I'm curious about Le Procope. Every time I have seen it mentioned anywhere, the comment is made not to have the food there. I have always wondered how everyone knows it is so bad if nobody ever goes there. Sounds like the reports are exaggerated and that you enjoyed yourselves.

Ellen...what great photos from Day 3...I am interested in trying Le Caveau. Your grandson is remarkable and while I have eaten things in Paris I wouldn't ordinarily get, frog legs is not one of them (and they are often on the menu here in the South. Love that Montmartre (sp?) cafe shot! So colorful!

Nikki-I also have never heard much good about Le Procope...you never can tell, can you! We walked right by when we were there last year.

We had lunch at Le Procope and enjoyed it. We liked the ambiance and our food was tasty (I forget what we ordered.) The waiters were very busy but helpful when we had questions and spoke to us a bit about the restaurant's history at the end of our meal. I am glad we went.

Ellen, I am thoroughly enjoying your report and can't wait to read more!

Julie, the street in the Marais was just around the corner from Chez Marianne. It was a little dead end that I almost walked past; I'm almost positive that it's rue du Trésor. It was so quaint and pretty.

Mary, enjoy your trip! I hope you'll write a report, and please let us know about the apartment. I've often thought about staying on Ile St. Louis, but never have. My camera is a Panasonic lumix 12x optical zoom. I've had it for about a year and I'm happy with it.

I would definitely recommend Le Caveau. It was one of the few restaurants that didn't have sidewalk seating, but it was charming and the waitress couldn't have been nicer.

Re Le Procope, I wish I had written down what I had. It was a beef dish and it was truly excellent; it came in a pot with potatoes and it was flavorful and moist. My son and daughter-in-law are gourmet cooks and my DIL also liked her meal (which I think was duck).

Thanks for taking me back to Paris with you.

We also enjoy Le Caveau on Ile St. Louis.

Another vote for Le Caveau, we have eaten there twice over the years and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. In fact the menu didn't seem to have changed so I was able to try the dishes I had missed out the first time around!!
Schnauzer

A lot of mt favorite things in your lovely report! I always bring home the chestnut spread, love it! And Le Caveau is one of my favorite restaurants. Last time we ate there I had a conversation with the couple at the next table. WHen I posted my trip report here , it turned out they were also Fodorites! Sorry it never came up when we were talking. And good on your grandson for being willingto try new foods. That is so great.

Loved that apsrtment, beautifully furnished an a grat location.

Last Day in the City of Light

Day four was our only cool and cloudy day. We hopped on the bus again and chose the route that includes a little of the 5th, the Bastille, the 12th and 13th and the 4th. Down Bd. St. Germain, one of my favorites, past the Institute du Monde Arabe, the Opéra Bastille and right past the Gare de Lyon which brought back fond memories (it was “my” train station when I traveled to and from Paris while living in France).

I had never been to the Bercy area and was fascinated by the Ministry of Economy and Finance building which incorporates the Seine in its architecture. It’s also a city within a city, employing thousands of people, housing four restaurants and its own post office. Next to it is the Palais Omnisports with its grassy façade. The Bibliotéque Nationale de France is along this route. It is four huge buildings which are shaped like open books.

Back over to rue de Rivoli where we did some shopping at the BHV and I walked across the street to the Hôtel de Ville. I’ve seen it many times, but for some reason I was captivated by it this trip. It’s such a massive building, but its architecture is so graceful, almost mesmerizing. I’ve read that it was inspired by the chateaux of the Loire.

It’s currently hosting a free exhibition of impressionistic art loaned by the Orsay. V and F decided to return to the apartment while I stood in line. It was a very nice exhibition. The first section is actually an architectural pictorial history of Paris which was very interesting. Has anyone else seen it? I was glad I went as this was the only museum-related visit during the trip.

After lunch in the apartment and a few mean games of crazy 8’s, we strolled up rue du Roule to Les Halles, took a right and walked around the Pompidou Center. Unlike its genteel island neighbor to the south, this area is tough and gritty. We turned west on rue Rambuteau and walked over to rue Montmartre past Eglise de St. Eustache. A little shop caught my eye on rue Rambuteau, number 67 to be exact. It’s called La Pistacherie. I don’t know if it’s a chain, but it was charming and I bought a variety of mixed nuts to bring home.

We came across a little street market which I think was right after the church. Lots of fish, vegetables, fresh fruits, clothes and miscellaneous wares. What beautiful produce!

V and F decided to return to the apartment via the Pyramid at the Louvre, but I kept going in my quest to visit the Galeries Lafayettes. I walked up rue Montmartre to bd. Poissionnière, cut over to bd. des Italiens past the beautiful Opéra Garnier and into Galeries Lafayettes. Evidently le tout Paris had had the same idea. I admired some of the displays and gazed at the beautiful domed ceiling, but the crowds and the 85 degrees soon got the best of me and I escaped to the métro for one last ride “home”.

For our last dinner, we chose a place in the 5th where F helped me devour moules! I also had a delicious fondue and he had his first profiteroles for dessert. A fun way to end our amazing week.

On Friday we said our goodbyes at the airport. Thanks to a storm, my flight was an hour and a half late taking off causing me to miss my mid afternoon connection at JFK. My patient husband was in Rochester to meet me and we pulled into our driveway at 2:30 a.m., 27 hours after waking up in Paris. That was the only glitch the entire trip, so no complaints.

On our last day I asked F what his favorite thing was in Paris and he immediately responded, “the métro”!

https://picasaweb.google.com/Ellen.C...vit43Wu7WBzQE#

I am enjoying your trip report. You really did enjoy Paris and thanks for the picts. I have a report on Fodors about our April Seine River cruise. We did not opt to remain in Paris, probably good since we were really weary and one of us getting a bad cold. Son who speaks French as does our daughter may give us a Paris tour someday.

Bill in Boston

What a nice experience. Such a super DIL to do this. Loved your report and the pictures.

So helpful Ellen. I got my map of Paris out and followed your nicely detailed walks. Your knowledge of Paris from having lived there shines throughout.

Bill, I enjoyed your report also. A Seine cruise is on my list - someday. So many things to do and so little time! I'm going to post some final thoughts on our trip soon. It went so fast!

Final Thoughts

This purpose of this trip was not to eat in the best restaurants nor to visit every museum we could squeeze in; it was a fly-by, an overview and introduction to the City of Light for F.

V and F had spent the few previous days in Rome. V often remarked how well-planned the city of Paris is compared to Rome. It’s true. It’s the most walkable city in the world and the green spaces and grand boulevards never cease to amaze me. We were lucky; the weather this spring has been sunny and warm in Paris, and I can’t imagine any other European city putting forth a better face.

The French people we came in contact with couldn’t have been nicer, from the garçons in the restaurants to a traffic cop I stopped to ask a question of (a man standing by even chimed in)! It wasn’t always that way. The French, like Americans, have made huge improvements in customer service over the years, and it shows. They welcomed us with open arms and seemed genuinely happy to serve us. I speak French, but I observed the same courtesies being extended to those who didn’t. They love to practice their English!

Had it not been for the masses of people and our short week there, we would have been able to do more things in depth, such as go up the Eiffel Tower or go to more parks. I had hoped we could visit the Jardin d’Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne, or take the ride on the Canal St. Martin, but there just wasn’t time. Actually, I think we covered considerable ground in the 3 ½ days we had.

There have been many questions and comments on the France forum about what to wear. The simple answer is that anything goes. I made a point of observing French women who almost to a person were wearing variations of black and tan. No surprise. But shops are showing more colors, albeit muted. Lots of beautiful pale rose and other pastel colors (why didn’t I take pictures of those windows? ). Years ago I decided that no matter how I try, I would always look like a tourist with my blond hair/Anglo Saxon looks and my not-so-pencil-thin – to put it mildly - physique, so I wear whatever I’m most comfortable in. Black is always in, but don’t be afraid to wear colors – and lots of scarves.

My list of must-sees grows rather than shrinks each time I visit Paris. The Canal St. Martin is a must-do. I want to explore the less-visited arrondissements which many posters have written about on Fodor’s and Kerouac so beautifully photographs. Musée Carnavalet, Musée du quai Branly, parc des Buttes Chaumont, spend an afternoon strolling through Père Lachaise cemetery, another one reading at an outdoor café in the 5th or 6th (or in the 10th or 11th or at the jardin de Luxembourg…or…) with a café crème. The list goes on. Lately there have been posts about mounting airfares making it more difficult – sometimes impossible – to travel long distances. What a shame, because traveling to different cultures, even as a tourist, is one of the best forms of education there is. For those of us who learn best through experience, it gives us a new perspective and recharges the batteries which we so need in our non-stop world.

Writing this report has enabled me to relive the trip that my daughter-in-law so generously gave me. One day I hope to split my time between the US and France. Until then, I’ll settle for the occasional visit, or as my family calls it, my French “fix”. No matter what it’s called, France is where my heart is and will always be.

Finally, F was a trooper. He took everything in stride, and although we included him in our planning each day, he was amenable to whatever we ultimately decided. He dutifully followed his mom’s “Green Man Hold Hand” policy while crossing the street, then skipped ahead of us as though he owned the city. It was a privilege and a labor love to introduce my grandson to the city that means so much to me. We’ll go back together someday.

Beautiful! What a pleasure to read. I hope you get back to Paris again soon.

So nicely written, Ellen. That was an eloquent wrap-up.

Sounds like a great trip, I really enjoyed reading about it.

Thoroughly enjoyable in all ways!

What a beautiful, wonderful report! We are taking our grandson to Paris next fall and I know I will re-read your report before our trip. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us.

Jo

I'm happy you all enjoyed it; it was fun to write! Nikki, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your report, too. I was going to try to find the Village St. Paul. I got close on my way up to the Place des Vosges, but must have just missed it. That's another one to add to my list for the next time!

The Village St. Paul is hard to spot if you aren't looking for it. There are gateways leading into a series of interconnected courtyards off rue St. Paul.