First Time in Paris Trip Report
Jan 21st, 2006 | 09:51 AM
#1
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First Time in Paris Trip Report
Friday, January 13th
Fastest customs line at CDG I have ever experienced! The Roissy bus was waiting just outside the airport when we walked out after retrieving our luggage and successfully obtaining euros at the ATM. The bus dropped us by the fabulous Opera Garnier (Phantom!) . We easily walked the kilometer to our charming hotel, Les Trois Poussins, on Rue Clauzel. A super friendly old man stopped and offered us directions after seeing our map. After freshening up, we walked around the city, seeing the Place Vendome (Cartier! Ritz!), the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de Concorde, and most of the Eiffel Tower, which was obscured in white mist. Back in our own neighborhood, we kept catching glimpses of the incredible Sacre Coeur. Did I mention how NICE everyone here is?? Especially the folks at our hotel. And the crowning glory was when we had our first glass of wine in our neighborhood bistro and a local woman blew in, put down her fur coat and purse, and asked us to mind them (no, we couldn’t understand a word she said; it was all body language) while she ran across the street to post a letter. I merely said "oui" and she popped out. You should have seen her face when she got back to her table and heard us chatting. Bet she won't try that again in a hurry! On the other hand, I walked into this cybercafe a minute ago, said Bon Soir, and the proprietor took me straight to the station labeled "American Keyboard." It's lovely to stay in a real neighborhood instead of in the tourist district.
Saturday, January 14th
Last night A and I watched across le Pont de la Cite pausing to watch the Eiffel tower, which was made to sparkle like a flashing diamond bracelet in the distance. Then we went to a restaurant called le Petit Pont, and set in the heated outdoor cafe area across from the floodlit Notre Dame. OH MY. We had beef bourgignon and the waiters were wonderful. We finished the evening at a little cafe and met a basset hound out walking with his mom on the way home - name of was Napoleon. This morning I woke up super early, in a completely uncharacteristic way and had a wild urge to get out on the streets of Paris. A did not share this urge, so I took off and began walking up Rue de Martyrs, which is our nearest cross street, in the direction of Montmartre. The streets were wet with their morning washing and a guy was dragging a white Highland terrier up the hill because it had collapsed its rear legs. It looked like he was dragging a small bear skin rug. It was still just pre-dawn light and most shops hadn’t even opened yet. I decided I would attempt to reach the fabled Basilica of Sacre Coeur and watch the sunrise over Paris. For those of you who don't know, the hill of the Basilica is approximately 12,000 feet above sea level [kidding]. I don't know why there aren't concentric circles around it on the map like for Mount Whitney. Oi, what a climb. When I finally collapsed at the Basilica, there were only about four other people there, but by the time I finished taking photos of the sunrise behind the Eiffel Tower, at least two dozen more had arrived, no doubt wimps who had taken the funicular up. Back on rue Clauzel, a French businessman stopped me to ask directions! A was vertical by this time and I told her I had passed a lovely café a block from our hotel, so we went there for breakfast. Had what became our usual morning repast of croissant and baguette with butter and two kinds of jam, juice, yogurt, and hot chocolate/coffee for only 5.9 euros. The croissants melt in your mouth. From our neighborhood, we took le metro to Pere Lachaise cimetiere to visit Heloise and Abelard and Sarah Bernhardt and others. WHAT a fantastic city of the dead that is. Hundreds of mausoleums separated from each other by wide roads with street signs just like a little town. Followed the youngsters to Jim Morrison’s uninspired headstone, which A wanted to see and which has its own guard. But the statues were the most beautiful and amazing features of the cemetery.
Leaving Lachaise, we wandered through the Marais district, where we had omelets and frites at another little cafe and then just walked around. Ann pointed out some realio, trulio hookers which I had passed without even noticing, which seems impossible in retrospect. On a couple of following blocks were hookers who appeared to be approaching their seventh decade in the business. Really! Elderly, but well made-up women wearing interesting clothing and red patent leather go-go boots. Took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe, arriving at sunset, which isn't too shabby. Got back and collapsed in our hotel and didn’t get up until 8 p.m. While wandering back to Trois Poussins, we stumbled upon the Indian restaurant recommended online that I had never been able to find on a map - one block from our hotel.
We settled in at the Kastoori and then panicked on realizing they served no wine. The lovely local ladies next to us advised that we were to go to the corner shop and bring the stuff back. We went to the neighborhood bar for a nightcap and shortly realized, after taking in the disco lighting, music by Queen, and the large masculine women at the next table, that we would not be making this place our regular haunt. The bartender had two little dogs, one of which tried to take my hand off when I attempted to pet him {stupid move!]. The barman said, oh yes, he is a lunatic. We left the Cafe Rue Clauzel and, unwisely, to the little Hungarian restaurant to have aNOTHER nightcap - they had a trio of Hungarian musicians playing for us and the five other people in the place.
Sunday, January 15th
First let me just say, because I have neglected to do so before, there are a huge number of simply fabulous looking men here. A and I are constantly picking our jaws up off the pavement. And you want to look where you drop your jaw, on account of the doggie doo everywhere. It's so wacky the way dogs in little outfits wander along the busy streets, often two or three blocks behind their masters. Did I mention the unisex toilets? Each more eccentric than the last. I think the most interesting was the one that had the toilet lip hung on the wall like a picture frame. Also, you know that stereotype about French people wandering around everywhere with baguettes? It's not a stereotype! Not in our neighborhood, anyway. Long lines out of the boulangeries every morning and evening.
Today was beautifully sunny again and we went the the Richard Lenoir street market near the Bastille monument, which was SO fun. I considered buying a very French looking short jacket for 25 euros and then thought better of it, as I looked like a dork. Got some darling dish cloths for Mom instead and A bought a gross of scarves after agonizing over which colors to choose. From the market, we headed across the Seine and onto Ile de Louis, the little island east of Notre Dame. It was gorgeous. The main street had all sort of tempting shops and an Italian restaurant (La Castafiore) that we booked for the evening. We had "lunch" at the famous Berthillon (I think) ice cream parlor/patisserie; A had the coffee macaroon with chocolate ice cream and raspberry sauce; I had chocolate mac with vanilla and raspberry sauce. OH my.
From there we perused the nice souvenir shops next to Notre Dame, stocking up on souvenirs. Planned on touring the cathedral, but after walking in and realizing we could barely move forward because of the solid wall of tourists, decided to reschedule for Tuesday. We made the same decision (same circumstances) about Saint Chappelle. Both are stunning to gaze at. Trekked back across the river and had drinks overlooking the Seine, gazing at the Eiffel Tower in one direction and spire of Saint Chappelle in the opposite. Our waiters were very nice. It was just unbelievable to be sitting there!
Nap time and then we went back to Castafiore for an early dinner. Wonderful pasta, and the English lady running the place was the friendliest soul imaginable. She came and sat at our table to chat with us about a new homepathetic book she had recently received about wheatgrass. While we were there, her mother came in to visit. When the mom called out, her daughter came over and said brightly, “yes, Mummy?” She had given Mummy the wheatgrass book, which thrilled the old woman in a way that most people reserve for winning huge amounts of cash. “Easy to plant, easy to raise!!!” Mummy trilled in an overjoyed voice.
A fantabulous day overall!!
Monday, January 16th
Found our way down to Rue de Lafayette and the Opera Garnier, which both of us wanted to visit - it definitely lived up to expectations. A wanted to see the underground lake that Movie Phantom sang his way across, but this was sadly not an option. The Garnier is a spectacular venue - you can’t swing a cat without hitting something crystal, gilt or marble, and the fabled chandelier and ceiling in the theatre proper were unbelievable. Sadly, the chandelier showed no signs of acting up while we were there. HOWEVER, I could not take a single photo that didn’t come out completely blurry, which was obviously due to supernatural influences. From there, we walked to The Louvre, which wasn’t very crowded at all. It was overcast by then and a couple of sprinkles coming down, so we were glad to get inside. Boy do they have lots of stuff in there, aside from the remarkable palace that is the Louvre. We managed to everything that we especially wanted to see, including Mona, the Code of Hammurabi, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. The most beautiful thing I saw was the young man sitting on a marble step beside Winged Victory. I asked A if he was still there when we returned, could I have take him home and she said yes, but he wasn’t. And to be extra beautiful in the City of Beautiful Men is quite an accomplishment. I think we spent about four hours there and I was DYING when we emerged. Tired, my goodness. We hopped (actually, no hopping involved) on the metro and got off halfway down the Champs Elysee, where we had a much needed glass of wine at the Café Georges V - lovely view of the Arc de Triomple. A was hoping they had elevators to the top of the Arc. I explained that historical monuments are rarely retrofitted with modern conveniences. But it was definitely worth the climb to look out over the lights of Paris. AND they turned on the special sparkly Eiffel Tower lights when we got up there, which is SO cool.
Pretty wacked by that time – we headed home to drop off our souvenirs and then walked UP to Montmartre to look for a place to dine. This is a very picturesque, French part of Paris and we love it. Found a wonderful place for dinner - Very small, very full of locals, and very friendly (of course). I loved the décor of the place; someone had handpainted vintage French art deco posters on the wall and the light sconces were odd papier-mache masks.
Finding the corner bar too crowded, we had our nightcap in the hotel room with a bottle from the local shop. Lovely.
Tuesday January 17th
It stormed like mad during night and we awoke to a steady rain and general grayness. On the plus side, the weather was much warmer. We took le metro to Les Halles which is a fascinating part of the city. Walked through the arty Saint German des Prez district and A was able to visit the pottery shop she remembered from years ago. Then it was time for the Musee d’Orsay. I loved seeing Degas and Van Gogh and Rodin and those guys in person. Just like the Louvre, some of my favorites were paintings by blokes I’d never even heard of before.
Luckily, the rain had abated somewhat when we emerged and we had a fairly easy walk to Notre Dame and Saint Chappelle. Saint Chappelle is within the confines of the Palais de Justice, which is guarded by gendarmes. On this particular day, by two exceptionally stunning gendarmes. I asked if I could take their picture. The more stunning (and taller) of the two smiled, revealing his dimples. Had my camera set to video and apologized as I switched to photo. The first photo was blurred, so I took another. The shorter gendarme made me aware, in a very charming way, that this would be my last shot. So of course it was even blurrier. I tried to bribe A into going back later to shoot a surreptitious video and she refused.
Our feet were killing us by then, so we had a welcome glass of wine at a very posh place near the Seine and then headed back home to drop off our stuff before going to dinner in Montmartre. Stopped to peer over the walls at the eerie Cimeterie Montmartre along the way. Found yet another fabulous tiny restaurant. Even tinier than last night and one gentleman had his Italian greyhound sitting upright next to him at the table. I love that!
Our last night in Paris…sigh….
Fastest customs line at CDG I have ever experienced! The Roissy bus was waiting just outside the airport when we walked out after retrieving our luggage and successfully obtaining euros at the ATM. The bus dropped us by the fabulous Opera Garnier (Phantom!) . We easily walked the kilometer to our charming hotel, Les Trois Poussins, on Rue Clauzel. A super friendly old man stopped and offered us directions after seeing our map. After freshening up, we walked around the city, seeing the Place Vendome (Cartier! Ritz!), the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de Concorde, and most of the Eiffel Tower, which was obscured in white mist. Back in our own neighborhood, we kept catching glimpses of the incredible Sacre Coeur. Did I mention how NICE everyone here is?? Especially the folks at our hotel. And the crowning glory was when we had our first glass of wine in our neighborhood bistro and a local woman blew in, put down her fur coat and purse, and asked us to mind them (no, we couldn’t understand a word she said; it was all body language) while she ran across the street to post a letter. I merely said "oui" and she popped out. You should have seen her face when she got back to her table and heard us chatting. Bet she won't try that again in a hurry! On the other hand, I walked into this cybercafe a minute ago, said Bon Soir, and the proprietor took me straight to the station labeled "American Keyboard." It's lovely to stay in a real neighborhood instead of in the tourist district.
Saturday, January 14th
Last night A and I watched across le Pont de la Cite pausing to watch the Eiffel tower, which was made to sparkle like a flashing diamond bracelet in the distance. Then we went to a restaurant called le Petit Pont, and set in the heated outdoor cafe area across from the floodlit Notre Dame. OH MY. We had beef bourgignon and the waiters were wonderful. We finished the evening at a little cafe and met a basset hound out walking with his mom on the way home - name of was Napoleon. This morning I woke up super early, in a completely uncharacteristic way and had a wild urge to get out on the streets of Paris. A did not share this urge, so I took off and began walking up Rue de Martyrs, which is our nearest cross street, in the direction of Montmartre. The streets were wet with their morning washing and a guy was dragging a white Highland terrier up the hill because it had collapsed its rear legs. It looked like he was dragging a small bear skin rug. It was still just pre-dawn light and most shops hadn’t even opened yet. I decided I would attempt to reach the fabled Basilica of Sacre Coeur and watch the sunrise over Paris. For those of you who don't know, the hill of the Basilica is approximately 12,000 feet above sea level [kidding]. I don't know why there aren't concentric circles around it on the map like for Mount Whitney. Oi, what a climb. When I finally collapsed at the Basilica, there were only about four other people there, but by the time I finished taking photos of the sunrise behind the Eiffel Tower, at least two dozen more had arrived, no doubt wimps who had taken the funicular up. Back on rue Clauzel, a French businessman stopped me to ask directions! A was vertical by this time and I told her I had passed a lovely café a block from our hotel, so we went there for breakfast. Had what became our usual morning repast of croissant and baguette with butter and two kinds of jam, juice, yogurt, and hot chocolate/coffee for only 5.9 euros. The croissants melt in your mouth. From our neighborhood, we took le metro to Pere Lachaise cimetiere to visit Heloise and Abelard and Sarah Bernhardt and others. WHAT a fantastic city of the dead that is. Hundreds of mausoleums separated from each other by wide roads with street signs just like a little town. Followed the youngsters to Jim Morrison’s uninspired headstone, which A wanted to see and which has its own guard. But the statues were the most beautiful and amazing features of the cemetery.
Leaving Lachaise, we wandered through the Marais district, where we had omelets and frites at another little cafe and then just walked around. Ann pointed out some realio, trulio hookers which I had passed without even noticing, which seems impossible in retrospect. On a couple of following blocks were hookers who appeared to be approaching their seventh decade in the business. Really! Elderly, but well made-up women wearing interesting clothing and red patent leather go-go boots. Took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe, arriving at sunset, which isn't too shabby. Got back and collapsed in our hotel and didn’t get up until 8 p.m. While wandering back to Trois Poussins, we stumbled upon the Indian restaurant recommended online that I had never been able to find on a map - one block from our hotel.
We settled in at the Kastoori and then panicked on realizing they served no wine. The lovely local ladies next to us advised that we were to go to the corner shop and bring the stuff back. We went to the neighborhood bar for a nightcap and shortly realized, after taking in the disco lighting, music by Queen, and the large masculine women at the next table, that we would not be making this place our regular haunt. The bartender had two little dogs, one of which tried to take my hand off when I attempted to pet him {stupid move!]. The barman said, oh yes, he is a lunatic. We left the Cafe Rue Clauzel and, unwisely, to the little Hungarian restaurant to have aNOTHER nightcap - they had a trio of Hungarian musicians playing for us and the five other people in the place.
Sunday, January 15th
First let me just say, because I have neglected to do so before, there are a huge number of simply fabulous looking men here. A and I are constantly picking our jaws up off the pavement. And you want to look where you drop your jaw, on account of the doggie doo everywhere. It's so wacky the way dogs in little outfits wander along the busy streets, often two or three blocks behind their masters. Did I mention the unisex toilets? Each more eccentric than the last. I think the most interesting was the one that had the toilet lip hung on the wall like a picture frame. Also, you know that stereotype about French people wandering around everywhere with baguettes? It's not a stereotype! Not in our neighborhood, anyway. Long lines out of the boulangeries every morning and evening.
Today was beautifully sunny again and we went the the Richard Lenoir street market near the Bastille monument, which was SO fun. I considered buying a very French looking short jacket for 25 euros and then thought better of it, as I looked like a dork. Got some darling dish cloths for Mom instead and A bought a gross of scarves after agonizing over which colors to choose. From the market, we headed across the Seine and onto Ile de Louis, the little island east of Notre Dame. It was gorgeous. The main street had all sort of tempting shops and an Italian restaurant (La Castafiore) that we booked for the evening. We had "lunch" at the famous Berthillon (I think) ice cream parlor/patisserie; A had the coffee macaroon with chocolate ice cream and raspberry sauce; I had chocolate mac with vanilla and raspberry sauce. OH my.
From there we perused the nice souvenir shops next to Notre Dame, stocking up on souvenirs. Planned on touring the cathedral, but after walking in and realizing we could barely move forward because of the solid wall of tourists, decided to reschedule for Tuesday. We made the same decision (same circumstances) about Saint Chappelle. Both are stunning to gaze at. Trekked back across the river and had drinks overlooking the Seine, gazing at the Eiffel Tower in one direction and spire of Saint Chappelle in the opposite. Our waiters were very nice. It was just unbelievable to be sitting there!
Nap time and then we went back to Castafiore for an early dinner. Wonderful pasta, and the English lady running the place was the friendliest soul imaginable. She came and sat at our table to chat with us about a new homepathetic book she had recently received about wheatgrass. While we were there, her mother came in to visit. When the mom called out, her daughter came over and said brightly, “yes, Mummy?” She had given Mummy the wheatgrass book, which thrilled the old woman in a way that most people reserve for winning huge amounts of cash. “Easy to plant, easy to raise!!!” Mummy trilled in an overjoyed voice.
A fantabulous day overall!!
Monday, January 16th
Found our way down to Rue de Lafayette and the Opera Garnier, which both of us wanted to visit - it definitely lived up to expectations. A wanted to see the underground lake that Movie Phantom sang his way across, but this was sadly not an option. The Garnier is a spectacular venue - you can’t swing a cat without hitting something crystal, gilt or marble, and the fabled chandelier and ceiling in the theatre proper were unbelievable. Sadly, the chandelier showed no signs of acting up while we were there. HOWEVER, I could not take a single photo that didn’t come out completely blurry, which was obviously due to supernatural influences. From there, we walked to The Louvre, which wasn’t very crowded at all. It was overcast by then and a couple of sprinkles coming down, so we were glad to get inside. Boy do they have lots of stuff in there, aside from the remarkable palace that is the Louvre. We managed to everything that we especially wanted to see, including Mona, the Code of Hammurabi, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. The most beautiful thing I saw was the young man sitting on a marble step beside Winged Victory. I asked A if he was still there when we returned, could I have take him home and she said yes, but he wasn’t. And to be extra beautiful in the City of Beautiful Men is quite an accomplishment. I think we spent about four hours there and I was DYING when we emerged. Tired, my goodness. We hopped (actually, no hopping involved) on the metro and got off halfway down the Champs Elysee, where we had a much needed glass of wine at the Café Georges V - lovely view of the Arc de Triomple. A was hoping they had elevators to the top of the Arc. I explained that historical monuments are rarely retrofitted with modern conveniences. But it was definitely worth the climb to look out over the lights of Paris. AND they turned on the special sparkly Eiffel Tower lights when we got up there, which is SO cool.
Pretty wacked by that time – we headed home to drop off our souvenirs and then walked UP to Montmartre to look for a place to dine. This is a very picturesque, French part of Paris and we love it. Found a wonderful place for dinner - Very small, very full of locals, and very friendly (of course). I loved the décor of the place; someone had handpainted vintage French art deco posters on the wall and the light sconces were odd papier-mache masks.
Finding the corner bar too crowded, we had our nightcap in the hotel room with a bottle from the local shop. Lovely.
Tuesday January 17th
It stormed like mad during night and we awoke to a steady rain and general grayness. On the plus side, the weather was much warmer. We took le metro to Les Halles which is a fascinating part of the city. Walked through the arty Saint German des Prez district and A was able to visit the pottery shop she remembered from years ago. Then it was time for the Musee d’Orsay. I loved seeing Degas and Van Gogh and Rodin and those guys in person. Just like the Louvre, some of my favorites were paintings by blokes I’d never even heard of before.
Luckily, the rain had abated somewhat when we emerged and we had a fairly easy walk to Notre Dame and Saint Chappelle. Saint Chappelle is within the confines of the Palais de Justice, which is guarded by gendarmes. On this particular day, by two exceptionally stunning gendarmes. I asked if I could take their picture. The more stunning (and taller) of the two smiled, revealing his dimples. Had my camera set to video and apologized as I switched to photo. The first photo was blurred, so I took another. The shorter gendarme made me aware, in a very charming way, that this would be my last shot. So of course it was even blurrier. I tried to bribe A into going back later to shoot a surreptitious video and she refused.
Our feet were killing us by then, so we had a welcome glass of wine at a very posh place near the Seine and then headed back home to drop off our stuff before going to dinner in Montmartre. Stopped to peer over the walls at the eerie Cimeterie Montmartre along the way. Found yet another fabulous tiny restaurant. Even tinier than last night and one gentleman had his Italian greyhound sitting upright next to him at the table. I love that!
Our last night in Paris…sigh….
Jan 21st, 2006 | 12:51 PM
#5
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,440
Likes: 0
Great report. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? Hope not. First of all, what district is your hotel in? I didn't see if you mentioned that. Also, what souvineers did you buy to bring home? And lastly, it looks like you were there for five nights? Did you feel this to be enough time in Paris?
DH and I are planning a trip, our first trip in April and haven't figured out how much time we need, yet...thanks.
DH and I are planning a trip, our first trip in April and haven't figured out how much time we need, yet...thanks.
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Jan 21st, 2006 | 03:48 PM
#11
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Hi Brophy,
Thank you so much for that wonderful diary of your trip. Just what we needed as we are planning our first trip to Paris in April. I gather you stayed at "The Three Fish" which we have tried to book, but it's all booked up for the time period we're going. Anyway, your descriptions were wonderful and it was good to have an idea of what to expect.
Many thanks again.
Thank you so much for that wonderful diary of your trip. Just what we needed as we are planning our first trip to Paris in April. I gather you stayed at "The Three Fish" which we have tried to book, but it's all booked up for the time period we're going. Anyway, your descriptions were wonderful and it was good to have an idea of what to expect.
Many thanks again.
Jan 24th, 2006 | 10:11 AM
#15
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Hi Heavens,
We stayed in the 9th arrondissement, on rue Clauzel - the edge of Montmartre. I did NOT think five days was enough, but, sadly, that was all the time we could take off. I don't usually spend much on souvenirs; my big splurge was a Venetian mask (not even a French object!) from a wonderful shop on l'Ile - we don't have a lot of Venetian masks in Indiana, so I couldn't resist. Bought embroidered dish towels for my mom at the street market, a Paris mouse pad for dad, various Paris-themed Christmas ornaments, bookmarks - if I spend too much on souvenirs I can't save enough for another trip!
It's actually the Three Chicks, rather than the Three Fish - lovely place!
We stayed in the 9th arrondissement, on rue Clauzel - the edge of Montmartre. I did NOT think five days was enough, but, sadly, that was all the time we could take off. I don't usually spend much on souvenirs; my big splurge was a Venetian mask (not even a French object!) from a wonderful shop on l'Ile - we don't have a lot of Venetian masks in Indiana, so I couldn't resist. Bought embroidered dish towels for my mom at the street market, a Paris mouse pad for dad, various Paris-themed Christmas ornaments, bookmarks - if I spend too much on souvenirs I can't save enough for another trip!
It's actually the Three Chicks, rather than the Three Fish - lovely place!
Jan 24th, 2006 | 10:24 AM
#16
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,222
Likes: 0
You and your friend sound like the kind of people who should travel, travel, travel: great senses of humor, and apreciative--and enthusiastic--of the differences as well as the similarities between cultures.
Reading this makes me want to go back to Paris ASAP.
Reading this makes me want to go back to Paris ASAP.
