Europeannovice European Extravaganza
 

We just got back from a great European vacation with one exception which I will explain later. I want to thank all the fodorites who provided great advice--too many of you to name individually so I thank you all at once!

We were a group of 4 people, DH, DS, and Mother in law (MIL) along with myself. We spent 4 nights in Paris and 10 nights in London.

I will break up the trip report into different day segments as it is long. I wrote a diary every other day so I can keep track of what we did etc.

I ordered a wheel chair for MIL for the airport. When we arrived at the Air France terminal, we happened to be on a flight with 26 handicapped people who were on tour to Paris as a group and the airline was short on wheelchairs. They finally provided one for MIL. As you can imagine it took a long time to load each of the people on board and the plane did not close its doors until one hour after scheduled departure because it took extra time to load the group aboard. We left 1 and 1/2 hours late but arrived only 40 minutes late as the plane made up time in the air. Finally, we were in Paris at 7AM the next day. More to continue later.

Look forward to the rest of your report

Thanks Avalon--it gives me encouragement. I learned so much from everyone here and now I want to share our experiences so others can learn from us or at least learn from our mistakes too.

Some background first....

Prior to my joining and logging into fodor's, I went against the general advice that is usually given here and we did purchase a six day London Pass. It included many of the sites we knew we wanted to see. I purchased three adult with travel and one child pass without travel as son's travel would be free since he is only 10. I purchased at last year's rates with a 10% promotion and also accessed the site from a rebate engine so I received an additional 2% rebate as well. The travel was a seven day travel card with the railroad arrows on it that would allow for 2 for 1 offers under the days out program as well if we needed it. You pay for six travel days and get the seventh day free according to the LP website.

We used the travel portion extensively by using the many buses, underground and over ground trains. The pass included the train fare to Hampton Court Palace and to Windsor as long as we used Southwest trains from Waterloo for Hampton Court and First Great Western trains from Paddington with a change at Slough for Windsor.

If we had purchased a separate travel card for each adult person and opted to use the 2 for 1 offers from days out instead of the London pass, yes we would have saved on one adult attraction set of entrance fees but would have to pay for each adult travel pass separately. However, we would not have saved much for the senior and child as we would pay for one adult and the free person would be the child so we would only save half--the child's fare. I only paid half for the pass for the child anyway.

I agree with Janisj and others that the pass is usually not worth it. For anytime less than the six day pass, it would not be worth it at all as the per day cost is high and requires you to run around like crazy to get your money's worth. However, for us the adult pass cost £ 122 with travel so I figured that divided by six days, as long as we saw attractions and used transport that totaled at least £ 20 a day we would at least break even. In addition, we would get one bonus travel day to use.

I have to say we did make good use out of the pass but we certainly did rush to take in some things we would have left out if we had to pay separately for them even though we spread it out over multiple days. We also made sure to make time to see the many free museums that are simply outstanding but I will get to each of those later.

For Paris I purchased the Paris Museum Pass (not the Paris Pass which I knew would be a waste) for three adults as children go free to the museums and monuments. We also purchased 3 adult Paris Visite Cards and one child Paris Visite Card for transportation which included transportation to Versailles. The Paris Museum Pass is absolutely worth the money. We purchased a four day museum pass and a five day travel pass since we needed it for four days and the option was three or five for the travel pass.

Prior to the trip, I went to the local library and took out the Pimsler set of French I learning tapes so I can learn a bit of basic French. I knew how to say "Hello, how are you, thank you, please, the addition or check please, carafe of water please, do you understand English in my poor rendition of French of course, where is the bathroom, and my son is allergic to nuts". The basics of what I needed. As long as I made the attempt to speak in French, everyone was very polite and friendly and responded in English.

However, since we had never been outside of an English speaking country before, I was a bit nervous and we hired a gentlement named Daniel Freeman to meet us at the hotel on our first day for an overview tour. He was very reasonably priced. I know the name Michael Osman pops up here quite frequently but I had already engaged with Daniel and he was a very pleasant fellow with a great deal of knowledge as well. More to come later. This is very long as it is.

Ha ha, I'm trying to imagine you saying <i>Bonjour comment allez-vous, merci, s'il vous plaît, l'addition s'il vous plaît, une carafe d'eau, comprenez-vous l'anglais malgré ma mauvaise prononciation bien entendu, où sont les toilettes et mon fils est allérgique aux noix</i> all in one breath! :)

I can try to say it all in one breath and see if it sounds like a tongue twister!

I had a lot of practice saying Comprenez-vous l'anglais?
Ou sont les toilettes? and
Mon fils est allergique aux noix

I was too chicken to type the phrases in French for fear I would mispell them, so thank you Kerouac for spelling it all out in French.

I don't think my pronunciation was all that bad as everyone understood what I was saying. When I asked for a carafe d'eau, I did receive a carafe of tap water and when I asked for van rouge--I did get red wine so the tapes were very useful indeed.

My son was laughing at me when I was practicing at home and then when we were in Paris, he was impressed with my limited abilities to hold brief conversations in French. He and DH managed to pick up and use some phrases too.

Looking forward to all your installments; writing trip reports is time well spent in that it both preserves the memories for you and benefits others who access it on the Forum, so be encouraged! It is a good read and I bet it gets better! (We are leaving for London and parts of the UK in a bit over 16 days! Yay!)

When you asked a question in French did they answer you in English? That's what always happened to me.

Okay here it goes:

Departure Day--Food on Air France was quite decent for airline food. Seats in coach were not bad. DH and I used the neck pillows that I had purchased prior to the trip while MIL used it by her back and DS just played with it. DS watched Alice in Wonderland and then slept for a couple of hours. I can't sleep on a plane so I just tried to go into a meditative state. MIL and DH were able to snooze.

Day 1--We were scheduled to land at 6AM but it ended up being closer to 7AM. The wheelchair was waiting for MIL as we exited the plane and we were the first wheelchair before the group of 26 so off to immigration we went. Yay! We were in France. We saw the Sortie signs and knew we were finally on our way. Baggage came down rather quickly--unlike back home.

We had hired Shuttle-inter and given some of the mixed reviews I read here on the boards I was a little nervous that they might not show up.

Our back up plan was to take the Roisybus since we had our Paris Visite passes already. I ordered the travel and museum passes through rail europe when I booked the eurostar tickets and they were running a free shipping promotion if you ordered over a certain dollar amount.

Anyway back up plan not needed. Shuttle-inter was right there holding a sign with our name on it. We were so happy to see that. They came with a van which we needed for the four of us plus our luggage. Three checked bags and four totes as carry-ons.

It took quite a while to get into Paris given that it was probably rush hour. We stayed at the Hotel du Louvre in the 1st arrondisemont. They ran a family special. Pay for one room at regular price and get the second room at half price. The package also included breakfast everyday except the first day. Of course, when we checked in none of the rooms were ready so we stored our luggage and off we went.

The hotel is in a great location. Directly across from the Louvre, near the Tuilleries Gardens, and Palais Royal and not far from the Opera. The metro station is at the back door by the restaurant.

We were hungry and Daniel was not scheduled to meet with us for the day until 9:30AM so we went around the corner of the hotel to a little cafe and had our first Parisian meal. DS ordered an omelette and hot chocolate and the rest of us had espresso with a pain a chocolate. Yummy.

Back to the hotel at 9:30AM and I saw a man sitting in the lobby chair and asked if he were Daniel. Sure enough--he was there to greet us. We walked over to the Palais Royal and saw the gardens and sculptures. We then proceeded to visit two of the covered shopping arcades--Viviene I believe and one other which I forgot. They are so beautiful.

We passed by the Pompidou Center and took pictures of the building and water sculptures nearby.

They say the best thing for jet lag is to stay awake and be out all day local time until a decent hour and that is what we did. We also were so psyched to be there that we did not feel tired at all--not even MIL at least not then. (We exhausted her later).

From the Pompidou we walked over to a wonderful church (I forgot the name) and Daniel gave us a little tour of it. From there we went on to Notre Dame and saw the huge lines for the tower--a couple of hours wait at least so we opted not to do that with Daniel and we did not make it back to do at all this trip. We did go into Notre Dame and admire its beauty. A young gypsy woman did begin to approach us waving a magazine. Daniel waved her away and said that if we took the magazine she would want money.

After Notre Dame we walked further into the Marais a bit. We had wanted to see the Carnavalet museum but we didn't get there. We just walked along the outside of the buildings and through the side streets admiring the architecture and layout of the streets.

We had made lunch reservations for Bourguignon du Marais and Daniel ate with us. I had the signature dish beef bourguignon which was quite good.

We went back to the hotel for a break and to check in but only one room was ready. So we all went upstairs and rested for a bit. Daniel went home too and met us back by the hotel at 4PM. It was a Friday and the Louvre which was right next to our hotel was open late that night. We arranged for Daniel to give us a three hour tour of the Louvre.

The Louvre is a massive place. I had my highlights list that I wanted Daniel to help us navigate since there are three main wings Richelieu, Sully and Denon with loads of stairs everywhere and I wanted to see certain things in each wing. We started with the moat and saw some of the Egyptian collection in the Sully wing, moved on to Napoleon's apartments and crown jewels in Richelieu and then of course the big three Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and Venus de Milo at the Denon wing.

We arrived by the Mona Lisa around 6PM. The bus tours left for the day and the half price evening folks had not yet descended in full force. We basically were able to walk right up to the rope and take as close a picture we can get with the Mona Lisa with no one else in front of us. Amazing.

We saw many other paintings and sculptures along the way. Daniel knew his way around the museum and we navigated with ease.

The museum itself is wonderful and amazing. The rest rooms on the other hand are a disaster. I went into one--of course there were only two stalls. One stall was extremely filthy and the other was not much better. When I tried to wash the faucet handle came out of the wall and was in my hand! What a memory to have of the Louvre. It doesn't distract from the gorgeous paintings but still....

Cobbie--Yes, when I asked in French they responded in English which was great for me so I didn't have to struggle to understand the response.

After the Louvre around 7PM, I thought we would all be exhausted which we were, but we were also hungry.

Daniel was really great--interesting, knowledgable, and personable. He has a website pariswalkingtours.com I hope I am allowed to list it without it considered advertising. I have no connection to him other than I found his website and decided to book a couple of tours with him. We were to meet up with him again for a Latin Quarter walk in a couple of days. He was better priced than Paris Muse or Paris walks who mostly do group tours and I thought a private tour would be better so we can go at our own pace and see what interests us.

We decided to go to the Japanese restaurants near the hotel since they would be cheap and quick. Daniel actually walked us to a place up the block from the Louvre and then departed. The restaurant had fish and chicken on skewers and we settled for that with some warm green tea. Perfect.

We headed back to the hotel around 8:30PM and low and behold the other room was finally ready. So we grabbed the luggage from MIL's room and tried to go to sleep. MIL said she fell right to sleep. DS did too.

DH and I on the other hand heard motorcycles racing by with people yelling about until around midnight. To be continued....

I made a mistake in typing in Daniel's website address. The way I typed it above, it directs you to paris walks. His was paris-walking-tours.com

Sorry for any confusion.

Are these segments too long? Maybe I should break out each day into separate parts to make an easier read. Let me know.

Anyway, it helped that it was still light outside until about 10PM and it was great to have been outside walking after arrival and then after a quick rest we did tackle the Louvre with its myriad of steps between the galleries and wings. It is truly a labyrinth of a place and magnificent to see.

We did read not to do a major museum on arrival day due to jet lag. However, we wanted to go when it was opened late because we were hoping the crowds would be less intense. I think it was considering we walked right up to the Mona Lisa which is one of the most crowded areas of the museum. I think we were too excited to feel jet lag. You certainly can not even attempt to see the Louvre in one day let alone a week but we did manage to cover the highlighted areas we were interested in seeing.

Day 2-Saturday. First full day in Paris on our own.

We got up much later than I wanted us to but after breakfast at the hotel we ventured out to Versailles. The hotel catered to an American crowd so while they did offer Baguettes and butter and croissants, they also had hard boiled eggs, cereal, yogurt, fruit. It was a great buffet and included in our room rate.

We did not walk to the Orsay RER station but rather took the metro from outside the hotel to a few stops before the Orsay stop and transferred to the RER there. I forgot the station we picked up the RER at but it definately was a few stops before reaching Orsay. Anyway we looked for RER C Vicks direction Versailles rive gouche and the train was pretty full. The train ride itself is only approx 30 minutes. I am familiar with commuting one hour and a half one way to work so a 30 minute train ride is nothing. Some people avoid going because they think it is a far trip away from the city but it really is not that far distance wise by train.

We arrived at the entrance to Versaille close to 11AM and the line to enter the Chateau was just unreal. We tried to ask someone how to access the gardens. We wanted to purchase the garden tickets as the Paris museum pass covers the palace but not the gardens which they charge for when the fountains will be running on the weekends. Some man came running out of the building yelling Droit, Droit, Droit. I know he meant go right but still could not figure out where the garden entrance was until finally we looped around the building only to find a procession of a group blocking the garden entrance as they proceeded to go the chateau for some function.

Finally the procession cleared, we were able to purchase garden tickets and enter to the sight of the fountains running. Absolutely beautiful.

We then purchased the train tickets by the chateau to go all the way out to the Petit Palais for Marie Antoinettes hamlet. You must buy the train/tram tickets at the chateau and not at any other stop in between. It was not posted but when some people tried to board the train and offered to pay at a later stop on the way back they were turned away.

The Petit Palais opens at 12PM and it was after 12 by the time we got there. We grabbed a quick snack by the snack bar over at the Petit Palais too. We walked through the gardens and walked over to the Grand Palais. Then we boarded the train again which passed the Grand Canal and headed back to the chateau.

It was after 3PM by now and the lines to enter the palace were a lot less although it still was very crowded. We had no energy to deal with the audio tapes so we just wandered from room to room on our own. The paintings on the ceilings and walls are just marvelous. Very little furniture left as I guess it was mostly taken during the revolution. The Hall of Mirrors was extremely crowded so hard to get a good picture with all those folks milling about including ourselves.

Versailles was good to see once. Bathrooms there were also a fun experience. Huge lines and one lady in attendance determining how many people can enter at any given time. She did let a few ladies use the men's room before letting in more people.

On the way back we took the RER to the Arc de Triumph after 5PM and caught the tail end of the changing of the guard ceremony and the lighting of the flame. We were told about a handicapped elevator for MIL so we used it instead of climbing all the way up. The elevator takes you to the gift shop landing and then it was just a few more steps up to the top. What a nice view from up there! Of course, DS needed to visit the gift shop on the way down.

From the Arc, we walked down the Champs de Elysees to the George V metro station. I equate the Champs de Elysees with Chicago's miracle mile. Very crowded indeed and not impressed with the big box stores that you see everywhere in NY, Calif, Chicago etc.

We took the metro #1 back to the Palais Royal station for dinner at 8PM at the Restaurant du Palais Royal. I had a lamb dish that was excellent. DH and MIL had fish and son had shrimp. All very good. The best dessert was the molten chocolate cake. The chocolate in the center was so decadent and so so good. We walked back to the hotel from there.

By now we noticed that MIL's ankles were very very swollen so she had to sleep with her legs propped up to reduce the swelling so she can be ready for the next day's adventure.

Great stuff europeannovice. I can never get enough Paris. Looking forward to London, too!

((H))

I'm enjoying your report, europeannovice, and waiting impatiently for the next installment! Thanks for posting!
((f))

I was wondering if anyone else was reading it. After I type it, I realize how long it is and I only got to day 2. Anyway, more to come later. I will try my best to make it a bit shorter if I can to be more reader friendly.

Saw your report a couple of days ago but didn't get a chance to read it until this AM - Great start - really looking forward to the rest. Re "is it too long" - no way.Aslong as it is in paragraphs it is easy to read (It is looooong entries w/o any breaks that are tough)

I think you made a good analysis of the London Pass - not cost effective for a lot of visitors, but a break even or modest savings in specific situations.

I enjoying your report as well. I love reading Paris reports, and the longer the better!

"I'm" enjoying . . .

Okay to continue then:

Day 3--Sunday--This time we all got up early and we took the metro over to see Saint Chapelle. We arrived around opening time. There was a very small line as the Palace of Justice was not busy on a weekend so the security line was only for the tourists. We spoke to a student traveling alone from Alaska who was behind us on the line and we swapped stories of what we have seen so far while waiting. The line moved very quickly.

Once you manage the narrow spiral stairs to the 2nd level, you are treated to an absolutely magnificent display of stained glass . The trip up the steps was a little hairy for MIL and we held up the line going up the steps but we managed to do it and it was truly rewarding. We sat down on one of the available chairs to just admire. Of course, we took pictures too. It really is spectacular and should not be missed.

While we were there we walked next door to the Conciegerie to see the jail cell where Marie Antoinette stayed waiting for her execution. They show you the difference between a poor man's cell vs. one of means. Interesting enough and included in the Paris museum pass. We did not spend a lot of time there--no pun intended.

From there we took the RER C to Orsay in order to see the limited collection of impressionist paintings on display temporarily located on the first floor while they renovate upstairs. From the RER station, we approached entrance C which is where people with the museum pass enter and we walked right in by-passing the line. This was definitely a benefit of the museum pass.

The collection was very nice but I am sure would be better and more extensive when the renovations are complete. A fair selection of Caillebotte, Cezanne, Courbet, Pissaro, a little Degas and some Renoir if memory serves me correctly.

I loved the setting of the museum in the old railway station and adored the clock. Too bad they do not allow photos anymore.

We proceeded to go upstairs to The Restaurant for lunch. The Restaurant offers good food and a magnificent setting. We also saw the ball room next door to The Restaurant which was stunning. On our way out, we saw some of the sculptures downstairs and the Picasso exhibit and then left.

By now it was late afternoon. We walked over to the Musee Rodin and spent a couple of hours wandering around the sculptures and enjoying the gardens. We relaxed for a good hour on a bench in the gardens. It was very serene and peaceful. It really was a great place to rest, relax and re-energize. We even grabbed a small snack at thier cafe prior to leaving.

You can tell that I am a type A personality because our day was not yet done. Restaurants in Paris don't open until 7:30PM although bistrots I think are open earlier and most folks don't eat until 8 or 9PM. Plus it was still light outside until close to 10PM that time of year.

From Musee Rodin we walked over to Napolean's tomb and it was around 5PM by then. Napolean's tomb was closing at 5:45PM that day and even though I had a museum pass for the adults, they made me stand on line at the ticket window to get a zero ticket for my son. This process makes no sense to me as kids go in free and don't need a museum pass so why do we have to stand in line just to get a ticket that says he could go in for free?

After receiving my zero ticket, we just had enough time to see it and go downstairs for a little bit.

We did not have any time for the army museum but glad we got to see Napoleon's tomb at least. Upon leaving we were heading in the direction of the #27 bus to Champs de Mars. The area around the tomb is loaded with small rocks which are hard to walk upon expecially for MIL. I saw a dirt path next to the grass which provided a flat surface and told MIL to walk on that until we can exit the complex. We heard whistles going off but did not realize at first that the whistles were coming from a police officer and were directed at us! At the end of the dirt path he came over to meet us and wanted to yell at us. I tried to explain to him using English and charades that MIL could not walk on the rocks for fear she would fall so I had her walk on the dirt next to the grass. Mind you we were not on the grass. He looked perturbed but waved us away.

After that little episode, we found the bus stop to proceed over to the Eiffel Tower where we would be having dinner nearby. The bus was extremely hot and crowded. Luckily someone got up to give MIL a seat.

We walked over to Champ de Mars and took pictures of the Eiffel Tower. It is currently draped over for painting. We had decided before our trip that we intended upon getting up close to seeing the Eiffel Tower but did not want to wait on long lines in order to go up it. I know you can now pre-order tickets on line for a specified time but we chose not to do that this trip. We went up to see the view from the Arc where the Eiffel Tower is in view and thought that was enough this time.

We were supposed to walk over to Rue Saint Dominique from Champ de Mars for our dinner at Fontaine de Mars. However, we seemed to walk in the wrong direction and after a few blocks I sensed something was wrong. I asked DH to read the map again. Meanwhile I spotted three ticket officers who were handing out parking tickets. I approached one and asked politely in French if she spoke English. She said yes and when I stated where we wanted to go, the second officer came by and said you want the 7th. I said yes and he laughed because we clearly were not in the 7th--I forgot where we ended up but he told us. The first officer was really cute and asked "Do you want to get there by feet?" I loved that phrase and the way she said it. I responded yes, I guess by feet. Anyway we had to double back which MIL was not happy about by now and neither was DS who was quite hungry at that point.

We managed to find our way by very sore feet and arrived at Fontaine de Mars a bit later than our reservation. Our reservation was for upstairs but no way was MIL going to make it upstairs by feet.

I asked if we can sit downstairs but they were pretty adamant that the reservation was made for upstairs so we had to stick to upstaris. I pointed out that MIL was not going to make it and I think they could clearly see that for themselves so they offered to take her up via the servants elevator. They even stated that since the bathroom was downstairs, if she needed to go they would let her use their facilities upstairs and that we should just let them know.

We were seated next to another American family whose last night in Paris was that evening and they were discussing their favorite sites etc. Not trying to eavesdrop but the room was small and we can clearly hear the conversation without trying. There was also a French family next to us who came in a rather large group--8 or 10 folks.

The food was very good. I remember having a fish dish. Don't recall what everyone else had that evening.

After dinner I thought we would have to take the metro and transfer because I thought I read on the RATP website that bus #69 which would take us back to our hotel from there either did not run on Sunday or did not run past 8:30PM. Anyway, it was Sunday and it was way past 8:30PM but a bus #69 was right there at the bus stop and we grabbed it so at least the ride back was effortless.

I might as well finish the Paris leg of the trip.

Day 4- We definitely got off to a late start. We slept in and then after breakfast meandered over through the Tuilleries Gardens. We were approached by two gypsy women while we were sitting on the chairs who asked us if we speak English. Both times I waved them off and they were gone.

We walked over to Musee Orangerie. Here, even though we had a museum pass, we had to wait on the general line anyway because they force you to fork over additional euro for a temporary exhibit whether or not you care to see the temporary exhibit.

I think we got in around 11:30 or so and our main focus was to see Claude Monet's Water Lillies. They do have beautiful oval rooms to display the masterpieces. It was lovely. We only spent about an hour there but I think that was sufficient.

We then took the bus over to Pont Neuf to find Place Dauphine where we had lunch at this little place called Rose de France. All four of us ordered the tuna nicoise that was really delicious. It came with hard boiled eggs, little round potatoes, tomatoes, green beans and olives. It was served in a huge bowl. The place was jammed packed.

We crossed the street to take the Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat ride along the Seine and got there just in time for the boat launch. They were cash only--no credit cards. (StCirq--this time I spelled Vedettes correctly)

From there we took bus #27 to head over to the Cluny museum at 4PM to meet up with Daniel again for our Latin Quarter tour. We saw the remains of the Roman Baths and the Lady and Unicorn Tapestries--Daniel explained the story of the five senses shown in each tapestry. Absolutely beautiful. The Metropolitan Museum of Art at the Cloisters in NY also has a Lady and the Unicorn set of tapestries but that set tells a different story.

We passed by the Sorbonne and entered the Pantheon. The pendulum was on display and the art work was stunning. Another great church that should not be missed.

We were interested in gardens so Daniel took us via bus first to Jardin de Plantes to get a quick look at the medicinal gardens--no time for the Zoo or the museums in the complex as it was closed already--and then via bus back to Jardin de Luxembourg where our tour with him ended. It had threatened to thunder storm that afternoon and parts of the city did get soaked but we enjoyed our garden tours none the less.

Our last night in Paris and we had to pack for London next morning so we chose a bistrot near the hotel recommended by the concierge the night before. We went to Bistrot Richeleiu. DS and I had French onion soup--our first and only on the trip. DS then had a hamburger, DH and I had fish but MIL had the worst steak imaginable--all gristle and fat. We had ordered steaks in other restaurants--as a matter of fact I think DS had a steak lunch at the Orsay restaurant and it was quite good.

It was a jammed packed schedule checking off the "must sees" on the list but we all thoroughly enjoyed our time in Paris. Although the schedule was hectic, we did manage to relax in the gardens, sit on the chairs in the Tuilleries, sleep on a bench in Rodin's gardens and really relax and enjoy our meals too. Now that the major sites have been covered, next time we look forward to finding the cheese shops and chocolate shops and just meandering the neighborhoods. Something to look forward to for when we return.

Next on to exciting adventures in London.....

Wow, you really made the most of your days! Great report.

by feet ! i hope the mistakes I make in languages foreign to me are as charming!

Thanks, Kerouac. We really did enjoy Paris.

I forgot to mention that I developed an allergic reaction of some sort on my leg. Luckily, Daniel was with us that last day when I asked him to go with me to the pharmacy. Daniel quickly explained the situation to the pharmacist, in French of course, and they immediately gave me a skin cream to purchase that is not sold in the states. My rash cleared right away. We visited many pharmacies in London too as you will here about later.

Jubilada--It was very charming when she said "by feet". She was so helpful and I thought it was just a cute expression. It was really just the way she said it that was so charming! Luckily for us, she spoke perfect English because my poor rendition of French wasn't going to get us too far. It got us by though.

Nice report. It's interesting to get the differrent perspective of travelling with someone who is not 100% mobile.

Day 5--London Bound

After an early breakfast and check out, Shuttle Inter was right on time.

My biggest fear was dealing with all the luggage going to and from the train station with MIL and DS in tow. At least at the airport, the checked luggage is taken away from you right away and then we only had to deal with obtaining a wheel chair for MIL and the carry-on bags. At the train station, we had no wheel chair and all the luggage.

The Shuttle Inter driver spoke to what appeared to be a homeless man with a trolley and began loading our luggage on the trolley. He said the man can wheel us through the train station. The man demanded dix euro before moving forward. I bet the trolley's can be obtained for free, right? But, we felt obligated to fork over our last 10 euro that I wanted to use at the station to purchase some food for the train.

We were scheduled for the 10:15AM train and we ended up arriving early. We found a seat in the priority seating waiting area for MIL and the rest of us stood. Luckily no one chased her away since we purchased second class seats. By the way, the seats in second class were absolutely fine and comfortable.

Boarding the train with all the luggage was fun. There was a group coordinator for a large group traveling with us in the same car. The coordinator was getting upset that we needed to make a couple of trips up and down to get all the luggage up so she started to take some of our pieces and throw them up the steps! She kept saying we have to board so we can take off. Hurry, Hurry!

Meanwhile we ended up leaving 20 minutes late because there was luggage in another car blocking the aisle and people didn't move it out of the way. So they kept making an announcement that the train can't leave until car 18 cleared the aisle of luggage. We were in a more forward car so I can say despite the fact we were slow we weren't the ones holding up the train from departing on time.

We let the group depart first and then we made our couple of trips up and down to get all the luggage down. MIL could not handle her luggage. Once down though, she was able to wheel her luggage with the carry-on strapped to it to the taxi station. At least we made it through for all my worries.

We decided to split into two groups. DH and DS went in the second cab and MIL and I went in the first one which was painted pink. DH and DS were behind us when we left but somehow they disappeared. DH and DS arrived to the hotel first. DH said it was like Mr. Toad's wild ride. His fare was a full pound cheaper in comparison.

Check-in at the Renaiisance Chancery Court. I got a fantastic deal including breakfast. I booked it as soon as I saw the deal and never saw the same deal again. The hotel goes for more than double what I paid for two double beds. The rooms are quite large and it is in a very good location right next to the city on one side and covent garden in the other direction. Our room was ready and we gained an hour of time from Paris to London.

After a quick lunch we walked over to the British Museum which is only a ten minute walk from that hotel. We saw the Parthenon Marbles, the Rosetta Stone, some Asyrian stones, the chessman, the Portland Vase, the Sutton Hoo, the Lindow man and the statue of Ramses. We entered into the Great Court. What an absolutely fantastic museum. Very very crowded but a fantastic place to visit! We went back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner and the concert I booked for later.

I had made dinner reservations at the The Clerkenwell Dining Room. The owner emailed to me prior to our trip to say that the place closed but that they have moved our reservation over to The Chancery and would honor the 25% discount I had found on line. When we arrived we were treated to complimentary champagne. The food was excellent. DH, DS and I had the salmon appetizer and lamb for the main. MIL had something else. All the food was very very good. It was a short walk from the hotel.

We would have loved to linger but during my research for this trip, I came across the City of London Festival where different musical and dance events were taking place throughout the city that week we were there. Haydn's Creation was going to be played with a full chorus and orchestra in St Paul's Cathedral that Tuesday evening. The ticket prices ranged from 5 pounds to 45 pounds or something like that so you can chose your price range.

After a wonderful meal, we left to grab the 242 bus over to St Paul. We did arrive a few minutes after the concert began and at first they did not want to seat us. However, I explained we had aisle seats toward the back anyway so we would not be disturbing anyone and my MIL at that point looked like she was about to faint due to our rushing so they seated us. I was perplexed because about 10 minutes later they seated another family who did have to disturb some folks in getting to their seats so I don't understand why they wanted to give us a hard time. The concert itself was wonderful and of course, the beautiful setting was just surreal. It was a great ending to another full day. After the concert we stopped by a Sainsbury local to pick up some water bottles and then took the bus #25 back to the hotel.

Prior to the trip I had visited both the RATP for Paris and London Transport sites so many times in order to use their journey planners to get directions from here to there. We tried to use mostly buses so MIL would have less steps to worry about. Hence you will notice that we did make good use of the bus system and sometimes the tube or metro in Paris but mostly stuck to the buses.

Just curious to know about the luggage trolley's at Gare de Nord. Were they available for free or for less than the extortion fee we paid the man who wreaked of alcohol? This way I will know for next time.

Day 6--First Full Day in London

Since we got back to the hotel around 11PM the night before from the concert, we got up pretty late the next day and knew we were not going to attempt to tackle the Tower of London that day.

We took bus #25 back to St Paul to take in more than we could during the concert. We did not join a tour. MIL sat in the pews while the three of us climbed the whispering, stone and golden galleries. The views from the top are definitely worth the effort of the climb. It was cloudy and windy that morning but still the views were marvelous even with the clouds hovering over. There are very wide steps up to the whispering gallery. It gets narrower and narrower for the stone and then the metal stairs for the golden.

After our climbing adventure we crossed the millenium bridge to get a great view of St Paul from there and to go over to see the Shakespeare Globe Theater Exhibition. I really enjoyed the exhibition.--They were practicing for a show so we did not see the Globe Theater up close but the exhibition was still worth while.

We ate lunch at the Swan cafe. They have a fancier restaurant upstairs but for us the cafe was fine for lunch. I then began to complain about my feet hurting. I had worn my Merrell slip ons the day before to tour around rather than my ecco lace ups and I think they were too wide for me and caused me to have two huge blisters on the same foot. It made walking very difficult that day.

We popped in the lobby of the Tate Modern but we did not see any exhibition on the ground floor. We decided instead of viewing the Tate to walk back across the bridge and head over to the newly remodeled Museum of London. We will save the Tate for next time.

We spent a little over 2 hours in the Musuem of London. I think they do a wonderful job of showing the history of London. It starts upstairs with pre-historic times and then moves on to the various periods in history--the Roman period, the medieval period, the Tudor and Stuart period. The museum does a fantastic job in explaining the great fire of 1666 and the possible reasons for the fire. The artifacts in the museum are just fantastic.

You then move on to the newly renovated area downstairs which has a recreated Victorian village, the stage coach, and various other artifacts and displays as we enter the more modern ages. I loved the Selfridge's lift. The musuem is a real gem and should be on everyone's agenda.

Upon leaving, my feet were really hurting by now and we searched along Cannon Street for a pharmacy. Luckily there is a Boots nearby. I asked the pharmacist what I can do and she recommended Compspeed to place over the blisters but she was all out. I asked if she had moleskin as I recall Texasbookworm recommending everyone take that along but that pharmacy did not have that either.

In search of the next boots which luckily was not too far away. This one had Compspeed underfoot. It is a plaster like material that goes over the blister to protect it. What a life saver. It still hurt but I was able to walk a little better. I don't recall seeing this product in any pharmacy back home but it is manufactured by Johnson and Johnson--just not sold in my area.

We took bus #15 this time over to Trafalgar Square where I had dinner reservations over by Browns--the chain restaurant not the hotel. It was very crowded and noisy offering a lively fun atmosphere. The food was quite good too.

A few odd things I noticed in London. Most of the time the bathrooms are down a set of spiral stairs--at least in the places we went you went down a set of spiral stairs and not straight stairs. The other interesting thing is that each toilet had its own unique flush mechanism. Some you pull from the wall, others you push, one was a lever on the floor. Back in the states, the flusher is on the toilet itself and it does not vary very much.

Although we could walk back from Browns restaurant to our hotel, this time my feet were not going to make it never mind MIL's. Leicester Square station was right around the corner so we just took that over to Holborn which was quick. The stations are very very steep. We finally took our first tube ride!

hi e'novice,

great report which i have only just found having been en vacance in France myself for the last 2 weeks or so. you certainly packed a lot into your paris stay - I was quite breathless at times just reading it. good points about the museum and transport passes - on our recent 48 hour trip we didn't and I felt that it was an error at the time; your report has just served to prove that. oh well - an excuse to go back!

looking forward to more,

regards, ann

Wonderful report. Thank you for taking so much time with it.
Love the details about toilets!!!!
Museum of London is now on definite to-do list for next time in London (and i just got back). You make it sound fantastic. Thanks for giving another reason to go again to this great city.

Annhig--Thanks. We knew it would be a pretty hectic schedule since we wanted to see so much in so little time. It is hard to cram everything in in just two weeks! Impossible really but we wanted to do the best we could. Wish we would get more time off like they do in Australia and Europe. Then we can tackle things at a more leisurely pace. We all need a caribbean vacation now just to recover and relax!

CaliNurse--the Museum of London was a real gem of a little museum. They do pack a lot into the space.

I couldn't resist reporting about the toilets. In the states, they are just boring--all the same with the same mechanisms. In Europe many were unique.

Europeannovice...

I'm enjoying your trip report...you did pack alot in...but as you mention, for your next trip you can be more leisurely!:-)

>.I couldn't resist reporting about the toilets. In the states, they are just boring--all the same with the same mechanisms<<

That explains a TV documentary I saw years ago, which followed a tour guide on a coach tour of Europe, where the clientele was mostly American, one of whom gave a running commentary at each stop on the different flush mechanisms she'd discovered. It can be a bit perplexing at times, I agree.

I'm also enjoying your report—keep it coming!

Hi europeannovice,

Love your report on Paris! I've been to Paris with my husband once before & we couldn't go to Versailles - we always said we'd go next time.

I know your son is 10, but my son will be 4 1/2 when we visit Paris over New Years...if Versailles is open, would you suggest it with my son?

Thanks!

PatrickLondon--interesting about the documentary!

Psy_dr--Unless your 4 1/2 year old loves gardens, I don't think your son would be too thrilled with Versailles. The gardens and large outdoor areas and paths are really really nice especially when the fountains are running.

On the other hand, the chateau is usually very very crowded and each room has magnificent art work on the walls and ceilings but even my 10 year old was not amused after seeing the first few rooms. Beautiful opulence for adults to view but doesn't have the same effect for a child. The Hall of Mirrors was a hall of people everywhere when we were there. It helps to understand the history a bit also to really appreciate it all.

I just noticed though that you will be going in January. I am not sure about the gardens that time of year. Certainly, the fountains won't be running. The crowds certainly should be a lot thinner. If you always wanted to go then go. It is only a quick 30 minute train ride from Paris and you don't have to spend all day there.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts...We thought the same thing, but wanted an insider's point of view. Many thanks! Looking forward to the rest of your report.

Just a note...you write:

<< We walked over to Musee Orangerie. Here, even though we had a museum pass, we had to wait on the general line anyway because they force you to fork over additional euro for a temporary exhibit whether or not you care to see the temporary exhibit. >>

We just got back from Europe. In case it helps anyone else: There *is* a separate line and entrance at the Musee Orangerie for Paris Museum passholders...you don't have to stand in the general line outside. Once you get in, however, you still have to go over to the cashier and pay the extra amount for the special exhibit. When we were there, that line was very short and took only a few moments.

For the Orsay museum you show them the pass and walk right in-by passing any line.

For Musee Orangerie, there were two lines outside side by side--passholder and general now that I remember correctly. They made the pass holders wait while they let in a group from the general line first. We stood outside for a good 20 minutes. Even after we were let into the building, they made us wait on the general cashier line to pay for the temporary exhibit. So they get an extra 1.5 euro per person whether or not you care to see the temporary exhibit.

We were even joking about the point of the pass with the others in the passholder line, since the timing was such they made us wait while it was time for a group from the general line to go in. It wasn't until we went in and had to wait again for the cashier that the rationale for the line to begin with was not so much crowd control as it was to obtain extra fees.

Moving along..

Day 7--To The Tower and Beyond!

That morning we got up very early in order to catch the #25 bus for the 40 minute or so ride over to Tower Hill. We arrived just at opening time 9AM and saw them open the gate. What a treat.

Janisj, Texasbookworm and IowaRedhead among others--You were all so right. The tower is a great complex and to fully enjoy it, you need to allocate at least 4 hours. We were there 4 1/2 hours from 9 to 1:30 and we did not go into every tower.

We did go immediately to the crown jewels--which was spectacular. We had the opportunity to ride the conveyer belt again as it was fairly empty. However, there was a group tour there already huddled over one of the crown displays.

We also went into the Beauchamp Tower and Tower Green prior to joining the first Yeoman Warder's tour of the day. The tour was a lot of fun. By then there was a pretty sizable group but they speak very loudly and clearly so it was not a problem if you were in the back.

After the Warder tour, we went into the White Tower and my son loved the display of arms and armor. That was one of his favorite things--I know it is in the top 5. We spent a good hour in there alone.

With the London Pass we were entitled to either 20% off at the Armories Cafe or buy 2 adult and 2 kids meals for £ 20. The lunch choices were really good and nutritious. We had roasted chicken and potatoes.

Next to the cafe they have a museum which was also interesting. We also did the Wall walk, saw some Ravens and saw the Martin Tower prior to leaving. MIL could not climb the spiral stairs at the Martin Tower so she waited patiently for us.

It was a week day and while crowded, it was not at all mobbed.

Since my feet were killing me at that point and MIL wanted to rest, DH and DS went off to check out the Tower Bridge Exhibition since we had the London Pass. MIL and I found a bench by the waterfront and sat until they returned.

They said the view was okay but they liked the view better from St Paul and they said we did not miss much. I think that is the opinion of most people, that the Tower Bridge Experience is not worth the money but since it was included in the pass, they got to see it.

The City Cruise boat launch also on the LP was right nearby so after they met up with us again, we proceeded to the boat. Just at that moment the Tower Bridge opened up to let a ship through. It was great. When I looked at the Tower Bridge schedule prior to our departure, nothing was scheduled to open for the dates we were going to be there so I was surprised.

The boat had a school group on it, so it was very noisy downstairs. We left MIL downstairs so she wouldn't have to climb and we climbed up to the top where at least you could hear the commentator and get a better view over to Westminster.

The view of Parliament and Big Ben was truly breathtaking. Yes, we know Big Ben is the name of the bell not the clock--but we Yanks call the Clock Tower Big Ben anyway:) How do you make those smiley faces?

Upon arriving at Westminster we had to ask a police officer how to find the Cabinet War Rooms because we were a bit lost.

I loved the Cabinet War Rooms too. We arrived slightly after 3:30 and we stayed a little over two hours close to closing time. The way the rooms are preserved just as they left it during World War II and the room with the maps were just amazing. My favorite part was the Churchill Museum within the War Rooms. I loved reading about his life and the presentation of the material with the boards and the timeline on the table were superb.

We then walked across Westminster Bridge which was right there close to the Cabinet War Rooms and went over to the London Eye. MIL not wanting to do it, found another bench.

The ticket line at that time during early evening was very short. We practically walked right up to the ticket counter. We only waited about 20 minutes to board the capsule once we had tickets in hand--enough time for DS to have an ice cream and finish before boarding. Another opportunity for a great view of London. A very slow moving ride--you hardly notice you are moving but the views are very good. Our capsule had a little more than a dozen people in it.

Once landed again, we walked along the South Bank because I had made dinner reservations for Oxo Tower Brasserie. The Brasserie was more casual than the Restaurant and a bit cheaper too but also offering some great views. The Brasserie was extremely popular and crowded. The food was pretty good. The Risotto dishes and lobster were very good.

After dinner we walked over to the Waterloo bus stop for any of the buses that stop there bus #59, 1, 168 etc. which took us right back to Holborn in just a few minutes.

I have to admit after typing it, that that was a full day. Next day, off to a later start.

Oh, I made the correct sign and the smiley face appeared! Yay, learned something new.

Sorry you had that experience at the Orangerie. When we were there earlier this month, there was a huge queue for general admission, but we walked almost straight in as Paris museum passholders. And there was little to no line at the cashier to pay the extra admission fee.

By the way, about the extra fees...my 15-year-old daughter asked me the same question, "Why do you have to pay extra fees if you don't want to see the special exhibit?" I answered her with a simple "That's just how it's done here"...and a relieved smile crossed the cashier's face. (I'm sure she'd heard the question far too many times.) I didn't have a problem with it. It was only a small amount, and I figured it went to support the museum's efforts.