12 Days in Paris - Highlights and Lowlights
 

Above all, I would like to thank the folks on this board for the many, many interesting things I did this time in Paris - all because of your postings and your advice. I'm sorry I can't remember each person and their great contributions, but you are all wonderful.

I would like to thank Bob Brown for his several postings about Vaux-le-Vicomte, without which I would never have gone and would never have gotten as much out of the visit without his recommendation to do a guided tour. Thanks bunches Bob - I couldn't have handled one more trip to Versailles - this was a welcome and refreshing change. We didn't get to do it all on the tour so I'm planning to return to Vaux during my next Paris trip

Highlights (stream of consciousness order):

1. The Bells of St-Sulpice, chiming each quarter hour. Home a week now and I miss them still.

2. Vaux-le-Vicomte chateau - took a half day bus tour with Paris Walks. You do need a guided tour here since there is little signage. Now that I see where it's located I realize that it would be difficult to get to on our own. The tour was wonderful, led by Oriel Caine who is extremely knowledgeable. She gave us a overview and history during the bus ride to the chateau, and led us through the downstairs rooms on a guided tour (guides are not allowed to go through the upstairs rooms so Oriel talked about the first-floor rooms after we viewed them).

The grounds are extensive and lovely. They're easily walkable but there was wasn't enough time to explore the gardens and the carriage house thoroughly. Golf carts are available to ride through the gardens but there is a limited number of them.

3. Michael Osmond as your guide - what a fun and informative day. Michael is so very knowledgeable about Paris and about art and is relaxed and easy going. Would never have appreciated the works of Maillol without him with us.

4. Jacquemart-Andre Museum - a treasure of a museum in a beautiful 18th century house. Loved the double spiral staircase, giant fresco, and all the Italianate items. English audio available at no extra charge.

5. Notre Dame free English tour (given Wednesday and Thursday at 12:00). Very similar to Malcolm Miller's tour of Chartres. We had planned to do an outing to Chartres but didn't since we ran out of time and did this wonderful tour. First an overview of the history of Paris and of Notre Dame, then about one half hour on the 3 west doors followed by 45 minutes inside the cathedral.

6. Rodin Museum, always a highlight, especially the garden. Rained while we were there which kept most people out of the garden and I felt as though it was mine alone. I was especially drawn to the Gates of Hell and learned that Rodin reused some existing pieces of sculpture on these doors. English audio cassette (4E) available next to ticket booth.

7. Paris Walks walking tours. We did 4 tours: Marais Circuit II, Hemingway, St-Germain-des-Pres, and Montmartre. The tours were all very worthwhile, interesting, and the guides very knowledgeable. This is the second trip to Paris where I've taken their walks and will continue to do so.

8. Mass at St-Sulpice with the fabulous organ and choir and the choirmaster's solos.

9. Pastries at Le Notre (rue Cler and near the Nissim de Camando Museum).

10. Crepes at Le Saracen on Ile-St-Louis (pear, whipped cream and dark chocolate sauce - yummy).

11. Pear tarte tatin with creme fraiche.

12. Le Relais St-Benoit - what an interesting place, serving the same meal all the time - steak with a green peppercorn sauce (tasted a hint of curry in there), salad and fries for 20E. We didn't realize that they serve half the meal and then come back and serve the second half. I ate so many fries that there was no room for dessert. I'd heard of having the other half of a pint but never the other half of a steak-frites! When we looked surprised that there was more steak and fries the waitress explained this custom carries back to the days when people ate slower and the food would become cold before the plate was finished, thus they serve one half at a time. Thanks mitchrc for your posting about the restaurant!

13. Carnavalet Museum - we happened upon their once a month, hour and a half English tour (first Saturday at 3:00). That was a piece of luck. Another wonderful small museum all about Paris.

14. Maillol Museum (sculpture) - although Maillol was born only 20 years after Rodin, his work is so different and looks much more modern. It was the perfect foil for the Rodin Museum which we saw 2 days earlier.

15. Falafel at L'as de Falafel

16. Fragonard soap - bought 30 bars to bring home in case I don't get back to Paris in the near future.

17. Luxembourg Gardens with flowers in bloom.

18. People selling lily of the valley flowers all over the city on May Day.

19. The artwork in the stairwell of the Abbesses Metro.

20. Buskers in the Place des Vosges (the arches have incredible acoustics), singing opera and an ensemble of 13 playing violin and cello (their CD as a souvenir).

21. Pont Neuf after dark, sitting on the bridge, looking at the lights of Paris along the river one last time.

Lowlights (very minor):

1. The weather - lots of rain; although that's April weather in Paris - always iffy.
2. Louvre Museum - although great art works live here, it's too vast, too crowded, and way too hot. Enough said.
3. Hotel Michelet-Odeon - staff was great and friendly. Location was perfect, next to the Odeon Theatre and a block from the Luxembourg Gardens. However, our rooms looked out on the rue de Conde, a small street which should have been quiet but wasn't because of the traffic pattern coming up from the Carrefour de l'Odeon. Garbage trucks, busses (bus stop on the corner), motorcycles, cars. A room on the side facing the theatre would have been quieter but my girlfriend and I wanted the 2-bedroom suite so we could each have our own space.

There are so many things I still haven't done in Paris that I can't wait to go back.

adrienne

Wow, Adrienne.... you did a lot! Thanks for posting. I like your format.

Adrienne, thanks for your report. I saved it for another trip to Paris to try the things I missed.

I would like to reinforce some of my earlier comments I made about the logistics of getting to Vaux le Vicomte from Paris if you do it on your own. I think these comments bear repeating so anyone attempting the same trip will know how to prepare.

Here is how our free lance trip went. We arrived in Melun by train and took a taxi to the chateau. We stayed over for the candle light tour before returning by taxi to the train station for our ride back to Paris. The total cost of the taxi rides was 40 €, 20 each way.

The taxi trips to and from the chateau were routine. The train trip back to Paris was anything but.

After the taxi brought us back to the train station, we discovered that there was no ticket agent in sight and that the vending machines would not take euro bills, only coins. Next we found out that our Visa cards, neither debit nor credit, would not work, despite the fact that Visa logos were plastered on the machines. Fortunately the taxi driver was still there at the station waiting for his next call, and he gave me change. (For once I was happy I had tipped the guy well.)

After we coaxed tickets out of the machine, we discovered that the train listed on my printed schedule was not listed on the arrival/departure board at the station.

Fortunately there was a friendly Frenchman who spoke English waiting for the same train. After conferring we decided to take the local back to Paris, even though it was very slow.

In conclusion, although I still recommend the trip to Vaux, I am not sure the candle light tour is worth it. Having seen the chateau in the daylight and in the dark, I have decided that daylight is better. I had anticipated that seeing the chateau by candle light would be romantic and thrilling. Instead, I got tired of the gloom.
Moreover, part of the charm of candle light was overridden by the extensive use of electric lights.

Maybe my girlfriend and I have been married too long because fumbling around in the dark was not that romantic. (Swiss mountain trails under a full moon are a different story.)

Moreover, the gardens are part of the total attraction and they were not visible in the dark except for the area that had a searchlight focused on it.

If you decide to go, I highly recommend the day trip by tour bus. For the slight increase in overall cost you get the services of a guide and far less hassle.

Bob - How did you arrange for the taxi for the return trip - did you ask the driver to come back for you at a certain time? Or, was there someone at the Chateau who phoned for a taxi for you?

When we left Vaux, at about 5:30, there were no taxis in sight.

Thanks,
adrienne

Adrienne: We have been to Vaux a few times all on our own. You call for a taxi from the Chateau store and they will come right away. Happens all the time. Another way is arrange with the taxi driver to meet you for the rturn trip at a specific time. Works too but gives you less flixibility for the visit.

About the taxi. Going out to the chateau, I used Taxi Melunaise. The phone answerer spoke just enough English to help. Coming back, someone at the chateau gift shop called for a taxi. I don't think taxis hang out there hoping for a customer.
The lady who called the taxi for us was very courteous and very willing to call.
Nothing wrong with the taxi. Had the whole trip been in the day time, I think the train schedule would have been accurate.

Thanks Paul & Bob.

adrienne

Adrienne:
Thanks for the interesting posts. I've saved them for an upcoming trip.

I can add that visiting the palace at Fontainebleau is a much easier free lance trip than any I have taken. Take the train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau.
Take the bus right to the gates.
Return via the same bus line to the train station. The bus runs about every 20 minutes during the day.

Adrienne, thank you for your wonderful list. I have already printed it out to use on my upcoming Paris trip. Could you please cescribe your day with Michael Osman? Where did he take you? Many thanks!

A slight correction to your enjoyable report--the Jacquemart-Andre museum on Boulevard Haussmann is in a house that was built in 1875, so it's 19th century. It had all mod cons for the time, including hydraulic machinery so that the walls of some of the reception rooms could be lowered into the basement.

Hi Cluny - thanks for the correction on the Jacquemart-Andre

Hi Happy2travel - Michael will be happy to take you wherever you want to go or he will suggest an itinerary. I booked him primarily for the Louvre, added the Maillol since I'm interested in sculpture and then added the Jacquemart-Andre to the itinerary to fill the hour until the Maillol opens at 11:00. We had planned to begin our day at the Arch of Triumph at 9:00 and then make a circuit. I wanted Michael to take us to the Louvre since I very much dislike that museum and my friend very much wanted to go there. She only wanted to see 3 things in Paris and let me choose the rest so I couldn't say I wouldn't go to the Louvre with her.

Well - all good plans go awry at some point. My friend, Leslie, came down with a very bad case of traveler?s tummy that morning. Michael was fully booked for the rest of the week so we couldn?t change the day. He did, subsequently, have some time for us on the weekend but by then we had booked something else.

So, Michael and I went to the Jacquemart-Andre where we spend a delightful 2 hours talking about the artwork. He?s so much fun to talk to and so easy going. We then phoned Leslie to see how she was doing and she thought she was a bit better so we went back to the hotel, picked her up, and the 3 of us went to the Maillol. It?s a small museum so we were there about an hour and Leslie didn?t look very good and wasn?t herself at all so she took a taxi back to the hotel.

About the Maillol. I had never been here and was not familiar with Maillol?s sculpture. Michael patiently explained his works and what he was trying to achieve and showed the differences between Maillol and Rodin (we had been to the Rodin Museum 2 days before).

By this time it was afternoon already since we spend 2 hours at the Jacquemart-Andre, rather than the planned 1 hour and we had to go back to the hotel to pick up Leslie and than walk to the Maillol. Our schedule was completely out of wack. I suggested the Invalides since I had never been there and it was convenient to walk to so that?s what Michael and I did for the rest of the afternoon. We parted about 5:00 since I wanted to get back to the hotel to see if Leslie felt any better. Michael wanted to see me back to the hotel but I was comfortable getting back by myself.

Michael was very informative and interesting throughout the day. As we walked he pointed out things we walked past that I wouldn?t have noticed. He will pick you up at your hotel and stay with you for the entire day or through the evening (we had picked a day when the Louvre was open late, therefore we could see several museums that day).

If you?re thinking of using Michael as your tour guide I would suggest emailing him and giving him an idea of what you?re looking for and perhaps ask him for suggestions. He?s very willing and able to tailor a plan for you.

If you have any more questions please post again.

adrienne

L'as de Falafel...one of my favorite little budget places in Paris.

I also love that artwork in the stairwell of the Abbesses Metro.

Never heard any buskers under the arches in the Place des Vosges but I bet the acoustics there would be great. We did listen to a lone violinist playing in a passageway between two courtyards in the Louvre one evening and the sound was gorgeous.

Thanks for a lovely report Adrienne -- I'm glad you enjoyed Michael -- he's knowledgeable and a delight!