If it's Tuesday, this must be Reykjavik? The first installment of a LONG five country report.
Sep 11th, 2005, 07:07 PM
#21
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Thanks shortattentionspan, I thought this had dropped like a brick never to be seen again. Here is the next installment, we are now in our third country of our trip...Paris, France.
If it’s Friday this must be Paris
Early rising this morning and hurry, scurry as the taxi is already waiting for us. He’s early and we are late. He took us direct to Waterloo International with plenty of time to spare so we bought pastries and coffee. The check in lines for the Eurostar were a bit long but we discovered that since our tickets did not have the magnetic strip on them we got to go into another line that was shorter. The Eurostar was quite comfortable, even in 2nd class. The trip seemed to be over in a blink of an eye as we both snoozed. Once we wrestled our luggage off the train, we found an ATM to get Euro’s and a potty. My son found in interesting that both men and women had to pay to go through the turnstile then went separate ways. We purchased two carnets and found our way to the Metro. Having traveled to the Hotel St. Jacques on two previous trips, it was easy and uneventful.
We were in for a very pleasant surprise when we arrived at the hotel. The hotel had taken over the space downstairs previously occupied by a restaurant on the corner. They had totally renovated the first floor including the reception area, lounge area and breakfast room. It was very lovely and I’m glad we went back though it was a bit pricey for our current budget. Our room was spacious and decorated in blue and peach. We did have to unplug the fan to recharge the camera batteries and my son’s IPOD so it was lucky that the weather was cool and we didn’t need the fan. The bathroom was kind of crowded as is so typical of these older buildings, you could sit on the pot and brush your teeth at the same time, if you were so inclined. Bridgette and all the staff were very friendly and helpful and made our stay even better. Overall, we loved it and would definitely go back for a 4th visit.
We basically dropped our bags and made an about face out the door. My son was on a mission to go to Napoleon’s Tomb and Les Invalides. He loves the coat of arms and was looking forward to this museum. On our previous trip here, he took a bunch of pictures but somehow when we changed the roll of film, we got the old roll back in the camera and double exposed all the pictures we took of Invalides and Napoleon’s tomb. He wanted to replace those pictures that had so disappointed him 5 years earlier.
We were enjoying ourselves in the museum when we were approached by a security guard who informed us that it was necessary for us to remain where we were. Since our French is extremely limited, and his English more so, it took a minute to figure out that there had been a bomb scare and that the museum was locked down until they figured out what was going on. We were far enough away from the café, where the problem occurred, so they did not evacuate us. We waited, and waited, and waited and finally asked if we could exit the building and leave the premises. We wanted to go to Rue Cler instead of just sitting on the staircase. The guard lead us and several other people out a side door and showed us where the gate was to get off the property. Talk about out of the frying pan (London) and into the fire.
Rue Cler was an enjoyable walk. I especially enjoyed taking pictures of all of the store fronts and buying pastries that we enjoyed as we strolled. My son bought his girlfriend a gold Eiffel Tower charm at a little jewelry store. We hope it is at least gold plated and doesn’t turn her skin green.
We headed back towards Invalides and found that everything was open and calm again. We went in and finished our tour. I was very happy to see all the flags of the conquered armies were hanging in the Soldier’s Church. They were removed for renovation at my last visit.
Our day could not be complete but visiting at least one art museum so we walked to over Rodin’s. The actual museum has just closed but we were welcome to enjoy the gardens and grounds. We took our obligatory pictures of the Thinker and inspected the Gates of Hell and contemplated it’s motto “Abandon hope all ye who enter in”. Thank goodness the doors don’t open because my son would have thought it funny to push me through.
For dinner we went to an old favorite of mine, La Criee. It’s just down the street from the hotel and has excellent fish soup. I had the fish soup and a lovely filet of sole. My son had the fish soup also with a chicken curry dish. It lived up to my memory as it was delicious and reasonably priced at 44 Euro.
Back at our room, we settled in for the evening. There was a bit of road noise but that was understandable as it was Friday night. We were so tired, that it didn’t much more than a few minutes.
If it’s Friday this must be Paris
Early rising this morning and hurry, scurry as the taxi is already waiting for us. He’s early and we are late. He took us direct to Waterloo International with plenty of time to spare so we bought pastries and coffee. The check in lines for the Eurostar were a bit long but we discovered that since our tickets did not have the magnetic strip on them we got to go into another line that was shorter. The Eurostar was quite comfortable, even in 2nd class. The trip seemed to be over in a blink of an eye as we both snoozed. Once we wrestled our luggage off the train, we found an ATM to get Euro’s and a potty. My son found in interesting that both men and women had to pay to go through the turnstile then went separate ways. We purchased two carnets and found our way to the Metro. Having traveled to the Hotel St. Jacques on two previous trips, it was easy and uneventful.
We were in for a very pleasant surprise when we arrived at the hotel. The hotel had taken over the space downstairs previously occupied by a restaurant on the corner. They had totally renovated the first floor including the reception area, lounge area and breakfast room. It was very lovely and I’m glad we went back though it was a bit pricey for our current budget. Our room was spacious and decorated in blue and peach. We did have to unplug the fan to recharge the camera batteries and my son’s IPOD so it was lucky that the weather was cool and we didn’t need the fan. The bathroom was kind of crowded as is so typical of these older buildings, you could sit on the pot and brush your teeth at the same time, if you were so inclined. Bridgette and all the staff were very friendly and helpful and made our stay even better. Overall, we loved it and would definitely go back for a 4th visit.
We basically dropped our bags and made an about face out the door. My son was on a mission to go to Napoleon’s Tomb and Les Invalides. He loves the coat of arms and was looking forward to this museum. On our previous trip here, he took a bunch of pictures but somehow when we changed the roll of film, we got the old roll back in the camera and double exposed all the pictures we took of Invalides and Napoleon’s tomb. He wanted to replace those pictures that had so disappointed him 5 years earlier.
We were enjoying ourselves in the museum when we were approached by a security guard who informed us that it was necessary for us to remain where we were. Since our French is extremely limited, and his English more so, it took a minute to figure out that there had been a bomb scare and that the museum was locked down until they figured out what was going on. We were far enough away from the café, where the problem occurred, so they did not evacuate us. We waited, and waited, and waited and finally asked if we could exit the building and leave the premises. We wanted to go to Rue Cler instead of just sitting on the staircase. The guard lead us and several other people out a side door and showed us where the gate was to get off the property. Talk about out of the frying pan (London) and into the fire.
Rue Cler was an enjoyable walk. I especially enjoyed taking pictures of all of the store fronts and buying pastries that we enjoyed as we strolled. My son bought his girlfriend a gold Eiffel Tower charm at a little jewelry store. We hope it is at least gold plated and doesn’t turn her skin green.
We headed back towards Invalides and found that everything was open and calm again. We went in and finished our tour. I was very happy to see all the flags of the conquered armies were hanging in the Soldier’s Church. They were removed for renovation at my last visit.
Our day could not be complete but visiting at least one art museum so we walked to over Rodin’s. The actual museum has just closed but we were welcome to enjoy the gardens and grounds. We took our obligatory pictures of the Thinker and inspected the Gates of Hell and contemplated it’s motto “Abandon hope all ye who enter in”. Thank goodness the doors don’t open because my son would have thought it funny to push me through.
For dinner we went to an old favorite of mine, La Criee. It’s just down the street from the hotel and has excellent fish soup. I had the fish soup and a lovely filet of sole. My son had the fish soup also with a chicken curry dish. It lived up to my memory as it was delicious and reasonably priced at 44 Euro.
Back at our room, we settled in for the evening. There was a bit of road noise but that was understandable as it was Friday night. We were so tired, that it didn’t much more than a few minutes.
Sep 12th, 2005, 09:33 AM
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BabsB - I am reading and enjoying!
Sorry I did not let you know earlier. I love trip reports and read almost all of them but usually do not post to them to say so. I really should, the author goes to so much work to produce them, it is only right that we thank them for their effort!
Sorry I did not let you know earlier. I love trip reports and read almost all of them but usually do not post to them to say so. I really should, the author goes to so much work to produce them, it is only right that we thank them for their effort!
Sep 12th, 2005, 10:31 AM
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Thanks for tuning in HappyCheesehead, sportattentionspan, and sockboy, I appreciate it. sockboy, I will try to get Belgium and Netherlands done quickly so you can read before you go. I know you will have a great trip. Take a warm jacket and pants. We were surprised at the chilly, wet weather. BabsB
Sep 12th, 2005, 10:36 AM
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I also just found this post I have always wanted to see Iceland and London...please continue!
On a side note, my Mom took me to Scotland when I was 15 and it was life changing experience (at eighteen I went back and lived near Edinburgh for 3 months). Bravo for traveling with your teenager.
On a side note, my Mom took me to Scotland when I was 15 and it was life changing experience (at eighteen I went back and lived near Edinburgh for 3 months). Bravo for traveling with your teenager.
Sep 12th, 2005, 03:48 PM
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BabsB,
I'm tuning in, too. If you get this in time, you may wish to watch the Travel Channel tonight at 7 pm at Anthony Bourdain is in Iceland!
We will probably do England and France on our next Europe trip, so I am quite interested in your trip report.
Keep it coming!!!
I'm tuning in, too. If you get this in time, you may wish to watch the Travel Channel tonight at 7 pm at Anthony Bourdain is in Iceland!
We will probably do England and France on our next Europe trip, so I am quite interested in your trip report.
Keep it coming!!!
Sep 13th, 2005, 06:26 PM
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Dee Dee, I missed the show, have to catch the rerun. sockboy, Belgium is coming up, I have it written, just need to finish Paris then type it up.
If it’s Saturday this must be the Eiffel Tower
We enjoyed a lovely breakfast in the new breakfast room at Hotel St. Jacques. It was a bit pricey but we enjoyed our cereal, omelet, baguette and coffee. I bought my son an internet card from the front desk and he disappeared for awhile to instant message his night owl friends.
Our plans for the day included lunch at Altitude 95 at the Eiffel Tower, a Hop On Hop Off Bus tour, a visit to the Marmottan Museum and a Fat Tire Bike Tour in the evening.
We took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower but it took longer than expected as the line we wanted was closed. I was a bit nervous that we wouldn’t get there in time for our reservation. I shouldn’t have worried as I had misread the reservation and we had a extra half hour longer than I thought. We checked in at the Welcome Desk and paid to go to the first floor. We were both checking out the huge lines at all four pillars and were extremely pleased when we were directed to a separate line for folks with restaurant reservations. That line had about 20 people in it and we were able to take the next elevator up. We had a lovely window table looking out over the Jardins Du Trocadero. We ordered the Chefs Plat Du Jour and kept our fingers crossed because our French is limited. It consisted of two appetizers, two main courses and two desserts so we ordered one of each. The appetizers were layered pate kinds of thing, I’m not exactly sure what, but they were good. My son’s main course was a lovely pork chop with gravy over potatoes. He loved it. My main course was a piece of fish on top of sauerkraut with cuttlefish sauce. I am a pretty gungho eater and I worked really hard at enjoying my dish, but the combination was just a bit unusual even for me. Dessert was lovely pastries and fruit.
We mailed postcards home from the Eiffel Tower Post Office (side not, it took exactly one month for them to arrive home in California) and had an ice cream while we enjoyed the view. My son thought it would be a good idea to walk up to the next level and then back down to the bottom, so we did. This combined with the bike ride later resulted in very sore leg muscles the next day.
At this point it was raining, so we rung out our jackets and limped over to the line to catch the Hop On Hop Off Tour. We didn’t have much time in Paris so we wanted an easy refresher course on things we had seen several years prior. We completed the red route which covered the highlights then hopped off at Trocodero. It was an OK ride, the audio was hard to understand and I enjoy live commentary better, but we got to see the city and that’s what we wanted to do.
This was my third trip to Paris and I was determined to see Monet’s Waterlilies. The Orangerie had been closed for years for renovations so I have not seen them. A knowledgeable Fodorite told me about the Marmottan Museum. Thank you! It was wonderful and we enjoyed it. We both love Impressionism!
We spent a few hours at our hotel getting some much needed rest then grabbed a few sandwiches from a street vendor and headed back to the Eiffel Tower to meet up with the Fat Tire Bike Tour. They provided us with great three speed bikes with wonderful cushy seats and bells. What a tour, we rode all over Paris including around the Louvre, a stop at Bertillon for ice cream, and down the Champs Elysees where workers were setting up for the Tour du France. Our guide was knowledgeable and very funny. We ended up at the river and locked up all the bikes with long chains.. We hid several bottles of wine in various backpacks and boarded the boat for a river cruise. It was a congenial group and we had a wonderful time at the stern drinking wine, telling stories and enjoying the view. When the boat turned around I was disappointed that the ride was half way over. Well it was not, the boat passed the dock and headed towards the Eiffel Tower that sparkled in all its glory. We went down far enough to see the Paris Statue of Liberty which was something I hadn’t seen before. It was so fun, I would recommend this tour to anyone. The folks were of all ages and abilities and everyone had fun. After the cruise, we made our way back to the locked bicycles and within a few minutes we were back at the shop. Easy directions to the closest Metro station and we were home in no time. Another great day.
If it’s Saturday this must be the Eiffel Tower
We enjoyed a lovely breakfast in the new breakfast room at Hotel St. Jacques. It was a bit pricey but we enjoyed our cereal, omelet, baguette and coffee. I bought my son an internet card from the front desk and he disappeared for awhile to instant message his night owl friends.
Our plans for the day included lunch at Altitude 95 at the Eiffel Tower, a Hop On Hop Off Bus tour, a visit to the Marmottan Museum and a Fat Tire Bike Tour in the evening.
We took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower but it took longer than expected as the line we wanted was closed. I was a bit nervous that we wouldn’t get there in time for our reservation. I shouldn’t have worried as I had misread the reservation and we had a extra half hour longer than I thought. We checked in at the Welcome Desk and paid to go to the first floor. We were both checking out the huge lines at all four pillars and were extremely pleased when we were directed to a separate line for folks with restaurant reservations. That line had about 20 people in it and we were able to take the next elevator up. We had a lovely window table looking out over the Jardins Du Trocadero. We ordered the Chefs Plat Du Jour and kept our fingers crossed because our French is limited. It consisted of two appetizers, two main courses and two desserts so we ordered one of each. The appetizers were layered pate kinds of thing, I’m not exactly sure what, but they were good. My son’s main course was a lovely pork chop with gravy over potatoes. He loved it. My main course was a piece of fish on top of sauerkraut with cuttlefish sauce. I am a pretty gungho eater and I worked really hard at enjoying my dish, but the combination was just a bit unusual even for me. Dessert was lovely pastries and fruit.
We mailed postcards home from the Eiffel Tower Post Office (side not, it took exactly one month for them to arrive home in California) and had an ice cream while we enjoyed the view. My son thought it would be a good idea to walk up to the next level and then back down to the bottom, so we did. This combined with the bike ride later resulted in very sore leg muscles the next day.
At this point it was raining, so we rung out our jackets and limped over to the line to catch the Hop On Hop Off Tour. We didn’t have much time in Paris so we wanted an easy refresher course on things we had seen several years prior. We completed the red route which covered the highlights then hopped off at Trocodero. It was an OK ride, the audio was hard to understand and I enjoy live commentary better, but we got to see the city and that’s what we wanted to do.
This was my third trip to Paris and I was determined to see Monet’s Waterlilies. The Orangerie had been closed for years for renovations so I have not seen them. A knowledgeable Fodorite told me about the Marmottan Museum. Thank you! It was wonderful and we enjoyed it. We both love Impressionism!
We spent a few hours at our hotel getting some much needed rest then grabbed a few sandwiches from a street vendor and headed back to the Eiffel Tower to meet up with the Fat Tire Bike Tour. They provided us with great three speed bikes with wonderful cushy seats and bells. What a tour, we rode all over Paris including around the Louvre, a stop at Bertillon for ice cream, and down the Champs Elysees where workers were setting up for the Tour du France. Our guide was knowledgeable and very funny. We ended up at the river and locked up all the bikes with long chains.. We hid several bottles of wine in various backpacks and boarded the boat for a river cruise. It was a congenial group and we had a wonderful time at the stern drinking wine, telling stories and enjoying the view. When the boat turned around I was disappointed that the ride was half way over. Well it was not, the boat passed the dock and headed towards the Eiffel Tower that sparkled in all its glory. We went down far enough to see the Paris Statue of Liberty which was something I hadn’t seen before. It was so fun, I would recommend this tour to anyone. The folks were of all ages and abilities and everyone had fun. After the cruise, we made our way back to the locked bicycles and within a few minutes we were back at the shop. Easy directions to the closest Metro station and we were home in no time. Another great day.
Sep 14th, 2005, 07:56 AM
#30
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Thanks for plugging away at it Babs! I don't go until next Wednesday - lots of time yet!
I really appreciate the detailed report, it sounds like you did a lot of research prior to the trip and fit a lot in. A trip to Paris and London was my first trip to Europe, and I hadn't discovered this board yet, we pretty much just showed up and made it up as we went along. We had a great time, but your report is showing me all that we missed. I'll just have to go back!
I really appreciate the detailed report, it sounds like you did a lot of research prior to the trip and fit a lot in. A trip to Paris and London was my first trip to Europe, and I hadn't discovered this board yet, we pretty much just showed up and made it up as we went along. We had a great time, but your report is showing me all that we missed. I'll just have to go back!
Sep 14th, 2005, 05:31 PM
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If it’s Sunday this must be the Tour du France
Today is a big day, we are going to go on Rick Steves’ Historic Walk, go to the Louvre and then end up on the Champs Elysees to watch the finish of the Tour du France.
We headed out early as we had a lot on our agenda. We started with the Historic Walk and went to Notre Dame, the riverside booksellers, by Sainte-Chapel, the Conciergerie prison, yada, yada, yada. There were no lines at Notre Dame so that was a quick walk through. The windows are beautiful! Down the street to the Conciergerie prison which had a great art exhibit. A painter painted scenes from all over the world about 100 years ago. Then a modern photographer went back to the same sites and tried to replicate the scenes with photos, Very interesting. They had a great book which I should have bought but I didn’t want to carry it for another two weeks. Wish I had purchased it.
The Sainte-Chapelle had a line down the street so we decided to try it later. Unfortunate, we never made it back. We wandered around a bit more than went to the Louvre. I had a museum pass but didn’t buy one for my son as he was generally free. The line was not too bad and we made it through security with little fuss. I have to confess we only spent about three hours there and we had seen enough. We saw the biggies, Venus de Milo, Parthenon Frieze, Winged Victory, Mona and painting after painting after painting. We had both been to the Louvre previously so we joked that this was a refresher course.
We ate at the Louve café and felt we were gypped. We each ordered a salad and beverage thinking it would be a fairly nice salad. Wrong, pre-packaged, slightly wilted and rather skimpy with a lovely plastic fork packaged on top. Came with 2 rolls, one barely edible and one not. A $22.00 rip-off.
We next checked out the Paris beach. It is quite fun with sand, lounges, food concessions etc. Too bad, it was raining and not too many folks were enjoying the facilities.
We trudged down the stairs to the Metro and headed to the stop at the Arc de Triomphe. We wanted to watch the Tour du France and decided that was as good a stop as any to get off at. It was pretty wet and there were tons of people. I bet they were 5 to 10 deep on the rail at some places. We purchased the obligatory souvenir hat and t-shirt then went shopping a bit as the action had not started up and we were trying to stay out of the rain. We meandered down the street and finally ended up near the finish line where we could watch the race on big screen TV’s. Meanwhile, a huge parade with all the sponsors was cruising up and down the Champs Elysees. Finally, the parade ended and you could hear the roar of the crowd as the leaders approached. We never even made it close to the rail so I couldn’t see anything except the TV. My son on the other hand is tall and had a pretty good view. He starting clicking pictures as the riders went by and we lucked out and got a picture of Lance Armstrong in his yellow shirt. Very cool. We had seen (or not seen as the case may be) enough so decided to head back to the hotel.
We were both tired, (notice that this is a common thread in this report) and we both nodded off on the Metro. We were gently awakened by the conductor advising that we were at the end of the line and where did we want to go. Talk about embarrassing. Not only did we fall asleep but we went the wrong way and were not even close to where we wanted to go. The conductor told us to hang out a bit and to take the same Metro back the way we came. Thank goodness no one decided to take advantage of the exhausted tourists.
We ate dinner at a little Italian restaurant called Pizza Roma just down the street from our hotel. We both had pasta and it was delicious. After dinner we both took a nap, a safe one this time. My son woke up first raring to go. He gently woke me up and talked me into going to Sacre-Coeur to watch the lights come on. I was hesitant because my bed felt so good but he is persistent and I decided to be a good sport again. Once I got up and moving I realized I felt much better. Sacre-Coeur is beautiful. On our first trip to Paris we missed it. On my second trip, the inside was being renovated so it was all covered up. Third time is a charm and it was worth it. We took the funicular up and walked down passing by a jazz club with live entertainment that was quite good. I found a red beret hat for my sister, her only souvenir request.
I asked my son if he wanted to see the Moulin Rouge and of course he did. A short walk through an interesting red light area and we were there. We met four young ladies from Santa Barbara, California who were on their senior graduation trip. We took pictures of each other and had a nice talk about home and colleges. The girls were having the time of their lives. My son wants to take a similar trip next summer when he graduates so this trip was a great trial run for him. We walked by a few more sex shops but didn’t go in. Going into a sex shop with Mom would have been the ultimate embarrassment to my son. I enjoyed giving him a hard him about it though.
Back at the hotel we watched the news and got confirmation that Lance did win. Yeah! Next time, we will go to a sports bar and watch.
Today is a big day, we are going to go on Rick Steves’ Historic Walk, go to the Louvre and then end up on the Champs Elysees to watch the finish of the Tour du France.
We headed out early as we had a lot on our agenda. We started with the Historic Walk and went to Notre Dame, the riverside booksellers, by Sainte-Chapel, the Conciergerie prison, yada, yada, yada. There were no lines at Notre Dame so that was a quick walk through. The windows are beautiful! Down the street to the Conciergerie prison which had a great art exhibit. A painter painted scenes from all over the world about 100 years ago. Then a modern photographer went back to the same sites and tried to replicate the scenes with photos, Very interesting. They had a great book which I should have bought but I didn’t want to carry it for another two weeks. Wish I had purchased it.
The Sainte-Chapelle had a line down the street so we decided to try it later. Unfortunate, we never made it back. We wandered around a bit more than went to the Louvre. I had a museum pass but didn’t buy one for my son as he was generally free. The line was not too bad and we made it through security with little fuss. I have to confess we only spent about three hours there and we had seen enough. We saw the biggies, Venus de Milo, Parthenon Frieze, Winged Victory, Mona and painting after painting after painting. We had both been to the Louvre previously so we joked that this was a refresher course.
We ate at the Louve café and felt we were gypped. We each ordered a salad and beverage thinking it would be a fairly nice salad. Wrong, pre-packaged, slightly wilted and rather skimpy with a lovely plastic fork packaged on top. Came with 2 rolls, one barely edible and one not. A $22.00 rip-off.
We next checked out the Paris beach. It is quite fun with sand, lounges, food concessions etc. Too bad, it was raining and not too many folks were enjoying the facilities.
We trudged down the stairs to the Metro and headed to the stop at the Arc de Triomphe. We wanted to watch the Tour du France and decided that was as good a stop as any to get off at. It was pretty wet and there were tons of people. I bet they were 5 to 10 deep on the rail at some places. We purchased the obligatory souvenir hat and t-shirt then went shopping a bit as the action had not started up and we were trying to stay out of the rain. We meandered down the street and finally ended up near the finish line where we could watch the race on big screen TV’s. Meanwhile, a huge parade with all the sponsors was cruising up and down the Champs Elysees. Finally, the parade ended and you could hear the roar of the crowd as the leaders approached. We never even made it close to the rail so I couldn’t see anything except the TV. My son on the other hand is tall and had a pretty good view. He starting clicking pictures as the riders went by and we lucked out and got a picture of Lance Armstrong in his yellow shirt. Very cool. We had seen (or not seen as the case may be) enough so decided to head back to the hotel.
We were both tired, (notice that this is a common thread in this report) and we both nodded off on the Metro. We were gently awakened by the conductor advising that we were at the end of the line and where did we want to go. Talk about embarrassing. Not only did we fall asleep but we went the wrong way and were not even close to where we wanted to go. The conductor told us to hang out a bit and to take the same Metro back the way we came. Thank goodness no one decided to take advantage of the exhausted tourists.
We ate dinner at a little Italian restaurant called Pizza Roma just down the street from our hotel. We both had pasta and it was delicious. After dinner we both took a nap, a safe one this time. My son woke up first raring to go. He gently woke me up and talked me into going to Sacre-Coeur to watch the lights come on. I was hesitant because my bed felt so good but he is persistent and I decided to be a good sport again. Once I got up and moving I realized I felt much better. Sacre-Coeur is beautiful. On our first trip to Paris we missed it. On my second trip, the inside was being renovated so it was all covered up. Third time is a charm and it was worth it. We took the funicular up and walked down passing by a jazz club with live entertainment that was quite good. I found a red beret hat for my sister, her only souvenir request.
I asked my son if he wanted to see the Moulin Rouge and of course he did. A short walk through an interesting red light area and we were there. We met four young ladies from Santa Barbara, California who were on their senior graduation trip. We took pictures of each other and had a nice talk about home and colleges. The girls were having the time of their lives. My son wants to take a similar trip next summer when he graduates so this trip was a great trial run for him. We walked by a few more sex shops but didn’t go in. Going into a sex shop with Mom would have been the ultimate embarrassment to my son. I enjoyed giving him a hard him about it though.
Back at the hotel we watched the news and got confirmation that Lance did win. Yeah! Next time, we will go to a sports bar and watch.
Sep 14th, 2005, 05:53 PM
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If it’s Monday this must be......laundry day
Our last day in Paris and we took it a bit easy. We are only half way through our trip and are so tired we need to wind down and relax a bit, or Mom won’t make it.
My son wanted to go to the Picasso Museum in the morning. I am not a big Picasso fan, not really a modern or abstract art fan at all, but off we went. It took forever to get there since there were several transfers and a bit of a walk. The museum is actually smaller than I expected. It took us longer to get there than the amount of time we spent inside. As we were leaving he claimed he just didn’t “get it”. Join the crowd honey, you aren’t the only one. Give me a good Impressionist anyday.
I wanted to browse through the booksellers along the river and I found a Janis Joplin concert poster for my husband. He saw a Janis Joplin poster on our first trip to Paris, but did not buy it. Later in the day he decided he wanted it but we were unable to find it again. He was disappointed. I figured what the heck, lets look. And believe it or not, we found it. Of course, I immediately bought it, the seller had a huge stack so obviously it was a copy but I didn’t care. Later in the day we purchased a mailing tube and I carried that silly thing the rest of the trip but my “gift” shopping was now complete. (He loved it, and is getting it framed for his office.)
We enjoyed the Pantheon with its pendulum and the Clung Museum with the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. I love the tapestries, I can just sit in the dim light and soak them in.
Clean laundry was next on the agenda. There was a little laundry right around the corner from our hotel. We were in and out of there in an hour. We had dinner at Breakfast in America, just down the street from our hotel. Their hamburgers and french fries were terrific. Dessert wasn’t too bad either. Back to the hotel for packing, TV and relaxing. Tomorrow, Brussels.
Our last day in Paris and we took it a bit easy. We are only half way through our trip and are so tired we need to wind down and relax a bit, or Mom won’t make it.
My son wanted to go to the Picasso Museum in the morning. I am not a big Picasso fan, not really a modern or abstract art fan at all, but off we went. It took forever to get there since there were several transfers and a bit of a walk. The museum is actually smaller than I expected. It took us longer to get there than the amount of time we spent inside. As we were leaving he claimed he just didn’t “get it”. Join the crowd honey, you aren’t the only one. Give me a good Impressionist anyday.
I wanted to browse through the booksellers along the river and I found a Janis Joplin concert poster for my husband. He saw a Janis Joplin poster on our first trip to Paris, but did not buy it. Later in the day he decided he wanted it but we were unable to find it again. He was disappointed. I figured what the heck, lets look. And believe it or not, we found it. Of course, I immediately bought it, the seller had a huge stack so obviously it was a copy but I didn’t care. Later in the day we purchased a mailing tube and I carried that silly thing the rest of the trip but my “gift” shopping was now complete. (He loved it, and is getting it framed for his office.)
We enjoyed the Pantheon with its pendulum and the Clung Museum with the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. I love the tapestries, I can just sit in the dim light and soak them in.
Clean laundry was next on the agenda. There was a little laundry right around the corner from our hotel. We were in and out of there in an hour. We had dinner at Breakfast in America, just down the street from our hotel. Their hamburgers and french fries were terrific. Dessert wasn’t too bad either. Back to the hotel for packing, TV and relaxing. Tomorrow, Brussels.
Sep 14th, 2005, 07:32 PM
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If it’s Tuesday this must be Brussels
I set our alarm to get up at 6:00 am to catch a 7:25 train to Brussels. We didn’t hear the alarm. I woke up with a start at 6:20 and yelled at my son to get moving. I had pre-purchased the train tickets because they were on sale but I guess I was over ambitious about how early to go. Everything was pretty much packed up and we had already paid the bill so we hustled out the door and to the Metro. Thank goodness there were no closures or delays, we got there with a few minutes to spare. We had barely found a seat on a bench when the board flashed our train number and track. We hopped on for a smooth ride. The trip seemed to fly by and we were there much sooner than I expected. We got off at Brussels Midi then couldn’t figure out where to catch the train to Central. We talked to a nice gentleman at the ticket booth, he told us where to go, sold us the ticket then said hurry we only had a few minutes. We made it fine and that trip was very short, under 5 minutes.
That was enough challenges for the day, we flagged down a taxi to take us to the Welcome Hotel. The taxi driver was very nice and even gave us a little tour on our way. Vanessa at the Welcome Hotel is a doll. Our room was not ready as we were quite early in the day but she said to hold on and she would check it out. In fact, she said to go ahead and help ourselves to the breakfast buffet that was set up. My son saw the bowl of fresh fruit, the variety of yogurt and fruit juice and was in seventh heaven. I didn’t count but he went back for several helpings of the fruit. I didn’t realize that he felt so fresh fruit deprived. Our room was ready in about 20 minutes. We were in the Kenya room with a zebra skin on the back wall, mosquito net over the bed (need that more at home with West Nile Virus), voodoo masks, leopard carpeting and rattan furniture. Felt just like home, if you were on an African safari. Actually, it was great and the bathroom was great. No more brushing and flushing at the same time for us.
Relaxation and organization were in short supply. We only have one day in Brussels so the force march continues. We ran by the post office with intentions of shipping a bunch of stuff home. It was going to cost over $100.00 so my son said he would rather carry it and spend the money on fun stuff. OK, we schlepped it back to our room.
Our first stop was the Grand Place. What a great square, we enjoyed the artists displaying their work, chocolate at both Neuhaus and Godiva, and the people watching. We saw some folks walking along with Greek Gyro Sandwiches that looked excellent. I chased them down and asked where they got them. They directed us to Rue des Bouchers and there was an smorgasbord to pick from. We found one of many Greek Gyro Shops and ordered. We sat at a little table on the sidewalk and thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.
Next we went shopping down Galeries Royales St. Hubert but didn’t find anything we couldn’t live without. We tracked down a Dandoy Store and enjoyed speculoos. There is so much to eat here! The Church of St. Nicolas was closed so we continued on our walk to the Manneken-Pis. We were both surprised at small he was and how continuously he pees. He must be drinking a lot of Belgium beer on the sly! This was a great photo spot. You could pose in front of him so it looked like he was peeing on your head. (Only a teenager would come up with that one.)
There was another brass statue just down the road and we took turns rubbing him. Evidently Mayor Evrard ‘t Serclaes refused to surrender the keys of the city to invaders so they killed him. Touch, him and it’s good luck. Go figure.
Somewhere along here we went into a tapestry shop and I fell in love with a tapestry of the Lady and the Unicorn. Remember, I enjoyed the tapestries at the Cluny in Paris. Well now I enjoy it in my bedroom. This was my big splurge treat for the entire trip. I like to buy one really nice item each trip and this was it. Happy, happy, happy.
The Upper Town was our next destination. We were somewhat unimpressed with the Place Royal mainly because of all the tram/electric lines running crazy all over the place. We strolled by the Parc de Bruxelles but not in it. The Royal Palace (different from the Place Royal - so confusing) had lovely gardens in front. We did think it was funny that no one really wanted to be King of Belgium. A nobleman from Germany, Leopold I, finally agreed to do the job.
The Sculpture Garden was a nice place to take pictures and relax on a bench. A foot masseuse would have been mighty handy also. We dragged ourselves up and into the Notre-Dame du Sablon Church to admire the statue of Mary. Last stop was the Palace of Justice and the viewpoint from Place Poelaert. It was not a bright shiny day but the view was still worthwhile. Well, we made it to Upper Town, but we decided not to walk back. Catching a taxi is just so darn easy, why not.
Back at the hotel, we had a nap, read a book, took another nap, then about 7:30 went to dinner. We were both hungry for Mexican Food and we had located a Chi Chi’s across the street from the post office. Our waiter was the most flamboyant person I have ever met. He glided, swished and danced his way around the restaurant. He was hilarious. We had chicken nachos to start, then combo plates with tacos, enchiladas, burritos, beans and rice. Top it with a margarita for Mom and we are both happy.
It drizzled rain on and off all day. As we left the restaurant it was on so we decided to skip the Illuminations at the Grand Place. Next trip... Tomorrow a day trip to Ghent.
I set our alarm to get up at 6:00 am to catch a 7:25 train to Brussels. We didn’t hear the alarm. I woke up with a start at 6:20 and yelled at my son to get moving. I had pre-purchased the train tickets because they were on sale but I guess I was over ambitious about how early to go. Everything was pretty much packed up and we had already paid the bill so we hustled out the door and to the Metro. Thank goodness there were no closures or delays, we got there with a few minutes to spare. We had barely found a seat on a bench when the board flashed our train number and track. We hopped on for a smooth ride. The trip seemed to fly by and we were there much sooner than I expected. We got off at Brussels Midi then couldn’t figure out where to catch the train to Central. We talked to a nice gentleman at the ticket booth, he told us where to go, sold us the ticket then said hurry we only had a few minutes. We made it fine and that trip was very short, under 5 minutes.
That was enough challenges for the day, we flagged down a taxi to take us to the Welcome Hotel. The taxi driver was very nice and even gave us a little tour on our way. Vanessa at the Welcome Hotel is a doll. Our room was not ready as we were quite early in the day but she said to hold on and she would check it out. In fact, she said to go ahead and help ourselves to the breakfast buffet that was set up. My son saw the bowl of fresh fruit, the variety of yogurt and fruit juice and was in seventh heaven. I didn’t count but he went back for several helpings of the fruit. I didn’t realize that he felt so fresh fruit deprived. Our room was ready in about 20 minutes. We were in the Kenya room with a zebra skin on the back wall, mosquito net over the bed (need that more at home with West Nile Virus), voodoo masks, leopard carpeting and rattan furniture. Felt just like home, if you were on an African safari. Actually, it was great and the bathroom was great. No more brushing and flushing at the same time for us.
Relaxation and organization were in short supply. We only have one day in Brussels so the force march continues. We ran by the post office with intentions of shipping a bunch of stuff home. It was going to cost over $100.00 so my son said he would rather carry it and spend the money on fun stuff. OK, we schlepped it back to our room.
Our first stop was the Grand Place. What a great square, we enjoyed the artists displaying their work, chocolate at both Neuhaus and Godiva, and the people watching. We saw some folks walking along with Greek Gyro Sandwiches that looked excellent. I chased them down and asked where they got them. They directed us to Rue des Bouchers and there was an smorgasbord to pick from. We found one of many Greek Gyro Shops and ordered. We sat at a little table on the sidewalk and thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.
Next we went shopping down Galeries Royales St. Hubert but didn’t find anything we couldn’t live without. We tracked down a Dandoy Store and enjoyed speculoos. There is so much to eat here! The Church of St. Nicolas was closed so we continued on our walk to the Manneken-Pis. We were both surprised at small he was and how continuously he pees. He must be drinking a lot of Belgium beer on the sly! This was a great photo spot. You could pose in front of him so it looked like he was peeing on your head. (Only a teenager would come up with that one.)
There was another brass statue just down the road and we took turns rubbing him. Evidently Mayor Evrard ‘t Serclaes refused to surrender the keys of the city to invaders so they killed him. Touch, him and it’s good luck. Go figure.
Somewhere along here we went into a tapestry shop and I fell in love with a tapestry of the Lady and the Unicorn. Remember, I enjoyed the tapestries at the Cluny in Paris. Well now I enjoy it in my bedroom. This was my big splurge treat for the entire trip. I like to buy one really nice item each trip and this was it. Happy, happy, happy.
The Upper Town was our next destination. We were somewhat unimpressed with the Place Royal mainly because of all the tram/electric lines running crazy all over the place. We strolled by the Parc de Bruxelles but not in it. The Royal Palace (different from the Place Royal - so confusing) had lovely gardens in front. We did think it was funny that no one really wanted to be King of Belgium. A nobleman from Germany, Leopold I, finally agreed to do the job.
The Sculpture Garden was a nice place to take pictures and relax on a bench. A foot masseuse would have been mighty handy also. We dragged ourselves up and into the Notre-Dame du Sablon Church to admire the statue of Mary. Last stop was the Palace of Justice and the viewpoint from Place Poelaert. It was not a bright shiny day but the view was still worthwhile. Well, we made it to Upper Town, but we decided not to walk back. Catching a taxi is just so darn easy, why not.
Back at the hotel, we had a nap, read a book, took another nap, then about 7:30 went to dinner. We were both hungry for Mexican Food and we had located a Chi Chi’s across the street from the post office. Our waiter was the most flamboyant person I have ever met. He glided, swished and danced his way around the restaurant. He was hilarious. We had chicken nachos to start, then combo plates with tacos, enchiladas, burritos, beans and rice. Top it with a margarita for Mom and we are both happy.
It drizzled rain on and off all day. As we left the restaurant it was on so we decided to skip the Illuminations at the Grand Place. Next trip... Tomorrow a day trip to Ghent.
