abranz

thanks for the trip report and the tip on the boots.
i have a bad back with perpetually cold feet. i think these may be perfect for my trip in april.

MomDDTravel

weekender - that reminds me - Splashes is good for lunch. Cannot beat the view.If you have not been to the Montage yet either - it is expensive but wow - what a property!

Challiman - yes, we are moving. I actually think the move date is going to be 1-31 - so not sure I can have lunch Weekender . We signed the least on our rental yesterday. I will be holding onto the memories of our great trips over the last four years as I am not sure when our next one will be - that alone is depressing. Like many here, I do "best" when at least I have something to look forward to in the travel area. I would love to see you next time you come here. Hope it can work out.
And thank you for the compliment. No, actually I am NOT old enough to be in charge of all those children, part of the problem perhaps? LOL Just kidding of course.

Regarding the moving around a lot - I think if it was just dh and I - I would do 5 or 6 nights in two different areas - or if I had two full weeks - 7 nights in two areas... with the 6 people - it turns into a huge expense and frankly a hassle.

Mayhy2 - thanks for reading . I am still amazed at the cost of the meds etc. wow. The 18th is not an area I would stay in. But to each his own eh?

Abranz - these are the best boots and warmest I have ever owned. They ae actually a little too warm for Southern California on a chilly day (50 degree) but amazing in the below freezing conditions we had in Paris. No salt stains nothing on them.

Bella - I love apartments. When we went to Europe in 07 and took just the two girls - we did two apartments and two hotels. Each has its upside. For the shorter stays we did hotels - and I loved each one actually. And it was nice to have my bed made every day etc. We stayed in a hotel in Paris and Montruex <sp> and then apartment in Florence and Rome.

Weekender

Hi Dawn:

Are you staying in the area with your move?

If you were smart, you would tell those people you live with that you have a prior engagement for a few hours on the 31st and let them do the move!

Have been past Montage many times but have never been in it. So many options and so little time, as usual.

MomDDTravel

Yeah..those people LOL - I may not move that day. The mover is coming out on Monday to discuss etc. My 15 year old is leaving for Kenya on the 2 so I may want to wait till the 3rd to move - to make it easier on her - she has a lot on her plate. Sooo it is not 100 percent yet, and dh will not move on the 1rst due to the superbowl and may want to wait anyway so his tv is still mounted etc.

Yes, we are staying in the general area but it is a definate move DOWN.

MomDDTravel

adding - I have never stayed at the Montage - it is crazy expensive imo. But have dined there before.

Challiman

Mom, on our recent visit we stopped at Montage and got beautiful sunset photos of the whole family. Some of the best shots I 've taken, too. Out of 7 people and one small Pug, only one had crossed eyes! Well, funny looking eyes! LOL, moving with that many people, just to dinner, is tricky enough, can't imagine how you managed all that in Paris.
Good luck with the move. Maybe you should have your new home blessed. We have friends that did that when they moved and seem to think it has made a difference. Can't hurt, might help.

andrew8

Hi Dawn,
I was wondering if you were home and just now came across your great trip report. Sorry to hear about your DH and DD not feeling well but glad you all had such a nice trip.

Welcome Home !

travelgirl2

Dawn - it was great to read your report. I know you were really looking forward to this trip, and it seems that it did not disappoint.

Just a note about the museum passes - it is not necessary to get one for the kids. We were there in August (2 adults and 2 kids). With their museum passes, the adults went to the line for people with passes and the kids just followed along with them. The ticket checkers always just waved the kids through with us.

MomDDTravel

travel - ugh?? Really??? Darn..good to know for the future though and good to have on this thread.

MomDDTravel

Andrew - thank you so much!Nothing was going to spoil my time. I mean that. I did not go to Europe as planned with dd in the fall and it will likely be 12 long months before we can travel again...so I knew to enjoy every moment - good and bad. It is what makes up life right? The good and the bad and the balance there.. Paris is a breath taking experience that I hope to go back to someday..

WillTravel

That is true about kids and museum passes, although if there is any doubt about their ages, the museum staff may want to see a passport (or possibly other official ID).

You and your family have great spirits to get through all the sundry unpleasantness and still have a great time.

Did you spend all your trip in Paris? I remember you had a more ambitious itinerary at one point.

Last year I was in desperate need of ibuprofène, and went into a Paris drugstore to buy some. I didn't pay attention to the price, and gave a 100-Euro bill. The woman looked at me a bit strangely. How silly I felt when the cost was less than 2 Euros.

dlejhunt

Dawn - thank you so much for your wonderful report. I very much enjoyed reading a "reality" version of a Paris trip (and your French spelling mistakes are endearing!).

We were in Paris last summer at the same time as friends who had two sick daughters, and they had the same positive experience with the French medical system as you did. I wouldn't want our government to run exactly like the French government, but we can certainly learn a lesson from their medical system.

I am headed back to Paris at the end of March/beginning of April with my sister. It will be my fifth time in the city but her first - I am really looking forward to seeing my favorite place in the world through a first-timer's eyes. I'll be devouring all of the Paris reports on Fodors until then...

By the way, I noticed some references to the "Real Housewives" in your posts and the replies. That show is my absolute favorite "guilty pleasure". I must say that your posts don't sound anything like something those women might write (and I mean that as a compliment to you). But gosh, I'd love to see those women in Paris!

Merci encore une fois, Dawn!

sf7307

OT (sort of) (and I'm really glad you ended up with such a positive trip), but is the medicine cost thing true everywhere EXCEPT the USA? We were in Egypt and paid 60 cents for a bottle of Afrin, and less than a dollar for a bottle of name-brand cough medicine. Shocked to say the least.

MomDDTravel

The OC housewives are my neighbors.At least until the 31. I am moving - outside of the gates...downsizing. Dh has not done well in the last year in a new business venture and our portfolio is hurting like everyone I know, and it is time. We will be down to 2 children living here in August. Slade was right across the golf course (before his house foreclosed upon) and back in the day when I had more money - we had the same Aesthetician (as Vicki and the gals... she would give me all sorts of dirt), my older son hung out a little with Tamara's oldest boy Ryan... stuff like that. It is a small community.

Willtravel - thank you for the confirmation on the Paris pass. Good to have that information as I said in this thread for others.

We stayed 100% in Paris. I wanted to go to London for 5 nights and then Paris for 5 nights at one point and then also wanted to do a number of day trips.

When I booked the trip the Pound was HIGH and the holidays with Boxing day etc impacted the time. We found a really cool Castle experience but as I said, with the Pound so high we decided against it. It was very costly. In the end we simply decided an apartment for 10 nights in Paris was the best idea and to play it by ear when we got there. I am glad we had no train tickets etc as dd was SO sick for a major portion of the trip and we would have had to cancel. (and money would have been wasted).

andrew8

I never knew Slade's house foreclosed.

Sorry for the brief comment

MomDDTravel

I believe on the show they said it sold. Nope. Nada... his car repod too. He was one of the first of many "mortgage broker refugees" as they are called in our area. We have "auto refugees" as well (dh being one of them!)

dlejhunt

Thanks for the RHOC inside info. Your story sounds so different from one that I would imagine those ladies would tell - but perhaps I need to consider that what we see on television is very different from reality. And, I am sorry to hear about your financial issues - I am up in Silicon Valley and it is hitting us here, too.

Glad to see that you, like me, consider travel indispensable and are looking forward to your next trip! I hope you will post a report on your next trip, too, as you are a great storyteller.

MomDDTravel

Yeah.. I think it is differnt - honesty usually is. I do not know Tamera but question the whole thing about her dh and Fletcher Jones - Auto industry has been hit hard. Her house is also on the market. We were home for one showing and they told us they had just left her home. Not sure if that is on the show or not, I stopped watching it a while ago and catch it on occasion. It was super fun to watch at first - cool seeing our local places on tv etc.

I had the strangest dream last night and Frankie was in it LOL - the tenant that was in Vicki's house. I woke up and giggled. Sure it was because we are leasing our home out (maybe) etc.

Thank you for your well wishes. We are okay. We work with homeless in Santa Ana about once a month and I leave there going "okay, I have no problems". kwim?

Travel is a huge part of who I am; a heart beat - I was just emailing with someone about this - the fact is I would rather live in less of a house etc and have more "experiences" and for me the experiences come with travel.

We cannot really plan anything right now but am thinking about going the week after Christmas, just dh and I this time. We own 3 weeks of timeshares - crazy. There is a week available in a little town outside of Salzburg and I am hoping that will be a good base... waiting till FF miles are available for that week to see if it will work. Where there is a will - there is a way .

Thanks again for taking the time to read and all the great feedback.

~Dawn

Weekender

Dawn:

I agree. There is more to life than being house poor.

MomDDTravel

Weekender - We very much agree.