london and paris
 

At the end of March we are visiting our younger son in London, where he's in school for a year. We stay 3 nights at the Crescent Hotel.

http://www.crescenthoteloflondon.com/)

Then the three of us take the Eurostar to Paris, where we rent an apartment of friend of a friend which is 67 sq meters and has little balconies and an old fashioned elevator. It looks very nice, and is a 15 minute walk to the Seine and 10 minutes to the Champs de Mars and the Eiffel Tower. The owner says metro lines 6, 8 and 10 and bus lines 42 and 80 are within 3 blocks. She has a cell phone we can use. I'm not sure if the apt is on rue du theatre or rue cler. All this will become clearer in time.

Our older son is also joining us in Paris, on spring break from his teaching job in denver. Next year he says he wants to teach english in vietnam. Its not cheap being parents of runaway bunnies.

I've been to both London and Paris once so II can distinguish Big Ben from the Eiffel Tower. We also have guidebooks from the library. I figure our son can help us see stuff in London, but Paris is a little intimidating. We wanted to see a soccer game in Paris but there aren't any when we're there (3/29 -4/5). I don't know what a tootsie roll refers to, or what Berthillon is, but we're looking forward to the Louvre being deserted an hour before closing.

It's a little early to be asking for suggestions, but some of you may know how much I need good suggestions. I'm not a troll, so don't do that omaha bridge thing.

There's a Team5 Roissy Galaxy Cup qualification match on March 29 that I would assume is in Roissy/Paris. And Le Five Paris (75): qualification Coupe du Monde F5WC on April 5.

Found them here: http://www.mag5.fr/L-agenda-permanen...nues_a571.html.

It's all kind of shorthand to me, but I can probably find more info if you're interested.

From your description you are probably in the 15th or possibly the 7th. One thing your boys might enjoy is the Ballon de Paris. It is a tethered hot air balloon that goes up about 500 feet-a pretty amazing way to see Paris.

http://www.ballondeparis.com/

It also looks like you can tour the Stade de France which might be interesting to you all if you are big soccer fans. And they have English language tours:

http://www.stadiumguide.com/stadedefrance/

<don't do that omaha bridge thing>

Um, is it funny? I've said something about a poster being someone who rails at goats crossing streams . . .

Berthilion (sp?) is an ice cream shop on Ile St. Louis. Its proponents praise it as world class.

The only match I found in Paris is PSG's home match the day you leave (5 April).

StCirq, the link seems to show the Roissy match in April, but we can investigate further. Thanks very much for the info on the balloon, stadium tours and Berthillion. Omaha bridge is a combination of an exclamation by peyton manning and a place where billy goat gruff trolls hang out. It's not very funny. My french will sound funny.

OK, besides soccer, what else do you fancy doing in Paris? You can either cram a lot of interesting and different things into a short time or you can just relax and stroll the city and take a cruise on the Seine and soak it all up.

I think we're more the relaxing types. A cruise on the Seine would be fun. Is biking dangerous? I think there's a bike share program in Paris. Tuileries. No tootsie rolls. Musee d'orsay, louvre, orangerie. We didn't get to the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia but the Barnes was great. I've found out the apt is at 87 rue du theatre in the 15th. Bakeries, street markets and charcuteries. Maybe a little wine now and then. Un peu. Nothing fancy. Now I gotta walk the dog and read guidebooks.

Go online and get a 3 euro discount on the Vedettes du Pont Neuf Seine cruise. No need to book in advance - just show up 20 minutes before cruising time at a time of your choosing (evening when the Tour Eiffel and the city are lit up is nice, but daytime's fine, too).

There's a cheap bike rental outfit called Vélib all over Paris. Google it for how to use it. Simple and cheap from what I've heard. Can pick up at place A and return to place B. Never done it, but I expect it works just like the one here in DC, which I've also never used (I do not DO bikes!). I can't say whether it's dangerous or not, as I don't bike.

If you're going to do a bunch of museums, look into the Paris Museum Pass. You have to do the math to see if it makes sense for you; compare against individual prices to get into museums you want to see. One advantage is it lets you avoid the entry lines (but not security lines, which at places like the Louvre can be daunting), you can go more than once a day, and you always have free bathrooms available. But you do need to use it on consecutive days once you start, and it may not be worth it to you.

You'll find wine everywhere: in the Monoprix and Franprix stores as well as dedicated wine stores and places like the chain Nicolas.

YOu can use Google Street View to see exactly what's around your exact address in the 15th, but it's safe to say that you won't be far from bakeries, street markets, and charcuteries. I'll check the address and give you some suggestions and for restos also - I know that area very well, but not the specific address.