"Paris Encore" by Travelnut
Nov 21st, 2005, 09:17 AM
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"Paris Encore" by Travelnut
As I have mentioned before, Paris is our favorite city, therefore we try to visit it as many times as others go to the beach or camp in the mountains. It's our "thing".
This is my very belated trip report, but perhaps it can still be useful, non?
<u>Our Trip to Paris (yes, again) - September 2005</u>
DAY 1 - MONDAY 9/12
Departed from Jacksonville on Continental - frequent-flier award tickets booked October 2004. Flight was uneventful, dozed as best we could after the cabin service.
DAY 2 - TUESDAY 9/13
Arrived at CDG Terminal 2A about 11:20 am, breezed through Passport controls, retrieved bags, and hiked from 2A to the RER ticket office. The walk took about 15 minutes - the RER ticket office is down 2 flights of steps, and located to the left of the Grandes Lignes ticket office. Used my debit card to buy 2 Carte Orange tickets for zones 1-5, and caught the train into Paris. After about 40 minutes, we alighted at Denfert Rochereau and walked the short distance to our hotel. (Note: the RER station's elevator wasn't working this day but was working on another day). We've been staying lately at Hotel Sophie Germain, a small non-frills hotel showing a bit of wear, acceptably clean rooms, and nice people managing the place. They do 'force' us to try speaking French and seem so pleased when we are able to eke out even something very basic.
After settling into our twin room, we bought some picnic supplies at Monoprix and took the metro over to Parc de Buttes-Chaumont, a very nice park with many hills and curvy lanes, a lake, green slopes to sit on, and lots of children playing after school. (Note: be sure to find the elevator in the metro station as there are 3 double-flights of stairs, a very hard climb, especially for 'arrival' day).
<i>~ see the link at the end if interested in viewing any photos ~</i>
Around 6:30 we headed back toward the hotel, but opted to get off the metro at St Germain des Pres for an easy (and early) dinner at Vesuvio. We were so early we had to wait for the waiter to show up for work at 7pm (although the 'emporter' counter was open). We had spaghetti, tortellini, a 25-cl pichet of vin rouge, and Evian for about 31€. We were sitting at the sidewalk tables, relaxing and finishing the wine, when a dear sweet elderly lady stopped at our table, earnestly telling me something(?), maybe about our drinks but my ears could not discern a single word. I offered a "je ne parle pas francais" a few times and "je ne comprend pas", too, but she didn't give up. Finally, she just patted me on the shoulder and went on her way.
We followed up dinner with a short walk to Place St Sulpice - the fountain was illuminated, some kids were kicking a ball around, and the terrace at Café de la Mairie was full of outward-facing customers. Saw an interesting car being parked and tried to snap a photo but it was blurry (tried not to be too obvious). Headed back to the hotel and were asleep by 10pm. Generally, the outside noise dies down around 11pm and the street is relatively quiet, but suddenly we heard sharp 'bangs' and a loud voice - a guy was beating his motorbike with his helmet, yelling "Bam!Bam!" with each swing. My husband jumped out of bed and thought someone was robbing the Pizza Hut with a gun - that's our mental conditioning from living in the 'States'! All was peaceful after this, and we awoke to our first full day in Paris.
This is my very belated trip report, but perhaps it can still be useful, non?
<u>Our Trip to Paris (yes, again) - September 2005</u>
DAY 1 - MONDAY 9/12
Departed from Jacksonville on Continental - frequent-flier award tickets booked October 2004. Flight was uneventful, dozed as best we could after the cabin service.
DAY 2 - TUESDAY 9/13
Arrived at CDG Terminal 2A about 11:20 am, breezed through Passport controls, retrieved bags, and hiked from 2A to the RER ticket office. The walk took about 15 minutes - the RER ticket office is down 2 flights of steps, and located to the left of the Grandes Lignes ticket office. Used my debit card to buy 2 Carte Orange tickets for zones 1-5, and caught the train into Paris. After about 40 minutes, we alighted at Denfert Rochereau and walked the short distance to our hotel. (Note: the RER station's elevator wasn't working this day but was working on another day). We've been staying lately at Hotel Sophie Germain, a small non-frills hotel showing a bit of wear, acceptably clean rooms, and nice people managing the place. They do 'force' us to try speaking French and seem so pleased when we are able to eke out even something very basic.
After settling into our twin room, we bought some picnic supplies at Monoprix and took the metro over to Parc de Buttes-Chaumont, a very nice park with many hills and curvy lanes, a lake, green slopes to sit on, and lots of children playing after school. (Note: be sure to find the elevator in the metro station as there are 3 double-flights of stairs, a very hard climb, especially for 'arrival' day).
<i>~ see the link at the end if interested in viewing any photos ~</i>
Around 6:30 we headed back toward the hotel, but opted to get off the metro at St Germain des Pres for an easy (and early) dinner at Vesuvio. We were so early we had to wait for the waiter to show up for work at 7pm (although the 'emporter' counter was open). We had spaghetti, tortellini, a 25-cl pichet of vin rouge, and Evian for about 31€. We were sitting at the sidewalk tables, relaxing and finishing the wine, when a dear sweet elderly lady stopped at our table, earnestly telling me something(?), maybe about our drinks but my ears could not discern a single word. I offered a "je ne parle pas francais" a few times and "je ne comprend pas", too, but she didn't give up. Finally, she just patted me on the shoulder and went on her way.
We followed up dinner with a short walk to Place St Sulpice - the fountain was illuminated, some kids were kicking a ball around, and the terrace at Café de la Mairie was full of outward-facing customers. Saw an interesting car being parked and tried to snap a photo but it was blurry (tried not to be too obvious). Headed back to the hotel and were asleep by 10pm. Generally, the outside noise dies down around 11pm and the street is relatively quiet, but suddenly we heard sharp 'bangs' and a loud voice - a guy was beating his motorbike with his helmet, yelling "Bam!Bam!" with each swing. My husband jumped out of bed and thought someone was robbing the Pizza Hut with a gun - that's our mental conditioning from living in the 'States'! All was peaceful after this, and we awoke to our first full day in Paris.
Nov 21st, 2005, 09:22 AM
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DAY 3 - WEDNESDAY 9/14
I always have a daily itinerary all planned out, although we often stray from it. Today we followed it mostly to the letter, starting off with a look inside and out of the Eglise Saint Augustin in the 8th. The placard inside informs us that Napoleon III decided to have the church built and the unique metal framework was the inspiration of Baltard, who also designed the original 'les Halles'. From there it was an easy walk past Gare St Lazare and Trinite to the Musee Gustave Moreau. This museum, in Moreau's house, holds an astounding body of work from this one individual (and some pieces he collected as well). His style is very dreamlike, with a mixture of the classic and surreal (French Symbolist).
We took a walk up the rue des Martyrs (9th) after I came across an online article that this was an up-and-coming 'typical' French street. Indeed, the boulangerie, patisserie, fleuriste and all such icons were present. We sat in the tiny Place Ventura with our baguette sandwiches for a lunch stop, then continued across Blvd de Clichy so I could finally get a photo of the Abbesses metro (Guimard design with the covered entrance). The Abbesses area looks very charming and a walk along rue des Abbesses took us past many sidewalk cafes and tiny shops.
Our next destination was the Cimetiere de Montmartre, where we searched for the gravestone of G. Moreau, whose art we had just viewed. Alas, it seemed to be impossible, but just as we were turning away, my husband said "what's that?", and lo and behold, it was Gustave's tomb. And then, we continued to accidently find other interesting graves, such as that of the great dancer Nijinksy and Louise Weber, the outrageous dancer of the French "Can-Can", painted by Toulouse Lautrec. The cemetery was frequented by any number of cats, which glided between all the tombstones and disappeared into the shadows.
Next, we walked up rue Caulaincourt to connect with avenue Junot and rue Norvis, the 'postcard' approach to Montmartre and Place du Tertre. I took the requisite photos of 'le Consulate', and all the "artistes" and tourists, then we had a respite on the steps of Sacre Coeur. We observed an elderly gentlemen climbing the stairs with his rosary, taking 3 steps, then stopping to pray a few words. He was very intent on his pilgrimage and oblivious to the swarm of tourists passing by him.
The sun was very warm, hot even, so we returned to our hotel for a cool drink and a brief nap. On the way out to dinner later, my husband tossed off a "tout alors" to the receptionist, who responded, "Quel <i>bon</i> francais!". We had a light meal at Café le Rendezvous (yes, that's really the name, quel parisien!) - moules/frites, salade nicoise, un coca, de l'eau, and 25-cl of Chinon rouge, all for 27€. This left enough room to go over to the local Amorino's and see what the fuss was about. We understood after having our 'caffee' and a 'caramel' ice creams.
Then, asleep again by 10, and no 'gunshots' to wake us up.
DAY 4 - THURSDAY 9/15
After the usual petit dejeuner at the hotel (3 pains, confitures, juice, café au lait), we traveled from Gare St Lazare on a day-trip to Rouen. The train was "held-up" (nearly 2 hours) to remove something from the tracks (this happened to us in Germany in 2003, too). Once we finally arrived, we walked toward the old town - we saw the cathedrale, rode the tourist train, walked back to the Aître St McClou (a sort of plague cemetery), and passed the Tour Jeanne d'Arc on the way back to the train station.
We returned to Paris around "wine:30" so we gathered up some supplies and had our refreshments at Square Ledoux, by Denfert Rochereau. After a while, we moved over to rue Daguerre and had dinner at Gourmet d'Asie, an Asian "traiteur". We sat outside to eat, next to a couple of guys. Toward the end of their meal 'un clochard' picked up the guy's unfinished plate and started eating off of it - then he walked off with it, still munching.... the customer yelled, ' mon assiette !! hey, mon assiette!!' Everyone was amused - even the owner - just laughing with amazed looks on all our faces. We were there long enough to see the fellow come back and return the plate to the shop owner, who was still shaking his head. We ate gambas, ginger chicken, rice and lo-mein, steamed vegs, a Japanese beer and a bottled water for about 21€ (food is charged by weight).
During the night, a spotlight was in my eyes and woke me up. I went to the window and pushed the sheer curtain back and realized it was the full moon shining in.
I always have a daily itinerary all planned out, although we often stray from it. Today we followed it mostly to the letter, starting off with a look inside and out of the Eglise Saint Augustin in the 8th. The placard inside informs us that Napoleon III decided to have the church built and the unique metal framework was the inspiration of Baltard, who also designed the original 'les Halles'. From there it was an easy walk past Gare St Lazare and Trinite to the Musee Gustave Moreau. This museum, in Moreau's house, holds an astounding body of work from this one individual (and some pieces he collected as well). His style is very dreamlike, with a mixture of the classic and surreal (French Symbolist).
We took a walk up the rue des Martyrs (9th) after I came across an online article that this was an up-and-coming 'typical' French street. Indeed, the boulangerie, patisserie, fleuriste and all such icons were present. We sat in the tiny Place Ventura with our baguette sandwiches for a lunch stop, then continued across Blvd de Clichy so I could finally get a photo of the Abbesses metro (Guimard design with the covered entrance). The Abbesses area looks very charming and a walk along rue des Abbesses took us past many sidewalk cafes and tiny shops.
Our next destination was the Cimetiere de Montmartre, where we searched for the gravestone of G. Moreau, whose art we had just viewed. Alas, it seemed to be impossible, but just as we were turning away, my husband said "what's that?", and lo and behold, it was Gustave's tomb. And then, we continued to accidently find other interesting graves, such as that of the great dancer Nijinksy and Louise Weber, the outrageous dancer of the French "Can-Can", painted by Toulouse Lautrec. The cemetery was frequented by any number of cats, which glided between all the tombstones and disappeared into the shadows.
Next, we walked up rue Caulaincourt to connect with avenue Junot and rue Norvis, the 'postcard' approach to Montmartre and Place du Tertre. I took the requisite photos of 'le Consulate', and all the "artistes" and tourists, then we had a respite on the steps of Sacre Coeur. We observed an elderly gentlemen climbing the stairs with his rosary, taking 3 steps, then stopping to pray a few words. He was very intent on his pilgrimage and oblivious to the swarm of tourists passing by him.
The sun was very warm, hot even, so we returned to our hotel for a cool drink and a brief nap. On the way out to dinner later, my husband tossed off a "tout alors" to the receptionist, who responded, "Quel <i>bon</i> francais!". We had a light meal at Café le Rendezvous (yes, that's really the name, quel parisien!) - moules/frites, salade nicoise, un coca, de l'eau, and 25-cl of Chinon rouge, all for 27€. This left enough room to go over to the local Amorino's and see what the fuss was about. We understood after having our 'caffee' and a 'caramel' ice creams.
Then, asleep again by 10, and no 'gunshots' to wake us up.
DAY 4 - THURSDAY 9/15
After the usual petit dejeuner at the hotel (3 pains, confitures, juice, café au lait), we traveled from Gare St Lazare on a day-trip to Rouen. The train was "held-up" (nearly 2 hours) to remove something from the tracks (this happened to us in Germany in 2003, too). Once we finally arrived, we walked toward the old town - we saw the cathedrale, rode the tourist train, walked back to the Aître St McClou (a sort of plague cemetery), and passed the Tour Jeanne d'Arc on the way back to the train station.
We returned to Paris around "wine:30" so we gathered up some supplies and had our refreshments at Square Ledoux, by Denfert Rochereau. After a while, we moved over to rue Daguerre and had dinner at Gourmet d'Asie, an Asian "traiteur". We sat outside to eat, next to a couple of guys. Toward the end of their meal 'un clochard' picked up the guy's unfinished plate and started eating off of it - then he walked off with it, still munching.... the customer yelled, ' mon assiette !! hey, mon assiette!!' Everyone was amused - even the owner - just laughing with amazed looks on all our faces. We were there long enough to see the fellow come back and return the plate to the shop owner, who was still shaking his head. We ate gambas, ginger chicken, rice and lo-mein, steamed vegs, a Japanese beer and a bottled water for about 21€ (food is charged by weight).
During the night, a spotlight was in my eyes and woke me up. I went to the window and pushed the sheer curtain back and realized it was the full moon shining in.
Nov 21st, 2005, 09:24 AM
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DAY 5 - FRIDAY 9/16
It was raining this morning so, instead of golf, we moved up a visit to Musée Carnavalet in le Marais; had a quick bite on the way at a cheerful boulangerie on the rue de Rivoli, then turned into a small street that was buzzing with the Jewish parents picking up their children from school. A couple more blocks of walking, then into the free museum - there was so much to see, I think we missed a floor! Followed this up with a walk over to Pompidou and a beverage at one of the cafés by the Stravinsky fountain (by Tinguely). It had been a few years since we'd been in this exact place so we stepped into the Église Saint Merri (still being restored). There were some beautiful stained glass windows.
We had a dinner reservation at "La Chantairelle" in the 5th, so we scooted back via Bus #38 to the hotel to get dressed. I had seen some posts on Fodors about it and was intrigued by the 'country atmosphere' (mooing cow when the door opens, chirping birds in the garden, and a live kittie stalking the landscaping). We had a nice dinner although I can't say the seasonings were our favorite (but we're trying to broaden our dining experiences a bit more). The restaurant features cooking from the region of Auvergne. We had a saucisson 'amuse bouche', a crudité plate with tomato sorbet, stuffed cabbage, duck filet in honey sauce, a nice Rosé, and shared a blueberry cake dessert - 73 € . . .
DAY 6 - SATURDAY 9/17
The plan was to have a 1/2 day of golf... but it was Saturday and I should've known better. We were to take the RER-B to Guichet then a taxi to St Aubin - good plan, except: <b> the</b> taxi was not working today...so-back to Paris and back to bed for husband, who actually wasn't feeling great anyway. (found out later that he had a piece of glass in his eye, which also caused some ear/sinus reactions). His siesta gave me a couple of free hours, which I used to visit the main Paris Tourist Office (lots of brochures and maps for a coworker) and to take some photos - I went up to the 9th to get some pictures around Square d'Anvers, then to the 4th for more of the Marais. After a pit-stop in BHV, I crossed in front of Hotel de Ville and then over the Seine to Place St Michel to meet my now-awake hubby for our wine:30 break.
We sat a bit in the charming Square Viviani, and observed a nicely dressed older lady fishing through all the trash bins for - - - bags! Clean bags, not the stuff inside them, which she shook out for the pigeons. We couldn't figure it out - my thought was maybe her church has a resale shop and she looks for free bags for the shop to use..? Anyway, we crossed over to the parvis at Notre Dame to watch the tourists. There was a man over by the short hedges with hundreds of birds fluttering around, all over the bushes, on his shoulders, on his head.. I'm sure it was for tips but I didn't see where or when he collected any...
We decided we had really liked the Chinese food the other night, so we ate dinner at Gourmet d'Asie again, basically the same food and cost. After dinner, we saw a movie (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) at the cinema near our hotel, where they only charged us the 'senior' price (thanks . . . I think). There were young folks distributing a mini book of the Pages Jaunes - I felt privileged to get one.
It was raining this morning so, instead of golf, we moved up a visit to Musée Carnavalet in le Marais; had a quick bite on the way at a cheerful boulangerie on the rue de Rivoli, then turned into a small street that was buzzing with the Jewish parents picking up their children from school. A couple more blocks of walking, then into the free museum - there was so much to see, I think we missed a floor! Followed this up with a walk over to Pompidou and a beverage at one of the cafés by the Stravinsky fountain (by Tinguely). It had been a few years since we'd been in this exact place so we stepped into the Église Saint Merri (still being restored). There were some beautiful stained glass windows.
We had a dinner reservation at "La Chantairelle" in the 5th, so we scooted back via Bus #38 to the hotel to get dressed. I had seen some posts on Fodors about it and was intrigued by the 'country atmosphere' (mooing cow when the door opens, chirping birds in the garden, and a live kittie stalking the landscaping). We had a nice dinner although I can't say the seasonings were our favorite (but we're trying to broaden our dining experiences a bit more). The restaurant features cooking from the region of Auvergne. We had a saucisson 'amuse bouche', a crudité plate with tomato sorbet, stuffed cabbage, duck filet in honey sauce, a nice Rosé, and shared a blueberry cake dessert - 73 € . . .
DAY 6 - SATURDAY 9/17
The plan was to have a 1/2 day of golf... but it was Saturday and I should've known better. We were to take the RER-B to Guichet then a taxi to St Aubin - good plan, except: <b> the</b> taxi was not working today...so-back to Paris and back to bed for husband, who actually wasn't feeling great anyway. (found out later that he had a piece of glass in his eye, which also caused some ear/sinus reactions). His siesta gave me a couple of free hours, which I used to visit the main Paris Tourist Office (lots of brochures and maps for a coworker) and to take some photos - I went up to the 9th to get some pictures around Square d'Anvers, then to the 4th for more of the Marais. After a pit-stop in BHV, I crossed in front of Hotel de Ville and then over the Seine to Place St Michel to meet my now-awake hubby for our wine:30 break.
We sat a bit in the charming Square Viviani, and observed a nicely dressed older lady fishing through all the trash bins for - - - bags! Clean bags, not the stuff inside them, which she shook out for the pigeons. We couldn't figure it out - my thought was maybe her church has a resale shop and she looks for free bags for the shop to use..? Anyway, we crossed over to the parvis at Notre Dame to watch the tourists. There was a man over by the short hedges with hundreds of birds fluttering around, all over the bushes, on his shoulders, on his head.. I'm sure it was for tips but I didn't see where or when he collected any...
We decided we had really liked the Chinese food the other night, so we ate dinner at Gourmet d'Asie again, basically the same food and cost. After dinner, we saw a movie (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) at the cinema near our hotel, where they only charged us the 'senior' price (thanks . . . I think). There were young folks distributing a mini book of the Pages Jaunes - I felt privileged to get one.
Nov 21st, 2005, 09:25 AM
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DAY 7 - SUNDAY 9/18
After breakfast, we took the metro to Bastille and explored the Sunday market (blvd Richard Lenoir), which was a good-sized market but not as big as I thought it would be. It was very colorful and many types of products were for sale: meats, seafood, cheeses, wines, honey, breads, spices, produce, flowers... !
Then we went to the hotel, picked up the golf clubs and took Metro Line 6 to Nation, then RER-A to Bussy Saint Georges, which has a nice course about 1km walk from the train station. Hubby hit a couple buckets of balls, took some putting practice and was partnered with an Asian woman who was working in Paris, as was her husband. I left them to enjoy the afternoon game and returned to Paris to take more photos.
I spent a pleasant couple of hours watching people and taking pix from the Palais de Justice to Notre Dame, and over to Ile St Louis (and the shops on its main street, which was very crowded). Then I went back to the souvenir shops along rue d'Arcole (near N.D.) and bought a long scarf (faux pashmina) with small stripes in black, red, gold and blue and fringed ends for 10€.
Back in the 14th, I went by the Indiana Club to see what were their hours (we thought we might shoot some pool one evening); I passed two cyber shops on rue d'Odessa - one is open 7/7 until 10, the other is 24/7. Also checked the posted menu/carte at L'Art des Mets (looks good but they are closed that night). I picked up some beer and wine at an alimentaire and went to the hotel. Hubby returned from golf around 9pm, so we ordered a pizza from the Pizza Hut on our block and ate dinner in the room. I've been packing bubble bath the past few trips (never take these at home) so had a very relaxing soak before retiring to bed.
DAY 8 - MONDAY 9/19
On Monday, we took RER-B to visit the Chateau de Sceaux, which is a nice smaller mansion situated on a lovely estate (I've read they hold concerts there sometimes). I was admonished not to take any interior photographs but I confess to having taken a few (no flash, as always) - there were no brochures and I didn't see any postcards, so what was I supposed to do? There was a little outdoor café and we had a couple of coffees before going on through the gardens and around the canal and ponds.
On the return up the grand canal, we observed a fisherman pulling out a huge carp, a very shiny yellow fellow (the carp, I mean) which the man measured, weighed and noted in his little book. I took a photo of him from a short distance as he did all this, then he noticed and asked me to take his photo using his camera, which of course, I did. I was glad to see he released the fish back into the canal to live another day.
After we exited the back of the estate, we saw a boulangerie with a line (lunch time) so we joined in and got a couple of baguette sandwiches (jambon/fromage and curry poulet) and 2 macarons, and ate that on a bench in the little church square of St Jean Baptiste. We ducked into the small church and had a look around before going back to the RER station.
In Paris again, we had our "wine:30" on the Champ de Mars, at the foot of Tour Eiffel and enjoyed watching all the other folks lolling around, kids playing, college group having some kind of initiation game and so on. Very relaxing. We eventually decided it was time for something to eat and walked over to blvd Grenelle to find a different Asian place we had liked last year, but this year it was flavorless and a bit greasy and nothing like the "Gourmet d'Asie" we've been enjoying in the 14th. We had to go to Amorino's to get the taste out of our mouths
For our evening's entertainment, we returned to the Gaumont Alesia to see a movie called "Collision ", which turned out to be the one released in the States as "Crash" - we found it to be very interesting and thought-provoking. We enjoyed paying the "Senior rate" again (saving about 50%) - must be the silver hairs and the collapsible cane hubby likes to lean on.
After breakfast, we took the metro to Bastille and explored the Sunday market (blvd Richard Lenoir), which was a good-sized market but not as big as I thought it would be. It was very colorful and many types of products were for sale: meats, seafood, cheeses, wines, honey, breads, spices, produce, flowers... !
Then we went to the hotel, picked up the golf clubs and took Metro Line 6 to Nation, then RER-A to Bussy Saint Georges, which has a nice course about 1km walk from the train station. Hubby hit a couple buckets of balls, took some putting practice and was partnered with an Asian woman who was working in Paris, as was her husband. I left them to enjoy the afternoon game and returned to Paris to take more photos.
I spent a pleasant couple of hours watching people and taking pix from the Palais de Justice to Notre Dame, and over to Ile St Louis (and the shops on its main street, which was very crowded). Then I went back to the souvenir shops along rue d'Arcole (near N.D.) and bought a long scarf (faux pashmina) with small stripes in black, red, gold and blue and fringed ends for 10€.
Back in the 14th, I went by the Indiana Club to see what were their hours (we thought we might shoot some pool one evening); I passed two cyber shops on rue d'Odessa - one is open 7/7 until 10, the other is 24/7. Also checked the posted menu/carte at L'Art des Mets (looks good but they are closed that night). I picked up some beer and wine at an alimentaire and went to the hotel. Hubby returned from golf around 9pm, so we ordered a pizza from the Pizza Hut on our block and ate dinner in the room. I've been packing bubble bath the past few trips (never take these at home) so had a very relaxing soak before retiring to bed.
DAY 8 - MONDAY 9/19
On Monday, we took RER-B to visit the Chateau de Sceaux, which is a nice smaller mansion situated on a lovely estate (I've read they hold concerts there sometimes). I was admonished not to take any interior photographs but I confess to having taken a few (no flash, as always) - there were no brochures and I didn't see any postcards, so what was I supposed to do? There was a little outdoor café and we had a couple of coffees before going on through the gardens and around the canal and ponds.
On the return up the grand canal, we observed a fisherman pulling out a huge carp, a very shiny yellow fellow (the carp, I mean) which the man measured, weighed and noted in his little book. I took a photo of him from a short distance as he did all this, then he noticed and asked me to take his photo using his camera, which of course, I did. I was glad to see he released the fish back into the canal to live another day.
After we exited the back of the estate, we saw a boulangerie with a line (lunch time) so we joined in and got a couple of baguette sandwiches (jambon/fromage and curry poulet) and 2 macarons, and ate that on a bench in the little church square of St Jean Baptiste. We ducked into the small church and had a look around before going back to the RER station.
In Paris again, we had our "wine:30" on the Champ de Mars, at the foot of Tour Eiffel and enjoyed watching all the other folks lolling around, kids playing, college group having some kind of initiation game and so on. Very relaxing. We eventually decided it was time for something to eat and walked over to blvd Grenelle to find a different Asian place we had liked last year, but this year it was flavorless and a bit greasy and nothing like the "Gourmet d'Asie" we've been enjoying in the 14th. We had to go to Amorino's to get the taste out of our mouths
For our evening's entertainment, we returned to the Gaumont Alesia to see a movie called "Collision ", which turned out to be the one released in the States as "Crash" - we found it to be very interesting and thought-provoking. We enjoyed paying the "Senior rate" again (saving about 50%) - must be the silver hairs and the collapsible cane hubby likes to lean on.
Nov 21st, 2005, 09:27 AM
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DAY 9 - TUESDAY 9/20
I wanted to look for some inexpensive souvenirs or Christmas gifts, and had a couple of destinations in mind. The first stop was at at pipe store in the Latin Quarter for some pipe tobacco for the house-sitter. We were hoping to buy some 'house blend' that would be a bit unique, but they didn't sell ANY tobacco.
So I moved on to the other shopping I wanted to do, starting with the 'City Pharmacie' in the 6th (formerly known as Fouhety), which was abuzz with shoppers on both floors. I learned I have no clue as to what kind of froo-froo things are a good deal, and just bought some nice soaps and a pack of Vitamin C dissolving tabs (for me) and a pack of Dramamine (for hubby's "ear problem" which we didn't know yet was actually a piece of glass in his eye. He didn't want to go see a doctor, so typical).
Next I wanted to see what was to be found at ' La Vaissellerie' , not realizing this store is about the size of a closet. I bought a "Lagioule" cheese spreader for 5€ and an Eiffel key ring for around the same price. On the same block was a great chocolates shop called 'L'Atelier du Chocolat' so I bought a few to sample (ok, we <i>scarfed</i> them!).
The next place was quite a bit more obscure, as it was a music box shop I 'found' on the internet. The address actually turned out to be their office (they sell online and occasionally do shows) but the owner was very sweet and let us choose a music box from his display cabinet (looks like a Faberge egg), then he brought out a couple in boxes and opened them to make sure I took one that was unblemished and in proper working order.
We stopped in at a small Italian café for lunch - one piece of pizza and a salade nicoise, bottled water for 12€. Then we had one more errand - find that pipe tobacco for our house-sitter! I kind of remembered where we had bought some last time, so we headed over to rue St Honore/Pyramides... we got sidetracked by the Jardin de Tuileries, because I knew it would be lovely and I took some garden photos, and had a tasty Italian ice. Finally, we found the tobacco at "A la Civette", and took everything back to the hotel.
For dinner, we went to the 'Indiana Club' on avenue du Maine and relaxed over drinks and surprisingly decent quesadillas for around 28€ (we didn't shoot pool but they do have 'American' tables). We had a stroll around the neighborhood, sat and watched cars, motorbikes and people go by for a bit, then popped into Café le Rendezvous for a nightcap. I had my first "French" hot chocolate, which came as "ingredients" that I got to mix myself and it was delicious.
DAY 10 - WEDNESDAY 9/21
Hubby had seen a boxed set of Lagioule pocket knives at the corner café/tabac, so we went around there to buy them at 55€. The proprietess thought the price tag was a mistake but her partner/husband? confirmed that 55€ was the correct price.
We wanted to ride bikes and it was a nice day so we took the RER to Versailles and walked around the estate to go to the back gate, because I'd read there was a rental stand there. But no... so we went on into the gardens, and saw the Baths of Apollo for the first time. Once we reached the grand canal area, we bought baguette sandwiches, took a nap on the grass, rented bikes at the kiosk and rode around for a couple of hours. We left by walking out the front way but we were thirsty and walked through quite a bit of the town, looking for an alimentaire or grocer. There are a LOT of convivial-looking cafes in the area near the chateau that might be worth a stop if you wanted to add some free time to your trip to Versailles. For a change of pace, we took bus #171 to Pont de Sevres, then the metro line 9 the rest of the way back to Paris.
My husband had gone back to the room to rest, and I wanted to buy a 'faux pashmina' scarf for a friend, so I returned to the same store by Notre Dame and purchased one with different colors than the first one I'd bought. I saw a woman walking her dog down blvd St Michel and I took a surreptitious photo (so "Parisian", then I made a side-trip into Jardin de Luxembourg for autumn photos, and saw the same woman sitting in a chair with her doggie on a leash (so, I took another picture!). I caught bus #38 back to Denfert and popped into Monoprix to load up on cookies for the office.
We had dinner at the Asian traiteur again, another 24€ meal (didn't want the previous Asian meal to be the last one). My husband forgot to pick up his collapsible cane and we walked about 2 blocks before he realized it. He headed back toward the shop and said the proprietor was holding up the cane, craning his neck to see which way my husband might have gone - upon seeing him, ran toward him waving the stick, "Monsieur, monsieur!"...
We went to the top of Tour Montparnasse at sunset to see the pink horizon over the twinkling city lights, and a fantastic glittery Eiffel Tower. Took the metro over to Etoile to watch traffic for a while and help the other tourists take their pictures of the Arc de Triomphe. Then we walked down the Champs, pausing for an evening photo of Fouquet's, and eventually made our way back to the hotel to pre-pack for our departure.
DAY 11 - THURSDAY 9/22
This is the day we flew home to Florida.... we had one last walk around the block, checked out and took the RER to CDG and walked through the terminal to the airline counter with plenty of time to spare. We had an uneventful flight from Paris, however our connection was in Houston the day before Hurricane Rita was to arrive. (We had free tickets and Houston was the 'best' connection at the time the reservations were booked). The Houston airport was almost a ghost town on the inside - flights being cancelled, planes being relocated, etc. But the TV screens showed a large crowd of people trying to get into the airport/terminal, thinking they could still get flights out. We were only delayed about 2 hours and got a flight on to Florida, and enjoyed falling asleep on our own pillows.
I wanted to look for some inexpensive souvenirs or Christmas gifts, and had a couple of destinations in mind. The first stop was at at pipe store in the Latin Quarter for some pipe tobacco for the house-sitter. We were hoping to buy some 'house blend' that would be a bit unique, but they didn't sell ANY tobacco.
So I moved on to the other shopping I wanted to do, starting with the 'City Pharmacie' in the 6th (formerly known as Fouhety), which was abuzz with shoppers on both floors. I learned I have no clue as to what kind of froo-froo things are a good deal, and just bought some nice soaps and a pack of Vitamin C dissolving tabs (for me) and a pack of Dramamine (for hubby's "ear problem" which we didn't know yet was actually a piece of glass in his eye. He didn't want to go see a doctor, so typical).
Next I wanted to see what was to be found at ' La Vaissellerie' , not realizing this store is about the size of a closet. I bought a "Lagioule" cheese spreader for 5€ and an Eiffel key ring for around the same price. On the same block was a great chocolates shop called 'L'Atelier du Chocolat' so I bought a few to sample (ok, we <i>scarfed</i> them!).
The next place was quite a bit more obscure, as it was a music box shop I 'found' on the internet. The address actually turned out to be their office (they sell online and occasionally do shows) but the owner was very sweet and let us choose a music box from his display cabinet (looks like a Faberge egg), then he brought out a couple in boxes and opened them to make sure I took one that was unblemished and in proper working order.
We stopped in at a small Italian café for lunch - one piece of pizza and a salade nicoise, bottled water for 12€. Then we had one more errand - find that pipe tobacco for our house-sitter! I kind of remembered where we had bought some last time, so we headed over to rue St Honore/Pyramides... we got sidetracked by the Jardin de Tuileries, because I knew it would be lovely and I took some garden photos, and had a tasty Italian ice. Finally, we found the tobacco at "A la Civette", and took everything back to the hotel.
For dinner, we went to the 'Indiana Club' on avenue du Maine and relaxed over drinks and surprisingly decent quesadillas for around 28€ (we didn't shoot pool but they do have 'American' tables). We had a stroll around the neighborhood, sat and watched cars, motorbikes and people go by for a bit, then popped into Café le Rendezvous for a nightcap. I had my first "French" hot chocolate, which came as "ingredients" that I got to mix myself and it was delicious.
DAY 10 - WEDNESDAY 9/21
Hubby had seen a boxed set of Lagioule pocket knives at the corner café/tabac, so we went around there to buy them at 55€. The proprietess thought the price tag was a mistake but her partner/husband? confirmed that 55€ was the correct price.
We wanted to ride bikes and it was a nice day so we took the RER to Versailles and walked around the estate to go to the back gate, because I'd read there was a rental stand there. But no... so we went on into the gardens, and saw the Baths of Apollo for the first time. Once we reached the grand canal area, we bought baguette sandwiches, took a nap on the grass, rented bikes at the kiosk and rode around for a couple of hours. We left by walking out the front way but we were thirsty and walked through quite a bit of the town, looking for an alimentaire or grocer. There are a LOT of convivial-looking cafes in the area near the chateau that might be worth a stop if you wanted to add some free time to your trip to Versailles. For a change of pace, we took bus #171 to Pont de Sevres, then the metro line 9 the rest of the way back to Paris.
My husband had gone back to the room to rest, and I wanted to buy a 'faux pashmina' scarf for a friend, so I returned to the same store by Notre Dame and purchased one with different colors than the first one I'd bought. I saw a woman walking her dog down blvd St Michel and I took a surreptitious photo (so "Parisian"
, then I made a side-trip into Jardin de Luxembourg for autumn photos, and saw the same woman sitting in a chair with her doggie on a leash (so, I took another picture!). I caught bus #38 back to Denfert and popped into Monoprix to load up on cookies for the office.We had dinner at the Asian traiteur again, another 24€ meal (didn't want the previous Asian meal to be the last one). My husband forgot to pick up his collapsible cane and we walked about 2 blocks before he realized it. He headed back toward the shop and said the proprietor was holding up the cane, craning his neck to see which way my husband might have gone - upon seeing him, ran toward him waving the stick, "Monsieur, monsieur!"...
We went to the top of Tour Montparnasse at sunset to see the pink horizon over the twinkling city lights, and a fantastic glittery Eiffel Tower. Took the metro over to Etoile to watch traffic for a while and help the other tourists take their pictures of the Arc de Triomphe. Then we walked down the Champs, pausing for an evening photo of Fouquet's, and eventually made our way back to the hotel to pre-pack for our departure.
DAY 11 - THURSDAY 9/22
This is the day we flew home to Florida.... we had one last walk around the block, checked out and took the RER to CDG and walked through the terminal to the airline counter with plenty of time to spare. We had an uneventful flight from Paris, however our connection was in Houston the day before Hurricane Rita was to arrive. (We had free tickets and Houston was the 'best' connection at the time the reservations were booked). The Houston airport was almost a ghost town on the inside - flights being cancelled, planes being relocated, etc. But the TV screens showed a large crowd of people trying to get into the airport/terminal, thinking they could still get flights out. We were only delayed about 2 hours and got a flight on to Florida, and enjoyed falling asleep on our own pillows.
Nov 21st, 2005, 09:30 AM
#6
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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:
1. Was not pickpocketed and saw no incidences of any crimes, and no one was rude to us.
2. I sampled several patisseries and enjoyed every treat I bought, some of which I cannot name...
macarons (a rose and a pistachio?), a tartelette fraise, a cheesecaky-type thing, a 'death by chocolate'-type thing
3. My T-Mobile phone and the Mobal Nokia phone ($49 model) worked great, and they indeed only charged me for the 10 or so quick calls we made (less than $30). We charged both of them up using the bathroom outlet (the T-Mobile charger needed the adaptor; the Nokia charger did not).
4. I bought a new day-bag and really liked it:
- QVC, $24 http://makeashorterlink.com/?M2B441F2C
5. I found that the ATM at the Credit Lyonnaise gave out smaller denominations of euro (10's, 20's instead of 50's)
6. People had discussed on the forum whether it was permitted to drink in the parks - we had our "wine:30" sessions in a local pocket park, the Champ de Mars, Parc de Buttes-Chaumont, and Square Viviani. Several times, a group of police walked right by us, glanced over, and kept on going - not a word, not a missed step. We don't drink a lot or get rowdy - we sip, have some crackers or cheese or whatever, talk, people-watch and pack out our trash.
7. CDG-RER: if my jetlag permitted me to note this correctly - while in Terminal 2, if you walk to the RER station, you'll be on Level 4. If you take the shuttle to the RER station, you'll be on Level 5. The ticket office is on Level 2, and the tracks are on Level 1. (this info will help if you're using the elevator).
8. We bought one of those CVS disposable video cameras and it provided us with a fun souvenir 'film' of various Paris segments, such as "How to ride the metro" and "Autumn in Jardin de Tuileries".... you just push Record and Stop; you can review the last segment only and delete it if you choose. You return the unit to CVS and they put all the segments on a CD for you (up to 20 minutes worth). It fits in a pocket and was fun to have as an extra record of our trip.
9. I can't believe how much Asian food we ate, so I've started a collection of inexpensive French bistros and cafes to visit next time (although I'm sure we will return to Gourmet d'Asie at least once
)
10. If you're looking for a new or different neighborhood, I thought the areas around rue des Martyrs-avenue Trudaine (9th) and rue Caulaincourt between the cemetery and Lamarck (18th) looked quite nice. And, of course, we are enjoying the 14th around Denfert Rochereau. It's true you will use transportation more often, but being un-central also provides a pleasant experience outside of the usual tourist stomping grounds.
LINKS:
<>Parc de Buttes-Chaumont (20th) http://www.v1.paris.fr/EN/Visiting/g...s_chaumont.asp
<>Eglise St Augustin (8th)
http://www.parisbestlodge.com/saintaugustinEN.html
<>Musee Gustave Moreau (9th)
http://www.musee-moreau.fr
<>Rue des Martyrs (9th)
http://www.newsbackup.com/about252917.html
<>ROUEN
http://www.rouentourisme.com/default.asp?file=pg0-0_en
<>Musee Carnavalet (3rd)
http://www.v1.paris.fr/musees/musee_carnavalet/
<>Le Chantairelle (5th)
http://www.chantairelle.com/
<>Marche Bastille (11th)
http://www.v1.paris.fr/EN/Living/markets/markets.ASP
<>Golf de Bussy St Georges (RER-A toward Disney)
http://www.golf-bussyguermantes.com/
<>Fouhety / City Pharmacy (6th)
http://www.City-pharma.com/
<>La Vaissellerie (6th)
http://www.lavaissellerie.fr/
<>Music boxes (online)
www.automates-anciens.com
<>Chateau de Versailles
www.chateauversailles.fr/
<>Tour Montparnasse (15th)
www.tourmontparnasse56.com/
<>CVS disposable video camera:
http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/06/tech...ch/cvs_camera/
PHOTOS:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=86hun5
No need to register - just click on the photo, then use the "SLIDESHOW" arrows (position the window so you can see any captions)...There are about 189 images, so feel free to skip around. (Don't let the first photo scare you away, hahaha)
I hope you find something useful or entertaining about our trip to Paris.
1. Was not pickpocketed and saw no incidences of any crimes, and no one was rude to us.
2. I sampled several patisseries and enjoyed every treat I bought, some of which I cannot name...
macarons (a rose and a pistachio?), a tartelette fraise, a cheesecaky-type thing, a 'death by chocolate'-type thing
3. My T-Mobile phone and the Mobal Nokia phone ($49 model) worked great, and they indeed only charged me for the 10 or so quick calls we made (less than $30). We charged both of them up using the bathroom outlet (the T-Mobile charger needed the adaptor; the Nokia charger did not).
4. I bought a new day-bag and really liked it:
- QVC, $24 http://makeashorterlink.com/?M2B441F2C
5. I found that the ATM at the Credit Lyonnaise gave out smaller denominations of euro (10's, 20's instead of 50's)
6. People had discussed on the forum whether it was permitted to drink in the parks - we had our "wine:30" sessions in a local pocket park, the Champ de Mars, Parc de Buttes-Chaumont, and Square Viviani. Several times, a group of police walked right by us, glanced over, and kept on going - not a word, not a missed step. We don't drink a lot or get rowdy - we sip, have some crackers or cheese or whatever, talk, people-watch and pack out our trash.
7. CDG-RER: if my jetlag permitted me to note this correctly - while in Terminal 2, if you walk to the RER station, you'll be on Level 4. If you take the shuttle to the RER station, you'll be on Level 5. The ticket office is on Level 2, and the tracks are on Level 1. (this info will help if you're using the elevator).
8. We bought one of those CVS disposable video cameras and it provided us with a fun souvenir 'film' of various Paris segments, such as "How to ride the metro" and "Autumn in Jardin de Tuileries".... you just push Record and Stop; you can review the last segment only and delete it if you choose. You return the unit to CVS and they put all the segments on a CD for you (up to 20 minutes worth). It fits in a pocket and was fun to have as an extra record of our trip.
9. I can't believe how much Asian food we ate, so I've started a collection of inexpensive French bistros and cafes to visit next time (although I'm sure we will return to Gourmet d'Asie at least once
)10. If you're looking for a new or different neighborhood, I thought the areas around rue des Martyrs-avenue Trudaine (9th) and rue Caulaincourt between the cemetery and Lamarck (18th) looked quite nice. And, of course, we are enjoying the 14th around Denfert Rochereau. It's true you will use transportation more often, but being un-central also provides a pleasant experience outside of the usual tourist stomping grounds.
LINKS:
<>Parc de Buttes-Chaumont (20th) http://www.v1.paris.fr/EN/Visiting/g...s_chaumont.asp
<>Eglise St Augustin (8th)
http://www.parisbestlodge.com/saintaugustinEN.html
<>Musee Gustave Moreau (9th)
http://www.musee-moreau.fr
<>Rue des Martyrs (9th)
http://www.newsbackup.com/about252917.html
<>ROUEN
http://www.rouentourisme.com/default.asp?file=pg0-0_en
<>Musee Carnavalet (3rd)
http://www.v1.paris.fr/musees/musee_carnavalet/
<>Le Chantairelle (5th)
http://www.chantairelle.com/
<>Marche Bastille (11th)
http://www.v1.paris.fr/EN/Living/markets/markets.ASP
<>Golf de Bussy St Georges (RER-A toward Disney)
http://www.golf-bussyguermantes.com/
<>Fouhety / City Pharmacy (6th)
http://www.City-pharma.com/
<>La Vaissellerie (6th)
http://www.lavaissellerie.fr/
<>Music boxes (online)
www.automates-anciens.com
<>Chateau de Versailles
www.chateauversailles.fr/
<>Tour Montparnasse (15th)
www.tourmontparnasse56.com/
<>CVS disposable video camera:
http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/06/tech...ch/cvs_camera/
PHOTOS:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=86hun5
No need to register - just click on the photo, then use the "SLIDESHOW" arrows (position the window so you can see any captions)...There are about 189 images, so feel free to skip around. (Don't let the first photo scare you away, hahaha)
I hope you find something useful or entertaining about our trip to Paris.
Nov 21st, 2005, 09:46 AM
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We had beautiful weather (Sept 12-22). I can't recall any rain, and many days we did not need a jacket.
My husband put up with this 'irritation' a few more days after we had returned, then went to the eye doctor. Let me say that we have 2 cats to which he is allergic and he thought for a while that might be it. Once at the dr's, a 10-minute procedure to remove the piece of glass gave instant relief and no permanent damage. I don't think "we" will wait so long next time.
My husband put up with this 'irritation' a few more days after we had returned, then went to the eye doctor. Let me say that we have 2 cats to which he is allergic and he thought for a while that might be it. Once at the dr's, a 10-minute procedure to remove the piece of glass gave instant relief and no permanent damage. I don't think "we" will wait so long next time.
Nov 21st, 2005, 09:53 AM
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Thanks for the wonderful, detailed trip report. It was really nice to read about some of the places I visited also. As for La Chantairelle, I ate there in July. I missed the place somehow and I think it's because it's between a couple of shops. Also the restaurant was still closed but when the owners noticed me outside they opened up. It was weird eating there alone but the idea was to eat early. Anyway, the place filled up about a half an hour later. Their cuisine is from the Auvergne and I thought I'd try it for a change. It was different but allright, but a bit heavy on the lentils.
Nov 21st, 2005, 10:03 AM
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Franophile, we usually eat a little early (7 or 7:30) but I made a reservation for 8:00 - we were still the first customers! But as you say, quite a few more tables came in and by 9:00 it was much busier. I reserved by email and rec'd a response quickly, then a few weeks later I got a notice of their 'cabbage fest' , which made me feel happy for getting a surprise reminder of Paris.
, which made me feel happy for getting a surprise reminder of Paris.
Nov 21st, 2005, 12:01 PM
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Did I miss the account of how the glass landed in your husband's eye?
We too eat at Vesuvius each time we're in Paris. I really like the food and the atmosphere, although our travel companion this last time was appalled at seeing the bread recycled.
We too eat at Vesuvius each time we're in Paris. I really like the food and the atmosphere, although our travel companion this last time was appalled at seeing the bread recycled.
Nov 21st, 2005, 12:03 PM
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I had a lot more 'to do's' on my itinerary than we actual got around to doing. I'm amazed at how fast the days went by.
I wanted to explore a bit in the 13th's 'Butte aux Cailles' area, and around the 5th's 'Jardin des Plantes' and go up to the terrace cafe at the Monde d'Arabe...I wanted to try some wine bars and go to a jazz club. I bugged people no end about logistics for Chantilly/Senlis, then didn't go.
Well, that sounds like a good start to a new itinerary for next time, doesn't it..?
I wanted to explore a bit in the 13th's 'Butte aux Cailles' area, and around the 5th's 'Jardin des Plantes' and go up to the terrace cafe at the Monde d'Arabe...I wanted to try some wine bars and go to a jazz club. I bugged people no end about logistics for Chantilly/Senlis, then didn't go.
Well, that sounds like a good start to a new itinerary for next time, doesn't it..?
Nov 21st, 2005, 12:04 PM
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Giving a HUGH SIGH here... feeling a little melancholy. 2 YEARS ago this week I was there... my favorite City in the world. Your recount of your trip and your pictures helped ease this feeling. Paris always will be there.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Nov 21st, 2005, 12:09 PM
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Thanks, PJ and Ira..
Underhill, we don't know how the glass got there. He hadn't been working on anything like that, and wears goggles when he does. He golfs, maybe something blew in..? It had to be a tiny speck to just cause irritation, not damage.
Suzie, I hope you find your way back to Paris very soon!
Underhill, we don't know how the glass got there. He hadn't been working on anything like that, and wears goggles when he does. He golfs, maybe something blew in..? It had to be a tiny speck to just cause irritation, not damage.
Suzie, I hope you find your way back to Paris very soon!
Nov 21st, 2005, 01:00 PM
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Paris is one of my favourite's city also Travelnut, after Roma of course.I enjoyed reading your report.I was in Paris this past June , I am going back next September.
Thanks for sharing your travel's experiences with us.
Thanks for sharing your travel's experiences with us.
Nov 21st, 2005, 01:12 PM
#18
Sounds like a fun and interesting trip to Paris. I think it was my description of Chantairelle's odd sound and visual effects that you were referencing, so I hope you enjoyed the experience, especially since almost all your other dinners were in Asian places. I have to say that my daughter prefers food from the Asian traiteurs to that at the French bistros favored by my husband and me, so since she will be accompanying us on our next trip there, we might take a look at the one you enjoyed so much.
Nov 21st, 2005, 03:32 PM
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Yes,Nikki, I think it was your trip report that had a lot of good dining recommendations. We enjoyed Chatairelle, the food was good (just different) and the service was patiently offered.
We didn't plan on eating so much Asian but we were lazy! and it was very tasty. There are a couple around Denfert that look good - this one was on rue Daguerre, on the right (Amorina gelato just past it, on the left).
We have enjoyed dinners at Chez Charles Victor, Cafe d'Enfer, and the food is okay at Cafe le Rendezvous, too. There are a few more bistro-types that I want to try in the neighborhood, and I am accumulating quite a few up in the 6th or 5th as well (for next time).
We didn't plan on eating so much Asian but we were lazy! and it was very tasty. There are a couple around Denfert that look good - this one was on rue Daguerre, on the right (Amorina gelato just past it, on the left).
We have enjoyed dinners at Chez Charles Victor, Cafe d'Enfer, and the food is okay at Cafe le Rendezvous, too. There are a few more bistro-types that I want to try in the neighborhood, and I am accumulating quite a few up in the 6th or 5th as well (for next time).
