My First Trip to Provence and Paris...Loved!!!
May 24th, 2013, 01:12 PM
#23
What a fun report! We have been to Provence several times and your charming stories make me want to return again.
I am also revisiting so many lovely places in Paris with you. Your "walk" to the Eiffel brought back memories of our first trip when we thought it was so close--you could see it after all--and decided to walk there. It was way too far and we definitely took the Metro back to our hotel.
My favorite line of yours:
<<Oh, I love being a little older and not feeling the pressure I used to to do things the way others think I should!>>
We're very happy to add you to our love of France posts here at Fodors. Definitely looking forward to more.
May 25th, 2013, 05:00 AM
#24
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Again, thanks all! Back to trip report in a moment, but first I want to reply to the q I was asked.
susan001, while I'd go back to Hotel Le Clement in the blink of an eye for its many positives, the biggest negative for some (including one of the couple we were traveling with)was the noise factor. Even with the windows fully closed, if you face the street side, there's a lot of noise from the nearby restaurants late at night, but even worse apparently was the noise from the garbage trucks and street cleaners starting at 5AM. I'm a *very* light sleeper and travel with earplugs, and I only awoke once from this noise. Our friend has trouble sleeping with earplugs so this was a real downside for him. This time I was with dh but in past years I've done some traveling alone, and when doing so I also don't like to wear earplugs, so had I gone to this hotel alone, it wouldn't have worked for me either. Apparently even on the other side of the hotel, due to the thin walls of an old hotel, noise from other rooms is a problem. For the price and all the positives, tho', I don't see how you'd do better in that regard. As always, depends on your needs and what you can afford.
The other thing to know about the hotel is that while it's in a terrific area filled with many wonderful cafes, restaurants, and shops, there are also many homeless people resting and sleeping under the overhang of the shopping plaza across the street. Not right on Rue Clement, but the adjacent streets. And right next to the hotel, is a soup kitchen - only once did we see people lining up for a meal there. And not once did anyone come up to us with any aggression, as happens more in the U.S. cities (or maybe we were just lucky, I don't know). And when I think would I have been comfortable there alone, the answer is yes, as you could easily avoid walking on the streets where the homeless people were, if you chose to. And the hotel itself is VERY secure.
So it depends on how one feels about these things. I actually found myself reminded to be filled with gratitude for my good fortune in life, and well-reminded that if we could afford this trip, we can darn well afford to make a way when we got home, on top of our regular charitable contributions, to make an extra nice sized donation to an organization in our area that we know does well by people who need help.
One last down side for some, would be that in the rooms a little larger, which we paid for, the shower-head is hand held, not attached. I found this to be just another way of experiencing being in a different country, and got used to it quickly (it felt like a victory when on our third day I didn't get water all over the place
but again, I realize that for some who like all creature comforts when away, it could be an issue.
All that being said, I must end by saying again that the people at the desk were friendly and helpful, the lobby was charming and wonderful and had plenty of room for us to meet up with our friends, I loved the little elevator, the room (double superior) was darn right spacious for a big city hotel, and the location absolutely could not be beat for being walking distance to so much and to three metro stations.
My goodness, that was like a trip report installment unto itself! Hope it helps and that you're happy with whatever you decide.
susan001, while I'd go back to Hotel Le Clement in the blink of an eye for its many positives, the biggest negative for some (including one of the couple we were traveling with)was the noise factor. Even with the windows fully closed, if you face the street side, there's a lot of noise from the nearby restaurants late at night, but even worse apparently was the noise from the garbage trucks and street cleaners starting at 5AM. I'm a *very* light sleeper and travel with earplugs, and I only awoke once from this noise. Our friend has trouble sleeping with earplugs so this was a real downside for him. This time I was with dh but in past years I've done some traveling alone, and when doing so I also don't like to wear earplugs, so had I gone to this hotel alone, it wouldn't have worked for me either. Apparently even on the other side of the hotel, due to the thin walls of an old hotel, noise from other rooms is a problem. For the price and all the positives, tho', I don't see how you'd do better in that regard. As always, depends on your needs and what you can afford.
The other thing to know about the hotel is that while it's in a terrific area filled with many wonderful cafes, restaurants, and shops, there are also many homeless people resting and sleeping under the overhang of the shopping plaza across the street. Not right on Rue Clement, but the adjacent streets. And right next to the hotel, is a soup kitchen - only once did we see people lining up for a meal there. And not once did anyone come up to us with any aggression, as happens more in the U.S. cities (or maybe we were just lucky, I don't know). And when I think would I have been comfortable there alone, the answer is yes, as you could easily avoid walking on the streets where the homeless people were, if you chose to. And the hotel itself is VERY secure.
So it depends on how one feels about these things. I actually found myself reminded to be filled with gratitude for my good fortune in life, and well-reminded that if we could afford this trip, we can darn well afford to make a way when we got home, on top of our regular charitable contributions, to make an extra nice sized donation to an organization in our area that we know does well by people who need help.
One last down side for some, would be that in the rooms a little larger, which we paid for, the shower-head is hand held, not attached. I found this to be just another way of experiencing being in a different country, and got used to it quickly (it felt like a victory when on our third day I didn't get water all over the place
but again, I realize that for some who like all creature comforts when away, it could be an issue.All that being said, I must end by saying again that the people at the desk were friendly and helpful, the lobby was charming and wonderful and had plenty of room for us to meet up with our friends, I loved the little elevator, the room (double superior) was darn right spacious for a big city hotel, and the location absolutely could not be beat for being walking distance to so much and to three metro stations.
My goodness, that was like a trip report installment unto itself! Hope it helps and that you're happy with whatever you decide.
May 25th, 2013, 05:47 AM
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And now back to trip report (with appreciation again for all the replies!):
Mon. night dh and I decided that as this was vacation, we were only willing to use an alarm clock every other morning. So Tues. we divided up from our friends who prefer to get an early start each day (they're retired, we still have about 15 years of full time work ahead of us!). With a much later start, we headed to the Rodin museum, again rather than taking metro, wandering through streets we hadn't yet been on, and stopping at a café. As we got very close to the museum, we ran into a large protest with shirts that said "yes, weekend" and I wish them very well since I'd hate to see other countries become as work obsessed and unable to relax and enjoy life as is the norm in a fair amount of parts of the U.S.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Rodin museum, especially the outside gardens, and we were very lucky as it started to rain just as were heading into the indoor part. It stopped by the time we were done, and after a snack in the wonderfully located café overlooking the gardens (hmm, there sure does seem to be a café theme to this trip, eh?), we headed on to the Musee d'Orsay, where we had what I imagine will be one of the travel stories of our lives.
By this time, it was late in the day, and we knew we'd just do an initial look at this museum, and likely want to go back, as the French impressionists are among my very favorite form of art. We started by going up to the 5th floor, and while it was crowded, we were enjoying it very much. Then there was an announcement about the museum closing time, and there was a mad rush to the down escalator. We looked at our watch, and saw that the official close time was still about 40 minutes away. So we didn't know why everyone seemed to be leaving, and thought what the heck, we're going to stay and keep looking, when they need to shoo us out, they will (later we realized others probably were wanting to make sure they saw downstairs, while we knew we'd come back). Only a handful of other people made this same decision, so we had the luxury of the 5th floor of the Musee D'Orsay with hardly anyone around...and by about 15 minutes later, it was only one other oouple and us!!! And it was funny, I'd noticed the woman of the other couple before, because she and I returned to the same painting a couple of times, and it turned out she'd learned about it when it had been on loan to the Met in NY, and then her husband joined in the conversation, and he was quite knowledgable about other pieces as well. I still can't believe we had almost a half hr. in that amazing place, with just one other couple. When we finally did really have to leave, and were downstairs about to walk out, I was so in awe that I was looking at the bottom floor with absolutely no-one there, that I forgot a moment about no pictures, and took one. The guard immediately came over to me, and I apologized with my "pardon, pardon, I forgot" and he smiled, seemed to get it (we had seen other people taking pictures earlier, who hadn't forgotten, were just snapping away despite all the signs, but there was less guarding upstairs. Even some with flashes, which I thought awful. I think this guy despite my limited French, realized that I truly had been overtaken by the moment!)
Dinner was with our friends at Pizza Positano (btw the night at Alfredo Positano, we didn't have pizza), and I highly recommend it. It was a small place with a wood fired oven, the owner seemed to know absolutely everyone who walked in other than us, and everything was absolutely delicious.
After dinner, they headed back to the room, and we walked over to Chez Papa Jazz Club, where the pianist was terrific, the saxophone player pretty good, and the crème brulee delicious. We heard more English spoken there than most places we went, so I guess its as much a tourist attraction as a place for locals, unless it was just that night. Whatever, we had a great time, and as we'd missed the first set, it was hard to leave at 11:30 after the second, as I know how jazz heats up as the night goes on, and I was really enjoying the pianist. And dh had gotten into a long conversation with an ex-pat who invited us to another jazz place in Montparnasse for the next night, which we didn't end up doing but have down for next visit. But I also knew if we stayed I would NOT enjoy getting up the next morning, so that ended our Tues. in Paris.
Mon. night dh and I decided that as this was vacation, we were only willing to use an alarm clock every other morning. So Tues. we divided up from our friends who prefer to get an early start each day (they're retired, we still have about 15 years of full time work ahead of us!). With a much later start, we headed to the Rodin museum, again rather than taking metro, wandering through streets we hadn't yet been on, and stopping at a café. As we got very close to the museum, we ran into a large protest with shirts that said "yes, weekend" and I wish them very well since I'd hate to see other countries become as work obsessed and unable to relax and enjoy life as is the norm in a fair amount of parts of the U.S.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Rodin museum, especially the outside gardens, and we were very lucky as it started to rain just as were heading into the indoor part. It stopped by the time we were done, and after a snack in the wonderfully located café overlooking the gardens (hmm, there sure does seem to be a café theme to this trip, eh?), we headed on to the Musee d'Orsay, where we had what I imagine will be one of the travel stories of our lives.
By this time, it was late in the day, and we knew we'd just do an initial look at this museum, and likely want to go back, as the French impressionists are among my very favorite form of art. We started by going up to the 5th floor, and while it was crowded, we were enjoying it very much. Then there was an announcement about the museum closing time, and there was a mad rush to the down escalator. We looked at our watch, and saw that the official close time was still about 40 minutes away. So we didn't know why everyone seemed to be leaving, and thought what the heck, we're going to stay and keep looking, when they need to shoo us out, they will (later we realized others probably were wanting to make sure they saw downstairs, while we knew we'd come back). Only a handful of other people made this same decision, so we had the luxury of the 5th floor of the Musee D'Orsay with hardly anyone around...and by about 15 minutes later, it was only one other oouple and us!!! And it was funny, I'd noticed the woman of the other couple before, because she and I returned to the same painting a couple of times, and it turned out she'd learned about it when it had been on loan to the Met in NY, and then her husband joined in the conversation, and he was quite knowledgable about other pieces as well. I still can't believe we had almost a half hr. in that amazing place, with just one other couple. When we finally did really have to leave, and were downstairs about to walk out, I was so in awe that I was looking at the bottom floor with absolutely no-one there, that I forgot a moment about no pictures, and took one. The guard immediately came over to me, and I apologized with my "pardon, pardon, I forgot" and he smiled, seemed to get it (we had seen other people taking pictures earlier, who hadn't forgotten, were just snapping away despite all the signs, but there was less guarding upstairs. Even some with flashes, which I thought awful. I think this guy despite my limited French, realized that I truly had been overtaken by the moment!)
Dinner was with our friends at Pizza Positano (btw the night at Alfredo Positano, we didn't have pizza), and I highly recommend it. It was a small place with a wood fired oven, the owner seemed to know absolutely everyone who walked in other than us, and everything was absolutely delicious.
After dinner, they headed back to the room, and we walked over to Chez Papa Jazz Club, where the pianist was terrific, the saxophone player pretty good, and the crème brulee delicious. We heard more English spoken there than most places we went, so I guess its as much a tourist attraction as a place for locals, unless it was just that night. Whatever, we had a great time, and as we'd missed the first set, it was hard to leave at 11:30 after the second, as I know how jazz heats up as the night goes on, and I was really enjoying the pianist. And dh had gotten into a long conversation with an ex-pat who invited us to another jazz place in Montparnasse for the next night, which we didn't end up doing but have down for next visit. But I also knew if we stayed I would NOT enjoy getting up the next morning, so that ended our Tues. in Paris.
May 25th, 2013, 09:27 AM
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Hi go_laura -- thank you so much for taking the time to give your assessment of this hotel. I had original narrowed my choice to this and one other hotel in St. Germain. I ended up going with the more expensive one due to a report of theft at Clement (on TA). Now, there are two new posts regarding the hotel I booked that money had been stolen out of suitcases. I may just keep my reservation and plan to wear my money belt every day, hoping that my camera will be safe when I go downstairs for breakfast.
I have tinnitus, so sleeping with earplugs is not an option for me -- I need ambient white noise (but not so much noise that I will be awakened) so perhaps I should stay in a quieter hotel.
I really appreciate the time and care you gave to your summary of the hotel. Again, I'm really enjoying your report!
I have tinnitus, so sleeping with earplugs is not an option for me -- I need ambient white noise (but not so much noise that I will be awakened) so perhaps I should stay in a quieter hotel.
I really appreciate the time and care you gave to your summary of the hotel. Again, I'm really enjoying your report!
May 27th, 2013, 06:12 AM
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Wed. we went to the Louvre for a couple hours. I actually would have saved this for another trip but this was on dh's list as well as our friends', so I figured to keep an open mind and perhaps as many other times in my life, I'd find myself surprised to love something I didn't expect to.
Not what happened, but that's ok too Did enjoy just seeing the building itself, and spent close to a couple hours there. But when when the sun came out (it had been cloudy and a bit chilly at this point, since Sat.), we unanimously agreed, let's get out in that sun! I'm guessing that on a return trip someday there are parts of the Louvre that I might really enjoy, especially with a knowledgeable guide. But for that moment in time...ah, the sun!
We had not gotten ice cream at the Berthillon window the first time we'd found ourselves at Isle St. Louis, so we decided to aim for that. We walked there, along the right bank of the Seine, where we hadn't yet been. Stopped to gawk when we saw the enormous building of Hotel de Ville, and walked over to find out what it was and have a closer look. And I learned my preferred if uncommon way of enjoying learning history...look first, learn later!
I know for many people, they like to read ahead and know what they'll be seeing. I never found myself all that motivated to do a lot of that research (my research mostly focused on neighborhoods, outdoor markets, hotels and restaurants, lol). But, once I'm there and see something before my eyes, I find myself very motivated to go back later and read up on what I saw. A little backward, I suppose, but when I later looked up Hotel de Ville and among other things read about Charles de Gaulle's famous window speech, that then led me to reading more about Charles de Gaulle himself...and all of what I read, I read with great interest.
That being said, I wonder if all my "after the fact" reading might lead me to wanting to do more "before the fact" reading for future travels...we'll see!
In any case, we continued our walk to Isle St. Louis, where we found a lovely place for a longer and bigger lunch than we'd expected (another one I'll have to get name of from my friend, if anyone's interested), but still managed to get our Berthillon ice cream afterward. Three of us got two flavors, one got one, and all four of us agreed after tasting each others' all the way around, that the unexpected favorite by far, was our friend's plum flavor. Really, if you're reading this and will be going there, please try it even if it doesn't sound like what you'd ordinarily get!
We then walked over to Isle de la Cite, as we hadn't yet gone to Notre Dame. First we went to the Deportation Memorial, simple and solemn. I appreciated the care that's taken to ensure people will respect the visit with silence. Then, Notre Dame. Enough is said about elsewhere, I have nothing new to add.
We went back to the hotel for a long r and r, did more walking around "our neighborhood" and ended the day with a late dinner in our neighborhood. Btw, all the "walking around" was how we'd discovered the Chez Papa Jazz Club that we'd enjoyed so much on Tues. night; it was on a small street and we hadn't read about it beforehand. When we came upon it, no-one was inside and we poked our heads in just to see if it was a place we might want to go back to. We loved the intimate atmosphere of it, and while we were looking, the owner who must have stepped out for a quick moment, came back in and we chatted with him in our halting French and English. I mention this as a way of emphasizing to any brand new travelers who might be reading this, how the "wandering" in addition to being fun in and of itself, can lead to discoveries for later as well.
Not what happened, but that's ok too
Did enjoy just seeing the building itself, and spent close to a couple hours there. But when when the sun came out (it had been cloudy and a bit chilly at this point, since Sat.), we unanimously agreed, let's get out in that sun! I'm guessing that on a return trip someday there are parts of the Louvre that I might really enjoy, especially with a knowledgeable guide. But for that moment in time...ah, the sun!We had not gotten ice cream at the Berthillon window the first time we'd found ourselves at Isle St. Louis, so we decided to aim for that. We walked there, along the right bank of the Seine, where we hadn't yet been. Stopped to gawk when we saw the enormous building of Hotel de Ville, and walked over to find out what it was and have a closer look. And I learned my preferred if uncommon way of enjoying learning history...look first, learn later!
I know for many people, they like to read ahead and know what they'll be seeing. I never found myself all that motivated to do a lot of that research (my research mostly focused on neighborhoods, outdoor markets, hotels and restaurants, lol). But, once I'm there and see something before my eyes, I find myself very motivated to go back later and read up on what I saw. A little backward, I suppose, but when I later looked up Hotel de Ville and among other things read about Charles de Gaulle's famous window speech, that then led me to reading more about Charles de Gaulle himself...and all of what I read, I read with great interest.
That being said, I wonder if all my "after the fact" reading might lead me to wanting to do more "before the fact" reading for future travels...we'll see!
In any case, we continued our walk to Isle St. Louis, where we found a lovely place for a longer and bigger lunch than we'd expected (another one I'll have to get name of from my friend, if anyone's interested), but still managed to get our Berthillon ice cream afterward. Three of us got two flavors, one got one, and all four of us agreed after tasting each others' all the way around, that the unexpected favorite by far, was our friend's plum flavor. Really, if you're reading this and will be going there, please try it even if it doesn't sound like what you'd ordinarily get!
We then walked over to Isle de la Cite, as we hadn't yet gone to Notre Dame. First we went to the Deportation Memorial, simple and solemn. I appreciated the care that's taken to ensure people will respect the visit with silence. Then, Notre Dame. Enough is said about elsewhere, I have nothing new to add.
We went back to the hotel for a long r and r, did more walking around "our neighborhood" and ended the day with a late dinner in our neighborhood. Btw, all the "walking around" was how we'd discovered the Chez Papa Jazz Club that we'd enjoyed so much on Tues. night; it was on a small street and we hadn't read about it beforehand. When we came upon it, no-one was inside and we poked our heads in just to see if it was a place we might want to go back to. We loved the intimate atmosphere of it, and while we were looking, the owner who must have stepped out for a quick moment, came back in and we chatted with him in our halting French and English. I mention this as a way of emphasizing to any brand new travelers who might be reading this, how the "wandering" in addition to being fun in and of itself, can lead to discoveries for later as well.
May 27th, 2013, 11:15 AM
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Oh Laura, your trip report is great. I hate I did not see it till today (just home after my wonderful trip to Provence). I will try to post my trip report soon for the person going in early June. It was a wonderful place, wasn't it?
May 28th, 2013, 01:29 PM
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Great report, go_laura - I loved hearing your first-timer impressions, especially your description of that big building in the 1st. ;-)
We just got back from Paris last night, and I have the post-trip blues, big time. Thanks for brightening my afternoon with your thoughtful writing.
We just got back from Paris last night, and I have the post-trip blues, big time. Thanks for brightening my afternoon with your thoughtful writing.
May 28th, 2013, 02:09 PM
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Loved reading about Provence and the Luberon hilltowns. You just reminded me of my trip all over again...merci! I just got back from there too (well, a few weeks ago) and went to Gordes, Abbaye de Sananques, St. Remy's market, Isle sur la Sorgue, Pernes les Fontaines. We stayed in Menerbes for the week! Our house was at the uppermost point of Menerbes and so beautiful. We had to put the side mirrors in to have about 1/2 inch clearance on either side of the car to get to the house.
Oh, and we loved the poppies too and had pizza in Oppède and loved it. Nothing wrong with pizza in Provence. Much better than pizza in Harrisburg (isn't everything better in Provence??)! They even had escargot pizza (!), but we only heard about that as we were waiting for the one we ordered.
Oh, and we loved the poppies too and had pizza in Oppède and loved it. Nothing wrong with pizza in Provence. Much better than pizza in Harrisburg (isn't everything better in Provence??)! They even had escargot pizza (!), but we only heard about that as we were waiting for the one we ordered.
May 28th, 2013, 07:30 PM
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thanks, everyone! Only two more days to go, I feel a little like I'm re-living coming to the end of something I don't want to end.
Thursday was a non-alarm clock drizzly morning, and first on the agenda was to get a Parisian hot chocolate. Had meant to get to Angelina's but that hadn't worked out. So did some research on where "close to home" I could get one that would be predictably delicious, and decided on Café Flore. There was also something about sitting where some of those famous writers and philosophers hung out...I think some guidebook or other said they have a mix of locals with tourists nostalgic for a past they never had. Guilty as charged And ok, the main point, the hot chocolate, with its separate cup of Chantilly, mmmmm!! (I'm now on a mission to find where in the Phila. area I can find such a thing).
Café Flore was where I also finally figured out where this reputation the French have for being somewhat unfriendly or haughty must come from - until then, I couldn't figure it out, as everyone was so darn friendly. Sitting at a table near us (it was raining out so we were inside but at the window, which was fun), was an American couple who lived up to many of the stereotypes one hears about traveling Americans (certainly must not be Fodorites). I don't recall even hearing them say Bonjour, certainly not trying one word of French to say what they wanted (in addition, their conversation was about planning their day and they sounded bored or annoyed by almost everything). So, the waiter who looked to be an institution unto himself, was rather snarly to them. He'd actually started out a little snarly to us, too, but very much warmed up to us and even gave us smiles toward the end of our time. I just know that couple probably went home and told everyone how all you hear about the French are true...so voila, I now understand how the stupid stereotype is all because of stupid people who earned it. Which allows me to sit here and get way too smug and superior, just for not being stupid, lol.
And as we sat, the drizzle turned to real rain, so we decided to go back to the hotel, not far, and get our umbrellas, as our plan for the day was to go to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, then down to Opera Garnier, and then the Pantheon. It occurred to us to change this plan due to the weather, but we only had one more day in Paris after this, so we decided what the heck. And so we set off, and got to one of three, not bad
By the time we got to Sacre Coeur it was only drizzling again, and there was something quite nice about walking up the hill, watching the shop owners bringing out their umbrellas and ponchos. I'd heard enough about how hard the climb up the hill and steps were, for it to not feel too bad -expectations rule everything, this life. Had someone told me it was nothing, it would have felt hard. So there's the soapbox philosophy for this day of the trip, in case the prior paragraphs weren't enough, lol. And tho' I guess we didn't get the super-expansive view of a clear day, it did stop drizzling and some of the clouds cleared, as we got to the top, so we did get to enjoy the expansive views of the city, and were even able to figure out some of what we were looking at, by that point in our trip. Also, I guess because people play the weather and maybe save Sacre Coeur for a sunnier day, it wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected. Down side of that, we also didn't get to see artists or many musicians all around.
Next we were walking to the Opera Garnier, so we consulted our map to figure out which direction to head in, and started out, only to fairly immediately come upon La Maison Rose, which just looked so cute, that it demanded a café stop. I'd not read about it in advance so had no idea that it would turn out to be a place Picasso stayed when he first moved from Spain to France, before he did well enough to move to the big city. We only had café there, so no food review.
Lovely winding streets there, so pretty! We walked down to Rue Lepic, at which point it started raining again, we ducked in a natural foods place where we ended up buying some fig jam reminiscent of the Provence part of the trip, and then kept going...raining harder, so by the time we realized we were passing Moulin Rouge, we had to get under an awning to be able to take our pic, because really, how could we walk all that way and not take a pic?
And now it was pouring, but on we went...until I saw a chocolatier, and we hadn't done the fancy chocolate thing yet, so I said, this is what the moment demands! And we proceeded to spend a ridiculous amount of money for a very small amount of chocolate. Was it worth it? Yes and no. The chocolate with the orange was heavenly, the rum one not so much.
When we came out of there, we saw a church across the street, and decided to go in there as well, even tho' the rain was finally letting up. It was St. Trinite Church, and someone was playing the organ, and no-one else was in there...we sat there for some time, just listening...again, magical. Actually, it brought tears to my eyes. For a Jewish gal with Buddhist tendencies, I sure had a lot of spiritual moments in churches this trip.
We then walked on to Opera Garnier, which of course, was closed by the time we got there. One does pay a price for all this spontaneity. No matter, we still had another day left! But by this time we were tired, so we went for the metro back to the hotel. Only to learn, once on it, that it was skipping the stop we needed for connecting to the line that would take us back (construction or something, I don't recall). So we did some roundabout stuff that took too long and yes, it was Paris, but yes, I got grumpy
Little did I know that I was about to have what was literally one of the best meals of my life. Le Cuisine de Phillipe... go! But you'll likely need a reservation. We'd actually tried the night before to go, and couldn't get in, it's a tiny place. I've no idea how much in advance you'd need for a weekend, we were able to get in with just a day ahead, for a Thurs. night. They specialize in soufflés, and I had the mushroom soufflé for an appetizer, and something with scallops and risotto and I don't know what else, for my main, and a Grand Marnier soufflé for dessert. DH had an appetizer that wasn't a soufflé and that was traditional French and delicious, a wonderful duck dish for his main, and a pistachio soufflé with dark chocolate at the bottom, that was absolutely heavenly. It was ALL heavenly, service was warm and friendly even tho' we speak little French and the woman spoke very little English. She even drew me a picture of a scallop; because I knew the words for veal and scallop were close sounding in French, I wanted to make sure I didn't accidentally order veal. The chef came out at the end to say hello and ask how everything was, and I was glad I'd learned the words "magnifique" and "superb!" (from the couple next to us - as it turned out, those on one side of us were ex-pats and we had a long conversation with them). I really can't say enough good things about this place. Ambience, warmth, food..all sublime.
And that ended our Thursday in Paris.
Susan, am working on getting the name of the place on Isle St. Louis.
Thursday was a non-alarm clock drizzly morning, and first on the agenda was to get a Parisian hot chocolate. Had meant to get to Angelina's but that hadn't worked out. So did some research on where "close to home" I could get one that would be predictably delicious, and decided on Café Flore. There was also something about sitting where some of those famous writers and philosophers hung out...I think some guidebook or other said they have a mix of locals with tourists nostalgic for a past they never had. Guilty as charged
And ok, the main point, the hot chocolate, with its separate cup of Chantilly, mmmmm!! (I'm now on a mission to find where in the Phila. area I can find such a thing).Café Flore was where I also finally figured out where this reputation the French have for being somewhat unfriendly or haughty must come from - until then, I couldn't figure it out, as everyone was so darn friendly. Sitting at a table near us (it was raining out so we were inside but at the window, which was fun), was an American couple who lived up to many of the stereotypes one hears about traveling Americans (certainly must not be Fodorites). I don't recall even hearing them say Bonjour, certainly not trying one word of French to say what they wanted (in addition, their conversation was about planning their day and they sounded bored or annoyed by almost everything). So, the waiter who looked to be an institution unto himself, was rather snarly to them. He'd actually started out a little snarly to us, too, but very much warmed up to us and even gave us smiles toward the end of our time. I just know that couple probably went home and told everyone how all you hear about the French are true...so voila, I now understand how the stupid stereotype is all because of stupid people who earned it. Which allows me to sit here and get way too smug and superior, just for not being stupid, lol.
And as we sat, the drizzle turned to real rain, so we decided to go back to the hotel, not far, and get our umbrellas, as our plan for the day was to go to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, then down to Opera Garnier, and then the Pantheon. It occurred to us to change this plan due to the weather, but we only had one more day in Paris after this, so we decided what the heck. And so we set off, and got to one of three, not bad
By the time we got to Sacre Coeur it was only drizzling again, and there was something quite nice about walking up the hill, watching the shop owners bringing out their umbrellas and ponchos. I'd heard enough about how hard the climb up the hill and steps were, for it to not feel too bad -expectations rule everything, this life. Had someone told me it was nothing, it would have felt hard. So there's the soapbox philosophy for this day of the trip, in case the prior paragraphs weren't enough, lol. And tho' I guess we didn't get the super-expansive view of a clear day, it did stop drizzling and some of the clouds cleared, as we got to the top, so we did get to enjoy the expansive views of the city, and were even able to figure out some of what we were looking at, by that point in our trip. Also, I guess because people play the weather and maybe save Sacre Coeur for a sunnier day, it wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected. Down side of that, we also didn't get to see artists or many musicians all around.
Next we were walking to the Opera Garnier, so we consulted our map to figure out which direction to head in, and started out, only to fairly immediately come upon La Maison Rose, which just looked so cute, that it demanded a café stop. I'd not read about it in advance so had no idea that it would turn out to be a place Picasso stayed when he first moved from Spain to France, before he did well enough to move to the big city. We only had café there, so no food review.
Lovely winding streets there, so pretty! We walked down to Rue Lepic, at which point it started raining again, we ducked in a natural foods place where we ended up buying some fig jam reminiscent of the Provence part of the trip, and then kept going...raining harder, so by the time we realized we were passing Moulin Rouge, we had to get under an awning to be able to take our pic, because really, how could we walk all that way and not take a pic?
And now it was pouring, but on we went...until I saw a chocolatier, and we hadn't done the fancy chocolate thing yet, so I said, this is what the moment demands! And we proceeded to spend a ridiculous amount of money for a very small amount of chocolate. Was it worth it? Yes and no. The chocolate with the orange was heavenly, the rum one not so much.
When we came out of there, we saw a church across the street, and decided to go in there as well, even tho' the rain was finally letting up. It was St. Trinite Church, and someone was playing the organ, and no-one else was in there...we sat there for some time, just listening...again, magical. Actually, it brought tears to my eyes. For a Jewish gal with Buddhist tendencies, I sure had a lot of spiritual moments in churches this trip.
We then walked on to Opera Garnier, which of course, was closed by the time we got there. One does pay a price for all this spontaneity. No matter, we still had another day left! But by this time we were tired, so we went for the metro back to the hotel. Only to learn, once on it, that it was skipping the stop we needed for connecting to the line that would take us back (construction or something, I don't recall). So we did some roundabout stuff that took too long and yes, it was Paris, but yes, I got grumpy
Little did I know that I was about to have what was literally one of the best meals of my life. Le Cuisine de Phillipe... go! But you'll likely need a reservation. We'd actually tried the night before to go, and couldn't get in, it's a tiny place. I've no idea how much in advance you'd need for a weekend, we were able to get in with just a day ahead, for a Thurs. night. They specialize in soufflés, and I had the mushroom soufflé for an appetizer, and something with scallops and risotto and I don't know what else, for my main, and a Grand Marnier soufflé for dessert. DH had an appetizer that wasn't a soufflé and that was traditional French and delicious, a wonderful duck dish for his main, and a pistachio soufflé with dark chocolate at the bottom, that was absolutely heavenly. It was ALL heavenly, service was warm and friendly even tho' we speak little French and the woman spoke very little English. She even drew me a picture of a scallop; because I knew the words for veal and scallop were close sounding in French, I wanted to make sure I didn't accidentally order veal. The chef came out at the end to say hello and ask how everything was, and I was glad I'd learned the words "magnifique" and "superb!" (from the couple next to us - as it turned out, those on one side of us were ex-pats and we had a long conversation with them). I really can't say enough good things about this place. Ambience, warmth, food..all sublime.
And that ended our Thursday in Paris.
Susan, am working on getting the name of the place on Isle St. Louis.
May 29th, 2013, 12:39 AM
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Only just discovering your great report, well done. What a great time you had and love your attitude. I shall be in Paris in just over a week and am making note of the restaurants you went to. I have eaten a couple of times at Le Caveau d'isle on I'lle st Louis, was there where you went?
Schnauzer
Schnauzer
May 29th, 2013, 08:09 AM
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This report is so, so good. You have a marvelous positive, humorous attitude. I'm happy to have you be an example of a good American traveler in Paris!!
Please tell us more about the trip and your impressions, it brings me back, as it does others on this forum.
Please tell us more about the trip and your impressions, it brings me back, as it does others on this forum.
