Ciel & mom's Paris trips highlights
Nov 5th, 2006, 11:07 AM
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Ciel & mom's Paris trips highlights
When I read the good trip reports here, mine sound kind of boring, "Then we went here, then we went there..." So I think I'll just give you some of our highlights from the 5 trips.
HOTEL: Hotel Parc St. Severin. We learned about it rom JulieVikmanis & KCSqueeze. We stayed at the Hotel St. Jacques on rue des Ecoles on the first trip. It was ok, fine for the price but the Parc St. Severin has won our hearts. Great location in the 5th--we like the bustle & students of the area (though others may not). Beautiful view of the church. The staff could not be nicer. Spotless rooms, reasonable rates. We have stayed there 4 times & plan to return.
SIGHTS:
Eiffel Tower, at least once. It took me 2 visits to make it to the top. The elevators were terrifying to me but being on top was ok & the view stunning.
St. Etienne du Mont: My favorite church in Paris so far. Very different from others, light, delicate interior. Nearby is a store called Surgicale which is also worth a visit. It is nothing but frozen food cases filled with very upscale frozen food to prepare at home. Quite amazing.
Basicalla St. Denis: A long metro ride but incredible sculptures inside of kings, queens & other dignitaries.
Opera Garnier: haven't managed to attend a performance but the building itself is fabulous to see. Also, hokey as it was, we enjoyed the Paris Story movie nearby. Good chance to sit down and learn a little,too. And, speaking of hokey, a L'Open Tour ride is a nice thing to do on that first jet-lagged day.
Luxembourg Gardens: we never visit without saving an afternoon to stroll and linger here. The botanical gardens (Jardins Plantees near rue Monge) are also worth a stroll.
DAY TRIPS
We've taken 2 daytrips by minivan and loved them both. Giverney was lovely in the spring and, as it began to drizzle a fine mist just when we arrived, most people left and we had it almost to ourselves.
Loire chateaux Chenonceau, Chambord & Da Vinci's french home (if I remember right). This was also a really nice trip with a better than expected lunch on the grounds of one of the chateaux.
TRANSPORTATION
We love the city buses! The metro is ok-it's quick (usually) but many stairs, hot, often crowded. The buses are highly civilized, calm & you also get a tour for free by just looking out the window. We bought carnets as needed.
Les bateaux on the Seine are fun but pick a day with a little wind--there are a lot of diesel fumes on a still day.
To & from CDG: we've used cabs & a couple different shuttle companies. After a long flight, a cab to the hotel is soothing. Hotel-arranged shuttles back to CDG have been fine & cheaper. Allow yourself A LEAST 3 hours at CDG for departure!
FOOD
We eat well, but not extravagantly, taking advantage of the twice weekly market and shops at Place Maubert to picnic sometimes in our hotel room or outdoors on a nice day. Our big meal is often lunch. I don't think the food & restaurant costs are any more in Paris than in San Francisco where we live. Frequently they are a lot less!
Some restaurants we've enjoyed (mostly in the 5th & 6th):
Rotisserie d'en Face on rue Christine-lovely ambience, delicious french food.
La Maree Vert-rue de Pontoise. Small, good french.
Chez Renee-Bl. St. Germain, small, good french.
Brasserie Balzar-french, good food & service.
Vesuvio Pizza--off St. Germain near Hotel Madison-great wood fired pizzas.
Laduree-rue Bonaparte. Lunch ok, macarons & other pastries divine.
L'Entrecote Relais on rue St. Benoit. If you like steak/frites it's the best!
L'As Falafels in the Marais. Best falafel I ever had.
Kim Lien off Place Maubert--delicious, reasonable Vietnamese.
the Bon Marche Grand Epicerie. This is the very elegant food hall downstairs in Bon Marche Dept. store. Take your selections to the park across the street.
SHOPPING
We've enjoyed the big department stores. Service is like it used to be in the U.S., gracious. Great places to pick up french birthday cards and other stationery items. Don't dress too warmly, they are often quite warm & stuffy inside.
McGirls on rue St. Michel had beautiful wool sweater coats last month for around 100E, much better prices than SF. Near there is a jewelry store we like, Cocktails (Bijoux) Cadeaux on rue Racine. Mostly not expensive.
I love Monoprix for kids' clothes and packaged food to bring home as gifts.
Artisan Chocolates near Place des Voges.
Scarves, scarves, scarves at the Place Maubert market!
A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS:
When we began these trips, I was 50 and my mom was 75. Now we're 5 year older. Elizabeth, who wrote of Paris with her 85-year old mother in law gave us inspiration & confidence. Later, Ira's trip with his mom, gave us new ideas on making Paris workable, no matter one's age.
My mom has said that these Paris trips have meant so much to her at this time in her life. It is something exciting to look forward to, plan for, and a reason to keep physically & mentally active and in shape. Ira's advice about stopping at least every hour is very good. You will never regret the time you spend sitting outside at cafes with a glass of wine or a citron presse, people watching and just soaking up the Parisian atmosphere.
We are busy planning our 6th trip right now. THANK YOU ALL!!!! If I can answer any questions, I'll be happy to.
HOTEL: Hotel Parc St. Severin. We learned about it rom JulieVikmanis & KCSqueeze. We stayed at the Hotel St. Jacques on rue des Ecoles on the first trip. It was ok, fine for the price but the Parc St. Severin has won our hearts. Great location in the 5th--we like the bustle & students of the area (though others may not). Beautiful view of the church. The staff could not be nicer. Spotless rooms, reasonable rates. We have stayed there 4 times & plan to return.
SIGHTS:
Eiffel Tower, at least once. It took me 2 visits to make it to the top. The elevators were terrifying to me but being on top was ok & the view stunning.
St. Etienne du Mont: My favorite church in Paris so far. Very different from others, light, delicate interior. Nearby is a store called Surgicale which is also worth a visit. It is nothing but frozen food cases filled with very upscale frozen food to prepare at home. Quite amazing.
Basicalla St. Denis: A long metro ride but incredible sculptures inside of kings, queens & other dignitaries.
Opera Garnier: haven't managed to attend a performance but the building itself is fabulous to see. Also, hokey as it was, we enjoyed the Paris Story movie nearby. Good chance to sit down and learn a little,too. And, speaking of hokey, a L'Open Tour ride is a nice thing to do on that first jet-lagged day.
Luxembourg Gardens: we never visit without saving an afternoon to stroll and linger here. The botanical gardens (Jardins Plantees near rue Monge) are also worth a stroll.
DAY TRIPS
We've taken 2 daytrips by minivan and loved them both. Giverney was lovely in the spring and, as it began to drizzle a fine mist just when we arrived, most people left and we had it almost to ourselves.
Loire chateaux Chenonceau, Chambord & Da Vinci's french home (if I remember right). This was also a really nice trip with a better than expected lunch on the grounds of one of the chateaux.
TRANSPORTATION
We love the city buses! The metro is ok-it's quick (usually) but many stairs, hot, often crowded. The buses are highly civilized, calm & you also get a tour for free by just looking out the window. We bought carnets as needed.
Les bateaux on the Seine are fun but pick a day with a little wind--there are a lot of diesel fumes on a still day.
To & from CDG: we've used cabs & a couple different shuttle companies. After a long flight, a cab to the hotel is soothing. Hotel-arranged shuttles back to CDG have been fine & cheaper. Allow yourself A LEAST 3 hours at CDG for departure!
FOOD
We eat well, but not extravagantly, taking advantage of the twice weekly market and shops at Place Maubert to picnic sometimes in our hotel room or outdoors on a nice day. Our big meal is often lunch. I don't think the food & restaurant costs are any more in Paris than in San Francisco where we live. Frequently they are a lot less!
Some restaurants we've enjoyed (mostly in the 5th & 6th):
Rotisserie d'en Face on rue Christine-lovely ambience, delicious french food.
La Maree Vert-rue de Pontoise. Small, good french.
Chez Renee-Bl. St. Germain, small, good french.
Brasserie Balzar-french, good food & service.
Vesuvio Pizza--off St. Germain near Hotel Madison-great wood fired pizzas.
Laduree-rue Bonaparte. Lunch ok, macarons & other pastries divine.
L'Entrecote Relais on rue St. Benoit. If you like steak/frites it's the best!
L'As Falafels in the Marais. Best falafel I ever had.
Kim Lien off Place Maubert--delicious, reasonable Vietnamese.
the Bon Marche Grand Epicerie. This is the very elegant food hall downstairs in Bon Marche Dept. store. Take your selections to the park across the street.
SHOPPING
We've enjoyed the big department stores. Service is like it used to be in the U.S., gracious. Great places to pick up french birthday cards and other stationery items. Don't dress too warmly, they are often quite warm & stuffy inside.
McGirls on rue St. Michel had beautiful wool sweater coats last month for around 100E, much better prices than SF. Near there is a jewelry store we like, Cocktails (Bijoux) Cadeaux on rue Racine. Mostly not expensive.
I love Monoprix for kids' clothes and packaged food to bring home as gifts.
Artisan Chocolates near Place des Voges.
Scarves, scarves, scarves at the Place Maubert market!
A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS:
When we began these trips, I was 50 and my mom was 75. Now we're 5 year older. Elizabeth, who wrote of Paris with her 85-year old mother in law gave us inspiration & confidence. Later, Ira's trip with his mom, gave us new ideas on making Paris workable, no matter one's age.
My mom has said that these Paris trips have meant so much to her at this time in her life. It is something exciting to look forward to, plan for, and a reason to keep physically & mentally active and in shape. Ira's advice about stopping at least every hour is very good. You will never regret the time you spend sitting outside at cafes with a glass of wine or a citron presse, people watching and just soaking up the Parisian atmosphere.
We are busy planning our 6th trip right now. THANK YOU ALL!!!! If I can answer any questions, I'll be happy to.
Nov 5th, 2006, 11:45 AM
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Ciel,
What a lovely, thoughtful report, filled with lots of useful information. And what a wonderful thing for you and your mom to share - you're both very lucky to have each other AND these trips together!
Thanks for reporting.
Joyce
What a lovely, thoughtful report, filled with lots of useful information. And what a wonderful thing for you and your mom to share - you're both very lucky to have each other AND these trips together!
Thanks for reporting.
Joyce
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