Paris report - 4 fantastic nights - I am actually writing up my trip!
Feb 15th, 2008, 11:05 PM
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Paris report - 4 fantastic nights - I am actually writing up my trip!
Paris: 4 nights, 3 lovely ladies who have known each other since college, but don’t see each other often. Friends who can pick up anywhere/anytime, but aren’t in close contact. Ages ranging from 29-34. Landed Sat AM, left Wed AM. Didn’t do a lot of the ‘musts’, but ate amazingly & enjoyed ourselves immensely. We visited Montmarte, Versailles, Eiffel, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, the Louvre area (did not go in)… I suppose you’ll have to keep reading to see what else we did!
Note: The (ridiculously) long winded version with pre-trip planning & post-trip musings can be found here: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35105825
Flights – USAir from PHL, no issues using FF miles for friend or me. I paid 67,500 miles for steerage class & booked 30 days out. My friend used 60,000 miles for Envoy and booked less than 48 hours before! I tried to change mine, I begged multiple USAir personnel to take more miles from me so I could join her, but it was not happening. And the planes were not even ½ full in any class.
I was dumbstruck. Staff was friendly about it in person and on the phone, but said there was ‘no way’ to change the ticket I had booked… unless I paid actual cash. They even quoted me for the upgrade in Paris, a mere 388 EU! Umm, thanks, but no thanks. My miles are a detriment to them, if I’m already on a non-full plane and willing to throw miles back on a whim, why not let me??? It just doesn’t make business sense to me – but perhaps that’s why the airline industry is in the shape it is. (I may have snuck into first class on the way home, but I’m not sure I should share that story!)
Yes I know that even in cattle-class my miles went to great use! I mean, how often can one not even use miles mid-week in the US? And I got all the way to Paris & back for only $74 in taxes!
Flight home was delayed 4 hrs, so we bought a screw-top bottle of Chardonnay & cheese from duty free and had our own picnic. We live to break the rules , but could NOT find any crackers or bread. I should mention that satellite 5 in CDG is a horribly boring place to spend 4 hours. Duty free was ok, but no fun shops or restaurants. I expected more from such a worldly airport. Back to the important stuff…
Transportation: Paris Viste card - 5 day – covered zones 1-6 (around town, to/from CDG & Versailles) 47 EU each. We never took a taxi and we did walk to the Seine & back the first day – it was definitely doable.
Hotel:
Villa Saint Martin, 10th Arrondissement
27 Rue de Recollets
3* hotel with all amenities and a very helpful staff. Nothing outstanding to report, but would absolutely stay there again. Very close to Gare de l’Est metro station. Easy walk (with luggage) from Gare du Nord train/metro. Bar is comfy when you want something, and while we skipped breakfast most days, it was good quality. Standard European meats, cheeses, breads, yogurt, juice…
The hotel was booked through skoosh.com & was stay 3 get 4th night free – our old college saying was “where there’s free, there’s me”. I was worried about having booked through skoosh, as we added a third person for only a day. Because we had booked through an outside agency they could have given us a hard time & made us change our room to a triple. The hotel was great about it. They gave us a cot & only charged us 20EU for the extra person. Yay Villa Saint Martin!
Our window overlooked a courtyard that must have been a school. We never saw the school, but it was neat to see/hear the kids playing. French kids seem to have much more recess time than in the States!
Quick background on the trip: The friend who convinced me to go to Paris had to cancel 48 hours before we left. Her family member is still in ICU now that I’ve been, had a wonderful time, and returned . Since the hotel was already paid for (and my flight was only taxes!) I never questioned if I would go or not.
I did however, question my sanity and ability to hang out with only ‘me’ for 5 days, lol. At the LAST minute – ok, less than 40 hours before we leave, I conned two other friends into joining me. K lives 1.5 hours from me & we were able to meet in PHL. K has been to Europe once, was in Krakow when the Pope died, and like me, speaks barely a syllable of French.
The other friend lives in London and I had seen her in June in Barcelona & London. She had a heck of a time getting to Paris (Flights from the US in February – empty. Trains/planes from London to Paris across Valentines Day – full!) Thankfully Londoner was able to get a train in Sat AM, out Sun eve. She had been to Paris 3 times before, so she was a perfect guide for our first 36 hours!
We make plans to meet at the hotel at 12:30, and since K & I do not have international cell phones, cross our fingers that this works! Thankfully it does and we find the Londoner in the hotel bar at noon – then head out to see the sights. No rest for the wicked!
We wander Canal Saint Martin & discuss how neat it would be to tour the locks. The humor in this is that we all went to college just about ON the Erie canal and have never seen a lock work, silly us! We never did see one in Paris either… But in wandering, we decide on lunch. We were lucky enough to come across Chez Prune – and while I later saw it in multiple guidebooks, we were wandering and pure luck landed us there. Great find & sets an amazing food tone for the trip.
I believe we all throw in 20 EU at the end… wine, water, & three meals enjoyed leisurely. Pasta with ham (bacon), goat cheese & scallions for K and I, a large salad for the Londoner. It was excellent, and the place got BUSY as we sat there on Saturday afternoon. I started noticing Paris fashion wasn’t so, err, fashionable, and had a great time examining people’s dress over the next four days.
Now some of my friends would tell you I really need help in the fashion world, so how the heck could I criticize the Parisians??? Well, let me tell you, some of these ladies clearly got dressed in the dark before they left their flats. I expected to be wowed & awed by the beautiful, fashionable, well-dressed ladies everywhere – not so!
To be fair, I started my critiques in the airport when I saw a sour-faced traveler in a too-tight too-bright “I’m too pretty to work” t-shirt. I think perhaps if she had seen a picture of herself, she would be home working on her resume instead of traveling who knows where as self-centered as she was. (How’s that for a rant?) I’m not sure why she stuck in my head. I suppose because I put a ridiculous amount of thought into my travel wardrobe. Now don’t get me wrong, I love to make a statement with t-shirts. I had my ‘Bill Clinton for First Lady’ t-shirt with me – but it was to sleep in!
No jeans/sneakers when I travel, but if you catch me at home that is what you will find me in. I had a black shell jacket(too sporty, but functional, didn’t take up much space, well fitted), and nice black/grey pants each day with a scarf to jazz it all up. Fodor’s Paris 2008 says the French bling anything out with scarves – and they were oh-so-right. Scarves were EVERYWHERE. All shapes, lengths, colors, wraps… I had brought 3 with me, so I felt a bit snazzy! I’m the queen of packing travel gadgets & ‘things’, so I am a minimalist with clothes and the scarves felt like they made a difference. Just a bit dressier.
I liked the scarf look so much I’m planning on wearing one to work on Monday – and I also plan on getting laughed back out the door as I work in the auto industry. The men I work with will think I burnt my neck or something, lol. Back to Paris…
Parisian men escape my criticism; the only thing I noticed to report on was hair. They had LOTS of it, and loved the tousled look. Eww says I. K said I was too harsh on everyone and it was just the ‘bohemian’ look. There were a few times it felt like the late 70’s when I looked around, and even the music matched.
I give Parisian women credit for their boots – damn! Couldn’t they see all the street hazards??? I work on a college campus, so depending on my day I may wear 3 inch heels to work, but not as standard practice! Parisians ALL had boots – low, high, tucked in pants, outside pants, with skirts… anything went. EVEN – someone please explain this to me – black shorts, black tights, & ankle high boots!?! I seriously counted at least 10 women in different parts of the city dressed like this. SHORTS – Bermuda-like, but always black. And plenty of oddly striped tights with mismatched formal boots/ fun skirts or vice versa. Perhaps just too risky for me, and not what I had expected.
Weather: 38-50. Not a cloud in the sky across 5 days. Chilly in shade, wonderful in the sun. It leads me to my next (positive) observation.
I do have to give credit for jackets. I hate to shop and hope to hit some winter clearances this weekend as I’m inspired to have a great fitting mid-length coat after seeing so many in the past week. I have a fabulous long black rain/trench coat, but not a fitted warmer weather ensemble like I kept ogling. Large amounts of black, but plenty of varied colors as well. I almost chased a women down the street to see where she got the fantastic red one – but since ‘Parle Italiano’ was my most used phrase (with very limited results!) I decided not to chase her… (see long winded version for more funniness on my truly poor language skills).
Note: The (ridiculously) long winded version with pre-trip planning & post-trip musings can be found here: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35105825
Flights – USAir from PHL, no issues using FF miles for friend or me. I paid 67,500 miles for steerage class & booked 30 days out. My friend used 60,000 miles for Envoy and booked less than 48 hours before! I tried to change mine, I begged multiple USAir personnel to take more miles from me so I could join her, but it was not happening. And the planes were not even ½ full in any class.
I was dumbstruck. Staff was friendly about it in person and on the phone, but said there was ‘no way’ to change the ticket I had booked… unless I paid actual cash. They even quoted me for the upgrade in Paris, a mere 388 EU! Umm, thanks, but no thanks. My miles are a detriment to them, if I’m already on a non-full plane and willing to throw miles back on a whim, why not let me??? It just doesn’t make business sense to me – but perhaps that’s why the airline industry is in the shape it is. (I may have snuck into first class on the way home, but I’m not sure I should share that story!)
Yes I know that even in cattle-class my miles went to great use! I mean, how often can one not even use miles mid-week in the US? And I got all the way to Paris & back for only $74 in taxes!
Flight home was delayed 4 hrs, so we bought a screw-top bottle of Chardonnay & cheese from duty free and had our own picnic. We live to break the rules , but could NOT find any crackers or bread. I should mention that satellite 5 in CDG is a horribly boring place to spend 4 hours. Duty free was ok, but no fun shops or restaurants. I expected more from such a worldly airport. Back to the important stuff…
Transportation: Paris Viste card - 5 day – covered zones 1-6 (around town, to/from CDG & Versailles) 47 EU each. We never took a taxi and we did walk to the Seine & back the first day – it was definitely doable.
Hotel:
Villa Saint Martin, 10th Arrondissement
27 Rue de Recollets
3* hotel with all amenities and a very helpful staff. Nothing outstanding to report, but would absolutely stay there again. Very close to Gare de l’Est metro station. Easy walk (with luggage) from Gare du Nord train/metro. Bar is comfy when you want something, and while we skipped breakfast most days, it was good quality. Standard European meats, cheeses, breads, yogurt, juice…
The hotel was booked through skoosh.com & was stay 3 get 4th night free – our old college saying was “where there’s free, there’s me”. I was worried about having booked through skoosh, as we added a third person for only a day. Because we had booked through an outside agency they could have given us a hard time & made us change our room to a triple. The hotel was great about it. They gave us a cot & only charged us 20EU for the extra person. Yay Villa Saint Martin!
Our window overlooked a courtyard that must have been a school. We never saw the school, but it was neat to see/hear the kids playing. French kids seem to have much more recess time than in the States!
Quick background on the trip: The friend who convinced me to go to Paris had to cancel 48 hours before we left. Her family member is still in ICU now that I’ve been, had a wonderful time, and returned . Since the hotel was already paid for (and my flight was only taxes!) I never questioned if I would go or not.
I did however, question my sanity and ability to hang out with only ‘me’ for 5 days, lol. At the LAST minute – ok, less than 40 hours before we leave, I conned two other friends into joining me. K lives 1.5 hours from me & we were able to meet in PHL. K has been to Europe once, was in Krakow when the Pope died, and like me, speaks barely a syllable of French.
The other friend lives in London and I had seen her in June in Barcelona & London. She had a heck of a time getting to Paris (Flights from the US in February – empty. Trains/planes from London to Paris across Valentines Day – full!) Thankfully Londoner was able to get a train in Sat AM, out Sun eve. She had been to Paris 3 times before, so she was a perfect guide for our first 36 hours!
We make plans to meet at the hotel at 12:30, and since K & I do not have international cell phones, cross our fingers that this works! Thankfully it does and we find the Londoner in the hotel bar at noon – then head out to see the sights. No rest for the wicked!
We wander Canal Saint Martin & discuss how neat it would be to tour the locks. The humor in this is that we all went to college just about ON the Erie canal and have never seen a lock work, silly us! We never did see one in Paris either… But in wandering, we decide on lunch. We were lucky enough to come across Chez Prune – and while I later saw it in multiple guidebooks, we were wandering and pure luck landed us there. Great find & sets an amazing food tone for the trip.
I believe we all throw in 20 EU at the end… wine, water, & three meals enjoyed leisurely. Pasta with ham (bacon), goat cheese & scallions for K and I, a large salad for the Londoner. It was excellent, and the place got BUSY as we sat there on Saturday afternoon. I started noticing Paris fashion wasn’t so, err, fashionable, and had a great time examining people’s dress over the next four days.
Now some of my friends would tell you I really need help in the fashion world, so how the heck could I criticize the Parisians??? Well, let me tell you, some of these ladies clearly got dressed in the dark before they left their flats. I expected to be wowed & awed by the beautiful, fashionable, well-dressed ladies everywhere – not so!
To be fair, I started my critiques in the airport when I saw a sour-faced traveler in a too-tight too-bright “I’m too pretty to work” t-shirt. I think perhaps if she had seen a picture of herself, she would be home working on her resume instead of traveling who knows where as self-centered as she was. (How’s that for a rant?) I’m not sure why she stuck in my head. I suppose because I put a ridiculous amount of thought into my travel wardrobe. Now don’t get me wrong, I love to make a statement with t-shirts. I had my ‘Bill Clinton for First Lady’ t-shirt with me – but it was to sleep in!
No jeans/sneakers when I travel, but if you catch me at home that is what you will find me in. I had a black shell jacket(too sporty, but functional, didn’t take up much space, well fitted), and nice black/grey pants each day with a scarf to jazz it all up. Fodor’s Paris 2008 says the French bling anything out with scarves – and they were oh-so-right. Scarves were EVERYWHERE. All shapes, lengths, colors, wraps… I had brought 3 with me, so I felt a bit snazzy! I’m the queen of packing travel gadgets & ‘things’, so I am a minimalist with clothes and the scarves felt like they made a difference. Just a bit dressier.
I liked the scarf look so much I’m planning on wearing one to work on Monday – and I also plan on getting laughed back out the door as I work in the auto industry. The men I work with will think I burnt my neck or something, lol. Back to Paris…
Parisian men escape my criticism; the only thing I noticed to report on was hair. They had LOTS of it, and loved the tousled look. Eww says I. K said I was too harsh on everyone and it was just the ‘bohemian’ look. There were a few times it felt like the late 70’s when I looked around, and even the music matched.
I give Parisian women credit for their boots – damn! Couldn’t they see all the street hazards??? I work on a college campus, so depending on my day I may wear 3 inch heels to work, but not as standard practice! Parisians ALL had boots – low, high, tucked in pants, outside pants, with skirts… anything went. EVEN – someone please explain this to me – black shorts, black tights, & ankle high boots!?! I seriously counted at least 10 women in different parts of the city dressed like this. SHORTS – Bermuda-like, but always black. And plenty of oddly striped tights with mismatched formal boots/ fun skirts or vice versa. Perhaps just too risky for me, and not what I had expected.
Weather: 38-50. Not a cloud in the sky across 5 days. Chilly in shade, wonderful in the sun. It leads me to my next (positive) observation.
I do have to give credit for jackets. I hate to shop and hope to hit some winter clearances this weekend as I’m inspired to have a great fitting mid-length coat after seeing so many in the past week. I have a fabulous long black rain/trench coat, but not a fitted warmer weather ensemble like I kept ogling. Large amounts of black, but plenty of varied colors as well. I almost chased a women down the street to see where she got the fantastic red one – but since ‘Parle Italiano’ was my most used phrase (with very limited results!) I decided not to chase her… (see long winded version for more funniness on my truly poor language skills).
Feb 15th, 2008, 11:21 PM
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Random thoughts:
I have no clue why my inverter/converter charged my cell phone & operated a hair straightner (not mine, that’s too high maintenance for me!), but could not charge my XM radio. Well, I really can’t figure out why I can only get XM live in the US & Canada, but that’s not the issue here – my XM is also an MP3 player and I had a small speaker with me as I’m an addict and can’t live without music. It did not recognize being plugged in. The good news is that it worked again as soon as I got home – so the charger didn’t burn out like the electric toothbrush in Italy…
My search for Absinthe…
My search began in Barcelona this summer, where we spent significant time looking for THE absinthe bar, but never found it at its last known address… With less than a month to plan this trip & life being too crazy, I didn’t have time to think about the green fairy. So, when I found Absente in the duty free shop in the airport, I had no qualms about buying it and wished I would have asked for it when dining!
However, reading this, http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archive...bsinthe_1.html, I have Absente, but not ‘real’ absinthe… Awe hell. I’ll still post when I try it – I’m buying sugar cubes when I get my pictures back tomorrow! & I have to wait to try it with DH when he gets back from VT – I haven’t seen him for 9 days already. How’s that saying go – absence makes the heart grow fonder?!
Additionally, for all you liquor lovers out there, make sure you try:
http://www.chartreuse.fr/pa_green&yellow_uk.htm
I bought a sample pack of all the flavors in duty-free, though you can buy the good stuff (same label) for about $40 in many US liquor stores. Hubby and I were introduced by a waiter in New Orleans, and then have had it at home as it stupefies guests with how the scent/taste changes. It is an interesting drink… I saw it at Flo during our first dinner and told the girls they were in trouble, that we were having after dinner drinks! But then the jet lag & having been up for 40 hours changed my mind… I asked for it at every bar after and didn’t find it again. Sigh.
Too tired to go on, and I’m being too random anyway! I told myself I would stay on topic – I’ve got hours in and hate writing, so now I know why I never write up reports! But I am trying to give back to my dear Fodorites.
Tomorrow – I’ll get to day 2 and talk about wandering Montmarte. Ohh, and I will tell about our wonderful dinner at Flo. Since I was keeping a travel journal I have most receipts so ask away about prices, addresses, etc.
I have no clue why my inverter/converter charged my cell phone & operated a hair straightner (not mine, that’s too high maintenance for me!), but could not charge my XM radio. Well, I really can’t figure out why I can only get XM live in the US & Canada, but that’s not the issue here – my XM is also an MP3 player and I had a small speaker with me as I’m an addict and can’t live without music. It did not recognize being plugged in. The good news is that it worked again as soon as I got home – so the charger didn’t burn out like the electric toothbrush in Italy…
My search for Absinthe…
My search began in Barcelona this summer, where we spent significant time looking for THE absinthe bar, but never found it at its last known address… With less than a month to plan this trip & life being too crazy, I didn’t have time to think about the green fairy. So, when I found Absente in the duty free shop in the airport, I had no qualms about buying it and wished I would have asked for it when dining!
However, reading this, http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archive...bsinthe_1.html, I have Absente, but not ‘real’ absinthe… Awe hell. I’ll still post when I try it – I’m buying sugar cubes when I get my pictures back tomorrow! & I have to wait to try it with DH when he gets back from VT – I haven’t seen him for 9 days already. How’s that saying go – absence makes the heart grow fonder?!
Additionally, for all you liquor lovers out there, make sure you try:
http://www.chartreuse.fr/pa_green&yellow_uk.htm
I bought a sample pack of all the flavors in duty-free, though you can buy the good stuff (same label) for about $40 in many US liquor stores. Hubby and I were introduced by a waiter in New Orleans, and then have had it at home as it stupefies guests with how the scent/taste changes. It is an interesting drink… I saw it at Flo during our first dinner and told the girls they were in trouble, that we were having after dinner drinks! But then the jet lag & having been up for 40 hours changed my mind… I asked for it at every bar after and didn’t find it again. Sigh.
Too tired to go on, and I’m being too random anyway! I told myself I would stay on topic – I’ve got hours in and hate writing, so now I know why I never write up reports! But I am trying to give back to my dear Fodorites.
Tomorrow – I’ll get to day 2 and talk about wandering Montmarte. Ohh, and I will tell about our wonderful dinner at Flo. Since I was keeping a travel journal I have most receipts so ask away about prices, addresses, etc.
Feb 16th, 2008, 01:55 AM
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The city shorts, tights and ankle boots have been a huge trend this winter. I have lived in mine for work, (normally black tailored shorts, white or other coloured shirts, tights in various colours and black ankle boots)
So those Parisian's you saw were actually being incredibly stylish!
So those Parisian's you saw were actually being incredibly stylish!
Feb 16th, 2008, 09:48 AM
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>>black shorts, black tights, & ankle high boots!?! I seriously counted at least 10 women in different parts of the city dressed like this. SHORTS – Bermuda-like, but always black. And plenty of oddly striped tights with mismatched formal boots. <<
That is what I wear nearly every day--I didn't notice it in Paris in Dec./Jan. though. Actually--I don't notice it on anyone else either. I do agree though--people get all worked up about Europeans being so fashionable--they wear the same things worn every wear else. Seriously, there isn't a special European clothes shop.
That is what I wear nearly every day--I didn't notice it in Paris in Dec./Jan. though. Actually--I don't notice it on anyone else either. I do agree though--people get all worked up about Europeans being so fashionable--they wear the same things worn every wear else. Seriously, there isn't a special European clothes shop.
Feb 16th, 2008, 10:18 AM
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I can't believe it was only 7 hours ago I was posting all that... my body is all sorts of out of whack! Well, I had visitors at my house, so this has been sitting on my screen, but I did start it at 10AM.
Caroline - I believe the shorts were stylish, and while I could never pull it off, I didn't find the shorts horrible, but questionable as it was still fairly chilly.
I was going to save this for later in the report, but feel the need to save myself after my fashion rant at 2AM. Our last evening, after a trip to Versailles, we transferred at Invalides to the Concord metro stop. The front desk person at our hotel had told us to go to Madeleine after we were raving about macaroons. So, we wanted to see that general area. It was in this area that we saw the fashion I had expected! Particularly as we people watched at a cafe across the street from the Opera Palais Garnier.
Beautiful building BTW, but bottom half was covered with construction barriers. We gazed at it and could see in one window. Even after the opulence of Versailles we wanted to be inside viewing it! Since it was 8PM on a Tuesday we assumed that was not happening.
BUT, we had front row seats under some of those burn-the-back-of-your-neck café heaters and watched the world go by. I would certainly own a scooter, or hopefully a motorcycle, if I lived in Europe, and cars in general hold a fascination for me. I took note that most taxis were black Mercedes or BMW’s – I didn’t see many taxis in all of Paris, but I noted these. Perhaps because the area we were sitting in was ‘high end’? Maybe there are Fords and Citroen taxis in other parts of the city?
This café was called… damn, don’t have that receipt. I remember it was just over 9EU so we left 10 for the 2 drinks. While sipping a Kir Sauvignon for K and a Pernod pastis for me (I was not quite certain what to do with the carafe of water served with my drink - just a splash is fine!), we saw the elegant French we had envisioned. I think it was about 8PM, and most seemed to be coming from work. We had passed the Embassy in that area, and overall it seemed much more ‘business-like’.
At the first places we tried drinks were 15 EU each, so that’s why we ended up a few metro stations away from our initial stop. The shops were closed, so we didn’t see the lovely goodies the hotel person had mentioned. I suppose I am spoiled by the American ideal that I can always find things open when it is convenient… but then again, we don’t have a guaranteed 12 weeks vacation…
Pastis info: http://www.foodreference.com/html/artpastis.html - my dad owns a liquor store, so I guess I have an innate interest in drinks & their history. It KILLING me not to open the Absente today… sigh!
And actually, I forgot the best part! Before the café we first stopped at this quaint little ‘shop’ - La Boutique des Vins. 33 Rue de l’Arcade 75008 Paris (the card then says 28, rue Pasquier in parenthesis). 25EU for 2 wines & a cheese tray – a bit pricey, but wonderful stop!
I suppose the two addresses are because it’s kind of a courtyard/dead end street. Whenever we saw a ‘passage’ that seemed to lead someplace neat we would check it out. Sometimes they only led to apartment entrances, sometimes closed ‘ethnic’ areas (specializing in Indian, Moroccan, etc). Sometimes, like with this place and Flo, (which we did have the address for) we scored a great find!
It was about 7 PM, and thankfully the waiter didn’t think we were peculiar for wanting only cheese & wine. The dinner menu looked wonderful, but we weren’t ready for a 3 hour experience yet; we had a place by the Canal picked out & wanted to end our last night near ‘home’. We had walked the ‘village’ of Versailles, hoping for a late lunch, but everything was closed - everything! Kind of like the Spanish siesta, but I never learned the French term for it, and the closings didn’t seem as prevalent in Paris.
Boutique des Vins was a restaurant as well as a wine shop, and it was odd to order wine by the size we wanted. Grande por favor, err, per favore... Damn, wrong language again!! We tried 2 Graves – someone on the trip’s family name! Moulinavent Graves was the wine I liked enough to write down. Oh, when the waiter asked if we wanted butter with the bread – I had to go against custom and say yes. I needed to know if French butter was richer. It seemed like it was, but it could have been the wine & atmosphere!
So, that was our first stop before the Opera café – and I’m off topic, but I had meant to say that I did eventually see the amazing glamorous fashion I expected and everyone looked like a million bucks. I guess our neighborhood by Canal St. Martin was bohemian (is grunge rude & outdated?); as it wasn’t tourists we had been noticing. When we went someplace like Notre Dame it was immediately apparent we had just entered the wondrous land of tourism, but we were ‘those’ people as well!
Caroline - I believe the shorts were stylish, and while I could never pull it off, I didn't find the shorts horrible, but questionable as it was still fairly chilly.
I was going to save this for later in the report, but feel the need to save myself after my fashion rant at 2AM. Our last evening, after a trip to Versailles, we transferred at Invalides to the Concord metro stop. The front desk person at our hotel had told us to go to Madeleine after we were raving about macaroons. So, we wanted to see that general area. It was in this area that we saw the fashion I had expected! Particularly as we people watched at a cafe across the street from the Opera Palais Garnier.
Beautiful building BTW, but bottom half was covered with construction barriers. We gazed at it and could see in one window. Even after the opulence of Versailles we wanted to be inside viewing it! Since it was 8PM on a Tuesday we assumed that was not happening.
BUT, we had front row seats under some of those burn-the-back-of-your-neck café heaters and watched the world go by. I would certainly own a scooter, or hopefully a motorcycle, if I lived in Europe, and cars in general hold a fascination for me. I took note that most taxis were black Mercedes or BMW’s – I didn’t see many taxis in all of Paris, but I noted these. Perhaps because the area we were sitting in was ‘high end’? Maybe there are Fords and Citroen taxis in other parts of the city?
This café was called… damn, don’t have that receipt. I remember it was just over 9EU so we left 10 for the 2 drinks. While sipping a Kir Sauvignon for K and a Pernod pastis for me (I was not quite certain what to do with the carafe of water served with my drink - just a splash is fine!), we saw the elegant French we had envisioned. I think it was about 8PM, and most seemed to be coming from work. We had passed the Embassy in that area, and overall it seemed much more ‘business-like’.
At the first places we tried drinks were 15 EU each, so that’s why we ended up a few metro stations away from our initial stop. The shops were closed, so we didn’t see the lovely goodies the hotel person had mentioned. I suppose I am spoiled by the American ideal that I can always find things open when it is convenient… but then again, we don’t have a guaranteed 12 weeks vacation…
Pastis info: http://www.foodreference.com/html/artpastis.html - my dad owns a liquor store, so I guess I have an innate interest in drinks & their history. It KILLING me not to open the Absente today… sigh!
And actually, I forgot the best part! Before the café we first stopped at this quaint little ‘shop’ - La Boutique des Vins. 33 Rue de l’Arcade 75008 Paris (the card then says 28, rue Pasquier in parenthesis). 25EU for 2 wines & a cheese tray – a bit pricey, but wonderful stop!
I suppose the two addresses are because it’s kind of a courtyard/dead end street. Whenever we saw a ‘passage’ that seemed to lead someplace neat we would check it out. Sometimes they only led to apartment entrances, sometimes closed ‘ethnic’ areas (specializing in Indian, Moroccan, etc). Sometimes, like with this place and Flo, (which we did have the address for) we scored a great find!
It was about 7 PM, and thankfully the waiter didn’t think we were peculiar for wanting only cheese & wine. The dinner menu looked wonderful, but we weren’t ready for a 3 hour experience yet; we had a place by the Canal picked out & wanted to end our last night near ‘home’. We had walked the ‘village’ of Versailles, hoping for a late lunch, but everything was closed - everything! Kind of like the Spanish siesta, but I never learned the French term for it, and the closings didn’t seem as prevalent in Paris.
Boutique des Vins was a restaurant as well as a wine shop, and it was odd to order wine by the size we wanted. Grande por favor, err, per favore... Damn, wrong language again!! We tried 2 Graves – someone on the trip’s family name! Moulinavent Graves was the wine I liked enough to write down. Oh, when the waiter asked if we wanted butter with the bread – I had to go against custom and say yes. I needed to know if French butter was richer. It seemed like it was, but it could have been the wine & atmosphere!
So, that was our first stop before the Opera café – and I’m off topic, but I had meant to say that I did eventually see the amazing glamorous fashion I expected and everyone looked like a million bucks. I guess our neighborhood by Canal St. Martin was bohemian (is grunge rude & outdated?); as it wasn’t tourists we had been noticing. When we went someplace like Notre Dame it was immediately apparent we had just entered the wondrous land of tourism, but we were ‘those’ people as well!
Feb 16th, 2008, 12:02 PM
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travelphile,
So glad you got around to writing this trip report! Were you really going, going, going for 40 hours without sleep? If so, you deserve an award for not killing the people around you
Can't wait for the rest of the report - I loved Versailles on my first trip, but wondering if you enjoyed it since you probably had to give up seeing some of the sights in order to see it.
So glad you got around to writing this trip report! Were you really going, going, going for 40 hours without sleep? If so, you deserve an award for not killing the people around you
Can't wait for the rest of the report - I loved Versailles on my first trip, but wondering if you enjoyed it since you probably had to give up seeing some of the sights in order to see it.
Feb 17th, 2008, 03:49 AM
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I agree that the look is a more questionable one (even though i love it) but it is (IMO) a myth that Europeans are automatically stylish, especially Parisians. One of my friends at university was born and bred in Paris and she had appalling fashion sense!!
On the flip side i have met Americans who have amazing style. IMO there is no one nation who monopolises style.
BTW i'm loving your trip report to Paris.
On the flip side i have met Americans who have amazing style. IMO there is no one nation who monopolises style.
BTW i'm loving your trip report to Paris.
Feb 17th, 2008, 05:16 PM
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Back to day 1…
After lunch at Chez Prune we walked to the Seine by way of Place de la Rebublique. Shopped for bags – travel totes really – along the way and found ourselves on a small side street with literally dozens of shoe stores one after another. Cheap & pricey, gaudy & classy, welcoming & haughty… Londoner bought 2 pairs and I thought “I can buy shoes anywhere; my suitcase space is reserved for foodstuffs!” We visited St Nicolas des Champs before finding the shoe street if that helps.
I had a laugh at myself about viewing churches. They are PURE architecture to me. I am awed by the (human) horsepower it took to build things before modern machinery, by design & by the esthetics of it all, but sadly, churches hold no real significance for me. I was wowed by K, who is from a very Catholic family, as she could actually understand much of the symbolism. Poor her, I then had to keep asking her about Saint so & so… bugged her to death I think!
*Off Topic Question: Who is the guy with his head in his hands at the entrance to Notre Dame?? I’d have thought K would have remembered that one from Catholic school, but she didn’t - LOL*
When we got to the Seine we were torn; we had meant to only have lunch then check into the hotel. It was now evening and while we wanted to see Paris, we needed creature comforts! We walked back to the hotel & had an uneventful check in, freshened up, and headed out.
Dinner:
Brasserie FLo
7, cour des Petites-Ecuries – Paris 10e
www.floparis.com
The Londoner chose Brasserie Flo from her Rough Guide, and it was magnificent! The walk to Flo left us questioning our decision as the neighborhood was a bit rough,. Lots of people drinking beer on the street, closed stores, , etc. Perhaps it was just our route there. We ended up going into a hotel asking if they knew where it was and the nice man walked us back out the door & pointed at a sign on the side of a building down a side street – one of those ‘passages’ that leads to a great find. Once we got inside the restaurant it was lovely - old mirrors, tables, booths, frescoed ceilings, lively atmosphere, etc. We hadn’t expected this level of swank from a Rough Guide recommendation!
We probably should have feared we wouldn’t be seated after 9PM on a Saturday, but we were in vacation mode and didn’t worry about it. They told us to go to the ‘bar’ for a bit, and it was crazy! The bar was the pathway between the dining room & the kitchen – the servers were exquisite acrobats with full trays of 25+ glasses & full dinners. We were seated in about 10 minutes, at the ‘worst’ table in the place, but we loved it! We got to watch the vivacious staff all night & they really were wonderful – and obviously had fun with their jobs.
Dinner was amazing – I even remember it fondly as I look at the $196 EU bill for three. 2 Gratinee Onion, Foie Gras, Salmon, Chateaubriand, cheese plate, profiteroles, wine & water… Thankfully we are all ok with spending money on a good meal, and we all know how to order well. Flo’s staff treated us SO well & found us a table on a busy Saturday, so we did tip 20EU. Very American of us I know… There is a reason ‘French’ is in front of onion soup – that was the best part of the meal! We discussed going back another evening for the soup & cheese tray alone, but we didn’t have enough nights!
Funniest part, at the menu/ordering bit the waiter told us ‘I am French, I work in France, therefore I only speak French’. We were fine with that and conveyed what we needed from the menu. However, 3 hours later when another waiter took a liking to my friend (the only one without a ring), the waiter all of a sudden spoke English and invited us out with the staff to a local club! Sign me up – I’ll sleep when I’m dead!
Unfortunately, since the Londoner had been up since 4AM to catch her train, and K & I had traveled & stayed up for close to 40 hours (yes I calculated!), my friends decided it wasn’t to be. I think you can tell I was sad – to turn out an invite by the locals is bad karma! Sigh, I listened to my friends & we headed back to the hotel.
Note: Thankfully K had a Berlitz guide with her, for menus alone I would strongly recommend it!! Yes you can figure out which is fish, chicken, entrees, appetizers, etc. But knowing what the sauce & accompaniments are was priceless! Even at small bars it was nice to translate the choice of the day. Guidebooks (Insight, Fodor’s, Rough Guide) were too general to be of use for a true French menu & we were happy to be at restaurants that didn’t have English translations!)
Day 2: We awoke to decide to skip breakfast & Londoner jumped in the shower. We let her decide the day’s activities, since she had to catch a train at 5. We made it out the door about 11AM and headed for Montmarte. Amazing pastries & pizza from a small boulangerie that must have been a chain (?), we wouldn’t have guessed that, but I wrote down a website from the packaging. minoteries-viron.fr - it was between Est & Nord stations & we bought more on the way back.
Took side streets up to Sacre Coeur, toured the church & wandered down the back side. K had told her mom of her trip to Paris on the way to the airport – talk about last minute planning! K’s mom told of having a portrait sketched there in the 1970’s & said it was still in the attic. Londoner and I BEGGED K to have one done to give her mom as a gift, but K got shy and WOULD not agree! I wish I would have made her…
Shopped more than typical, but it was a type of sightseeing. We didn’t necessarily spend much or want to carry much around. Pylones was a fun store, and we then saw a few more around the city. There always seemed to be 2 next to each other – competing or just not enough square footage in the originals? We kept wondering…
I brought back fun old postcards, some black/white, some old cars to give to work friends. A 53 Saab (?) got me the ‘best souvenir ever’ from a Saab junkie I work with. Hell, that’s a good title to earn for spending $.60! I did shop for postcards by price – I will admit to being cheap about certain things. 1EU for the vintage ones, and 10 for 2EU on the general ones.
Sorry for the slow going on the writing, but I’m trying to do the report the justice it deserves! Back to work tomorrow & book club for “Water for Elephants” in the evening. I only pretended to work on Thursday afternoon, since I didn’t get home until 2AM. And Friday I blew off totally... I have weeks (truly) of vacation time to use, so I promise I am not a complete slacker!
After lunch at Chez Prune we walked to the Seine by way of Place de la Rebublique. Shopped for bags – travel totes really – along the way and found ourselves on a small side street with literally dozens of shoe stores one after another. Cheap & pricey, gaudy & classy, welcoming & haughty… Londoner bought 2 pairs and I thought “I can buy shoes anywhere; my suitcase space is reserved for foodstuffs!” We visited St Nicolas des Champs before finding the shoe street if that helps.
I had a laugh at myself about viewing churches. They are PURE architecture to me. I am awed by the (human) horsepower it took to build things before modern machinery, by design & by the esthetics of it all, but sadly, churches hold no real significance for me. I was wowed by K, who is from a very Catholic family, as she could actually understand much of the symbolism. Poor her, I then had to keep asking her about Saint so & so… bugged her to death I think!
*Off Topic Question: Who is the guy with his head in his hands at the entrance to Notre Dame?? I’d have thought K would have remembered that one from Catholic school, but she didn’t - LOL*
When we got to the Seine we were torn; we had meant to only have lunch then check into the hotel. It was now evening and while we wanted to see Paris, we needed creature comforts! We walked back to the hotel & had an uneventful check in, freshened up, and headed out.
Dinner:
Brasserie FLo
7, cour des Petites-Ecuries – Paris 10e
www.floparis.com
The Londoner chose Brasserie Flo from her Rough Guide, and it was magnificent! The walk to Flo left us questioning our decision as the neighborhood was a bit rough,. Lots of people drinking beer on the street, closed stores, , etc. Perhaps it was just our route there. We ended up going into a hotel asking if they knew where it was and the nice man walked us back out the door & pointed at a sign on the side of a building down a side street – one of those ‘passages’ that leads to a great find. Once we got inside the restaurant it was lovely - old mirrors, tables, booths, frescoed ceilings, lively atmosphere, etc. We hadn’t expected this level of swank from a Rough Guide recommendation!
We probably should have feared we wouldn’t be seated after 9PM on a Saturday, but we were in vacation mode and didn’t worry about it. They told us to go to the ‘bar’ for a bit, and it was crazy! The bar was the pathway between the dining room & the kitchen – the servers were exquisite acrobats with full trays of 25+ glasses & full dinners. We were seated in about 10 minutes, at the ‘worst’ table in the place, but we loved it! We got to watch the vivacious staff all night & they really were wonderful – and obviously had fun with their jobs.
Dinner was amazing – I even remember it fondly as I look at the $196 EU bill for three. 2 Gratinee Onion, Foie Gras, Salmon, Chateaubriand, cheese plate, profiteroles, wine & water… Thankfully we are all ok with spending money on a good meal, and we all know how to order well. Flo’s staff treated us SO well & found us a table on a busy Saturday, so we did tip 20EU. Very American of us I know… There is a reason ‘French’ is in front of onion soup – that was the best part of the meal! We discussed going back another evening for the soup & cheese tray alone, but we didn’t have enough nights!
Funniest part, at the menu/ordering bit the waiter told us ‘I am French, I work in France, therefore I only speak French’. We were fine with that and conveyed what we needed from the menu. However, 3 hours later when another waiter took a liking to my friend (the only one without a ring), the waiter all of a sudden spoke English and invited us out with the staff to a local club! Sign me up – I’ll sleep when I’m dead!
Unfortunately, since the Londoner had been up since 4AM to catch her train, and K & I had traveled & stayed up for close to 40 hours (yes I calculated!), my friends decided it wasn’t to be. I think you can tell I was sad – to turn out an invite by the locals is bad karma! Sigh, I listened to my friends & we headed back to the hotel.
Note: Thankfully K had a Berlitz guide with her, for menus alone I would strongly recommend it!! Yes you can figure out which is fish, chicken, entrees, appetizers, etc. But knowing what the sauce & accompaniments are was priceless! Even at small bars it was nice to translate the choice of the day. Guidebooks (Insight, Fodor’s, Rough Guide) were too general to be of use for a true French menu & we were happy to be at restaurants that didn’t have English translations!)
Day 2: We awoke to decide to skip breakfast & Londoner jumped in the shower. We let her decide the day’s activities, since she had to catch a train at 5. We made it out the door about 11AM and headed for Montmarte. Amazing pastries & pizza from a small boulangerie that must have been a chain (?), we wouldn’t have guessed that, but I wrote down a website from the packaging. minoteries-viron.fr - it was between Est & Nord stations & we bought more on the way back.
Took side streets up to Sacre Coeur, toured the church & wandered down the back side. K had told her mom of her trip to Paris on the way to the airport – talk about last minute planning! K’s mom told of having a portrait sketched there in the 1970’s & said it was still in the attic. Londoner and I BEGGED K to have one done to give her mom as a gift, but K got shy and WOULD not agree! I wish I would have made her…
Shopped more than typical, but it was a type of sightseeing. We didn’t necessarily spend much or want to carry much around. Pylones was a fun store, and we then saw a few more around the city. There always seemed to be 2 next to each other – competing or just not enough square footage in the originals? We kept wondering…
I brought back fun old postcards, some black/white, some old cars to give to work friends. A 53 Saab (?) got me the ‘best souvenir ever’ from a Saab junkie I work with. Hell, that’s a good title to earn for spending $.60! I did shop for postcards by price – I will admit to being cheap about certain things. 1EU for the vintage ones, and 10 for 2EU on the general ones.
Sorry for the slow going on the writing, but I’m trying to do the report the justice it deserves! Back to work tomorrow & book club for “Water for Elephants” in the evening. I only pretended to work on Thursday afternoon, since I didn’t get home until 2AM. And Friday I blew off totally... I have weeks (truly) of vacation time to use, so I promise I am not a complete slacker!
Feb 17th, 2008, 05:38 PM
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Writing in Word & pasting to here - sorry, there were some edits but I didn't copy the last version!
Thankfully I know I have no chance at a career in journalism anyway!
Anna - Versailles did wow us and we didn't feel like it was giving anything else up to visit there.
We had wanted to see the catacombs & sewers, but decided to 'save' those tours for when DH's were with us. Yes we should have seen a musuem or two, and probably some art, but that required more planning than we had in us!
Thankfully I know I have no chance at a career in journalism anyway!
Anna - Versailles did wow us and we didn't feel like it was giving anything else up to visit there.
We had wanted to see the catacombs & sewers, but decided to 'save' those tours for when DH's were with us. Yes we should have seen a musuem or two, and probably some art, but that required more planning than we had in us!
Feb 17th, 2008, 06:32 PM
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travelphile,
Thanks for posting another part of your trip today! I agree with your comment on the Berlitz guide(I really need to make a note to buy one of those due to everyone's recommendations) - I know from memory what certain things are, but as you pointed out, it's little things like sauces that someone may not figure out.
I'm so glad you enjoyed Versailles! On our first trip, we only had four full days in Paris, and I know alot of people here say that you shouldn't go to Versailles with such little time in the city. However, we were completely blown away by the experience, and I think I would have really regretted not seeing Versailles - I'm glad you and K enjoyed your trip there.
It's good to know that you enjoyed Paris so much that you want to return with your DH's! I'm guessing you had a great time with K, and you would definitely travel back to Paris with her.
Thanks for posting another part of your trip today! I agree with your comment on the Berlitz guide(I really need to make a note to buy one of those due to everyone's recommendations) - I know from memory what certain things are, but as you pointed out, it's little things like sauces that someone may not figure out.
I'm so glad you enjoyed Versailles! On our first trip, we only had four full days in Paris, and I know alot of people here say that you shouldn't go to Versailles with such little time in the city. However, we were completely blown away by the experience, and I think I would have really regretted not seeing Versailles - I'm glad you and K enjoyed your trip there.
It's good to know that you enjoyed Paris so much that you want to return with your DH's! I'm guessing you had a great time with K, and you would definitely travel back to Paris with her.
Feb 18th, 2008, 06:04 PM
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<<Place de la Rebublique. Shopped for bags – travel totes really – along the way and found ourselves on a small side street with literally dozens of shoe stores one after another. Cheap & pricey, gaudy & classy, welcoming & haughty… >>
The name of this street is Rue Mesclay. And its the main reason I am returning to Paris this April with my daughter. We discovered the area in 2002 on our first trip, we went back in 2004 and we are now coming back to buy her wedding shoes! ( of course, with the euro exchange these are going to be expensive wedding shoes! lol) Its our last vacation together just the two of us, so I am very much looking forward to it. IMO the shoes are fabulous and all prices-- €20 - €1000. We will definitely not be buying the €1000 variety!
The name of this street is Rue Mesclay. And its the main reason I am returning to Paris this April with my daughter. We discovered the area in 2002 on our first trip, we went back in 2004 and we are now coming back to buy her wedding shoes! ( of course, with the euro exchange these are going to be expensive wedding shoes! lol) Its our last vacation together just the two of us, so I am very much looking forward to it. IMO the shoes are fabulous and all prices-- €20 - €1000. We will definitely not be buying the €1000 variety!
