PARIS: Mini Trip Report, Maxi Enjoyment!
 

Really? I'm leaving for Barcelona tomorrow (yes, I'm packed) and I didn't write my trip report for Paris yet??? How could I forget!

So this will be a quick start, although I will have to finish it later.

I found the most amazing VRBO apartment on Rue Federation, just off of the Champs de Mars park, VRBO 1201494. We had a bedroom, living room and kitchen and all had the most amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. We saw the whole thing from the top to bottom. It was amazing and actually pretty cheap. I think it was around $160 a night.

This trip was planned in celebration of my birthday! We used taxis to and from CDG and arrived at our apartment very easily. We had to find the "guardian", also known as the concierge, to let us in. She was so nice and took us up to the apartment. I mentioned the view and she said, oh yes, you look over the back of Paris. I tried to be nonchalant - after all that was not what I had in mind - but inside I wondered if I had made some horrible mistake. Well, we opened the door and I immediately teared up. I had seen the pictures, but it was nothing compared to the actual view. It was very emotional for me since I love the Tour Eiffel! Such a joker this lady! Luckily, since she didn't speak English (one of the few in Paris I think), I could communicate in French. The owner wanted to come meet us, but we could never sync up our schedules so I paid in cash to the concierge. The apartment worked out perfectly and I would absolutely go back, despite my initial worries when I had to give the deposit in cash only.

How can I explain that the Eiffel Tower seems alive? One minute it is looking normal like all the post cards show it, the next glistening in the morning sun, another time shrouded in fog so we could only see the bottom half, and later sparkling on the hour until 1 am. I would just lay in bed, or sit on the couch, or balance on the narrow balcony and be entranced. I was never so happy with a view.

The apartment was clean, comfortable and well outfitted, although perhaps not the most beautiful apartment in the world. (One review said it looked like a bachelor's apt. Maybe so, but a nice bachelor's pad nonetheless.) The accessories such as quilt and sofa pillows were emblazoned with the Eiffel Tower. The towels did not match (but were fluffy!). We didn't care. We had everything we needed.

We took our normal European arrival nap and later took the short stroll to the Eiffel Tower. There is a lot of security to reach the area underneath, but we saved that for another time. For this day, we wandered around and went to a little brasserie, Le Beaujolais for some steak frites. We enjoyed the food and wine (of course) and passed a couple of hours there talking to the waiter. This would be a laid back vacation for us!

Nice kwren. Some people feel a hotel room is only for sleeping and showering, but we have really enjoyed some beautiful views from our room in our various travels, and to me that's a big part of the enjoyment.

I'm an apartment lover too - so much more freedom that a hotel room.
I'm along for the ride on your trip, Di

I like how you describe the Eiffel Tower ^^

The next day, once we could tear ourselves away (read that once I could tear myself away) from the view, we began the hunt for crepes for lunch. We started by going to the café a block away, Restaurant le Presles, but were disappointed when there were no crepes on the menu. While we were looking, the owner came out to say bonjour and started talking to us. He asked what we wanted and told us if we wanted crepes, we should look for a street stand. In the meantime, he started telling us about his restaurant. We asked why this café was not open for dinner and he explained that since he was he was in a residential neighborhood with an older and more traditional clientele, his regular customers ate their largest meal of the day at lunchtime. He continued by saying that he never used any frozen or pre-prepared foods, that everything was freshly made every day with excellent ingredients in his own kitchen. He started talking about some of his specialties. They sounded mouth-watering so we changed our plans and decided to eat there and boy was that a good decision! I had melt-in-your-mouth duck confit with a huge (it was yuge!) cube of potato gratin and salad, and it was all out of this world.

So we got a late start but decided to follow through with our plans for the rest of the day. We had decided to go to the Covered Passages. Armed with a map on my phone, we took the Metro to Richelieu-Drouot and started with the Passage des Princes. What a way to start! I needed some baby gifts and the first store was a treasure trove of adorable French toys. I had a lot of fun perusing and shopping. DH was already getting worried about how long this day would take, but the rest of the day was mostly window shopping. We followed the map through the next 6 passages. Though some were a bit run down, others were well-kept up with gorgeous glass ceilings and mosaic floors. There was a cute hotel within one of the passages, the Grevin wax museum, bookstores, boutiques and more. (The one item I wanted to buy was in the store which said 'be right back' on the door. I waited about 15 minutes. I just had to have that item for my mom so I did come back the next day.) In between most of the passages, you walk outside and get a flavor of the neighborhood.

We passed a large statue of Louis XIV and the beautiful Banque de France, but the most amazing building was the French Ministry of Culture and Communication across the street from the entrance of the last passage and across from the back of the Louvre. It appeared to be covered with a silver net which was actually made of laser cut stainless steel sheets covering the building. I read online that it was like a coat of armor or chain mail.

The last passage we went through, Galerie Vero- Dodat, was ritzy with the most amazing shoe store at the end. I wanted DH to buy some studded, sparkling colorful men's shoes, but he declined, saying he'd rather pay for another trip instead.

Sounds like a Paris lover's report. How nice. But, I guess, aren't we all? Nice report. Do tell more! J'adore the eiffel Tower!!

Sounds wonderful. I'm headed back tomorrow and can't wait to watch Madam Eiffle twinkle on the hour. As many times as I've seen it it's still magical to me.

Wow! I just looked at your apartment. That really is a view!

I have booked marked that apartment. I thought the one from Vacation in Paris had a great view.
Enjoying your trip review.

I love paris, thank for this info


Awesome

Joe

praga

Great report - thank you! I looked for VRBO 1201494 but the site could not find it. Is that the correct #?

I did another search and found it - awesome views!

Gre

Great !
Happy birthday too.
I'm glad that you liked it.
But...
Yes..
You are advertising for an illegal apt.
Cash... and no invoice I guess. Tsss. You'll say three 'our holy father' and will promise not to advertise for illegal again.
Have a great trip in Sapin. Don't expet to find food so early as in Paris.

I can't actually find that apartment using the normal search methods on VRBO, only if I put the number in first. I don't know if that means it is no longer available, but I wanted to show the view.

Wednesday, October 12

Today we took a bakery tour at Le Petit Mitron in the 14th through Meeting the French. We were first instructed to wash our hands and put on an apron then were taken down some narrow steep stairs to see the workroom and ovens. They gave us some dough to show us how to fold the Parisse baguette the correct way and then laid out a row of raw baguettes and we were told to do the "scarification". We each took turns cutting the tops in one of the patterns they showed us by using a razor blade type tool. The baker, Didier Lavry, has a special license to make a special baguette, the Parisse, for which he has won awards, and we got to use that dough. The end of this bread has a little knob, the better to taste with!

By the way, Didier only speaks French, but there was an interpreter to translate into English. She did a pretty good job, with a little help from yours truly from time to time!

Then back upstairs for some hands-on croissant making. I was the volunteer to roll out the dough, folding in the butter. Piece of cake, right? (no pun intended) The butter was a 1 ft x 1 ft x 1 inch block right out of the refrigerator. Put it on the dough, fold and roll...except I couldn't do it. That butter was like steel. (Here's the tip for all you croissant makers - always have the dough and butter the same temp to avoid the grease leaking out) After struggling and trying not to embarrass myself (too late!), he took my dough and ran it through a machine and in one second it was rolled out thin and flat. More folds, more running through and finally voila! Ready to cut and roll. We all made croissants, big ones, little ones, some with chocolate.

Here's what to look for in France: curved croissants have shortening and the straight croissants have real butter. I know which I prefer!

At the end of the tour we were given either a baguette or croissant. They were both great. Not exactly the advertised goody bag, but wonderful nonetheless.

Next we met our first exchange student through LEC, the company I started working for 25 years ago. Igor was 13 then and is now married with a baby girl. (Think how old I feel now that he is all grown up, age 38!) And what a sweetheart! I am grateful to Facebook which allowed us to reconnect and it was wonderful to see him again.

Then to the other end of the spectrum - a visit to another LEC student who was hosted by a family near us last summer and who I got to know well during our group excursions. We took a train to St. Germaine-en-Laye where she and her mom picked us up. They gave us a tour of the town and took us to their cute home for pastries. It was so much fun to visit a home and talk to someone who didn't speak English (the mom that is, the girl's English was practically perfect).

(Shameless pitch - if you would like to host an English-speaking French student for 2 1/2 weeks this July and live anywhere from PA to VA, let me know. We give a stipend and also have programs in other areas as well.)

This was a jam packed day. Next on the agenda was the train back into Paris for a mini-gtg in the bar of the Tour Montparnasse. I have always wanted to go there for a view down onto the Eiffel Tower and this did not disappoint. What a gorgeous view of all of Paris at our feet. I definitely recommend doing this if you would like another viewpoint of the city. DH and I met up with Fodorite StCirq and her husband and had a very nice time, especially since we were lucky to get one of the few tiny tables right by the window. Seeing the sparkling was magical!

https://www.vrbo.com/1201494a I found it and saved it for future use.

The pictures do the place justice! You won't be disappointed if you like them.

Thursday October 13

The only disappointment of the trip was that this apartment was not available the entire week so we had to leave today. I know people don't recommend going to 2 places in one week, but we don't mind at all and it gives us different experiences. If we want a splurge, this is how we can manage it.

We got a taxi and went over to the Arc de Triomphe for our splurge at the Hotel Splendid Etoile. We had booked the "Suite avec vue directe sur l'Arc de Triomphe" (I think you can figure out the translation). Funny how the splurge was not the apartment! If it were mine, I would have charged a lot more!

Now you all know how I feel the about the living Eiffel Tower. I don't feel that way about the Arc, even though I could lay on my bed and see just about the whole thing. It's a cold hard block of marble. Nothing ever changes with it, although it was interesting to study the carvings at the top from my windows. However, what I do love about it is the traffic encircling it, especially in rush hour. Cars go every which way. It didn't hurt that I could also see the Eiffel Tower from our room and it was as alive as ever! My favorite picture is at night with the Arc lit up in the foreground and the beam of light from the top of Eiffel pointed directly at the full moon.

DH wanted to rest so I walked over to LEC (my French exchange company) and visited with them for a while. I had a simple lunch at a boulangerie on the way back - croque monsieur and a palmier - and met up with DH later. I've been to Paris many times and don't have to be on the go the entire time.

We had a leisurely stroll down the Champs Elysee that evening, stopping for salades nicoises for dinner and then going to a movie. It was Deepwater Horizon in French with English subtitles. You select your reserved seats and the concession stand is more like a Turkey Hill. Help yourself and pay at the counter. Pretty fun evening, unlike our usual.

Friday October 13

This doesn't seem like such a mini trip report, but for me it's pretty short!

We slept late today. Loved the view when we woke up!

While I was at the passages the other day, I saw something in a window that I wanted to buy for my mom, but the shop was closed. I waited for about 25 minutes because of the "back in 5 minutes" sign to no avail, so back I went this morning. Shopped a bit on Ave Opera, walked by Notre Dame. Relaxing day.

I always wanted to go to a gtg in Paris, so I decided to set one up! I spent the last few days arranging dinner at the Le Petit Pointoise near Notre Dame for tonight (based on another Fodorite's recommendation which was perfect!). 8 of us met and had a delicious dinner. The millefeuille with goat cheese and beets was beautiful - another work of art - and I loved the pig cheeks with honey and sweet spices and fresh veggies served in it's own little covered pot. Delicious!!! This was a trip of meeting new people!

Ha ha - I just realized the at the end of 2 posts ago, I said 'pretty fun evening, unlike our usual'. That sure sounds like I never have fun in Paris, which couldn't be farther from the truth! I meant that we don't usually go to the movies in Paris!

kwren......we were "seatmates" at Pontoise.....it was a great evening, wasn't it? I am so ready to do it again.....will be back in Paris in March and April....if you want to come over again, we'll be waiting!

Sighing for Paris. Thanks, kwren.

Aaaaah! It's only been 5 months since we got back and I want to go back NOW.
Thanks for the Paris fix...good report.

Traviata - it's great to hear from you! Oui, it was wonderful! I've been seeing some cheap fares to Paris.....

Saturday Oct 15

This past summer we hosted our own student. Today her mother invited us to Leon de Bruxelles for a mussel lunch with her, our student and her brother. They insisted on champagne to start (twist my arm!). Les moules a la Provencale, frites, wine, and fondant de chocolat with ice cream to finish. A wonderful meal.

It was so nice out that we walked back to the Arc along the Avenue de la Grande Armee after lunch. Thank goodness we did! The length was filled with an antiques fair. We browsed, talked to people, window shopped, people watched. You never know what you will find when things are not planned to the minute.

Relaxing in the hotel, we heard some commotion coming from the Arc de Triomphe. Looking out the window, we could see there was some sort of military ceremony taking place. Within 5 minutes we were standing in the midst of the excitement, watching musicians (an entire band of men in what looked to be riding breeches, knee-length red coats and horns which resembled French horns but without the valves), patrolling soldiers with assault rifles, the mayor and team in tricolor sashes, speeches, all in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We were then treated to a beautiful sunset over the Parisian rooftops.

Loving your relaxed trip! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Thanks sundriedtopepo!

Almost done!

Sunday Oct 16

The Big Day! The reason for the whole trip, a promise of 10 years! My birthday and dinner on the Eiffel Tower!

But first, we were off to the Bastille Market. After many pictures of the picture perfect rows and piles of fruits, veggies, cheeses, sausages and a few souvenirs, I decided it was time for the hunt for candied ginger. There wasn’t much there, but all I needed was one delectable heap! I tasted at one booth, but the ginger wasn’t very strong. Pass! Finally found another stand with very strong ginger and I bought a few pounds (which now, in Feb is already gone). Delicious! Success!

In the meantime, my student who we lunched with yesterday, realized it was my birthday and texted me an invite to meet her at Angelina’s for a birthday treat. DH wasn’t enthused in preparation for the big dinner later on, but I knew I couldn’t turn it down. We met at Angelina’s back at Porte Maillot and I had a huge Mont Blanc dessert, a huge chocolate-hazelnut ball filled with cream, and a thick hot chocolate with the most beautiful whipped cream I ever saw. It looked like a flower! So decadent and the last thing I needed before going to the Jules Verne, but eat I did. After receiving a bottle of wine as a b’day gift, we were so happy for the walk back.

Wanting to do something quick that afternoon after packing, we decided to go to the top of the Arc. It didn’t take long to get tickets and go to the top by elevator (not the normal way to go up so we were lucky). Beautiful views.

Then it was time for my special dinner on the second level of the Eiffel Tower – the Jules Verne!!!

After going through temporary security barriers and metal detectors at the tower’s perimeter (I recently read that permanent barriers will be installed later this year), we were one of the first to arrive for our seating and waited outside at the south pillar to be admitted to the private elevator. Once again, I completely teared up over the ET when we got inside. (It gets to me every time!) It was overwhelming and emotional for me after dreaming of this for so long. We were led to a window table and had champagne as the sun set. How did we get that table? Might have been luck, OR it might have been the letter in French I wrote “from my husband” saying what a special occasion this was for me and asked for a surprise table seat. We’ll never know.

The meal was amazing. We chose the 6 course meal, the difference between the 5 and 6 course meals being that you get two main courses instead of 1, and the wine package for me (which I did share – really!). Our dinner included sea bream ceviche with a foam topper amuse bouche, fois gras (the only time I’ve ever liked it – and I loved it!), a large scallop with pumpkin and chestnut appetizer, sea bass with artichokes and figs, and medallion of veal main courses. The Granny Smith sorbet dessert had a white chocolate bar which said Joyeux Anniversaire and a candle. But the piece de resistance was a crispy ‘Tower Nut’ – shaped like a large hexagonal nut (as in nut and bolt) and glazed over to look like it was perfectly bronzed and shiny, the center filled with a silky chocolate cream and served with an elegant silver…spork! LOL It didn’t end there. We were brought homemade marshmallows, macarons, chocolate truffles, and other tiny dessert bites. We could barely move!

At the end of dinner, they told us it was too late to go out to the observation deck. WHAT! I couldn’t accept that since there were still people out there so I managed to find someone who let us out. We enjoyed the beautiful clear evening and our last glimpses of beautiful nighttime Paris.

Monday October 17

Uneventful trip home - with champagne to dull the sadness of ending my Eiffel Tower trip!

<i>It was Deepwater Horizon in French with English subtitles.</i>

Are you sure you don't mean "in English with French subtitles"?

"Suite avec vue directe sur l'Arc de Triomphe"

My wife's room... going left when leaving the hotel and going down the street you find some nice restaurants.

Kwren......we must do some of this again..we'll not match the Jules Verne, but, we will have fun none the less......come back!

What a fabulous dinner!!

Yes, I did mean that kerouac, thanks for catching it! It was VO, original version