Paris, Rome and Florence Trip Report
Mar 22nd, 2006, 10:59 AM
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Paris, Rome and Florence Trip Report
Well, we’ve just returned from our trip to Paris, Rome and Florence, and what a wonderful trip it was!! We enjoyed (just about) every minute of it, and I can’t wait to start planning the next adventure! I’ve detailed the trip below. Probably more detail than some may want, but I am trying to include the things I *wish* I’d known, or just didn’t manage to find on another trip report. That, and I’m just naturally long winded.
A little about us—we are in our late 20’s, husband (here on referred to as P) is a Roman history buff, and this was his fifth trip there. We went together 4 years ago and were engaged there. He’d been to Florence before, and neither of us had been to Paris (the last Euro trip included a trip to Nice, which I adored). We’re budget travelers for the most part, and ended up doing pretty well. For the 10-day trip, we came in about $400 over budget, due mostly to unforeseen travel expenses, which you’ll see later on. I work nonstop hours, and he’s a full time professional finishing his full time PhD, so we were really looking for some time just to hang out. So, the story begins… (Apologies again for being long-winded)
Day 1 – March 6/7th. St. Louis to Paris
We booked tickets on American Airlines in November. Because we were off-season, I was able to get one ticket for 40,000 miles, and the other for a little over $600 with tax, open jaw. We were scheduled to fly STL to ORD and onto CDG, and on the return, Rome to Brussels, to ORD, to STL. We missed AA’s direct Rome service by two weeks…at the time I booked the ticket, they had plenty of seats open into April, but we had to keep our trip in March, so we had the longer way home…
Also, I received a day pass to the Admiral’s Club a few weeks before we left. We tried in out in STL…nice, but not worth the $400 a year to join. Free snacks and soda…and it was a lot quieter than the terminal. All in all, we didn’t know what the fuss was about.
So, sitting on the plane in STL, we hear that ORD has been shut down, due to a “wire” that had been cut, that had shut down all of air traffic control. We only had two hours between landing and the CDG flight taking off, and it was obvious that wasn’t going to happen. They let us off the plane to try to redirect our flights…and the use of the Admiral’s Club became apparent. No line, and VERY helpful attendants. Unfortunately, because of the awards ticket, they couldn’t rebook us through another city. But, they did buy us drinks, I think because we looked so pitiful.
About an hour into the wait at the bar, they called for reboarding our flight. We made it into ORD 20 minutes late, and found out the CDG flight had left without us. We had no cell phones, and someone who was a lot less stressed than I was recommended using a payphone to call AA on their 800 number. I was distraught at not having any change, until he pointed out that an 800 call is free. At this point, it became apparent I REALLY needed a vacation.
They had rebooked us on a flight into London, and then into Paris, arriving about 5 hours later than we had anticipated. Nice Admiral’s Club lady had booked us into the bulkhead. Uneventful flight for the first 5 hours, and then we hit the roughest turbulence I’ve even encountered. Finally made it into London, and I was able to pry my fingers off the armrest.
Had a great British Airways flight into Paris. It was only 40 minutes long, and they served everyone a deli sandwich packet and drink…easily the most efficient thing I have ever seen. Side note here…the sandwich was egg and mayonnaise…and the beginning of our understanding with the French obsession with the egg.
At this point, I should mention I am a meeting planner. I plan everything to the last detail. However, I didn’t have a chance to do that with this trip. I managed to make hotel reservations, air reservations, and even figure out the Carte Orange, and that is about as far as it went. Getting into the CDG airport, I began to realize that perhaps I should have done a bit more advance work.
We picked up our luggage, and made it into Paris without ever going through customs. We’re still not sure how we did that. And then, we were stuck. I had no clue what to do about getting to the metro, etc. Using the pictures (truly, the only French word we learned before we left was “oeuf,” oddly enough, for egg), we managed to figure out to head towards the signs marked Gare Lyon. We finally found the metro station ticket counter (down the escalators, on the far left of the big space, a room made of windows), found the English speaking line (it’s on the left). Purchased two tickets into Zone 2, and then two Carte Oranges for Zone 1 and 2. It worked perfect for us, as we arrived on a Tuesday, and left on Sunday. 45 euro total for the four tickets.
Lugged all of the luggage (I’ll admit it, there was a lot) onto the Metro, which worked really well until Zone 1, during rush hour. Decided to exit the Metro and hop a cab. Ended up at the Notre Dame exit, in the rain. I ran into the Hotel Notre Dame, and she directed me towards the taxi stand…bless that woman. 10 euros later, we were at Hotel du Champ de Mars, in the 6th!!!
The hotel is located at the Ecole Militare Metro stop. Follow the signs for Exit #1 towards the Eiffel Tower, turn right, and at the bakery on the corner (about 2 blocks down) take a right on Champ de Mars boulevard. Hotel is on the right side, about a block down.
We paid 84 euro a night for room 21, a double bed with a bath. We loved this hotel! It overlooked a street with a cheese shop, supermarket, 3 cafes, etc. within a minutes walk. Rue Cler market was around the corner, but we didn’t even “find” that until our next to last day! Check in was quite smooth, room was decent sized, bathroom was great, and included a European hair dryer. There was quite a bit of street noise at night. We loved the owner’s puppy Canon, who was kind enough to let us pet him when we were missing our own dogs. All in all, I’d give this property at 9 out of 10, for the price and location. We didn’t see many tourists at all, and when we were in restaurants, etc., we were generally the only non-locals. Also, it’s a 10 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower.
Got checked in, picked up some bread and cheese at the local joints, and a bottle of wine (the supermarket next door sells it for 2-3 euros a bottle), had a little picnic and took a nap. Ventured out that night to see the Eiffel Tower…beautiful!!! And so impressive in person, it really brought home that I was finally in Paris!! Ran into a dad and his young son from New Orleans, and traded photo ops. Back to the hotel, looking for a dinner option (didn’t want to have to sleep walk back home) Ended up at Tribeca, an Italian bistro around the corner from the hotel. I had a 4-cheese pizza that was to die for, P had linguine with chorizo and rucula and a ½ bottle of wine. 42 euros…Definitely recommend it, but do a quick review of your French for travelers book before you go in, because there’s not a lot of English spoken here.
Finally, we got some rest, to get ready for our first full day!
Mar 22nd, 2006, 11:02 AM
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Day 2 – March 8 Paris
Yeah, we are in Paris!! I didn’t let the rain or the cold dampen my spirits, and we set out to hit the city, armed with my Metro map, my spiral bound notebook with attraction info compiled from Fodors, Rick Steve’s, etc. and an umbrella (a great last minute pack, thanks to a heads up from a Fodorite who was in Paris the week before us…) We found an English-run café and enjoyed café and croissants—where have these things been all my life? And headed for Invalides, about a 10 minute walk. We were there before opening, so we went over to the Rodin Museum, just because we knew it was close. Bought a four-day museum pass, 90 euros total for the 2. No special line, just bought it instead of an entrance ticket. Turns out the pass was totally worth the $$, as you’ll see, we hit a lot of attractions at all times of the day, and would have spent a lot more than just the 45 euros apiece.
P loved this museum, and was really pleasantly surprised by it. It wasn’t anything that had been on either of our “must do” lists. The Thinker in the garden is a great first intro to Paris. Basically, this is a large house that’s been converted into museum of sorts. Handheld laminated guides in English were in every room. We made it out just as a huge tour group was coming in.
We found our way back to Invalides (inc. in Museum Pass). P loved the military museum. I was a bit freaked out by all of the weaponry and armor, but cool nonetheless. And, so interesting to see the ENORMOUS tomb for Napoleon. They also had a special exhibit of his personal effects—I’m not sure how long that will be there.
Decided to take the walk down the Champs Elysees, to the Arc de Triomphe. Made it about halfway before I gave into hunger. Walked down the closest side street, and found a sandwich shop with any combo of sandwiches, soup or salads, for about 6 euro. Great deal and got out of there, with beverages, for under 15 euros. It was called Le Paradis de Fruit. About 200 yards further down the Champs Elysees, I stumbled upon Laduree and literally ran in the door. P had no clue what was going on, and followed me in saying “but this is a restaurant,” totally confused, until I led him to the bakery case. Had one of the sweetest moments of my life eating their chocolate and almond mini macaroons. I wish I had a case of them with me right now…
Finally made it to the Arc, and decided to walk up to the top (inc. in Museum Pass). This was at the top of my to do in Paris list, and I am so glad I did! I am scared of heights and a bit claustrophobic, but worked through that, and was rewarded with a great view of the city, even with the drizzle. Sacre Coeur and the Eiffel Tower were my favorite sights from up here, and I would have stayed all day but P’s fear of heights finally ruled. That, and it was COLD up there.
From here, we walked back up the other side of Champs Elysees, ducking in stores when the rain got too hard. We finally made it into a little park, and stopped at a free standing Lenoire, also home of the Ecole Culinaire School of Cooking for a coffee (and bathroom!). Coffee was great, but the 12 euros it cost surprised me!! There were a lot of young Parisian mothers with their babies here.
Kept on walking until we made it to Notre Dame. As evidenced by our legs at the end of this day, we had no sense of distance, as I was just so enthralled with the city. We toured the crypt at Notre Dame—again, P loved this, as it showed the Roman ruins of the city. I loved the exterior of the church, but was underwhelmed by Notre Dame, and upset by the blatant commercialism…I couldn’t believe the number of “souvenir” machines they have in the actual church.
At this point, we were pretty tuckered out, and took an afternoon nap. That night we walked around the 6th and 7th, just enjoying the neighborhoods. We didn’t bring any recommendations for dinner with us, and really wanted to try a French bistro (Italian the night before had been an accident, we just couldn’t read the menu). We finally decided on Bistrot de 7th, with a 19 euro set menu. This ended up being the worst meal of the trip, and a running joke for the next week and a half. Enough said about this place, other than, don’t go here.
To make up for dinner, we went in search of crepes, and found a decent one at La Recruitment, a soccer sports bar. All of the crepe stands we had walked by before dinner had closed. We made it to the Eiffel Tower in time to see her sparkle for 10 minutes, and again, I was overwhelmed by just how cool it was.
Needless to say, we slept very well this night, thanks to our on foot tour of most of the city…
Yeah, we are in Paris!! I didn’t let the rain or the cold dampen my spirits, and we set out to hit the city, armed with my Metro map, my spiral bound notebook with attraction info compiled from Fodors, Rick Steve’s, etc. and an umbrella (a great last minute pack, thanks to a heads up from a Fodorite who was in Paris the week before us…) We found an English-run café and enjoyed café and croissants—where have these things been all my life? And headed for Invalides, about a 10 minute walk. We were there before opening, so we went over to the Rodin Museum, just because we knew it was close. Bought a four-day museum pass, 90 euros total for the 2. No special line, just bought it instead of an entrance ticket. Turns out the pass was totally worth the $$, as you’ll see, we hit a lot of attractions at all times of the day, and would have spent a lot more than just the 45 euros apiece.
P loved this museum, and was really pleasantly surprised by it. It wasn’t anything that had been on either of our “must do” lists. The Thinker in the garden is a great first intro to Paris. Basically, this is a large house that’s been converted into museum of sorts. Handheld laminated guides in English were in every room. We made it out just as a huge tour group was coming in.
We found our way back to Invalides (inc. in Museum Pass). P loved the military museum. I was a bit freaked out by all of the weaponry and armor, but cool nonetheless. And, so interesting to see the ENORMOUS tomb for Napoleon. They also had a special exhibit of his personal effects—I’m not sure how long that will be there.
Decided to take the walk down the Champs Elysees, to the Arc de Triomphe. Made it about halfway before I gave into hunger. Walked down the closest side street, and found a sandwich shop with any combo of sandwiches, soup or salads, for about 6 euro. Great deal and got out of there, with beverages, for under 15 euros. It was called Le Paradis de Fruit. About 200 yards further down the Champs Elysees, I stumbled upon Laduree and literally ran in the door. P had no clue what was going on, and followed me in saying “but this is a restaurant,” totally confused, until I led him to the bakery case. Had one of the sweetest moments of my life eating their chocolate and almond mini macaroons. I wish I had a case of them with me right now…
Finally made it to the Arc, and decided to walk up to the top (inc. in Museum Pass). This was at the top of my to do in Paris list, and I am so glad I did! I am scared of heights and a bit claustrophobic, but worked through that, and was rewarded with a great view of the city, even with the drizzle. Sacre Coeur and the Eiffel Tower were my favorite sights from up here, and I would have stayed all day but P’s fear of heights finally ruled. That, and it was COLD up there.
From here, we walked back up the other side of Champs Elysees, ducking in stores when the rain got too hard. We finally made it into a little park, and stopped at a free standing Lenoire, also home of the Ecole Culinaire School of Cooking for a coffee (and bathroom!). Coffee was great, but the 12 euros it cost surprised me!! There were a lot of young Parisian mothers with their babies here.
Kept on walking until we made it to Notre Dame. As evidenced by our legs at the end of this day, we had no sense of distance, as I was just so enthralled with the city. We toured the crypt at Notre Dame—again, P loved this, as it showed the Roman ruins of the city. I loved the exterior of the church, but was underwhelmed by Notre Dame, and upset by the blatant commercialism…I couldn’t believe the number of “souvenir” machines they have in the actual church.
At this point, we were pretty tuckered out, and took an afternoon nap. That night we walked around the 6th and 7th, just enjoying the neighborhoods. We didn’t bring any recommendations for dinner with us, and really wanted to try a French bistro (Italian the night before had been an accident, we just couldn’t read the menu). We finally decided on Bistrot de 7th, with a 19 euro set menu. This ended up being the worst meal of the trip, and a running joke for the next week and a half. Enough said about this place, other than, don’t go here.
To make up for dinner, we went in search of crepes, and found a decent one at La Recruitment, a soccer sports bar. All of the crepe stands we had walked by before dinner had closed. We made it to the Eiffel Tower in time to see her sparkle for 10 minutes, and again, I was overwhelmed by just how cool it was.
Needless to say, we slept very well this night, thanks to our on foot tour of most of the city…
Mar 23rd, 2006, 11:58 AM
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Day 3 – March 9 Paris
The goal for today was Sacre Coeur. Hopped the metro (such easy access from the hotel!) and made it to the northern section of Paris. Saw the only street vendors we really encountered during our time in Paris here, selling bracelets that they managed to tie onto a few unsuspecting tourists. Got in line for the funicular, after finding out it was included in our Carte Orange, and then decided to hike the stairs instead. This decision stayed with our legs for the next 8 days of our trip, and I fear my lower limbs still have not forgiven me. But, we were rewarded with another beautiful view! I couldn’t get over how pretty the city is from “up top”.
Church was really nice, and we spent a while wondering through the area, although we realized it was REALLY touristy. Did buy a miniature Eiffel Tower for 1 euro for my desk…and P had his 2nd café of the day. (It’s not a vacation in Europe for him if he doesn’t get at least 4 shots of espresso a day. This is ok, because it’s not a vacation for me unless I get gelato at least twice a day.)
Decided to make it to the Louvre, and in using the Metro, had to switch lines at Musee d’ Orsay. Turns out you have to actually get out of the Metro underground, and walk to the Orsay to get on the new line, so we made a detour into the Orsay. Museum Pass came in handy here too…honestly, the detour was for finding a restroom, and if a MP isn’t good for that, then what it is good for? Just kidding, but we used it for this purpose on more than one occasion. I was really impressed with what we saw here, which included the Degas drawings, but it was really crowded with field trips, so we decided to come back later to see the Degas statues, which were the big draw for me.
Made it to the Louvre, again the MP was great, we didn’t have any lines at all. But, to tell you the truth, I wasn’t a huge fan of this museum. It is just SO big. I realize I’ll catch flack for that, but I’m pretty map savvy, and I couldn’t even find us on the enormous fold out map for quite some time. And, there were so many people, and just so much, well, everything. Between being overwhelmed, and battling my stomach, which had decided to contract a bug of some sort, I gave up. I headed back to the hotel for a nap. Before this happened, we did have lunch in the mall food court. Wide variety of options for indulging any “American” needs you might have, including hamburgers and soda, which is just what P did, and I had a quick bistro sandwich. 12 euros total.
After a short nap, we headed back to the Louvre, because I was positive it was open until 9:45. Once we got there (and, all the way into the museum portion of the building) and saw all the lights out, we realized I was wrong… So, I picked up my Rick Steves book, and decided to walk the left bank. Yes, we walked from the Louvre, to Notre Dame (because we missed the earlier bridge). And, I wander why my legs still haven’t forgiven me. Beautiful walk at night, although it was really chilly. We made it into Shakespeare and Friends, where P was able to get a Balzac book he’s been looking for, and we walked around for a bit. Not finding anything that appealed for dinner, we headed back towards our hotel. We decided (probably incorrectly, but we did) to give up on French food after dinner the night before, and went in search of Italian, which is truly where our hearts our. We ended up at Pizza Tina’s, right next to the Ecole Militare Metro stop, and had a great meal. P had Penne Arribiata and a Caprese Salad, and I had a tomato and eggplant pasta. With a carafe of wine and dessert, it came to just over 40 euros, and we give it a big thumbs up.
Rain had picked up, so no Eiffel Tower this night.
Mar 23rd, 2006, 03:11 PM
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Thanks for the report. Sounds like you had a ball. Forgive me for asking, but wasn't your hotel in the 7th? I looked it up on the map, but maybe it was on the border or something. Sounds like a great hotel and a neighborhood with much to do and eat...
Mar 23rd, 2006, 04:39 PM
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Heavens and eviddix
No question about it, the hotel is in the 7th, and not even on the border of 6th/7th.
Well, ebiddx did say he/she didn't have much time to plan
Anyway, I'm enjoying the report and loking forward to more.
No question about it, the hotel is in the 7th, and not even on the border of 6th/7th.
Well, ebiddx did say he/she didn't have much time to plan
Anyway, I'm enjoying the report and loking forward to more.
Mar 23rd, 2006, 06:26 PM
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Definitely the 7th. Sorry about that...I was confused about it the whole time I was *planning* (or not) the vacation. Regardless, I give it a huge recommendation for anyone looking for something under 100 euros!
Mar 24th, 2006, 08:30 AM
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I should apologize now for the typos and misspellings
Day 4 – March 10 Paris
I woke up not feeling great (and, no I hadn’t indulged in the carafe the night before), and P had really wanted to see more of the Louvre, so I sent him on without me, with plans to meet at noon for lunch. I felt very Parisian making it to the Louvre on my own on the Metro, and at this point, should mention that I was approached a few times as if I was in fact French while we were here. Each time made me smile…
I was early, and able to send a quick note home on email, using the Internet station right outside of the indoor entrance. Pretty reasonable, .15 euros for 5 minutes I think? P had made it to the Mona Lisa, and surprising himself, had been really impressed with it. He’d really liked the apartments too, and talked me back into the Museum to see this. I’m glad I went…it was definitely impressive, especially the dining room. Even if you are at the Louvre for a specific art collection, you really should make some time to see this opulent setting.
Plan had been to head out to Versailles for the afternoon, but we don’t want to lose any time “in” the city, so we stay. Jump the Metro to the St. Paul stop, making our way to the Picasso Museum. P is starving, so we stop into Pizza Momo’s (within a block of the Metro exit). This is where the “oeuf” is in full effect. It’s on every pizza, in every calzone…People are loving it. This is full of French students and businessmen on their lunch break…again, we are the only ones speaking any English. I just order a salad, trying to save my stomach, and P gets a ham and mushroom pizza. It was great, although P swears the waiter hated him. I’m going to agree with P on this one…something about him was rubbing the server wrong. But, the server seemed to appreciate my attempt at French. 22 euros total for the pizza, salad, wine for P and Orangina for me.
We didn’t have any directions to Picasso other than the metro stop, so we just started walking, looking for something to go in to. Walked past some great flower stalls and I got some amazing pictures. Stumbled into Place des Vosges, and into Victor Hugo’s house, with the aid of the tourist attraction signs. We didn’t know much about Victor Hugo, but the tour was free (you do still have to get a ticket though—go to the gift shop checkout). After the tour, we still don’t know much, as all of the explanations were in French, but it was still cool to see the apartment and personal effects of some time ago.
Decide to find Picasso’s place, but are waylaid by the lack of directions, and all of the jewelry and suit shops. We ended up window shopping for a few hours, and then were able to piece together the tourist signs, the small map we had, etc. I don’t know how to give you directions here, other than to say that it is off of a back alley.
There was a long ticket line, but we were able to bypass it with the Museum Pass. This is just a large house that has been filled with his pieces that were donated to the French government after Picasso’s death. I’ve always been a fan of his work, although I don’t know much about it. Explanations were in English in some places, and it covered his entire career. Really cool. P’s not a fan of Picasso, but he really enjoyed this place too. And, it was packed, and not with Americans. We’re still not sure we saw everything, because this is a really big house, and there’s not a true flow throughout it, but we really liked it.
We stop at a café with windows, and enjoy gelato and café and watch the world go by in the rain. P’s feet have given up on him, I am not feeling great at all, so we head home for a nap. P’s decided he wants to try Japanese tonight, because he saw two places near our hotel. I should mention here, it’s not normal for us to try to eat close to our hotels normally, but the weather was REALLY cold and really wet, and it just didn’t make for a fun outing. So, we enjoyed eating lunch in other areas, and then stuck in the 7th for dinners.
We checked out the Japanese places, and neither were very busy, so we went to the Korean place, also on Champs de Mars, on the other side of the Rue Clere from the hotel. We were clearly the only American’s that had stepped foot in this place in quite some time. When laughed when we were handed the menu, translated in Korean, Chinese and French. Not to mention it is Korean food, which isn’t your standard fare anyway. We did a lot of pointing, and I engaged the French phrase book that hadn’t seen the light of day yet, and the waitress walked away. We had NO idea what we had ordered, and we just hoped that our warning that P was allergic to fish had been understood.
They brought 12 bowls of “stuff” to the table…some was identifiable…pickled seaweed, etc. The look on P’s face when he bit into the Soba noodles and discovered they were fried baby (clear) anchovies was priceless.
So, they show up at the table with a bowl full of the same items that are in the 12 bowls in front of us, with a giant oeuf on top of it! My nauseous tummy didn’t find that funny, but they stirred the fried egg into the bowl, effectively making fried rice of a sort.
Then, they brought a giant heap of raw beef. Apparently, we’d ordered barbecued beef, which they cooked at the table. It was again, not a good joke to play on my stomach, but the food tasted great. In all, with bottled water and tea, the meal was 36 euros. Well worth it for the experience and the story we have to tell.
Now, I was not feeling good (as mentioned), but I was dying for some chocolate. So, we went up to Bistro B, right next to the Ecole Miliatre metro stop. We’d walked past it so many times, and it looked really nice, and we wanted to try it, but dinner was out of our budget range. So, we went just for dessert. What a great idea that was!! The waiter was an absolute delight. I had the translation book with us, and I put it on the floor so other passerby’s wouldn’t see it on our table and think this was a tourist spot, and when he saw it on the floor, he picked it up and put it on our table. He spoke some English, and had a great time trying to describe the dessert specials. When he couldn’t explain one in English, he went into the kitchen and brought one out to show us. Just a genuinely nice gentleman. I would go back there anytime just to see him! That, and the dessert was phenomenal (stomach or not!!). We had a chocolate torte and a crème brulee with bits of candied apples. P had wine, and the waiter teased me about not drinking, telling me it was good for my heart.
This was the coldest night by far, so we ran home. Only one day left in Paris….
Day 4 – March 10 Paris
I woke up not feeling great (and, no I hadn’t indulged in the carafe the night before), and P had really wanted to see more of the Louvre, so I sent him on without me, with plans to meet at noon for lunch. I felt very Parisian making it to the Louvre on my own on the Metro, and at this point, should mention that I was approached a few times as if I was in fact French while we were here. Each time made me smile…
I was early, and able to send a quick note home on email, using the Internet station right outside of the indoor entrance. Pretty reasonable, .15 euros for 5 minutes I think? P had made it to the Mona Lisa, and surprising himself, had been really impressed with it. He’d really liked the apartments too, and talked me back into the Museum to see this. I’m glad I went…it was definitely impressive, especially the dining room. Even if you are at the Louvre for a specific art collection, you really should make some time to see this opulent setting.
Plan had been to head out to Versailles for the afternoon, but we don’t want to lose any time “in” the city, so we stay. Jump the Metro to the St. Paul stop, making our way to the Picasso Museum. P is starving, so we stop into Pizza Momo’s (within a block of the Metro exit). This is where the “oeuf” is in full effect. It’s on every pizza, in every calzone…People are loving it. This is full of French students and businessmen on their lunch break…again, we are the only ones speaking any English. I just order a salad, trying to save my stomach, and P gets a ham and mushroom pizza. It was great, although P swears the waiter hated him. I’m going to agree with P on this one…something about him was rubbing the server wrong. But, the server seemed to appreciate my attempt at French. 22 euros total for the pizza, salad, wine for P and Orangina for me.
We didn’t have any directions to Picasso other than the metro stop, so we just started walking, looking for something to go in to. Walked past some great flower stalls and I got some amazing pictures. Stumbled into Place des Vosges, and into Victor Hugo’s house, with the aid of the tourist attraction signs. We didn’t know much about Victor Hugo, but the tour was free (you do still have to get a ticket though—go to the gift shop checkout). After the tour, we still don’t know much, as all of the explanations were in French, but it was still cool to see the apartment and personal effects of some time ago.
Decide to find Picasso’s place, but are waylaid by the lack of directions, and all of the jewelry and suit shops. We ended up window shopping for a few hours, and then were able to piece together the tourist signs, the small map we had, etc. I don’t know how to give you directions here, other than to say that it is off of a back alley.
There was a long ticket line, but we were able to bypass it with the Museum Pass. This is just a large house that has been filled with his pieces that were donated to the French government after Picasso’s death. I’ve always been a fan of his work, although I don’t know much about it. Explanations were in English in some places, and it covered his entire career. Really cool. P’s not a fan of Picasso, but he really enjoyed this place too. And, it was packed, and not with Americans. We’re still not sure we saw everything, because this is a really big house, and there’s not a true flow throughout it, but we really liked it.
We stop at a café with windows, and enjoy gelato and café and watch the world go by in the rain. P’s feet have given up on him, I am not feeling great at all, so we head home for a nap. P’s decided he wants to try Japanese tonight, because he saw two places near our hotel. I should mention here, it’s not normal for us to try to eat close to our hotels normally, but the weather was REALLY cold and really wet, and it just didn’t make for a fun outing. So, we enjoyed eating lunch in other areas, and then stuck in the 7th for dinners.
We checked out the Japanese places, and neither were very busy, so we went to the Korean place, also on Champs de Mars, on the other side of the Rue Clere from the hotel. We were clearly the only American’s that had stepped foot in this place in quite some time. When laughed when we were handed the menu, translated in Korean, Chinese and French. Not to mention it is Korean food, which isn’t your standard fare anyway. We did a lot of pointing, and I engaged the French phrase book that hadn’t seen the light of day yet, and the waitress walked away. We had NO idea what we had ordered, and we just hoped that our warning that P was allergic to fish had been understood.
They brought 12 bowls of “stuff” to the table…some was identifiable…pickled seaweed, etc. The look on P’s face when he bit into the Soba noodles and discovered they were fried baby (clear) anchovies was priceless.
So, they show up at the table with a bowl full of the same items that are in the 12 bowls in front of us, with a giant oeuf on top of it! My nauseous tummy didn’t find that funny, but they stirred the fried egg into the bowl, effectively making fried rice of a sort.
Then, they brought a giant heap of raw beef. Apparently, we’d ordered barbecued beef, which they cooked at the table. It was again, not a good joke to play on my stomach, but the food tasted great. In all, with bottled water and tea, the meal was 36 euros. Well worth it for the experience and the story we have to tell.
Now, I was not feeling good (as mentioned), but I was dying for some chocolate. So, we went up to Bistro B, right next to the Ecole Miliatre metro stop. We’d walked past it so many times, and it looked really nice, and we wanted to try it, but dinner was out of our budget range. So, we went just for dessert. What a great idea that was!! The waiter was an absolute delight. I had the translation book with us, and I put it on the floor so other passerby’s wouldn’t see it on our table and think this was a tourist spot, and when he saw it on the floor, he picked it up and put it on our table. He spoke some English, and had a great time trying to describe the dessert specials. When he couldn’t explain one in English, he went into the kitchen and brought one out to show us. Just a genuinely nice gentleman. I would go back there anytime just to see him! That, and the dessert was phenomenal (stomach or not!!). We had a chocolate torte and a crème brulee with bits of candied apples. P had wine, and the waiter teased me about not drinking, telling me it was good for my heart.
This was the coldest night by far, so we ran home. Only one day left in Paris….
Apr 14th, 2006, 07:47 AM
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Day 5 – March 11 Paris
Well, here is where the down comes in…I woke up feeling even worst than I had any previous day, and was so upset…I had a list of “to do’s” that I wanted to fit into the day, and I couldn’t drag myself out of bed.
We ended up spending the day in the room, getting some much needed rest, after having ran ourselves into the ground the previous 4 days.
I am still so sad that we “missed” this day in Paris, but in retrospect, we decided we never would have made it through the rest of the vacation at the pace we were going (and distances we were walking!) without this day “off”.
And, in one of the sweetest efforts of the trip, P walked through Paris looking for food “to go,” and ended up with the most ragtag picnic I’ve enjoyed in a while.
We also realized that we weren’t quite sure what the deal was for our flights the following day. I had booked us on Ryan Air from Paris to Rome, and P went down to the front desk to find out about this BVA airport I’d booked us out of. Apparently, I should done a bit more research on this before departing the US. The REALLY helpful front desk guy got online, helped find the info and we were ready to go.
Well, here is where the down comes in…I woke up feeling even worst than I had any previous day, and was so upset…I had a list of “to do’s” that I wanted to fit into the day, and I couldn’t drag myself out of bed.
We ended up spending the day in the room, getting some much needed rest, after having ran ourselves into the ground the previous 4 days.
I am still so sad that we “missed” this day in Paris, but in retrospect, we decided we never would have made it through the rest of the vacation at the pace we were going (and distances we were walking!) without this day “off”.
And, in one of the sweetest efforts of the trip, P walked through Paris looking for food “to go,” and ended up with the most ragtag picnic I’ve enjoyed in a while.
We also realized that we weren’t quite sure what the deal was for our flights the following day. I had booked us on Ryan Air from Paris to Rome, and P went down to the front desk to find out about this BVA airport I’d booked us out of. Apparently, I should done a bit more research on this before departing the US. The REALLY helpful front desk guy got online, helped find the info and we were ready to go.
Apr 14th, 2006, 08:08 AM
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Day 6 – March 12 Paris to Rome
As previously mentioned, I booked Ryan Air, BVA to Rome. I never realized both airports were a good deal out of town. Thanks to the helpful front desk guy, we arranged a 5:30 AM pickup at the hotel, for a flight that left at 9:30 AM. We took a short cab ride (I love driving through the streets in the dark, with no one out…Paris was beautiful at this time in the morning!!) to a location where busses loaded up, and headed to BVA. For 13 euros each, we got to enjoy a leisurely 1 hour drive, and the scenery was wonderful.
We were SUPER worried about the weight of our bags, but thanks to some maneuvering and very heavy carry ons, we were only 2.5 kg over on one of our pieces, and the agent didn’t say anything, so we didn’t either. We were ushered into a tent (I started to get worried here) that served as the boarding gate for all flights. Let’s just say there was a lot of pushing and shoving in here.
On the flight we were able to purchase tickets for the bus ride into Rome (this one was only 40 minutes) for 8 euros each. Turns out you could get a 6 euro ride once you arrived at the airport, but we were already frustrated by the extra travel time that I hadn’t planned for.
We made it into Rome, hopped the metro and headed to the Spanish Steps. We had booked Hotel Panda based on Fodor’s recommendations (thank you!) and found it on a side street. Note to all…it is a 3 story climb.
We got checked in (98 euros a night) and they opened the door right next to the desk. The room was HUGE! We later found out it was a triple, and was the largest room in the place. We also found out why they don’t get a lot of people who want to stay in it. The walls are very thin, and you hear everything that happens throughout the night, including the very loud front desk clerk, who likes to talk on the phone his entire overnight shift.
The noise factor aside, we were really happy here. I’d had some reservations about staying in the Spanish Steps area, but this was very close to the metro, and a short walk from most of the places we wanted to go. The bathroom was huge, the extra twin bed was nice for using as a luggage rack, the ceilings were 12 feet high, and we enjoyed the wood floor. That being said, I never saw any of the other rooms, and I imagine they were a good deal smaller, based on reactions folks at the front desk gave when we went into or out of our room and they were able to see in it.
FINALLY, we were ready to head into Rome. P’s face had a grin on it that was so big, I thought his face would crack. Finally, finally, finally, we were back in Roma and we were both so excited!!!
P has been several times, and had a pretty eclectic list of “to do’s” that he hadn’t gotten to before. Tops on his list was the Appian Way…he wanted to walk it and find some of the tombs. We took the metro (we are so comfortable doing that in Rome…it must be the only 2 lines to figure out thing) and were there quickly.
There are a lot of bike riders (we think they were a tour group) coming down the Appian Way as we started up it. In warmer weather, I think that would be a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, 200 yards into the trek, I lost a contact. Gone. And, I’m pretty close to blind without them. But, it had been a long day, and P was so excited, I decided to soldier on, and yes, I walked the Appian Way (there and back), basically with one eye!
I will say this was not the safest thing we have ever decided to do. There are not a lot of sidewalks, but there are a lot of cars and busses going very fast. Just a word of caution. It was a beautiful walk (lots of sunshine, spring greenery and church bells), and we stopped about 2.5 miles into it, once we realized the tombs were a good deal further. If you have been multiple times, I do recommend doing this, but wear tennis shoes, and walk towards the traffic, so you know what you are dealing with.
After a much needed nap, we found Tavern la Copelle between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. It is recommended in several of the books, for good reason. There was a good mix of tourists and locals, enjoying great, cheap food. We had bruschetta, fried olives stuffed with sausage (yummy!!), fried mozzarella, a sausage pizza, cannelloni and a caprese salad, and a bottle of Chianti and 2 bottles of water AND tiramisu, for 36 euros. You really can’t beat that. We did have a rough spot with the waitress when we tried to order just apps at the beginning, and then added our other courses later, and it led a lot of laughter when the manager was called in and interpreted.
Decided to see “our” spot on Piazza Navona where we had been engaged, but it was so cold by this time, that we spent about 20 seconds walking the entire Piazza. Then we got lost. L.O.S.T. I blame it on the wine…Let’s just say, we ended up at the Arapacus before making it home. Sleep, sweet sleep…..
As previously mentioned, I booked Ryan Air, BVA to Rome. I never realized both airports were a good deal out of town. Thanks to the helpful front desk guy, we arranged a 5:30 AM pickup at the hotel, for a flight that left at 9:30 AM. We took a short cab ride (I love driving through the streets in the dark, with no one out…Paris was beautiful at this time in the morning!!) to a location where busses loaded up, and headed to BVA. For 13 euros each, we got to enjoy a leisurely 1 hour drive, and the scenery was wonderful.
We were SUPER worried about the weight of our bags, but thanks to some maneuvering and very heavy carry ons, we were only 2.5 kg over on one of our pieces, and the agent didn’t say anything, so we didn’t either. We were ushered into a tent (I started to get worried here) that served as the boarding gate for all flights. Let’s just say there was a lot of pushing and shoving in here.
On the flight we were able to purchase tickets for the bus ride into Rome (this one was only 40 minutes) for 8 euros each. Turns out you could get a 6 euro ride once you arrived at the airport, but we were already frustrated by the extra travel time that I hadn’t planned for.
We made it into Rome, hopped the metro and headed to the Spanish Steps. We had booked Hotel Panda based on Fodor’s recommendations (thank you!) and found it on a side street. Note to all…it is a 3 story climb.
We got checked in (98 euros a night) and they opened the door right next to the desk. The room was HUGE! We later found out it was a triple, and was the largest room in the place. We also found out why they don’t get a lot of people who want to stay in it. The walls are very thin, and you hear everything that happens throughout the night, including the very loud front desk clerk, who likes to talk on the phone his entire overnight shift.
The noise factor aside, we were really happy here. I’d had some reservations about staying in the Spanish Steps area, but this was very close to the metro, and a short walk from most of the places we wanted to go. The bathroom was huge, the extra twin bed was nice for using as a luggage rack, the ceilings were 12 feet high, and we enjoyed the wood floor. That being said, I never saw any of the other rooms, and I imagine they were a good deal smaller, based on reactions folks at the front desk gave when we went into or out of our room and they were able to see in it.
FINALLY, we were ready to head into Rome. P’s face had a grin on it that was so big, I thought his face would crack. Finally, finally, finally, we were back in Roma and we were both so excited!!!
P has been several times, and had a pretty eclectic list of “to do’s” that he hadn’t gotten to before. Tops on his list was the Appian Way…he wanted to walk it and find some of the tombs. We took the metro (we are so comfortable doing that in Rome…it must be the only 2 lines to figure out thing) and were there quickly.
There are a lot of bike riders (we think they were a tour group) coming down the Appian Way as we started up it. In warmer weather, I think that would be a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, 200 yards into the trek, I lost a contact. Gone. And, I’m pretty close to blind without them. But, it had been a long day, and P was so excited, I decided to soldier on, and yes, I walked the Appian Way (there and back), basically with one eye!
I will say this was not the safest thing we have ever decided to do. There are not a lot of sidewalks, but there are a lot of cars and busses going very fast. Just a word of caution. It was a beautiful walk (lots of sunshine, spring greenery and church bells), and we stopped about 2.5 miles into it, once we realized the tombs were a good deal further. If you have been multiple times, I do recommend doing this, but wear tennis shoes, and walk towards the traffic, so you know what you are dealing with.
After a much needed nap, we found Tavern la Copelle between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. It is recommended in several of the books, for good reason. There was a good mix of tourists and locals, enjoying great, cheap food. We had bruschetta, fried olives stuffed with sausage (yummy!!), fried mozzarella, a sausage pizza, cannelloni and a caprese salad, and a bottle of Chianti and 2 bottles of water AND tiramisu, for 36 euros. You really can’t beat that. We did have a rough spot with the waitress when we tried to order just apps at the beginning, and then added our other courses later, and it led a lot of laughter when the manager was called in and interpreted.
Decided to see “our” spot on Piazza Navona where we had been engaged, but it was so cold by this time, that we spent about 20 seconds walking the entire Piazza. Then we got lost. L.O.S.T. I blame it on the wine…Let’s just say, we ended up at the Arapacus before making it home. Sleep, sweet sleep…..
