 8:00 PM train back to Paris. Our last night in Paris we have already switched hotels and we are now staying at Hotel Du Danube on Rue Jacob. I really enjoy staying on the left bank.
I bought some champagne and sat in the salon of hotel du danube with Francois and my friends and we had a great evening!
Tomorrow we fly to prague...I am meeting my husband there. Thank God, I really miss him, we are great travelers together. Plus my roommate snores and that is getting annoying. She feels bad but I am definitely ready for some peace and quiet in Prague!

MelissaHI

WOW, I'm loving your trip, every minute of it. How did you hear about Harriet's wine & cheese tasting? It looks like something I'll need to do next time I am there. How much was it? Which tasting did you do?

and how did you get the oil & vinegar home?

OK I need to stop reading now....your report is making me want to cry, because I desperately need to get back there.

pjsparlor

Hi Melissa, I contacted Harriet on her website. I told her the dates and voila she scheduled a wine and cheese tasting.
I sent her 65.00 USD check, to hold my place. She usually only has 6 max 10 people.
We did all the cheeses and wines I listed. When you leave you pay for the cheeses. I think I paid another 20 euro. She then let me take whatever leftover cheeses I wanted. It was faboulous~!
As far as the oil and vinegar I did pack it in my checked luggage. I put alot of bags around it. So it was a little chancey but the bottles are very sturdy.
I read about Harriet's wine and cheese tasting on someone's travelouge. Go if you have the oppurtunity it is worth every euro!

pjsparlor

PS You do not leave the wine and cheese tasting hungry!

tod

So interesting and beautifully set out for those of us making notes.
Sorry about the snoring......all us old fogies do it - especially after a really good dinner and loads of wine!

pjsparlor

We fly on Air France to Prague. I really enjoy Air France.
I am leaving my lady friends now to see my husband, we will all be in Prague but my husband and I are staying at a different hotel and will be on our own.
I have reservations at Hotel Maxmillian
Hotel Maximilian, Haštalská 14,
CZ - 110 00 Prague 1
Phone: +420 225 303 111
Fax: +420 225 303 110
E-mail: [email protected]
Just a few steps (who's counting) from Old Town Square, the Maximilian is situated on Haštalská (perhaps the oldest street in Prague), facing St Agnes Monastery (perhaps the oldest).

I also have reservations with Sarka
www.prague-guide.info/

I decide to take public transport from the airport to my hotel. It is so easy, basically you take bus 119 to the end of the route, get off the bus and get on the metro. It cost me 80 krowns because I got a day pass. That is around 4.00usd.

Glad I had a map to get to my hotel, wow the streets in Prague. But wow Prague!! I did make it to my hotel, my husband is already there so I have a room waiting.
We stayed in a superior queen. Very modern hotel, Sarka will be there at 12:00. Yea I get to see my husband!

It is 10:30 AM so we have breakfast at the hotel. Wonderful, meats, cheeses, lox, yogurt, cereals, breads.
More on Sarka...

pjsparlor

Sarka arrives at hotel maxmillian at 12:00. We have decided to do a full tour.
We are going to explore Jewish town first. josefov area, the first synogague is the old new synogague, Sarka told us the story of Golem too. The clocks on Jewish city hall are interesting one is in hebrew and goes right to left.
We saw the cemetary and of course the monument to Franz Kafka.The Spanish Synagogue is a reproduction of the Alhambra.

Now we are visiting old town. We go up the City Hall Tower. Great starting point, Tyn Church, all the beautiful red tile roofs. Juat looking at Romanasque,Gothic, Renaissiance, amd baroque styles united at old town square. Everything dressed up for Easter too, marker in the center selling trinkets and food. All the gaity then you see the 27 crosses in the square reprensenting the 27 beheadings. Jan Huss statue is there because of his death as a martyr, he was burned at the stake. Alot of morbid stuff in all this beautiful square where it is pretty whimiscal looking all dressed up for Easter!

The Apostle clock is a must see in Prague. Old Town Square is one of the most beautiful architectural squares I have ever seen.
We are now with the hordes of tourists where all the tacky souvenier shops are Karlova lane. We are heading to Charles Bridge.

pjsparlor

I should proof read, it is not a marker but a Easter market at old town square.

pjsparlor

We are in Prague on Sunday March 25th, Charles Bridge is a madhouse. Just curious if anyone is reading my thread, what is Prague like in the summer?
The bridge was supposed to be scaffolded and down to one pedestrian lane for renovations, but it wasn't yet! Thank God, what a mess that is going to be.
The bridge is magnificent. We got our first glimpse of St. Nepomuk. It was cast in 1683, there are 30 sculptures most of them copies.St. Nepomuk was thrown from the stone bridge into the river Vlatava.The legetnd goes that he did not want to divulge the secrets of the pious Queen Sophia's confession, as demanded by King Wencelas IV. There was stars streaming from his dead body in the river. His tongue was preserved on his decomposing body. So you alway see St. Nepomunk with a wreath of stars. There is a plaque beneath his statue that you are supposed to rub, for good luck. It is polished bright from all the hand rubbings. As were are walking across the bridge, we come to a very picturesque scence of of a mill wheel om Devil's stream. This is Kampa Island. Very coo, I think it would be very neat to stay there on a return trip! I did not explore this area, but there is next time. Definitely Venice of Prague.

lucygirl

hi pj,

love your report...where/how did you get your 20e round trip tickets for Reims?