A week in Paris: 15th Anniversay and a new diamond for my wife
Feb 7th, 2007, 01:21 AM
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A week in Paris: 15th Anniversay and a new diamond for my wife
This is my first trip report on Fodors, so I hope everyone will bear with me and this will prove useful for others who are traveling to Paris. I received advice on a couple of issues on this trip, so I wanted to give back.
Most of this trip report is actually assembled from emails I sent back to some friends of mine who also love Paris. I have tried to clean up the present tense of the emails, but you will have to bear with me if it’s not perfect. Also, I wrote those emails on a blackberry, so I admit to typos up front.
My wife and I celebrated our honeymoon 15 years ago in fairly modest circumstances. So, I decided that our 15th anniversary might serve as a good do-over. We left out kids at home with Grandma and Grandpa for the week and boarded our flight from Washington to CDG.
I did most of the planning. Along the way, I showed my wife a trip itinerary and asked her to review a guidebook, but otherwise I made all of the arrangements.
The other big purpose of this trip was to give my wife a new diamond ring. About 10 years ago, my wife could not locate her diamond ring and wedding band. She searched our townhouse and could not locate it. She asked our then three year old son, who told her that he had been playing buried treasure with it!! Well, we searched for it further, without much guidance from him, and never found it. My wife’s desire for a new ring was well known to me, and finding the right moment to give it to her was part of the Paris plan. This was one place where the advice of fellow posters proved invaluable.
So, on January 1, my wife and I took off with the ring securely and secretly tucked away. In our previous overseas flights, we have upgraded on miles. This time, we did a sixty day advance purchase of business class seats. I did this as I wanted to “do it right” and make it somewhat special, at least more special than coach. So, first lesson for me: upgrade. I have seen many people write here about using the miles and not forking over the cash. Even at the sixty day advance fare, we still shelled out a bunch of money for this, and while it didn’t really impact what we did in Paris, I would have felt better upgrading. And that is worth something, to me anyway.
Having said that, the service was nice and the seats made for a mostly restful night for me. My wife had a less restful night, but that’s how it is sometimes.
We arrived in Paris around 7AM and made it through immigration control pretty quickly. We had been to CDG once before, but on Air France. We arrived in terminal 1, which seemed older and not as well organized. We waited a long time for our baggage, but got it and took a taxi into the city. It was January 2, and Paris was still pretty quiet and seemed to still be on holiday. The traffic was very light and we made it to our hotel by a bit after 9AM.
We stayed at the Relais Christine. I had picked it because of comments on this site, and they were on target. The staff was spot on the whole time and very accommodating. They took us right up to the room, which was great. It was on the third floor and faced the courtyard. It had a loft with the bed, and a sitting area on the entry level.
When we arrived, they had our room ready and took us up. My wife was tired and wanted a few hours to sleep, so we did. We then headed off a bit before noon. We stopped for lunch at a local brasserie. There was nothing much to say for it, so I wont. We were more interested in getting on with the day.
So, we headed over to the Musse D’Orsay. It did not occur to me until we arrived and saw a long line that the Orsay was the only big museum open that day (Tuesday). So, we went below to the metro and took care of our carte orange. We had not done this on our last trip (only four days) but it was a great deal and I would encourage everyone to take advantage of it. The most difficult parts were getting your picture taken at the kiosk (not very) and telling the ticket agent we wanted a “carte orange” with a proper accent (very difficult).
Then, we wondered over the Pompidou Center. We had this down only to architecture, not the art, so it didn’t matter that it was closed. We wondered from there over to Eglise St-Eustache. We wondered through that beautiful church, and then stopped for a coffee. By then, it was getting dark, so we headed back to our neighborhood.
Once we got to our neighborhood (just across the bridge) we stopped for a baguette, a bottle of wine and some saucissons (spelling?) and went to our room to snack. Around 7 or so, we headed out for dinner. We wanted to go to Chez Allard, which was just down the street. But it was packed. Instead, they directed us to their sister restaurant, Roger La Grenouille, at 26 rue Grands Augustins. It was pleasant, and the service was nice. In fact, while overall it probably didn’t match up well with the other places we visited, it was perfect for this night. Low key, decent and easy service. And the food was fine. I had a lamb shank with some type of bean, and we ordered a bottle of wine. If you are looking for some place decent, it’s hard to see how you would go wrong here. But it’s not haut cuisine.
Next: the Louvre, Picasso, a great dinner.
Most of this trip report is actually assembled from emails I sent back to some friends of mine who also love Paris. I have tried to clean up the present tense of the emails, but you will have to bear with me if it’s not perfect. Also, I wrote those emails on a blackberry, so I admit to typos up front.
My wife and I celebrated our honeymoon 15 years ago in fairly modest circumstances. So, I decided that our 15th anniversary might serve as a good do-over. We left out kids at home with Grandma and Grandpa for the week and boarded our flight from Washington to CDG.
I did most of the planning. Along the way, I showed my wife a trip itinerary and asked her to review a guidebook, but otherwise I made all of the arrangements.
The other big purpose of this trip was to give my wife a new diamond ring. About 10 years ago, my wife could not locate her diamond ring and wedding band. She searched our townhouse and could not locate it. She asked our then three year old son, who told her that he had been playing buried treasure with it!! Well, we searched for it further, without much guidance from him, and never found it. My wife’s desire for a new ring was well known to me, and finding the right moment to give it to her was part of the Paris plan. This was one place where the advice of fellow posters proved invaluable.
So, on January 1, my wife and I took off with the ring securely and secretly tucked away. In our previous overseas flights, we have upgraded on miles. This time, we did a sixty day advance purchase of business class seats. I did this as I wanted to “do it right” and make it somewhat special, at least more special than coach. So, first lesson for me: upgrade. I have seen many people write here about using the miles and not forking over the cash. Even at the sixty day advance fare, we still shelled out a bunch of money for this, and while it didn’t really impact what we did in Paris, I would have felt better upgrading. And that is worth something, to me anyway.
Having said that, the service was nice and the seats made for a mostly restful night for me. My wife had a less restful night, but that’s how it is sometimes.
We arrived in Paris around 7AM and made it through immigration control pretty quickly. We had been to CDG once before, but on Air France. We arrived in terminal 1, which seemed older and not as well organized. We waited a long time for our baggage, but got it and took a taxi into the city. It was January 2, and Paris was still pretty quiet and seemed to still be on holiday. The traffic was very light and we made it to our hotel by a bit after 9AM.
We stayed at the Relais Christine. I had picked it because of comments on this site, and they were on target. The staff was spot on the whole time and very accommodating. They took us right up to the room, which was great. It was on the third floor and faced the courtyard. It had a loft with the bed, and a sitting area on the entry level.
When we arrived, they had our room ready and took us up. My wife was tired and wanted a few hours to sleep, so we did. We then headed off a bit before noon. We stopped for lunch at a local brasserie. There was nothing much to say for it, so I wont. We were more interested in getting on with the day.
So, we headed over to the Musse D’Orsay. It did not occur to me until we arrived and saw a long line that the Orsay was the only big museum open that day (Tuesday). So, we went below to the metro and took care of our carte orange. We had not done this on our last trip (only four days) but it was a great deal and I would encourage everyone to take advantage of it. The most difficult parts were getting your picture taken at the kiosk (not very) and telling the ticket agent we wanted a “carte orange” with a proper accent (very difficult).
Then, we wondered over the Pompidou Center. We had this down only to architecture, not the art, so it didn’t matter that it was closed. We wondered from there over to Eglise St-Eustache. We wondered through that beautiful church, and then stopped for a coffee. By then, it was getting dark, so we headed back to our neighborhood.
Once we got to our neighborhood (just across the bridge) we stopped for a baguette, a bottle of wine and some saucissons (spelling?) and went to our room to snack. Around 7 or so, we headed out for dinner. We wanted to go to Chez Allard, which was just down the street. But it was packed. Instead, they directed us to their sister restaurant, Roger La Grenouille, at 26 rue Grands Augustins. It was pleasant, and the service was nice. In fact, while overall it probably didn’t match up well with the other places we visited, it was perfect for this night. Low key, decent and easy service. And the food was fine. I had a lamb shank with some type of bean, and we ordered a bottle of wine. If you are looking for some place decent, it’s hard to see how you would go wrong here. But it’s not haut cuisine.
Next: the Louvre, Picasso, a great dinner.
Feb 7th, 2007, 03:50 AM
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Day 2
The next day arrived and I headed out for a jog. I rarely see many reports that address this, but it is phenomenal to set out across the Pont Nuef, through the Louvre, across the Pont Alexander III bridge and back down the Seine. I live in the Washington area, and always enjoy running along the Mall…had a very similar feeling here. I was also scouting out the place that I would give my wife her new ring. When I posted this issue on the board, many people recommended the Alexander III Bridge as the right place, in the evening, as the Eiffel Tower is sparkling at the top of the hour. Due diligence demanded I check it out and a run was the perfect excuse.
After that, we headed to breakfast in the hotel. This was another error on my part, as breakfast at the Relais Christine is a hefty 25 euros for croissants and a tasty but not very extensive buffet. This was our last visit to the breakfast room. From here out, it was the local bakery each morning and some coffee, which hit the spot every time.
I was somewhat traumatized by the long line I saw at the Louvre when out running earlier. It was our plan to hit that first thing on Day 2. We didn’t have our museum pass yet, and we checked our guidebook to find another way to get our four day pass. We decided a ticket outlet would be best and we asked the front desk at the hotel for directions. As it turned out, they sold them. This saved much time. We then took a side entrance into the Louvre at 99 rue de Rivoli. This saved us more time.
My wife had been intent on a "whole day" in the Musee. To be honest, I dreaded this and thought it would get pretty mind numbing to wonder the Louvre for an entire day. So, before we left, I tried to find some kind of pod cast that would help us through some of the museums.
I know Rick Steves takes a pounding on this board, but I have to give him credit for his guided tours. I downloaded four tours for the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Versailles, and a walking tour of Paris.
The Louvre tour was two hours of his highlights. I have never been a big fan of doing this, but have changed my mind. We did a section on Greek statues, going from pre classical, to golden age and then roman interpretation. We also hit Italian renaissance and French enlightenment. It was excellent overall. Of course, we saw all the major items.
Since we had been hit so hard on the euros at breakfast, we had gyros for lunch at a little restaurant in the Les Halles area.
After that, we were off to the Musee Picasso. I have to admit to never having a deep appreciation for Picasso. When we entered the permanent exhibit, the first painting I saw looked like a Renoir. I thought maybe I had misjudged the man.
My lasting impression of this trip, I have to say, is of art. Many more traveled people already know this, but I had to learn for myself. Paris has a ton of Art History. While Picasso will never be my favorite, I step away from Paris understanding his monumental impact on Art.
After, we headed over to Place de Vosges, a short walk. After some window shopping, we hung out at a bistro.
So, after Place de Vosges, back to the hotel for a bit to freshen up. We had reservations at a place called bistro Paul Bert, over in 11e. My wife discovered it in the Financial Times weekend section a few weeks before we left for Paris.
So, we set out from the hotel, crossed over to the Ile de la Cite on the Pont Neuf Bridge and walked thru the Place Dauphine and on to Notre Dame.
From there, we crossed over to Ile St-Louise. What a wonderful little place. On the main street, which is really tiny and not busy, there was everything you would want in Paris: a great frommagier, a wonderful wine store, a bakery and a chocuterie. These are, of course, the basics of life in Paris (to me anyway). So, it also had an excellent chocolate shop, a great art store and a bunch of other worthwhile shops. When we return, we will stay here.
From there, we took a short walk to the Bastille metro and off to 11e.
We arrived at the Bistro Paul-Bert (18, rue Paul Bert, 01 43 72 24 01) at 8 and were the first people there. This is always concerning, but it quickly filled up.
My wife had a great pastry filled with escargot. It was really excellent. I regretted not getting it the rest of the trip. I had Foie Gras du Canard. In the US, I usually have my foie gras served warm. I forget that sometimes it’s served cold, as it was here. But the waiter (who was excellent) highly recommended it as it was "house made". Well, it was quite good. I would have been happier with the escargot, but how could he know.
Then on to the plate principale, for me a bit of hare, in a cream sauce with peppercorns. Very very good. For my wife, white sea bass...thought all sea bass was white, but the waiter seemed to think this was a very special catch and I have to say, my small taste was really good.
All of this with a very nice burgandy.
Then, "cheese, grommit!" For desert, we ask to split the frommage and a chocolat cake dessert. So, first comes the frommage. The waiter brings all the cutlery and bread and then moves everything to one side of our small table for two. Next, he comes over with a round cutting board of cheese and puts it on the cleared half. I say, what do we have? He goes thru the five cheeses. I ask, how many do we get to try? He tells us that he is going to leave the cheese on our table and we can take what we want, when we are done he will take it back. This, of course, would never happen in the States.
I take five smallish wedges, but they are so good and so rich that it seems like too much. I couldn't understand what they all were, but they were all great.
After that, a double espresso for me, a cafe American for my wife, chocolate cake which was very excellent, and then we rolled on home.
This would turn out to be our favorite night, except the anniversary night. I cannot recommend this bistro more highly. The staff was great, and the food superb.
Next: oversleeping, more museums, the presentation of the ring and the big dinner.
The next day arrived and I headed out for a jog. I rarely see many reports that address this, but it is phenomenal to set out across the Pont Nuef, through the Louvre, across the Pont Alexander III bridge and back down the Seine. I live in the Washington area, and always enjoy running along the Mall…had a very similar feeling here. I was also scouting out the place that I would give my wife her new ring. When I posted this issue on the board, many people recommended the Alexander III Bridge as the right place, in the evening, as the Eiffel Tower is sparkling at the top of the hour. Due diligence demanded I check it out and a run was the perfect excuse.
After that, we headed to breakfast in the hotel. This was another error on my part, as breakfast at the Relais Christine is a hefty 25 euros for croissants and a tasty but not very extensive buffet. This was our last visit to the breakfast room. From here out, it was the local bakery each morning and some coffee, which hit the spot every time.
I was somewhat traumatized by the long line I saw at the Louvre when out running earlier. It was our plan to hit that first thing on Day 2. We didn’t have our museum pass yet, and we checked our guidebook to find another way to get our four day pass. We decided a ticket outlet would be best and we asked the front desk at the hotel for directions. As it turned out, they sold them. This saved much time. We then took a side entrance into the Louvre at 99 rue de Rivoli. This saved us more time.
My wife had been intent on a "whole day" in the Musee. To be honest, I dreaded this and thought it would get pretty mind numbing to wonder the Louvre for an entire day. So, before we left, I tried to find some kind of pod cast that would help us through some of the museums.
I know Rick Steves takes a pounding on this board, but I have to give him credit for his guided tours. I downloaded four tours for the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Versailles, and a walking tour of Paris.
The Louvre tour was two hours of his highlights. I have never been a big fan of doing this, but have changed my mind. We did a section on Greek statues, going from pre classical, to golden age and then roman interpretation. We also hit Italian renaissance and French enlightenment. It was excellent overall. Of course, we saw all the major items.
Since we had been hit so hard on the euros at breakfast, we had gyros for lunch at a little restaurant in the Les Halles area.
After that, we were off to the Musee Picasso. I have to admit to never having a deep appreciation for Picasso. When we entered the permanent exhibit, the first painting I saw looked like a Renoir. I thought maybe I had misjudged the man.
My lasting impression of this trip, I have to say, is of art. Many more traveled people already know this, but I had to learn for myself. Paris has a ton of Art History. While Picasso will never be my favorite, I step away from Paris understanding his monumental impact on Art.
After, we headed over to Place de Vosges, a short walk. After some window shopping, we hung out at a bistro.
So, after Place de Vosges, back to the hotel for a bit to freshen up. We had reservations at a place called bistro Paul Bert, over in 11e. My wife discovered it in the Financial Times weekend section a few weeks before we left for Paris.
So, we set out from the hotel, crossed over to the Ile de la Cite on the Pont Neuf Bridge and walked thru the Place Dauphine and on to Notre Dame.
From there, we crossed over to Ile St-Louise. What a wonderful little place. On the main street, which is really tiny and not busy, there was everything you would want in Paris: a great frommagier, a wonderful wine store, a bakery and a chocuterie. These are, of course, the basics of life in Paris (to me anyway). So, it also had an excellent chocolate shop, a great art store and a bunch of other worthwhile shops. When we return, we will stay here.
From there, we took a short walk to the Bastille metro and off to 11e.
We arrived at the Bistro Paul-Bert (18, rue Paul Bert, 01 43 72 24 01) at 8 and were the first people there. This is always concerning, but it quickly filled up.
My wife had a great pastry filled with escargot. It was really excellent. I regretted not getting it the rest of the trip. I had Foie Gras du Canard. In the US, I usually have my foie gras served warm. I forget that sometimes it’s served cold, as it was here. But the waiter (who was excellent) highly recommended it as it was "house made". Well, it was quite good. I would have been happier with the escargot, but how could he know.
Then on to the plate principale, for me a bit of hare, in a cream sauce with peppercorns. Very very good. For my wife, white sea bass...thought all sea bass was white, but the waiter seemed to think this was a very special catch and I have to say, my small taste was really good.
All of this with a very nice burgandy.
Then, "cheese, grommit!" For desert, we ask to split the frommage and a chocolat cake dessert. So, first comes the frommage. The waiter brings all the cutlery and bread and then moves everything to one side of our small table for two. Next, he comes over with a round cutting board of cheese and puts it on the cleared half. I say, what do we have? He goes thru the five cheeses. I ask, how many do we get to try? He tells us that he is going to leave the cheese on our table and we can take what we want, when we are done he will take it back. This, of course, would never happen in the States.
I take five smallish wedges, but they are so good and so rich that it seems like too much. I couldn't understand what they all were, but they were all great.
After that, a double espresso for me, a cafe American for my wife, chocolate cake which was very excellent, and then we rolled on home.
This would turn out to be our favorite night, except the anniversary night. I cannot recommend this bistro more highly. The staff was great, and the food superb.
Next: oversleeping, more museums, the presentation of the ring and the big dinner.
Feb 7th, 2007, 05:23 AM
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Day 3
So, today was nearly a bust. After a great dinner, we hardly slept (should have never had the double espresso!), and thus overslept until about 12. This was horrible, but oh well. It’s not like I missed a meeting or anything. In a stunning 30 minutes, we were out the door.
Of course, it was – thankfully -- too late to repeat our 25 euro breakfast. It was down the street a block for a "rustique baguette" and a croissant and then another block to a Starbucks. Off then to Musee Rodin.
So, we both liked Picasso better. Not that it is necessary to compare them, but I expected to go in really not liking Picasso and came out with a better impression. I went to Rodin expecting to love it, and came out only so so. I really liked Hells Gate, a masterpiece without doubt, and the Thinker, Balzac (Victor Hugo was not in, or we didn’t see it), the Kiss and a few others. (This impression would change after visiting the Musee d’Orsay and having Rodin put into better context by – I hate to say it – Rick Steves.)
After about two hours there, with a not very uplifting museum provided audio tour, we headed over to La Bon Marche. I had, stupidly, not brought a tie or shirt for tonight’s dinner at Allaine Ducasse. So we picked that up. I was not sufficiently dosed with coffee, so I retired to a bistro while my wife continued shopping.
After that, we headed to Willies Wine Bar for some wine and cheese. Both were good, but it was late and I had a ring for my wife stuck in the pocket of my cargo pants. I was in a hurry to get over to the Pont Alexander III Bridge to watch the Eiffel tower sparkle and give her the ring.
So, with a deadline of 6, we headed out from the bourse metro area, down to the Palais Royal/Louvre metro. The thing that is always amazing about Paris (and many other older cities) is you're walking around, you see the Palais Royal sign and all of a sudden, you are walking thru the courtyard of one of the royal palaces. It's now turned over to shops and apartments.
Then, on to the metro. We get off at Concorde and walk by the Place de la Concorde. There are all kinds of children’s activities in town right now. At Bastille there are carnival rides, at Hotel de Ville there is an ice skating ring, at Concorde there is a large Ferris wheel, at Pompidou there is a Christmas market. I assume this is all done for the holiday.
So, we walked along the Seine over to the bridge. It’s a beautiful bridge, built to commemorate the newly signed alliance of Russia and France. Tsar Nicholas came here to open the bride before the 1909 (I think) exposition. As we approached, the tower starts to sparkle. We get to the bridge and watch for a few minutes, and then I gave her the new ring, with a few romantic thoughts thrown in.
She was very happy, by the way. A special thank you (again) to those who suggested this setting. It was perfect.
After the ring, we went back to the hotel to get ready for the big anniversary dinner. It was great. We headed out from our hotel and arrived at Plaza Athenea a bit after 8. This is the Four Seasons hotel and it is also where Allaine Ducasse is located. It was a great fairy tale, with red and blue lights in the trees outside and great holiday decorations inside.
It was perfect, or nearly so. I can't think of what I would improve on. The service was top flight and completely responsive. Dinner was exquisite, perhaps the best I have had. Three courses all included truffles. Very expensive comfort food.
We started with a bit of lobster and caviar, then onto ravioli filled with foie gras in a truffle sauce with white truffles grated on by a waiter at the table. Then, more lobster with black truffles and finally, chicken in a truffle cream sauce and more truffles grated.
Then, the final courses: cheese, with two of the three being the best I have ever had. Then dessert, some petit fours, the real dessert, and then they gave us two bags of candy (which we brought home for the kids).
We taxied there, but we walked home to get rid of some of the excess. It was after midnight when we got home. A very good anniversary day.
So, today was nearly a bust. After a great dinner, we hardly slept (should have never had the double espresso!), and thus overslept until about 12. This was horrible, but oh well. It’s not like I missed a meeting or anything. In a stunning 30 minutes, we were out the door.
Of course, it was – thankfully -- too late to repeat our 25 euro breakfast. It was down the street a block for a "rustique baguette" and a croissant and then another block to a Starbucks. Off then to Musee Rodin.
So, we both liked Picasso better. Not that it is necessary to compare them, but I expected to go in really not liking Picasso and came out with a better impression. I went to Rodin expecting to love it, and came out only so so. I really liked Hells Gate, a masterpiece without doubt, and the Thinker, Balzac (Victor Hugo was not in, or we didn’t see it), the Kiss and a few others. (This impression would change after visiting the Musee d’Orsay and having Rodin put into better context by – I hate to say it – Rick Steves.)
After about two hours there, with a not very uplifting museum provided audio tour, we headed over to La Bon Marche. I had, stupidly, not brought a tie or shirt for tonight’s dinner at Allaine Ducasse. So we picked that up. I was not sufficiently dosed with coffee, so I retired to a bistro while my wife continued shopping.
After that, we headed to Willies Wine Bar for some wine and cheese. Both were good, but it was late and I had a ring for my wife stuck in the pocket of my cargo pants. I was in a hurry to get over to the Pont Alexander III Bridge to watch the Eiffel tower sparkle and give her the ring.
So, with a deadline of 6, we headed out from the bourse metro area, down to the Palais Royal/Louvre metro. The thing that is always amazing about Paris (and many other older cities) is you're walking around, you see the Palais Royal sign and all of a sudden, you are walking thru the courtyard of one of the royal palaces. It's now turned over to shops and apartments.
Then, on to the metro. We get off at Concorde and walk by the Place de la Concorde. There are all kinds of children’s activities in town right now. At Bastille there are carnival rides, at Hotel de Ville there is an ice skating ring, at Concorde there is a large Ferris wheel, at Pompidou there is a Christmas market. I assume this is all done for the holiday.
So, we walked along the Seine over to the bridge. It’s a beautiful bridge, built to commemorate the newly signed alliance of Russia and France. Tsar Nicholas came here to open the bride before the 1909 (I think) exposition. As we approached, the tower starts to sparkle. We get to the bridge and watch for a few minutes, and then I gave her the new ring, with a few romantic thoughts thrown in.
She was very happy, by the way. A special thank you (again) to those who suggested this setting. It was perfect.
After the ring, we went back to the hotel to get ready for the big anniversary dinner. It was great. We headed out from our hotel and arrived at Plaza Athenea a bit after 8. This is the Four Seasons hotel and it is also where Allaine Ducasse is located. It was a great fairy tale, with red and blue lights in the trees outside and great holiday decorations inside.
It was perfect, or nearly so. I can't think of what I would improve on. The service was top flight and completely responsive. Dinner was exquisite, perhaps the best I have had. Three courses all included truffles. Very expensive comfort food.
We started with a bit of lobster and caviar, then onto ravioli filled with foie gras in a truffle sauce with white truffles grated on by a waiter at the table. Then, more lobster with black truffles and finally, chicken in a truffle cream sauce and more truffles grated.
Then, the final courses: cheese, with two of the three being the best I have ever had. Then dessert, some petit fours, the real dessert, and then they gave us two bags of candy (which we brought home for the kids).
We taxied there, but we walked home to get rid of some of the excess. It was after midnight when we got home. A very good anniversary day.
Feb 7th, 2007, 07:17 AM
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Day 4
We did not make the same mistake this morning. We asked for a 730 wake up call and I got up for a run back along the same route as Wednesday. Picked up the coffee and croissants and headed to Musee d'Orsay.
We did another guided tour for about two hours. We had been to the Orsay before, but hit the highlights. The audio tour guided us through the usual and then on to the paintings beyond impressionism. We finished with the Rodin sculptures, and my appreciation for him also increased.
After we had lunch at this great little place on Ile St-Louis (I can’t remember the address, but it’s the Brasserie Ile St-Louise, right at the end of the pedestrian bridge from the Ile de la Cite). My wife had the cassulet and I had choucutere, a saurkraut and sausage dish from Alsace (I decided to try this after reading a trip report by Ira, who seems to be fond of this dish; now I know why). When I asked for a glass of wine, they brought out a bottle of Riesling and said they would charge for what we drank. It hit the spot. This was a great lunch spot, and we came back again later.
We then did an audio walking tour of the left bank, but it wasn't all that notable. We had seen most of it, but did get to drop by the oldest resident of Paris, a tree of some sort. The biggest disappointment on this audio tour was that the monument to the victims of the holocaust was closed. This is right behind Notre Dame, and I was a little surprised that something like this would be closed.
It was a slightly rainy afternoon (frankly, most days on this trip were), but we went up to Montmarte and sat in a café and checked out the art. We had been to Sacre Couer on a previous trip, so we looked down on the city, but didn’t tour the church.
That night, we had dinner at Chez Denise. This had been recommended by a fellow poster on this site, and I was disappointed. I was not disappointed in the food or the atmosphere. I was, frankly, mostly disappointed with us. It was Friday night, it was very busy and our waiter was a little brusque. We ended up seated at a communal table, which was a little surprising for us. We did not go into it with the right mindset. It is clearly a good restaurant, and someone who knows their way around a menu in French would have enjoyed it. But we were there on the wrong night and were probably in the wrong mood that night for it. We both ordered a steak and pommes frites (although we did have a nice appetizer, which we ordered by pointing at our fellow tablemates selection). We had a great chocolate mouse. And by great, I mean incredible.
We did not make the same mistake this morning. We asked for a 730 wake up call and I got up for a run back along the same route as Wednesday. Picked up the coffee and croissants and headed to Musee d'Orsay.
We did another guided tour for about two hours. We had been to the Orsay before, but hit the highlights. The audio tour guided us through the usual and then on to the paintings beyond impressionism. We finished with the Rodin sculptures, and my appreciation for him also increased.
After we had lunch at this great little place on Ile St-Louis (I can’t remember the address, but it’s the Brasserie Ile St-Louise, right at the end of the pedestrian bridge from the Ile de la Cite). My wife had the cassulet and I had choucutere, a saurkraut and sausage dish from Alsace (I decided to try this after reading a trip report by Ira, who seems to be fond of this dish; now I know why). When I asked for a glass of wine, they brought out a bottle of Riesling and said they would charge for what we drank. It hit the spot. This was a great lunch spot, and we came back again later.
We then did an audio walking tour of the left bank, but it wasn't all that notable. We had seen most of it, but did get to drop by the oldest resident of Paris, a tree of some sort. The biggest disappointment on this audio tour was that the monument to the victims of the holocaust was closed. This is right behind Notre Dame, and I was a little surprised that something like this would be closed.
It was a slightly rainy afternoon (frankly, most days on this trip were), but we went up to Montmarte and sat in a café and checked out the art. We had been to Sacre Couer on a previous trip, so we looked down on the city, but didn’t tour the church.
That night, we had dinner at Chez Denise. This had been recommended by a fellow poster on this site, and I was disappointed. I was not disappointed in the food or the atmosphere. I was, frankly, mostly disappointed with us. It was Friday night, it was very busy and our waiter was a little brusque. We ended up seated at a communal table, which was a little surprising for us. We did not go into it with the right mindset. It is clearly a good restaurant, and someone who knows their way around a menu in French would have enjoyed it. But we were there on the wrong night and were probably in the wrong mood that night for it. We both ordered a steak and pommes frites (although we did have a nice appetizer, which we ordered by pointing at our fellow tablemates selection). We had a great chocolate mouse. And by great, I mean incredible.
Feb 7th, 2007, 07:36 AM
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Do you mind giving me an idea of what Bistro Paul Bert cost for dinner for 2? Your post is so endearing, I am really enjoying it even more than most I read here. You remind me of my husband, and there's few like the 2 of you.
I wish this had been a movie ~lol~
Feb 7th, 2007, 08:33 AM
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Aleta, I can't remember totally, but I think if we took the wine out of bill it was a little under 100 euros. I also just checked out some online guides that list the prix fix at 18E, but I think it was a little more. In any case, it seemed very reasonable.
Feb 7th, 2007, 08:33 AM
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Day 5
Saturday dawned at 730...actually, a bit earlier for me. The wake call was at 730, but I woke up around 630. After a bit of this and that, I went off to find our morning breakfast at the boulangerie. There, I picked up a croissant, but -- it being the weekend -- also a pain au chocolat. Both were delicious.
We trooped over to the RER station and took the train out to Versailles.
It was nice to see a bit of France that was not from the ancien regime. Versailles is a nice little town about 30 minutes from the center of Paris. You can take a 5 minute walk from the station over to the chateau.
Let me say at the outset, it is truly impressive. It is massive, both in terms of its size, decoration and all encompassing grandeur.
We entered and started in the chapel. As our guided tour noted (back to Rick Steves on the Ipod), the chapel is the only nod to the Judeo-Christian God in the palace. King Louis (the whatever) would come in on the balcony to worship, and face the alter. The other nobles would knell towards him, while he knelled to God.
Then we went upstairs to the main ceremonial and living area. There were a series of rooms, all spectacular in their beauty.
The war room and the peace room stand out to me. With a central ceiling mural in both cases depicting France. In the war room, France defends herself. In the peace room, she bestows an olive branch on Europe, while Louis XV is depicted with his wife. Four murals arrayed around this show Spain, Prussia, Holland and Britain (I think).
Then, into the Hall of Mirrors. Sadly, this is under renovation. You do get some sense of its size...it runs along the entire length of the main building...over 280 feet, with windows looking down on the main garden and mirrors opposite.
After the tour of the main building, we walked in the immense gardens and back to the station.
After that, we went over to the Eiffel Tower, but the lines were long and the patience short. So we had lunch at the bisto we visited after our last trip up the tower. The memory of it was better than the trip back deserved, so there is no reason to detail it here.
After that, my wife was tired and wanted a nap. I have been on a quest for a CD I could not get in the States, so I headed off to the Virgin Megastore to find it.
The store, on the Champs, was packed, and so was the sidewalk. I walked around, looking at stores, and then headed back to our room. I found my wife, rested and ready, and we sat outside at a bisto. I had vin chaud, which is a mulled wine. It was cold, and a little drizzly, but it was hard to go wrong sitting in the square by the St. Michel Fountain late on a Saturday afternoon. So, I had another vin chaud.
We had dinner at Restaurant de Voltaire, which a friend had recommended. We split a rack of lamb...my wife said it was the best entree she had so far, and for dessert more chocolat mousse, which my wife insisted on (but not as good as Chez Denise). Then we walked over to Saint Germaine des Pres. This is near our hotel and is a big shopping hub.
After that, we walked over to the Shakespeare book store. Both of us had been on another quest, for a decent book. The other thing I had left in the states was a book or two to read, and I didn’t want to get on plane back without one. So we checked that out, my wife found something, but I did not. It was late now, so we headed the few blocks back to the hotel.
Saturday dawned at 730...actually, a bit earlier for me. The wake call was at 730, but I woke up around 630. After a bit of this and that, I went off to find our morning breakfast at the boulangerie. There, I picked up a croissant, but -- it being the weekend -- also a pain au chocolat. Both were delicious.
We trooped over to the RER station and took the train out to Versailles.
It was nice to see a bit of France that was not from the ancien regime. Versailles is a nice little town about 30 minutes from the center of Paris. You can take a 5 minute walk from the station over to the chateau.
Let me say at the outset, it is truly impressive. It is massive, both in terms of its size, decoration and all encompassing grandeur.
We entered and started in the chapel. As our guided tour noted (back to Rick Steves on the Ipod), the chapel is the only nod to the Judeo-Christian God in the palace. King Louis (the whatever) would come in on the balcony to worship, and face the alter. The other nobles would knell towards him, while he knelled to God.
Then we went upstairs to the main ceremonial and living area. There were a series of rooms, all spectacular in their beauty.
The war room and the peace room stand out to me. With a central ceiling mural in both cases depicting France. In the war room, France defends herself. In the peace room, she bestows an olive branch on Europe, while Louis XV is depicted with his wife. Four murals arrayed around this show Spain, Prussia, Holland and Britain (I think).
Then, into the Hall of Mirrors. Sadly, this is under renovation. You do get some sense of its size...it runs along the entire length of the main building...over 280 feet, with windows looking down on the main garden and mirrors opposite.
After the tour of the main building, we walked in the immense gardens and back to the station.
After that, we went over to the Eiffel Tower, but the lines were long and the patience short. So we had lunch at the bisto we visited after our last trip up the tower. The memory of it was better than the trip back deserved, so there is no reason to detail it here.
After that, my wife was tired and wanted a nap. I have been on a quest for a CD I could not get in the States, so I headed off to the Virgin Megastore to find it.
The store, on the Champs, was packed, and so was the sidewalk. I walked around, looking at stores, and then headed back to our room. I found my wife, rested and ready, and we sat outside at a bisto. I had vin chaud, which is a mulled wine. It was cold, and a little drizzly, but it was hard to go wrong sitting in the square by the St. Michel Fountain late on a Saturday afternoon. So, I had another vin chaud.
We had dinner at Restaurant de Voltaire, which a friend had recommended. We split a rack of lamb...my wife said it was the best entree she had so far, and for dessert more chocolat mousse, which my wife insisted on (but not as good as Chez Denise). Then we walked over to Saint Germaine des Pres. This is near our hotel and is a big shopping hub.
After that, we walked over to the Shakespeare book store. Both of us had been on another quest, for a decent book. The other thing I had left in the states was a book or two to read, and I didn’t want to get on plane back without one. So we checked that out, my wife found something, but I did not. It was late now, so we headed the few blocks back to the hotel.
Feb 7th, 2007, 10:24 AM
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Day 6
It's Sunday morning, our last day here. We slept in a bit and then got the usual breakfast. A bit after 10, we decided to walk to a big market off of the Bastille. The walk took us by way of Notre Dame.
We stopped there, thinking it would be nice to hear some of the Sunday service. And it was...the singing, by a choir, was beautiful. We were there for about 15 minutes. We listened to the responsorial singing after the gospel and the choir selection for the offertory. I had a sense of the old church, with the incense wafting thru the Cathedral and the voices, which you imagine would be echoing about, instead sounding perfect. It was another scene I will remember.
We went over to the market from there...amazing. About three or four blocks of stalls, four rows, with everything from bakers to butchers, fruit and vegetable sellers. Much cheese, some wine and some clothing. You never see anything like this in the States. It made me think that the way to do a trip here is to get an apartment, and go to the market to buy provisions, and go visit the sites.
We wanted to go shopping after lunch, but instead we walked around window shopping in closed stores. Paris is sleepy on Sunday. So we saw a movie in versione originale and we are back at the bistro, reading the paper and finishing this off.
For dinner, he had reservations at Chez Allard, just a few blocks from our hotel. Here, we had the olives and duck, and even a month later my wife and I still talk about it. Excellent. The entire dinner was great. We had a great table for two, that looked out over the dinning room, with the zinc bar right next to us. It was a great last dinner.
The next morning, it’s back to the airport. Sad to go.
It's Sunday morning, our last day here. We slept in a bit and then got the usual breakfast. A bit after 10, we decided to walk to a big market off of the Bastille. The walk took us by way of Notre Dame.
We stopped there, thinking it would be nice to hear some of the Sunday service. And it was...the singing, by a choir, was beautiful. We were there for about 15 minutes. We listened to the responsorial singing after the gospel and the choir selection for the offertory. I had a sense of the old church, with the incense wafting thru the Cathedral and the voices, which you imagine would be echoing about, instead sounding perfect. It was another scene I will remember.
We went over to the market from there...amazing. About three or four blocks of stalls, four rows, with everything from bakers to butchers, fruit and vegetable sellers. Much cheese, some wine and some clothing. You never see anything like this in the States. It made me think that the way to do a trip here is to get an apartment, and go to the market to buy provisions, and go visit the sites.
We wanted to go shopping after lunch, but instead we walked around window shopping in closed stores. Paris is sleepy on Sunday. So we saw a movie in versione originale and we are back at the bistro, reading the paper and finishing this off.
For dinner, he had reservations at Chez Allard, just a few blocks from our hotel. Here, we had the olives and duck, and even a month later my wife and I still talk about it. Excellent. The entire dinner was great. We had a great table for two, that looked out over the dinning room, with the zinc bar right next to us. It was a great last dinner.
The next morning, it’s back to the airport. Sad to go.
