I’ll try to highlight the differences and not be redundant, although our trip was clearly not like Leon’s or Wendy’s. Arrived at 11:30 am on Christmas day and used Paris Shuttle to get to get to our hotel, Quai Voltaire, which has gotten mixed reviews here. My humble assessment; we were discouraged by it’s slight dingy look when we arrived but cheered up a lot when the extreme fatigue of the long trip wore off. (I have taken 11 flights since 9/11 and every one of them has been completely full! Makes for a long 12 hour flight.) It’s not a place where you want to stay if you intend to spend a lot of time in the room but it does have a FABULOUS view (I never got tired of looking out the window at the Louvre across the Seine). No TV, bathroom fine, heating subject to the vagaries of whomever is on the front desk apparently. Sometimes it was too cold, others too hot. We tried to use the front desks help twice and they were not able to find what we were looking for (even when given very specific information… ie the Paris Shuttle phone number when given the website address). <BR><BR>We crammed as much as we possibly could into the week. Highlights were lunch at the Jules Verne. YES, it was worth the money. The view was spectacular (although wouldn’t it be grand if it revolved?), service was great, food was good and the little extras kept coming even though our stomachs were too full to accommodate them! I can certainly see why some people pan it… the couple next to us grumbled about everything; smokers nearby, the food wasn’t up to the “CIA” standards, wine too expensive and not any better than a $12 bottle of California chardonnay, yadda yadda yadda…. But I’d go back in a heartbeat. From there we headed over to the Arch de Triumph and drank vin chaud in a caf&eacute; until the lights on the Champs d’Elisee went on. Beautiful. Rode the ferris wheel and even bought the tacky tourist picture they take when you exit the ride. We bought the post card version and mailed it back home. Incredible views from the top at night. Paris truly is the city of lights.<BR><BR>Yes, buy a Museum Card. We bought the 3 day pass and did the Louvre, Orsay, and Versailles as well as the Arch de Triumph (amazing the amount of traffic that pours around that roundabout), avoiding huge long lines. Am I the only one who feels really guilty hopping to the front of the lines like that? I bet the Louvre line (in the pouring rain) was 2 hours. The metro was temporarily “not circulating” when we headed towards Sacre Coeur so we took a taxi. Very smart move! For about $10 we got a fabulous tour of Paris and skipped the hassle of changing very crowded trains. It was incredibly crowded in Montmartre and we bought a couple of tiny paintings and visited the church and took a million pictures as we wandered down to the metro stop. We bought lots of tacky souveniers and and piles of beautiful scarves. <BR><BR>Our last day we took the metro to Chateau Vincennes, Charles V’s prison (with it’s 14th century dungeon) and Louis XIV’s hunting lodge. It was a pleasant break from the crowds of all the other sites, since we had the place practically to ourselves and was fun to project ourselves into life as a royal.<BR>

Favorite restaurants, aside from the Jules Verne, were a tiny Italian restaurant, Ponte Vecchio at Notre Dame (I got to use my Italian to our waiter and the owner), Le Butcherie, next to the Shakespeare Book store, and the little caf&eacute; we found on Rue de Bac where we became somewhat regulars. Great croque monsieur and crepes.<BR><BR>I bought a beautiful antique sapphire ring and diligently maneuvered the tricky trail for a VAT refund. Does anybody else think this is kind of like the manufacturers’rebate fiasco where you always get some excuse as to why you didn’t do it exactly right so you don’t get the rebate?<BR><BR>We had to fly from CDG to Duesseldorf on New Year’s day (by the way, New Year’s Eve revelers were STILL crowding the streets when the shuttle picked us up at 6:00 AM) and had a chance to use Euros during our 5 hour layover at the airport (a very nice airport!) All the staff was studying the new bills and coins very carefully.<BR><BR>Things I noticed: There are an incredible number of very attractive young women with not so very attractive old men! Everybody smokes and no one seems to think it inappropriate to light up between courses even though you are in the middle of one of yours and your tables are practically abutting eachother. There are lots of Americans in Paris (at least there were over the holidays). You can say something in French to a Parisian and they won’t understand it. After several tries they will say “Oh!” and repeat the exact same thing that you said. TexMex in Paris has a decidedly French flair. (who’d have thought of quesadillas with goat cheese? Excellent actually.) I like Bateaux Mouche much better than Bateaux Parisianne (which smelled like gasoline) and don’t even waste your money going when it’s raining because the windows fog up and you can’t see a thing. And last but not least; travel is a lot like labor. Eventually you forget the pain of the miserably long flight and airport hassles and only remember the fun parts. Otherwise you’d never do it again!<BR>

GREAT-more more!

Grasshopper, wonderful trip report! It definitely has your VOICE in it.<BR><BR>When did you go to La Bucherie - breakfast or lunch? Haven't been there (it was closed on a Monday so didn't get to try it). Did you go inside Shakespeare & Co?<BR><BR>Well, I'm glad to hear someone finally had a good time at the Jules Verne. Don't you hate it when someone at a nearby table is constantly b****ing? It's like, hello?, do you mind if I get my money's worth here?<BR><BR>Glad you enjoyed yourself. Like c said, MORE MORE!

Grasshopper, I didn't get back to my hotel on NYE until almost 5 in the morning! Could have just missed you! <BR><BR>I'm so glad you liked Jules Verne! I took my mom there for lunch last year and we loved it too!<BR><BR>The day of the rain we saw the line at Orsay and it was also about 2-3 hours. We said no thanks and came back the next day!<BR>

Mary, I have been to Le Butcherie a few times over the years and always at dinner. The food is very good. One thing I always notice is that the staff tends to be VERY pretentious when you arrive but warm up very well as the evening progresses. <BR><BR>A couple of other things nobody has mentioned regarding New Year's... the full moon! Wasn't it extraordinary? And the high tide on the Seine. The lower street in front of Orsay was completely closed. And on New Year's Eve it seemed to me that there were no dinner cruises on the river. Was that because the tide was too high for the boats? The benches along the banks were completely underwater!<BR><BR>Wendy, knowing you were there I often wondered if our paths crossed. Never saw any 6'5" men though.

The moon was amazing!! And we noticed the high tide too!<BR>Also on the clear days you can glance views of Sacre Coeur from everywhere! <BR>Grasshopper did you go onto Pont neuf where it was all lit up in blue with the flags and spotlights and all? Incredible!!<BR>If Dayne was sitting down you may not have noticed his height! haha! Who knows we may have been on the same metro or in the same cafe!!! <BR>

Yes, we saw the blue lights and flags for about the last 4 nights of the year. Our hotel had two big windows that looked out on the Seine and we could see from the Place de Concorde to Pont Neuf. (We were on the 5th floor) We even could see the top of the Arch de Triumph on New Year's Eve. The crowds were incredible.

Topping for Milly...

topping

TOPPING~

Where is the Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore? We looked and looked for it last summer in the place our book said it was and we finally decided it had closed Maybe it just moved?! Thanks!

Aha! One of my favorite questions!<BR><BR>(And keep in mind that this is not the ORIGINAL Shakespeare & Co. which was run by Sylvia Beach - but still a great incarnation, nonetheless). The original was 1st located at 8 rue Dupuytren and then moved to its famous location or 12 rud de l'Odeon.<BR><BR>It is located at:<BR> 37 rue de la Bucherie<BR>facing Quai Montebello on the Left Bank across from Notre Dame. With your back to the front (west entrance) of Notre Dame, take a left (south) at the first bridge (Pont au Double), when you get to the other side (Left Bank) take a right onto Quai Montebello. Just before you get to the next bridge (Petite Pont) you'll see it on a little street that is parallel to but set back a little from Quai Montebello. You'll see it from Quai Montebello. And there you are!<BR><BR>I bought a book there and they stamp it for you with their special/cool Shakespeare & Co. stamp that says "Kilometre Zero Paris" to indicate its proximity to Notre Dame.<BR><BR>AND 2 DOORS DOWN is a great bakery/cafe that is highly recommended by Elaine, one of this forum's resident experts, Cafe la Bucherie.<BR><BR>In fact, let me go one further, and recommend that you request Elaine's Paris file. : )

Carmen, It's very small and it's right across the river from Notre Dame adjacent to a small park. It's been there for years. Incidently, there's another in Berkeley, CA.

let's make that ON rue de l'Odeon<BR><BR>: )

Thanks all! Now I just have to get back so I can look again and find it!

That is one of the great things about traveling~there is always something that you didn't see and have to go back for, no matter how many times I have been to Paris, there are sooo many things to see..Mary,I am so impressed with your directions!What a memory you have! You would be an excellent travel companion,no one would get lost~unlike myself-always saying"I am sure it is right around this corner" and then we go on and on and getting more and more lost~

GH-I bought so many posters at the stands along the Seine,the booknistes? and it is such a kick to visit a friend/relative and see the poster framed and on their wall and remember standing there along the Quai and trying to decide what to bring back with us..also-the Museum Card..we were told to get them the first trip we took to Paris, boy am I glad we did, there were so many lines at all the museums and we breezed right past them all~and it did feel a little like sneaking in the back way at the D'Orsay when we went in that side entrance while there was a line around the block..did you have lunch at the restaurant in the D'Orsay? My favorite sculpture is there, an angel bending over a child,just about to kiss it's cheek..

Holly....