Thanks Kismet.

Tuesday we had planned to go to the Orsay, but since it is supposed to be crowded on Tuesday and it was raining again (and we weren't using museum passes), we opted for Jacquemart-Andre. Took the bus to Trocadero, where I knew we would have good photo ops for the Eiffel Tower, plus monuments to some of the fallen in WWI/II. Then bus to Andre-J, which we both enjoyed immensely.

There is something about that house, the history, the way the owners arranged it (and the fact that it was donated to the city of Paris with the stipulation that the arrangement not be changed), the up-scale area, that makes it so interesting.

After, we headed to Chartiers for lunch because I consider it so "folklorique." A not-so-pleasant experience. For some reason, despite the fact that it was late and the place was not too crowded, we were seated next to a French couple. (I attribute that to a nasty French waiter who wanted to pack his section. The neighboring waiters were so much nicer.) I didn't notice, but evidently the guy next to me was smoking like a chimney, the smoke blowing directly in Bette's face. Finally, she could take it no more and we left, heading to the Brioche Dore nearby for coffee, tarts and bathroom.

Since it was rainy, we decided to explore some of the covered passages before heading back home and that was fun. Then we got semi-lost looking for a bus, so ended up taking the Metro. As we exited the Metro, we were surprised to see a big demonstration going on. The street was closed and vehicles and marching people with balloons were protesting, but I never could figure out exactly what (37.5% of something--retirement?). Odd to see Raspail and its intersection with Montparnasse closed down to traffic.

That evening we had reservations at Chez Maitre Paul on Monsieur-le-Prince. Another handy bus took us there and we were seated downstairs in a room with nothing but Americans. By that time we had decided that a big meal at night was not for us, so we asked if we could share the main course. Of course, the waiter said yes, but he wasn't nuts about it. The real winner was Bette because she had the "entrée" du jour: a salade aux langoustines, cooked just perfectly and the langoustines were still warm; I swear that dish was big enough for a main course. Yum, yum! I had morilles a la crème and we shared the chicken in cheese cream sauce. The morilles were good and the chicken was OK, but I'm not too sure what all the raving's about. It was, however, a huge portion and we were sure glad we split it. We had struck up a conversation with a lovely young woman, who had been traveling in Europe for a couple of months, and her mother, who was visiting with her for a couple of weeks. Thoroughly enjoying the meal and the company, we indulged in a dessert: I had nut ice cream with calvados--hadn't had anything that good since gelato affogato in Rimini 20 years ago--nothing like my two favorite things: booze and ice cream. And then?. The guy at the table on the other side lit up a CIGAR! He managed to clear out the room pretty quickly. We just got up and paid our check at the door, as well as a Brit/American couple. That's why I prefer eating outside: they can't bother (at least suffocate) you and you can't bother them.

So that the evening wouldn't end on that note, we walked over to Pont Neuf and took a bateau mouche. Unfortunately, I had left the € 1 off coupon in the room, since we hadn't been planning this. But we enjoyed the ride all the same. Took the Metro at Cite back home.

Wednesday dawned sunny and bright, so we had the bright idea of going to Versailles since some of the great pleasures of the place are the gardens and Marie Antoinette's hamlet where she played at being a peasant. And who knew if we would have another sunny day (as it turned out, we didn't). That's what I love about overplanning--you can kind of juggle potential plans for the day in your head, like shuffling a deck of cards, and discover what's right for that day.

We took a bus to the Orsay RER C stop. I vaguely remembered someone saying you could buy a combined RER/Versailles ticket, so we did that--for € 20.80. I wasn't thinking properly or I don't think I would have bought it because it seems to me that the last time we did RT to Versailles it cost about $3; that would make the Versailles ticket inordinately expensive! However, that's water over the dam (or some such). We immediately headed for the Hamlet and the Trianons, which we loved, via the little train (about € 5). We spent a lot of time in the gardens there and ate at La Flotille near the bottom of the canals (€ 29 for the plat du jour, a quite tepid lasagne, and 2 glasses of wine.

We walked back up and explored the gardens a little. It was mid-afternoon by then and we thought we should see the chateau, so we went through the gates where I had to show a man our ticket. He got all excited that we were going to miss everything (thinking all the while, I'm sure, 'zeez stupid americans') and hustled us over to the queen's apartments (no crowds), which we saw with the audiotour, and then went to the king's apartments (as we had been ordered to do by the little man), so we did manage to see most of it. I guess the "passeport" ticket that came with the RER ticket allowed entrance to everything. I've been unable to locate any reference to it on either the chateauversailles.fr or ratp.fr site. I must say, it was an excellent visit and I enjoyed it more than any other time I had gone except for the one Sunday afternoon we went for the fountain display (which would have also been covered by the passeport if it had been going on).

We made our way back home, stopping by the boulangerie/patisserie for some tarts and had a quiet evening at "home." (I think I stayed up late watching a silly French detective movie, but I needed a French TV fix.)

Another wonderful trip report. You ladies, this month have all been giving us such fun reading that we need these rainy dismal days.

Sue, I really enjoyed your report; next best thing to being there is hearing someone else's account of a place I love. My plans fell through for France this May, but hope springs eternal for next year.

Betty, I'll be eager to hear of your trip,too; I believe you're renting a place in Provence for a group of friends, if I'm not mistaken?

Mimi, nice to hear from you again.

Grandmere, all my sympathies for your plans falling through--I know how disappointing that can be. But all the more time to plan for next year!

I'm almost done! Should be posting later this afternoon.

Ah, Grandmere, no Mont Blanc for you this year either???? :(

LVSue, I'm looking forward to the next installment. :>)

I LOVE THIS THREAD!!Not only because of Sue but alot of you nice women I see here at times that have posted.
Cheers to us, Ladies, may we win a lottery and not worry about our next trips.

And if one of us wins we can swoop all the rest of us to Angelina for chocolat chaud & Mont Blanc (and possibly rose champagne)!!

It's good to see you here, too, Cigalechanta, my fellow beatnik friend. :)

Hi LVSue: Great trip report. Under the small world department, my wife and I were at Chez Marte Paul the night the cigar smoker cleared the room. We were sitting up front so we didn't get the full brunt of the vile smell but we commented on the cigar smoke chasing people out. We were disappointed also with the chicken cheese dish after reading all the hype on Fodor's.

Yes, this is a very enjoyable thread--feels like chatting with a group of friends. Too bad we can't do it over a table at Angelina with a few Mont Blancs in front of us! And from the references to beatniks et al, I'm guessing a lot of us are les femmes d'un certain age!

Sue, wonderful report! Thanks so much for taking the time. I want to do the same type of Provence trip, so will keep your report on Avignon. I recently got back from a 2-week trip to Paris and the Loire Valley (mostly spent time in the Loire) and will do a report as soon as I can catch up with everything. I love to read these trip reports. I'm sure mine won't be as good as yours (the report, not the trip!).

Sue4, I think I posted a reply to this on another thread, but I'm looking forward to your report on the Loire. If I ever manage to get Bette to do this again, I think the Loire would be a great first week.

Jacksonjr, what a small world!

Thursday was an outstanding day though the weather was somewhat overcast. Went to the Orsay museum and saw it from top to bottom (literally--I always start at the top before the crowds get there). We got there a little before the 10:00 opening and didn't wait in line long at all. I saw so many of my old favorites and some new ones, too. (I had to find CyberTraveler's Cezanne's Dahlias.) And since I usually take home a souvenir cat, why not a picture of a cat ? (I also got a great one of a boy and his black and white cat at the Pont du Gard): so I took one of a painting of a girl with cat. Now I need your help because I didn't write down the artist or the name of the painting, though it seems to me it was Girl with Cat. It's not Berthe Morisot's, nor is it Renoir's Boy with Cat, which makes me think it's Renoir because I searched for the boy with cat and didn't find it. The girl is very Renoirish; the boy is totally nude from the back! Anyway, it's a dark-headed girl in a white dress trimmed in gold has a very contented cat in her lap (he is smiling). Renoir did others, which I have found on the net, but can't locate this one. Can you?

We broke up our visit with a lunch at Café des Hauteurs. It was so pleasant I really can't see why people would want to eat in the fancy dining room there. We each had the soupe aux legumes (a puree) and shared the assiette anglaise. It had been so long since I had seen that favorite of my youth on the menu that I just had to order it. And it was great, as was the soup. Total for 2: € 21. (but I don't think we had wine)

We left mid-afternoon after exploring every nook and cranny and I walked Bette along rue de l'Universite to show her my husband's favorite plaque: right after Universite changes into rue Jacob on the north side of the street is a wonderful plaque indicating the Hotel of York: where John Jay, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin signed the definitive treaty of peace with David Hartley, representative of Great Britain, giving independence to the USA. All right there on that plaque. Just gives you shivers. Early one morning my husband had walked down there to take a picture of it, and a Frenchman stopped to ask him what it was. When Gene told him, he said, "I have lived here all my life, but I have never seen that. In Paris there is always something."

We continued on to Buci and to the Procope restaurant and its plaque, claiming to be the oldest in Paris (nay, the world) boasting such customers as LaFontaine, Voltaire, Ben Franklin, etc. Bette loved taking pictures of these plaques for her husband who is a history buff. Then the metro home to get ready for our dinner at the Eiffel Tower. No, not Jules Verne, but Altitude 95. It's the thought that counts.

We were running a tich late for our reservations at 7:00, but the line wasn't long and soon we were being wafted to the first--no, wait, second level. Well, since we had only paid for the first, we had to take some quick pix, and then back down to the first. Very nice, good table and view, although not next to the windows (we were late, doncha know).

This is where I found the ultimate example for prix fixe menus in Paris. The prix fixe was € 50. But if I ordered the most expensive entrée and most expensive plat (which I did), it came to 42 and the desserts were 8. So? I asked for a French menu (they gave us both English ones). The waiter assured me they were the same; I assured him that some of the translations were kinda weird, so I needed to see the French. Bette made the mistake of ordering langoustines after her wonderful Maitre Paul experience (translated as something weird like Dublin shellfish, I might add--if we hadn't gotten the French menu, she might never have ordered them). They were awful and we returned them for pink shrimp. I, however, ordered the smoked salmon with green beans--sounds weird, but it was like a green bean burrito only salmon enveloped the tiny, crunchy green beans. I loved it! My steak was good, her lamb was good and altogether, we had quite a nice dinner and skipped the dessert, as I recall, so our meal came to € 113 with a nice bottle of Brouilly.

Well, my adventuresome friend was ready to tackle the top. So, with my fear of heights, I courageously agreed to wait for her in the bar, holding her tote bag (quite tasteful velveteen-type thing). Off she went. An hour later, down she came, looking like a frozen drowned rat! In her tote bag was her windbreaker, so when the deluge came at the top, she was wearing her lightweight dressy restaurant top and slacks, but no umbrella, no windbreaker, etc. Ah, life is an adventure! What fun! (Easy for me to say, sitting in the bar with a primo view and a coffee and cognac.)

We decided against walking to the Bir Hakeim metro stop, just a little too far and dark for me, so took the RER to St. Michel and the metro straight to Vavin and "home." Another excellent day made possible by hours of planning and then throwing caution to the winds.

Sue, fun report! Don't know why, but I found your feelings of "betrayal" over not getting two chocolates the most funny.

Glad to hear you had a great time!

Just to let you know, LVSue, I really enjoyed your trip reports. I was surprised that you didn't go to the Pope's Palace in Avignon, but you did say you'd been there before.

I rented an apt. the last time I was in Paris and found it to be much more convenient and private than a hotel--and you really do not need your sheets changed every day.

I once flew to Germany and discovered I forgot to pack underpants AFTER I got there. First stop was a department store. I don't speak German and had to wander around a bit until I found some as I couldn't ask--LOL.

Lauren, we mainly saw "outside" things in the south because I knew we would see lots of museums in Paris. (and I had seen the Palais des Papes before)

I have a real dread of forgetting something as necessary as unmentionables because in France I would never find my size. :-( Now in Salzburg I found an Ulla Popken store and just loved it! And I do try to remember to carry the name of a French plus-size store with me, just in case, but I think this time I forgot that, too!

I do plan to finish this off when I get back from no. Calif. I am so enjoying this cool weather that I just want to roll in the grass.

Grandmere,
Count me also in the club of the" Forever Young" that is my Motto...
The first time I visited Paris I was a young teenager...I remenber that the beatniks were actually called the existentialists in Paris. I used to think that their main anthem the "Feuilles Mortes" was actually a French song...I believed that, until I met my hubby and with his texan sense of humour,and a great laugh, told me that it wasnt a French song but a famous American...Music is truly International and so is Love....:):)

Kismetchimera, your hubby may have a great Texan sense of humor (I am a horned frog myself and taught French in Burleson), but Les Feuilles Mortes is indeed a French song. For some of its history, check out this URL:

http://www.spaceagepop.com/eurosong.htm

I've gone to amazon.fr and found several versions (Yves Montand, Patachou, Juliette Greco), but the brief listenable blurbs are the "intro" to the actual song.

(Or maybe you were serious about the sense of humor, and I am taking this too seriously!)