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Paris Paris Paris
Paris. Layers and layers of meaning, yearning, disappointment, history, and changes live in that word. The (literal) glittering image of the Eiffel Tower. The hope of astounding meals and cozy cafes. Visions of manicured and stately Haussmann buildings lining the streets. Those wide boulevards and those perfectly manicured gardens. The impossible beauty of the Sainte Chapelle and the impossible grandeur of the Opera Garnier.
When I'm planning, I love to read all the Paris trip reports, and I long to mimic each meal, each shopping stop, each step. Café Bonaparte!! Fondation Louis Vuitton! Musee Marmottan! Water Lillies! Lol, and it never happens. Both the mimicked Paris and the idealized Paris elude me. I get tangled in time. I went to school in Paris 1977-78 when I was 22, and when I’m in Paris now, somehow I become again that weird, confused, serendipitidously lost almost-adult person. I go back to Gilbert Jeune on Quai St Michel, or the Cluny, or my old maid’s room on Rue Octave Feuillet, or the mansions on Ave. Henri Martin, or the old school in the 7th, and search for 1977. I never travel in the summer. Or, very rarely. But I have a $2000 credit with an apartment in Paris that I took in 2020, and I have to use it by Nov 2022. I had to sandwich this trip between other personal plans and plans for travelling with my nephew in the fall, so…. It’s Paris in June in 2022. …..and then I’m in a taxi, and I see the Obelisk at Concord….. and it’s Paris. And it doesn’t matter what form it takes this time. It’s Paris. As soon as I dropped my bags, I grabbed my camera and raced to meet two internet friends at the Tuileries. Chatting and champagne and grocery shopping were about all I had time for today. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9d142b2e6a.jpg In the taxi https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...94e9121506.jpg View from the apartment https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...aa743bf2ae.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9040ad1494.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9c7428d093.jpg Walking to Tuileries https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a20a446419.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2b30815a36.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...be491f9126.jpg |
Saturday 28 May, a day of false starts and full stops.
I realized last night while unpacking that I’d forgotten my hair gel – a serious problem for this head of thin and fine-as-frog’s-hair hair. So the first priority was finding something. There is a salon around the corner from me, and they had some “volumizing, firm-hold” mousse that was an easy fix. I walked to the bus stop, then realized I hadn’t brought the day’s plan with me, so I went back to the apartment and then back to the bus stop. And so I felt that I’d already gotten in my day’s steps. The plan was to pick up tickets today for a Seine champagne cruise, walk around Place de l’Alma (where I changed busses going to & from school in 1977), then meet new friends for dinner, and then do the cruise. My first stop was the Place de l’Alma, and as I was walking down the long ramp to the river, my feet began spazzing out, which they can do when I overdo walking. Then I walked slowly and surely down Ave Montaigne snapping photos and growing more and more weary. I suddenly wondered if getting up at 04.30 yesterday and riding the train for 7h, then meeting new friends for drinks, then walking almost 3 miles around the Tuileries and the Concorde might have been a bit too much. I headed to the nearest Bistro to sit and drink coffee and have a Croque Monseur. Then I walked back to the apartment, about 3 miles again. And thought I’d spend the rest of the day admiring the views I paid so much for…. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...980e8c27ce.jpg Pretty street near the apartment https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d08fc965b0.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d37eb79b63.jpg Zoave that measures the floods https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1de0e6dca8.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...af0400c6bb.jpg Rue Montainge used to be a disreputable spot, but not any more! It is very pretty with Vhristmas lights. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5c65e9f030.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2a0c0b6494.jpg Folks vying to soend thousands of Euros at Dior. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9cf3e60378.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b123d0024d.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2cb635f1fa.jpg |
Ahhhhh Paris! Love the photos. They sort of make me feel like I am there on those familiar streets
Haven’t been in Paris since Oct. 2019. I am envious of your time there, but thankful that you are posting and taking us along. More please! |
Nice to see your photos, but you won't be going to Gibert Jeune anymore. It no longer exists.
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Fantastic! I almost feel like I'm there thanks for taking us along. Your photos are lovely!!
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thx…I am heading to Paris in a week. First post Covid trip. Cannot wait.
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Thanks for the fabulous pictures, Paris is so dear to my heart. Was there last in September 2019, though I transited CDG 4-5 times since last December. Will actually be in the city in August, can’t wait…
>>Nice to see your photos, but you won't be going to Gibert Jeune anymore. It no longer exists.<< Oh no, can’t believe Gibert Jeune has shut down, when did this happen? I have so many memories of going there when I was a student at the Sorbonne in the early eighties. |
What beautiful photos. Have a great time.
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Originally Posted by geetika
(Post 17367243)
Oh no, can’t believe Gibert Jeune has shut down, when did this happen? I have so many memories of going there when I was a student at the Sorbonne in the early eighties.
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TPAYT -- thank you! I will do my best!
kerouac-- yes I saw that happened last year. I'll probably still go by the building and stare at it...like a sap, lol. Paris is always changing. I can accept the changes in my old body and soul easier than I can accept the changes in a place that is so iconic for me. Ah well. danon -- Fantastic!! I bet I'll wish I'd done things you'll be doing! geetika -- Thank you! And have a great time in August! Paqngo -- Thank you! |
Sunday 29 May
Seine Cruise After doing the tour of the Passages, I sat and waited for the bus to meet my new Fodorite friends, which the display said would arrive in 27 minutes. Five minutes later, it said the bus would arrive in 33 minutes, so I took the metro. Enjoyed great company and a good lunch and good prosecco. Lots of stories, lots of laughs. We ended up getting the check for 240€ for the three of us, which was the funniest part of the day – evidently, they charged us for 2 bottles of champagne instead of 1 glass of champagne and 1 glass of prosecco. The server corrected his error, then we were on our merry way. The “champagne cruise” consisted of picking up a small bottle as we boarded the ship (except we neglected to do that and had to go back to collect it), and each of us decided to enjoy the champagne later at our respective rooms. The cruise was good. Have to admit I still enjoy the cheesy tourist stuff. After the cruise, we headed off with hugs all around. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5c67938d69.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4b597d86aa.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2193e15bb8.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...21bbabd053.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7323d31168.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9a6c83b933.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9f5dd1df64.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2ebe40ea98.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d41ca2bd93.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6e4f3d92d1.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2dbdd6dd89.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f2f05085ab.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5d5611ad99.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...497e6359f5.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fbea7f5e83.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4f49e4be3f.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...36f5c0f1f1.jpg |
Looks like a wonderful trip so far. Enjoying your photos.
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swandav2000, loving your pictures, please keep it coming…
QUOTE=kerouac;17367335]Gibert Jeune closed in March 2021. It didn't exactly go out of business, but the Gibert family finally reconciled and Gibert Jeune was bought by Gibert Joseph, which decided to close the Gibert Jeune stores since they were in difficulty anyway. Gibert Joseph is still going strong.[/QUOTE] kerouc, I seem to remember your mentioning this sometime last year, but I obviously it didn’t register. Any idea what’s coming in place of Gibert Jeune, that was a huge store. |
Enjoyingyour wonderful photos and writing!
the desset sampler at L'Ange 20 might be oneof my Paris highlights. |
What a wonderful time you’re having, and the photos are so evocative. How lovely that you met with some Fodors friends. We leave in 34 days (….not that we’re counting). Looking forward to reading more!
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Swandav,
Your time in Paris looks to be fantastic. I want to do a passages tour next trip so thanks for the link. Cafe Bonaparte is my go to. Are you staying at a Paris Perfect apartment? Location and view looks very familiar! |
Hallo All,
Thanks, Adelaidean! Thank you, geetka! Thank you, dfrostnh!! Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you, Iwan2go! Ahhhh, how nice!! I know you'll have a great time! Thanks Weekender! I haven't made it to the Bonaparte yet, as I tend to putter around the 7th so much. It's on the list, though! Yes, I'm staying at one of the PP apartments from a credit from 2020. When I reserved this apartment for Nov 2020, it was such a good deal that I was going to stay here for 2 weeks. In May 2022, however, the same amount of money got me only 5 nights. So I am moving tomorrow to another apartment, one that is a pure business, also in the 7th. I'm not loving the move! |
Wonderful to see this Paris TR. Been missing my favorite city. One of my stays was at The Hotel Chopin in the Passage Jouffroy, a quirky and fun budget stay. I remember fondly watching that breakfast room antique orange juice machine chugging away. Touring the many passages has been a favorite Paris activity. So good to see your fabulous photos. Keep them coming please!
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Thank you, Travelchat! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to load any more pictures. I have used two different browsers, I have used the mobile site and the full site, and I have tried loading photos in batches of 10, 6, and single photos. I have cleared my cookies, and I have used my phone for the connection. I still get an "Alert," and photos stop loading.
I have posted the problem at the Forum Support, so hopefully they will have a solution for me. Otherwise, I may have to continue the report after I get home... s |
Swandav, how nice to see so many lovely pictures of the Paris we miss, especially the ones from the Passages. I love them, DH not so much, so it's great to see so much of them. Continue to have a wonderful time--and continue to send so many delightful photos and messages. Thank you.
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Enjoying your report swandav, I hope you get the photo issue sorted out.
Nothing wrong with "cheesy tourist stuff":) |
What a feast for my eyes! Thank you, swanda.
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Swandav2000 please post photos when you can. I’m always interested in any of Paris. Hope your trip continues to be wonderful.
I’ll be in Paris once again soon to make it an even dozen marvelous visits, this time with my adult writer son. We’ll be staying at the “Beat” hotel, Relais Hotel du Vieux in the 6th. Can’t wait! travelchat |
Wonderful ambling!
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JulieVikmanis, Melnq8, nimisht4560, Teresa,travel chat, & Adelaidean-- thank you guys for your kind words and encouragement. There has been no breakthrough about posting more photos -- thoughts being that the photos are too large (though they are all the same size as those already posted).
JulieV, I never tire of those Passages! Hope you get to see more of them! Mel, yup I so agree! nimisht, wow! I'm so glad you went on foot the second time! Makes for a much more memorable visit, I think! ooooh travelchat! How can I be envious when I'm already here, lol?? I will be looking for your posts with those mesmerizing "first day in Paris" vibes! s |
Nice to see a Paris TR and it reminds me of our wonderful times in Paris (and the fact that we still haven’t taken that boat on the Seine). It’s nice to see familiar names posting. I love Bonaparte so I hope you made it there…my fav place for breakfast in Paris. Hope everyone is well and that your trip is wonderful, swandav!
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https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ee7fe6751a.jpg
The only reason I posted this photo was to see if there was a picture posting problem, but I am still pleased that Paris has already named a facility after Ruth Bader Ginsburg. |
I too am glad to see a Paris trip report. Any details of the city I love make me want to be there.
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I returned from Paris ten days ago, after a week in the city.
Over the years I must have visited Paris 15+ times. This time , my usual excitement about being in Paris seemed a bit “ flat” .. Perhaps it was the sad sight of badly damaged Notre Dame, maybe it was the bellow average bistro food ( most of the time), or really bad 5.50 e coffee I had on what seemed rather deserted Ile Saint - Louis The hotels are full, the tourists line up at museums and spots like Deux Magots..etc. I didn’t feel that Paris “ sparkle “. Post Covid blues ? Could be. |
Swandav2000, thx for all the pix! Particularly appreciate the Passages, which we FINALLY plan to see on our 7th time in Paris. There is so much we have not seen in previous trips: Passages, Musee Marmotton, Musee Carnavalet, Jardin des Plantes and artisan shoppes below, BHV, and Printemps rooftop terrace for a start. We'll have full week and plan to take things bit slower than before. Then there's my vetted list of 30 bistros/restaurants to revisit and newly visit (Semilla and L'Ange 20 are 2 new). We ALWAYS must go to Angelina, Polidor, walk over Pont Alexandre, and that ancient bakery in 7th Rue St Dominique. Three months to go and cannot wait. We'll begin this trip with a week in Belgium, and finish up down in Nice to finally get to Fondation Maeght.
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Oooh gosh! It’s so wonderful for me to see you guys still showing interest and giving me such sweet support.
Thank you, denisea! nimisht4560 – so glad you were able to go on foot for the second Paris visit! TPAYT, hope you get to get there soon! danon, I am so sorry that your Paris was a bit flat this time. I think this was my 13th visit over the years, starting in the 1990s (besides my year of college there). A few of them were flat, for various personal or seasonal reasons. I really really prefer to see Paris in Nov, when it feels more intimate. But I always go back (Paris is always a good idea…). I hope you are planning your next trip, and that it is fantastic! alaced, lol, I am happy to provide the photos! Sep will be here before you know it! I hope it’s great! I did eventually figure out the problem with posting photos – the difficulty arose just after I started using a new way to transfer photos from the camera to the tablet. Previously I’d sent the images via a bar code from the camera to the camera’s app on my tablet, and it is a tedious way to do it, selecting each image individually. And apparently it also shrinks the images! But then I started transferring the images directly from the memory card to the tablet via a new multiport device. It is easy and fast and sooo much better. However, it apparently preserves all of the aspects of the original image, including its humongous MB size. So now, to post here, I have to individually re-size each of the photos…. Well, it may not be so *very* tedious, as I’ve already culled the photos and know which ones I’ll be posting. But it’s not something I was eager to do during the trip… but now that the trip is over, and I have lots of time, and I’m enjoying thoughts of Paris, I thought it was time to finish the report. |
Monday 30 May
I like to use the Walking Tours in Michelin Green Guides as a starting point for my day. Not because I yearn to know, for instance, what the architect Boffrant constructed in 1714 on Rue de Lille, but because the walks get me outside and walking. Without them, I’d step into the street and dither about in a haze. Well there’s plenty of dithering, nevertheless, and especially today. I didn’t get very far on the Michelin Tour of Faubourg Saint Germain. Unfortunately the weariness I’d been feeling for the past few days slammed me, and I barely had a nice walk and a gargantuan lunch at the Fontaine de Mars. There was some couch in the afternoon, and lunch re-visited me a bit. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...62d93f2da3.jpg I always stop and note these memorials https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...672dd9a09e.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...22accaa6d4.jpg Side view to the Invalides https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c985bbfd7c.jpg Someone's nest https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fe271020af.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1195d117cd.jpg Rodin.... I haven't been inside since the 1990s. Ought to go... https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dca3e70754.jpg I loved this church, Basilica St Clotilde, though it's a recent 19th C job. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...da6d329ccb.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b46cd27bf8.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1e24c694dc.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1360d834e0.jpg With a nice park https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5be1267807.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7b7b10cc60.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f96e617d79.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...36d603fb24.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...09c854f7ee.jpg |
Tuesday 31 May
Didn’t tackle much. Spent the day criss-crossing Paris on busses in the vain search for natural remedies for my ailment. I mistakenly thought that Monoprix was the largest grocery store in Paris, but I found that info is outdated (I’d say the largest grocers now are G20 stores, which I used to shun because they were unfamiliar to me. Lesson leaned!) Anyway, I took the bus to Monoprix Commerce, which didn’t have what I wanted, so I walked slowly to the Champ de Mars, which I love. Back in the day (lol) when I would walk between my room on Octave Feuillet (16th) and the school on Ave de Segur (7th), I would walk underneath the Eiffel Tower. Can’t do that today due to those barriers, which are now permanent. I ambled around the Champ and enjoyed watching the folks, then took the bus to the Monoprix on Rue de Bac, which I thought would be larger. It was not. This area of Paris is very crowded, and I was happy to grab the bus back to the 7th, and visit a pharmacy, and wait for all the magic Pharmacy potions to work. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8f0bf42d88.jpg This seems so quintessentially Paris to me.... https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...68dfb6cd24.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...30bc5848e1.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d9635dba36.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...32fc11548d.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6cca162263.jpg |
Hate that you weren’t feeling well! Can’t think of much worse than being sick on vacation (and trying to find meds to address it).
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Alice’s, Would love it if you shared your list, I am always looking for more!
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I hate hate hate the Eiffel Tower wall. I understand its purpose but I hope that they will remove it one day.
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Originally Posted by kerouac
(Post 17374887)
I hate hate hate the Eiffel Tower wall. I understand its purpose but I hope that they will remove it one day.
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I agree, hopefully, with my partner we can visit Paris during the summer. We already had it on our bucket list for a long time.
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“danon, I am so sorry that your Paris was a bit flat this time. I think this was my 13th visit over the years, starting in the 1990s (besides my year of college there). A few of them were flat, for various personal or seasonal reasons. I really really prefer to see Paris in Nov, when it feels more intimate. But I always go back (Paris is always a good idea…). I hope you are planning your next trip, and that it is fantastic!”
Thanks for your kind note and all the work you have put into this thread. The previous visit ( in 2017 )was great, but, as you said, sometimes the “ feeling” is just not there. Of course, I ( or with my husband) will visit Paris again. |
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