This has been very enjoyable...love LVsue's enthusiasm and sense of humor...nice to be reminded of some of my favorite haunts. One of these is the Jacquemart Andre. The architect who designed the mansion placed second behind Garnier in the competition for the opera. The spectacular double staircase in the winter garden was an attempt to outdo his colleague.

Remember that Audrey Hepburn movie Funny face. She meets up with the existentialists(beatniks here) Julette Greco was in that.That also may be about the time Greco had an affair with Miles Davis.

Sue, this has been a fun thread thanks, That song in English was called 'The Falling Leaves"and was recorded by alot of our crooners.

Cigale/Mimi, I actually saw Greco in Paris in 1965. My boyfriend and I thought it would be funny to tell our French friends that I'd forgotten the tickets in my room: zey were not amused....

Actually, it was Autumn Leaves. It's funny when you are familiar with French music how you can recognize a French song even if you haven't heard it before.

Hi, I only came upon this thread today and have enjoyed it immensely. Thanks, LVSue; I've copied several of your sections. It's been awhile since I've been in Paris other than to change planes at CDG. Can someone refresh my memory about the carte orange? Thanks all. J.

It's a weekly (hebdomadaire) or monthly metro bus/pass (€13.25) and consists of two parts: a plastic folder with an orange ID card (you need a 1 x 1 picture) and the coupon (ticket) that you use in the Metro. You write the number of your ID card on the ticket. They run from M-Sun; you can buy ticket 3 days early and through Wednesday of the valid week. You can re-use the folder/ID part and replace the coupon from week to week. We thought it was the berries just to be able to hop on for a couple of stops or to change buses as many times as we wanted (each change of bus takes a new Metro ticket).

Thanks, LVSue! So do you bring a photograph w/you or is there a way of applying and purchasing it before your trip?

Just bring any old photo; you can even cut it out of a larger snapshot or go to one of those photo machines. You can also use the photo machines in France.

And, no, you can't buy it here. Just buy it at a Metro station in Paris. Ask for "une Carte Orange Hebdomadaire, s'il vous plait."

LVSue, I checked the webb site... you are right...My hubby is going to be surprised when I tell him!!!!:):),
however, he does have a great sense of humour!!!!! He had to have it, because i married quite young( for European standard) and I did not know how to cook at first...I always remenber the first time i made gravy.. I was so proud.. despite that it was lumpy with grease floating on top.. or my first fried chicken... beautiful golden inside, but still bloody inside...We are still laughing thinking about it...:):)

and thanks again!

Ron, I love that story of the double staircase at Jacquemart-Andre.

Kismetchimera, you made me think of a time when I was dating my husband, taking care of his kids while he was at work, and I made deviled eggs for a picnic the next day. I followed the recipe (yes, I know, a recipe for deviled eggs) perfectly, including the teaspoon of salt. They were awful, and he arrived home from the Star-Telegram to find me dissolved in tears. We often laughed about that night. :-)

And now for the end of my tale...

Friday was the day to go to my husband's final resting place at the end of the island of the Grande Jatte. Again the bus/metro combination was perfect because the bus went directly to a spot near Parc Monceau where there is a great flower shop. We bought some beautiful mums; had a coffee in a café where for the first time I saw a paying toilet, but they give you a token (or really 50 cents, I don't remember) if you are a patron. The year before I had had a coffee there and the W/C was free. We walked down to Villiers metro stop a block away and took metro #3 to the end, crossed over the Seine and we were there. Although the tip of the island was occupied by a young bearded gent, he seemed to be in the same meditative mode we were in. We threw the blossoms into the Seine one by one, he took a picture of us and we left.

We went back to BHV to get some souvenir presents for Bette's husband and some cosmetics. Together we managed to achieve the € 175 detaxe level, went to the "Welcome desk" and filled out the forms. I still haven't seen the tax refund on my CC, but maybe next month. We stopped back in Paul's (I forgot--we had had hot chocolate there after our last trip to BHV) for lunch, which was very good. Bette had a potato-ham-cheese casserole kind of thing and I had the smoked salmon "toast" sandwich. Both came with salad (€ 24 for both-- it seemed that every time we stopped for lunch, it ran around $25-30) Then we went to Assistance Hopitaux just a block away to pay the ambulance bill from 2001. Dealing with the French bureaucracy by mail just doesn't hack it; it took about 5 minutes in person. And there was a lovely memorial to the hospital personnel killed during the wars, something that meant something to Bette because her uncle had been wounded in WWI and spent almost a year after the war being cared for by hospital people in France.

I decided that after all that serious stuff, it was time for an eye-popping walk. Led Bette across the Pont d'Arcole to right in front of Notre Dame. Ta da! She was suitably impressed. We walked inside, around to the park in the back, enjoyed watching little kids play and seeing the beautiful roses, and then went to the Memorial aux Deportés.

From that somber site, we headed to Ile St. Louis, just to take a look and have some Berthillon ice cream (the melon was delicious. I don't know why, I keep expecting it to be watermelon, and then I smell the perfume of those luscious melons from Cavaillon and think, Oh, yes, MELON!) We took a bus home, and I raced back out to get my Trivial Pursuit game and some French coffee from the store. I forgot lots of what I usually take back: real Dijon mustard, cornichons, the lovely little jars of spreads from Olivier & Co (especially like the chickpea and cumin smash--kind of like humus only not). Oh well, next time--or maybe I can order them on the net.

That evening we tried to finish off the 85 kinds of cheese we had gotten, not to mention the 16 bottles of wine (haha).

Saturday, time to say au revoir to our apartment. I got croissants and pains aux raisins at the bakery for b-fast. Cutting it very close, we managed to get packed and clean up the apartment a little before going downstairs to wait for PariShuttle. They were 10 minutes late for our 10:00 pickup (we were the first ones) but there was only one other couple going, and it was Saturday, so we made it to CDG by 10:45. Amazing! And thus ended our stay?. (What can you say about a flight home?) (except that my great SIL did pick me up on my layover for a pizza at Gino's in Chicago)

Again, I truly think all the pre-planning, though not precisely followed, gave us a great base to go by?even when just walking around. (For example, I knew that Lieutaud had an excursion to Pont du Gard on Thursday, so it was easy to pick up the tickets at the RR station when we got back from Nimes, thereby saving us a trip back there to get them.) And grouping sites by area worked quite well in Paris. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. It really helped being able to get some input on my thoughts.

And needless to say, there's still lots more for us to see next time. (All I have to do is look at my first proposed itinerary for Paris and cross out what we've already seen--there's plenty left over!)

What a great report LVSue!!! Your friend was lucky to have a travelling companion like you to show the Ville lumiere and the beauty of the city...I also wanted to stay in Paris the first time i went there, and I almost got a job with a travelling agency, because back then my french was perfect...Of course now is pretty rusty... mais c'est la Vie...

LVSue
Thank you so much for your wonderful trip report - I laughed and I cried.
It was so authentic - made me feel that I was there in the France I love so much.
Iloveparis

LV Sue,

wahoo, I loved it... It should aways be close to the top for everybody to read.

I loved the Avignon and pont du gard part.


Celine

for wren.

Grenoble isn't the best town ever... I lived there and love it but it's not the city that I would visit. I am now in Pittsburgh and I sometimes compare their touristy feeling.
Well I would be very happy of someone was going to Grenoble, could say a lot about it, and how much I miss the view of the mountain...

Annecy sounds like a nicer destination, idem for Chambery...

But if you keep Grenoble you can take a scenic road thru the Vercors (a pre-alpe mountain) to reach the Drome department and continue toward Ardeche.
This scenic road is very curvy, and when I did it as a kid I was afraid, but later I was amazed how nice it is.

Celine

LVSue, Thanks for sharing in such detail your wonderful experiences in France! I have been to the places you visited in the South and loved them, but my heart is still in Paris! I TOTALLY agree with you about Chez Maitre Paul--it was our worst dining experience Of many trips there. True, the cream based sauces are divine, but the chicken was stringy, dry, tough. The dining room was hot(late September), chairs uncomfortable, service not the best. I was really embarrassed because we took another couple because of the hype. They had only 2 nights in the city and were expecting something a little better. Never again!

What a fantastic trip report. You are a wonderful storyteller. Thank you for sharing it.

LVSue, That was the best trip report I've ever read. I'm going to print it and try to learn from it how to write a really great journal of my next trip - to Germany in September.

You are an inspiration about how to travel well and how to preserve wonderful memories.

Mary Fran, Celine, Kay99, Arriba, iloveparis, Beatchick, kismetchimera, Betty, grandmere, and all the rest of you, thanks so much for the encouraging comments. Sometimes when I'm writing a trip report I feel like it's a very self-involved thing to do, so it's great to know that I am actually connecting with all of you. I love reading your comments.

Now for another story I forgot to tell: Bette and I are walking through a park by a church (I think St. Germain des Pres) and we see this old lady feeding the pigeons, actually getting them to stand on her hand. I'm thinking what a sweet old lady. Strolling back by after watching the children play, however, we notice the frantic flapping of wings under the lady's coat. I fear my sweet old lady was catching her dinner.

Celine, you live here in the 'Burgh, too?! Were you saying that your feelings about Grenoble are similar to those about Pgh.--not exactly the greatest tourist spot, but dear and lovable in its own right? If so, I agree!

LVSue,
I envy (in a nice way:-)) your getting to show your friend France for the first time; there's something wonderful about being able to do that. For me,it kind of renews the magic feeling I had of seeing a place for the first time, especially a place that I love, like France, as I guess lots of us on this thread do!

Thouroughly enjoyed your report! I was laughing until I read the part of visiting your husband's "final resting place" and paying the ambulance bill. I don't know what happened, but I can only imagine how bittersweet the experience must have been for you. Thanks for sharing.

This may be a nutsy idea, but maybe some of us solo Paris-lovers should get together for a trip!

Sounds good!

Thank you, Sue, for writing a report that was informative and fun. I was really laughing out loud about the grandma with the pigeons flapping beneath her coat!

I can't believe the story of our feathered friends slipped my mind when I did the original!

Grandmere, we'll have to explore the idea, see what Betty thinks when she gets back. Anyone else?

Hi, Sue, Grandmere, et al. I'm back. Had a great trip in spite of the strikes and what had to be the hottest June on record! Trying to piece together a trip report but it may be a while since I was so busy with my group that I had no time to take notes.

I love the idea of some of us "franco-filles" getting together for a trip. I just don't know how soon I will be able to afford it or have the time (I'll be teaching again in the fall and the spring and hope to do another group trip in June.) But keep me in mind. More later.

Dear LVSue, I too was moved by the sound of your husband's last resting place.I'm sure you feel better having been there with a friend! What a great report - I'm busy copying for my next trip to Paris that I'm hoping will be without strikes! The last time 5 days in Paris and all museums "en Greve", this time we missed our afternoon at Sacre Coeur due to train strikes. C'est vie en France! But we keep going back there!

LVSue, great trip! I am glad to hear that you enjoyed lunch at Le Chandelier.

Betty1, I was wondering when you would be getting back from your group trip! Were you happy with the lg house in Provence that you rented? Was it one from the Coquelicot site? Eager to hear the details of your trip!

Hi, grandmere! Yes, I was quite happy with the house, although initially it seemed smaller than it appeared on the website. It was an independent rental from the owner, who seems to own a few houses in the area. 4 bedrooms upstairs (a bit small but adequate) and one more on the lower level. A roomy main floor with sitting area, kitchen and dining area (plenty of room for 8 people). 2 full baths plus a shower on the lower level. It also had a nice pool, was in a secluded spot surrounded by lavender fields and sweet-smelling genets and had an alarm system and a remote-controlled gate. We felt very safe. And not a bad price at 1900 euros for the week. I would definitely go back there. Only one snafu - the maid had understood that we were only 4 people, so only two rooms were made up. I had to call the owner at 11:00 pm to bring more sheets and towels!

I hope to do a more complete trip report soon.

GrandMere:

so we are 2 in Pittsburgh with knowlege of Gre' !

Betty 1, franco-filles is really a neat word, you should register it asap. (heu...maybe it's an official term, but I haven't heard it before)


Celine

I'd be interested in doing a trip together!! But it would have to wait a year for me to join.

Sue- Just got around to reading your trip report!!! WOW---you are quite the writer- you should think about a book!
I was with you in every detail- laughing, crying, and picturing every detail. Thank you for the story!
Hugs...Tracey

Franco-filles! Love it! How about April or September? Betty, you are so booked up. Beatchick, your trip report was so interesting! I'd never really looked at Paris that way.

My email is [email protected] if anyone wants to pursue the idea of a trip.

Thank you, LVSue! But I loved your trip report!! Especially since you've made me want to see other parts of France. :0)

Now, is that for September of this year? Or is that April or September of 2004?? September 2004 would probably be better for me and it's a time I've always wanted to be in Paris - Autumn when the students start back to school at the Sorbonne!!

My e-mail is [email protected].

Ciao,
Mary

Now that I think of it, I think September (2004) would be great! I haven't been in Paris in September in almost 40 years! (mainly spring break/summers with students). Another different slant.