Ira Visits Zurich, The Bodensee, Alsace and Paris – May 2008
 

Hi all,

Here is the first installment of my trip report. I shall cover:

A. Hotels
B. Restaurants
C. What we did
D. Miscellaneous notes

A. Hotels

Zurich: Hotel St. Josef (http://www.st-josef.ch/)
Based on a review I had read, we asked for room 414. We were very pleased with this large corner room on the 1st floor. The hotel is modern, with relatively spare furnishings. Friendly, helpful staff; spotlessly clean, good bkfst, good restaurant (My Lady Wife rated it one of the best of our stay) and central location not far from the Hauptbahnhof and the Old Town. 190 CHF($180)/nite w/bkfst.

Lindau: Eiscafe Hotel Schreier (http://www.hotel-schreier.de/)
Less than 5 min walk from the train station and right on the Seepromenade facing the Lion, the Tower and the Lighthouse, this hotel is a great value for the money.
It is a very modern, recently built facility with all of the conveniences, including AC. We especially liked the towel heaters, which made drying our underwear and socks a breeze. In addition to a very pleasant, helpful and welcoming staff, the breakfast was the best of our visit – freshly scrambled eggs in addition to the usual Germanic offering of meats, cheeses, breads, pastries, fruit, yoghurt, preserves and coffee.
The rooms are named after ice cream flavors. We stayed, again, in Vanilla, which is on the 1st floor with a large, landscaped terrace (not a balcony) facing the waterfront.
The welcome offering of fruit, chocolates and wine was a treat.
Needless to say, the hotel is spotless. 135E ($210)/nite w/bkfst.

Kientzheim: Hostellerie Schwendi (http://pagesperso-orange.fr/schwendi/index.htm)
This hotel has an older, quaint, charming section, and a newer, quaint, charming section. We like room 22 in the newer section – the Old Forge, which dates to the 1600’s – with a balcony on the courtyard. In either section, the air-conditioned rooms are well maintained and immaculate.
The staff is friendly and helpful, but be prepared to practice your French and/or German. A more than adequate bkfst is offered each morning. The croissants and pastries are baked in the hotel kitchens.
The restaurant is very, very good. I am particularly fond of the spaetzle.
Because they own their own vineyards, the Schillé-Giese family can offer their wines to take up to your room at very attractive rates – much, much lower than restaurant prices. One can easily become accustomed to a bottle of vin de Alsace each evening on the balcony.
At 95E ($148)/nite w/bkfst, the Schwendi is a very good value.

Paris: Hotel Bonaparte (http://www.hotelbonaparte.fr/)
This visit, our favorite room (no. 23) in our favorite hotel in Paris had some new touches and a recent repainting.
Those familiar with the hotel will be pleased to know that Madame and Napoleon the Cat are both in good health and enjoying retirement in the South of France.
The extremely helpful, pleasant and accommodating English-speaking staff went out of their way to make, cancel and remake restaurant reservations for us. In addition, we learned three new bus routes.
The hotel is old and getting a bit worn, but very clean.
Situated right around the corner from Place St. Sulpice, close to 3 metro stops and 4 bus stops, we think that the Bonaparte has the best location in Paris. 131E($204)/nite w/bkfst served in the room. (There is a bkfst room for those who like to dress before they have their coffee.)

More to come.

((I))

Ira,

Welcome back! I like the new format - looking forward to more.

Ira, welcome home! I'm looking forward to the rest of your report; you always provide such helpful nd interesting information.

I'd love to learn all about your newly discovered bus routes plus any old favourites because I'm a fan of using buses to tour the town and save the feet.

Ira: Your reports are always interesting and helpful. Planning to go to Zurich in the very near future.
Would like you to comment on some wonderful dishes you tasted as well as some souvenirs you happened to buy. What about chocolate shop names. Thanks.Waiting for your report!

Ira: Sorry, just noticed you have already replied to my post earlier. Thanks again!

Superb...at first glance, sounds as if you and LadyWife are both fit and fine. Can't wait for more of your report.

Thank you in advance.

Gruezi Ira,

Welcome back! Looking forward to hearing more - esp. the restaurants.

gruezi

As always anything Ira posts i read

As for Miscellaneous notes

Ira - were Europeans you met as agog over Obama as those i met this winter?

nearly everyone i met was rooting for Obama.

I love Ira's posts also. (To answer PalenQ, I would say that at least 80% of the French support Obama.)

Actually, what I was wondering about is the Hôtel Bonaparte. Ira, if it suddenly burned down, do you know at which hotel you would want to stay in Paris?

Hotel de Ville?

Hi, Ira. I, too, always enjoy your posts. We are all waiting for more.
Judy

Welcome Back, ira!
Sounds like a lovely trip :-)

The restaurant is very, very good. I am particularly fond of the spaetzle.>>

hi Ira, me too. I've tried making my own but with little success and the ones we bought in the german supermarket didn't travel too well. what did they serve with the spaetzle? i particularly like them with the venison stews you often get in germany/austria.

looking forward to more,

regards, ann

Hi PQ,

>Ira - were Europeans you met as agog over Obama as those i met this winter?

nearly everyone i met was rooting for Obama.<

I try not to discuss politics when abroad. I mean, who cares whether Sarkozy's wife is a supermodel?

However, from the magazines and newspapers that I saw, I would say that the majority of France and Germany, if not all of Europe, favored Obama over the other possibilities.
.................................
Hi K,

>...what I was wondering about is the Hôtel Bonaparte. Ira, if it suddenly burned down, do you know at which hotel you would want to stay in Paris?<

Oh, that is a tough one. :)
................................
Hi M,

>I'd love to learn all about your newly discovered bus routes...

The 84 runs between Porte de Champerret and the Panthéon. You get a good view of some of the more popular sights. Very good for visiting the Parc Monceau.

The 63 will take you from St. Sulpice almost to the door of the new Branly Museum.

The 86 will take you from St. Sulpice all the way to the zoo.
...................................

Thanks to all for the welcome backs.

((I))

Bookmarking, as there is always something of great interest in an Ira trip report that I wish to incoporate into one of my future trips!

I always read Ira's post.
I look forward to more information on your trip, Ira.

Ira,

Based on some of your previous posts about the Hotel Bonaparte, we booked a room for 6 nights in October at the hotel. Is Room #23 worth asking for? Does it have a decent view? Does it have an American-style shower? Other than those two things, my husband and I are not fussy travellers. Looking forward to reading more about your trip.

frebreta,

We stayed at the Bonaparte in May 2006, although not in room 23. Our room had a full size tub with a hand held shower sprayer, but no curtain or shower door. The floor got a bit wet, but the bathroom was large and the tub was, too.

I don't think any of the rooms at the Bonaparte have too much of a view. The rear rooms face an internal couryard looking at the backs of other buildings, and the front rooms should have a view of the Rue Bonaparte, which is a narrow street.

The great thing about the hotel is it's location. Step out the front door, turn left, walk about forty feet, and stare to your left at the plaza in front of the church of St. Sulpice (made somewhat famous by the book "The Davinci Code"). What a terrific plaza, a beautiful church, and a nice small cafe where we stopped a couple of times a day. Cafe de la Theresa, or something similar, I think.

Terrific hotel in a great location. Our only complaint was the air conditioning was not terribly effective.

Welcome back, Ira! Thanks for the hotel information. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Here's another "Welcome Home."

I'm looking forward to the rest of your report. We all know that nobody can describe a dinner as well as you.

Byrd (who owns what is probably the only spaetzle-maker in south Alabama)