I am spending the month of May in Paris and reading your report is so great.
Enjoying your cooking experiences and I will try some cooking this trip. Usually I just buy some of the fabulous roasted chicken and potatoes and eat lots of great bread.
Enjoy the rest of your stay and keep writing about your experiences on this great trip

Here's my latest post on Parc des Buttes Chaumont: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findac...VI&shipCode=SP

Today we spent a wonderful day in St German, will post on that soon.

Tdk - it is great to buy the roasted chickens and potatoes! We did that last week. Those potatoes are so greasy but soooo good.

Oops, sorry, wrong link! Embarrassing, sorry.
This is the right one: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...-chaumont.html

We really enjoyed the park too. If you get over to that neighborhood again, you might enjoy a walk around the Mouzaïa. I learned of it from another of Kerouac's great photo essays. Here's a link to my thread with links to his photos, and a link to my photos.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...la-mouzaia.cfm

Paris, Château de Vincennes, Mouzaia, More
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sred...HNA&feat=email

I'm really enjoying your blog and look forward to seeing new posts. Hope your weather has improved!

Interesting photos! I'm really loving them.
Off to look up "your" park

WARNING TO ALL: Whatever you do, don't throw out your metro ticket until you're done with your journey! Our lovely day was just ruined by the metro cops who harassed us until we paid a ridiculous fine because we didn't have our validated ticket on us. 25 euros a person?? And it would have been more if we didn't have unused tickets on us (which makes no sense). I understand this is the rule but we had NO idea. He claimed there are signs in English everywhere, but I have never seen them. I really wonder what would have happened if we just walked away without paying, which my husband wanted to do, or tried to go back to the garbage can to get our ticket out! I thought they would let us off with a warning after I explained, but no....well, I just want everyone to know so they don't make the same mistake!!

Also, just to be clear, the demeanor of these folks was extremely rude, threatening, and designed to intimidate tourists, from what it seemed like to me. I'm sure lots of people on here will tell me that I didn't follow the rule, and I should pay, and why did I cause a fuss. Maybe this is true, but the whole thing left me feeling quite unsettled.

Sorry that this happened to you, but it's true that you must keep your ticket until the exit. The ticket checkers end up being 'rude' because so many people lie to them all day. It is a very difficult job.

Yes, I do understand it is a bad job. I just don't understand why such high fines for an alleged crime of 2 euros....I was happy to hand him over the unused tickets instead, or 5 or 10 euros. Just a deterrence thing? He acted like 50 euros was nothing, but it is a LOT to us on this trip. And how many tourists try to jump the turnstile? We were clearly tourists, showed him our american IDs, etc.
Also, I don't understand why he would lie and tell me there are signs in lots of languages everywhere. Yes, I should have looked up what the little thing means that pops up when you put your ticket in, but there are certainly no signs about this in English are there??
Anyway, you live you learn, this is a foreign country. I realize I will probably feel different about this in the morning but it sings right now.

*stings, not sings.

I actually dont want to turn this thread into talking about what just happened to me, so I promise I will be back soon with a much happier and more positive post!

I'm so sorry about your bad experience. I've read that it's important to keep your ticket but your story really underscores the importance.
I'm sorry

Thanks, I appreciate the sympathy. I just feel kind of stupid about it actually. We went to a really lovely concert in Sainte Chapelle right before, so I"m trying just to think about that.

sharbear - so sorry you got caught by this. we got fined in Italy for not having got our tickets validated on the train, which was ENTIRELY my fault. fortunately he only fined us €20.

do try to put it down to experience, and don't keep kicking yourself, which i know is difficult.

tomorrow is another day!

We got caught not having validated tickets on the train, as well.

Yes, sharbear, I do believe it is meant to be a deterrent. In Berlin, riding "schwarz" was a favorite pastime for teens. You could always tell when they quickly hopped off the train car after the men in blue jackets got on.

It's important to have a wide variety of stories to tell when you return home.

I'm loving your trip. Thanks for sharing!

And I promised a more positive post today, and here it is, all about our wonderful day in St Germain on Saturday: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...t-germain.html

p.s. I saw a peacock this morning in Bois de Vincennes with its plumage all unfurled!! It was amazing! And I managed to catch a photo which I will post soon.

I continue to be thrilled by your photos
I can't wait to visit the Jardin du Luxembourg - and I can definitely pick up on the festive mood of Rue de Buci from your photos!
Would love to see a pic of that peacock~
Hope you're continuing to enjoy yourself.

Loved St. Germain shots!

Thanks!! The rain is relentless here...I knew spring was rainy season here but I had no idea that it would be every day like this. Oh well, it's still Paris!

sharbear84, several years ago our desk clerk told my SO that our weekly pass would work on the RER to La Defense. Unfortunately that is in Zone 3 and was not on our pass. He went solo and was asked by the Metro Police to show his ticket. He had no idea he was out of the zone on the pass. They were going to arrest him! This was on Saturday afternoon and he would have been in jail until Monday! They even called for a car. Luckily something more important came up and they let him go. He was really shaken by the experience.

I'm so sorry about the rain. It looks like sunshine on Friday.