Europeannovice European Extravaganza
Jul 13th, 2010, 03:38 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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.
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.
Jul 13th, 2010, 05:43 AM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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.
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.
Jul 13th, 2010, 05:54 AM
#4
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! 
Jul 13th, 2010, 06:14 AM
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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.
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.
Jul 13th, 2010, 06:14 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,900
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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!)
Jul 13th, 2010, 09:23 AM
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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....
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....
Jul 13th, 2010, 10:31 AM
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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....
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....
Jul 13th, 2010, 05:05 PM
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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.
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.
Jul 15th, 2010, 10:30 AM
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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.
Jul 15th, 2010, 10:47 AM
#15
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 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.
Jul 15th, 2010, 08:19 PM
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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.
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.
Jul 15th, 2010, 08:54 PM
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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.....
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.....
