My Mom is celebrating her 82nd birthday and my family is taking an E-Waterways canal barge trip to France, on the Lafayette in the Burgundy region....then a weekend in Paris at the Hotel Brebant in the 9th aron. Can anyone offer me any ifo on this trip - like, (1)barge and sightseeing in the Burgundy region, (2) Hotel Brebant in Paris, and (3) restaurants for 2 dinners and lunches, and finally (4) my siblings want to go to the Lido. Should I book early and through what web site? Is there a good restaurant to eat near there before the 10PM show? Would appreciate any ifo - Thanks!

If it is the same Lafayette barge (Continental Waterways) you will have the treat of your life. They will handle all the sightseeing. On board anything you want just ask. The crew are incredibly pleasant and helpful. Great trip. Be prepared to dress in layers--it could be cool on the river and canal. Dress is quite casual.

This sounds so cool. Thumbs way up for doing this for your mom!<BR><BR>Best wishes to her on her birthday.<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Check this out!annette

huh?<BR>

You may wish to try www.gotoparis.net, one of the few services I've seen that will sell tickets to the show without bundling them with dinner (one is still required to purchase the Champagne). You may find it difficult to dine at a "good" restaurant and make the 10:00 p.m. show. Most good restaurants begin seating for dinner at 8:00 p.m., and, anything less than 3 hours for dining is well nigh fast food.<BR>There are, of course, a tremendous number of exquisite restaurants close to that part of des Champs Elysees-- Fermette Marbeuf, Chiberta, Taillevent, Lassere, Guy Savoy, Laurent, descending to Le Fouquet's and McDonalds right down the street. Tough choice.

to the top<BR>

I think you can book that on www.ticketavenue.com (Lido) if you want to look at other things, that's a comprehensive booking site. However, you can just use their web site which even gives a tollfree 800 number for US, and you can book whatever you want (www.lido.fr), that's what I'd do.<BR><BR>I've been by the Hotel Brebant not long ago. It's nice looking from the outside and in a relatively decent area with cafes and shops, a little off-center compared to being right off the Seine, but really not far out at all in the Grands Boulevard area. I think it's a decent, moderate 3-star hotel from what I've heard, but I haven't seen the rooms.<BR><BR>Not very far from there is a typical working-class Parisian restaurant called Chartier (7, rue du fbg MOntmartre) which you might want to try for the experience, although the food is not haute cuisine. It's cheap and typical cafe-type dishes (roast chicken, etc) with some good daily specials.<BR><BR>I'd also suggest you go into passage Jouffroy very nearby, which is a covered passageway with toy, bakery, candy etc shops in it--these glass--covered passageways date from mid-19th century and were the original malls, I guess. Most are around that area. HEre is a good article on that<BR>http://www.metropoleparis.com/1996/61111038/jouffroy.html<BR><BR>Horror of horrors is the Hard Rock Cafe nearby, but the waiters in the cafe next door to it are remarkably cheerful and friendly to all the tourists who plop down after buying their souvenir T-shirts.

What date are you going? A group of us are going out on that same barge on March 20th. We can't wait!! Babs (San Diego)

I think they went last year--2001. What I said still goes--you will have a real treat. That may be about the time the grape vines will be being trimmed--should be interesting.