Paris Trip Report from TBelle
Jan 20th, 2006, 11:26 AM
#41
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I think it's a good thing, rather than spoiling, that you allowed Kristen to sleep in late. She needed sleep to recover, and kids particularly seem to need more sleep than adults when traveling. Also adolescents have a body clock geared towards sleeping late, and combined with jet lag, that's hard to overcome. Maybe next year you can allow her to stay in the room when you go out.
Jan 20th, 2006, 11:31 AM
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Will~
I guess it is during trips such as these that you truly learn your children. Kristen was bored to death in the palace of Versailles, but LOVED the animals on the farm there.
She was bored to death in the Louvre, UNTIL we went into the Egyptian exhibits (she happens to be an Egyptian buff, for some reason).
All in all, I think her most favorite thing was subways and trains, she was VERY impressed with Notre Dame at Chartres (coming in a future report), and she seemed to enjoy the attention she got from staff at various restaurants.
Her *least* favorite thing, even lower down than the castle and museums, was the Montparnasse Cemetary. Maybe she was just hungry and cold...
I guess it is during trips such as these that you truly learn your children. Kristen was bored to death in the palace of Versailles, but LOVED the animals on the farm there.
She was bored to death in the Louvre, UNTIL we went into the Egyptian exhibits (she happens to be an Egyptian buff, for some reason).
All in all, I think her most favorite thing was subways and trains, she was VERY impressed with Notre Dame at Chartres (coming in a future report), and she seemed to enjoy the attention she got from staff at various restaurants.
Her *least* favorite thing, even lower down than the castle and museums, was the Montparnasse Cemetary. Maybe she was just hungry and cold...
Jan 20th, 2006, 12:42 PM
#43
I'm glad to read your positive review of the circus Audace, since I'll be heading there next month with my husband and daughter. Sounds like fun. And I remember your questions about transportation to and from the Cirque d'Hiver on New Year's Eve. Sounds like it wasn't a problem after all. Looking forward to the next installment.
Jan 20th, 2006, 12:53 PM
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Nikki~
You're right - absolutely NO problem. When you exit the Metro at Filles du Calvaire on Line 8, the building is everything *but* right in front of you!
Truly, the show was awesome. You and your family will LOVE it!
You're right - absolutely NO problem. When you exit the Metro at Filles du Calvaire on Line 8, the building is everything *but* right in front of you!
Truly, the show was awesome. You and your family will LOVE it!
Jan 21st, 2006, 06:10 AM
#45
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Day 6 (New Year's Day)
Kristen slept until 2:30 pm today; we finally managed to head out around 3:15. Too late for museums and such, but not too late for a stroll around the cemetary, which was only about 2-1/2 blocks from our hotel.
Cimetiere du Montparnasse
The front of the cemetary, which is larger than any I had ever seen, was lined with a very tall hedge - I'd say probably 12 feet. The massive gates had an entry for cars (gate was closed - this was obviously there for funeral processions only) and another for visitors. Directly inside was a map, which detailed locations of prestigious folk buried here. We studied it briefly, but without a printed map, finding anything specific would be fairly impossible.
The illustrious residents buried here included Baudelaire, Bartholdi (who designed the Statue of Liberty), Alfred Dreyfus, Guy du Maupassant, and, more recently, photographer Man Ray, playwright Samuel Beckett, writers Marguerite Duras, Sartre, and deBeuvoir, actress Jean Seberg, and singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg (we *were* able to locate the grave of Gainsbourg).
The crypts and stones marking the tombs varied in age from what we could see of 665 to 2005, and also varied greatly in design, from a simple slab to an extremely elaborate work of art. Also of great interest were the writings - these were tombs of families (in many cases 2 or 3 families), rather than the American tombs of individuals.
It was a quiet, gray day. The walk was peaceful and fascinating. I could have spent hours here. As we departed, rain began lightly, and we hurried across the street to walk close to the buildings, out of the way of the rain. We noted most Parisians were out with their dogs, which we had seen before, but there seemed to be many more today. On a side note, some of the large dogs wore muzzles - I am not sure if this was a deterrent to biting or to barking - neither could be accomplished with the contraption on!
Almost Dinner, Then Dinner
We walked to Inno to grab a sandwich from the deli, but unfortunately, it was closed (not sure if this was because it was Sunday, a holiday, or either/both). Kristen wanted to go to her favorite bistro, but I balked at that idea. We had already been there 4 times? We went to another bistro, but they had nothing Kristen would eat (except, errr... french fries and coca-cola). Feeling badly for her, I told her that later we would go out and eat.
We returned to the hotel and watched a bit of "The Jerk," then went back to eat around 7:30pm. There are 3 bistros on the corner where Kristen's favorite is - the first had its menu posted in the window and it looked right up my ally!!! True French fare, even with fois gras! But no hamburgers, which was her choice du jour. Finally, she had won and we returned to the favorite bistro. She ordered a hamburger; I ordered a skirt steak which was equal in price to the hamburger.
I wish I had a camera with me to get a photo of Kristen's face when they brought the hamburger! There, on the plate next to the french fries, sat a lone piece of cooked hamburger steak, topped with one "sunny-side-up" fried egg! Needless to say, the egg was swiftly passed over to my plate (it was delicious with the skirt steak), and Kristen had some french bread along with her hamburger and fries.
As we paid the bill, our waiter slipped Kristen something. I figured it was a chocolate (these are served with cafe), and told him that he had already spoiled her - she refused to eat anywhere else! I wish Kristen had a camera to photograph MY face when she showed me what he had slipped her - not one, but *FIVE* chocolates!!! Wow!!!
We made it back to the room and watched the last of "The Jerk" (by the way - Kristen always balked at this particular movie, but it seems she had never watched it - she actually *enjoyed* it!), then turned in early for the night. We've scheduled a wake-up call to hopefully visit the Louvre and Invalides tomorrow!
Kristen slept until 2:30 pm today; we finally managed to head out around 3:15. Too late for museums and such, but not too late for a stroll around the cemetary, which was only about 2-1/2 blocks from our hotel.
Cimetiere du Montparnasse
The front of the cemetary, which is larger than any I had ever seen, was lined with a very tall hedge - I'd say probably 12 feet. The massive gates had an entry for cars (gate was closed - this was obviously there for funeral processions only) and another for visitors. Directly inside was a map, which detailed locations of prestigious folk buried here. We studied it briefly, but without a printed map, finding anything specific would be fairly impossible.
The illustrious residents buried here included Baudelaire, Bartholdi (who designed the Statue of Liberty), Alfred Dreyfus, Guy du Maupassant, and, more recently, photographer Man Ray, playwright Samuel Beckett, writers Marguerite Duras, Sartre, and deBeuvoir, actress Jean Seberg, and singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg (we *were* able to locate the grave of Gainsbourg).
The crypts and stones marking the tombs varied in age from what we could see of 665 to 2005, and also varied greatly in design, from a simple slab to an extremely elaborate work of art. Also of great interest were the writings - these were tombs of families (in many cases 2 or 3 families), rather than the American tombs of individuals.
It was a quiet, gray day. The walk was peaceful and fascinating. I could have spent hours here. As we departed, rain began lightly, and we hurried across the street to walk close to the buildings, out of the way of the rain. We noted most Parisians were out with their dogs, which we had seen before, but there seemed to be many more today. On a side note, some of the large dogs wore muzzles - I am not sure if this was a deterrent to biting or to barking - neither could be accomplished with the contraption on!
Almost Dinner, Then Dinner
We walked to Inno to grab a sandwich from the deli, but unfortunately, it was closed (not sure if this was because it was Sunday, a holiday, or either/both). Kristen wanted to go to her favorite bistro, but I balked at that idea. We had already been there 4 times? We went to another bistro, but they had nothing Kristen would eat (except, errr... french fries and coca-cola). Feeling badly for her, I told her that later we would go out and eat.
We returned to the hotel and watched a bit of "The Jerk," then went back to eat around 7:30pm. There are 3 bistros on the corner where Kristen's favorite is - the first had its menu posted in the window and it looked right up my ally!!! True French fare, even with fois gras! But no hamburgers, which was her choice du jour. Finally, she had won and we returned to the favorite bistro. She ordered a hamburger; I ordered a skirt steak which was equal in price to the hamburger.
I wish I had a camera with me to get a photo of Kristen's face when they brought the hamburger! There, on the plate next to the french fries, sat a lone piece of cooked hamburger steak, topped with one "sunny-side-up" fried egg! Needless to say, the egg was swiftly passed over to my plate (it was delicious with the skirt steak), and Kristen had some french bread along with her hamburger and fries.
As we paid the bill, our waiter slipped Kristen something. I figured it was a chocolate (these are served with cafe), and told him that he had already spoiled her - she refused to eat anywhere else! I wish Kristen had a camera to photograph MY face when she showed me what he had slipped her - not one, but *FIVE* chocolates!!! Wow!!!
We made it back to the room and watched the last of "The Jerk" (by the way - Kristen always balked at this particular movie, but it seems she had never watched it - she actually *enjoyed* it!), then turned in early for the night. We've scheduled a wake-up call to hopefully visit the Louvre and Invalides tomorrow!
Jan 21st, 2006, 06:39 AM
#46
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:-? I wonder if Kristen will wake up on time... ;-)
Now some vocabulary,
<these were tombs of families (in many cases 2 or 3 families)> we call that "un caveau" ou "caveau de famille"
We can put several generations, husband and wife most often with grand parents. it is very common in France (I thought you did the same!)
>"sunny-side-up" fried egg!< = un oeuf sur le plat or un oeuf au plat.
And if someone can help me translate a "skirt steak" (un steak en jupe
)
Now some vocabulary,
<these were tombs of families (in many cases 2 or 3 families)> we call that "un caveau" ou "caveau de famille"
We can put several generations, husband and wife most often with grand parents. it is very common in France (I thought you did the same!)
>"sunny-side-up" fried egg!< = un oeuf sur le plat or un oeuf au plat.
And if someone can help me translate a "skirt steak" (un steak en jupe
)
Jan 21st, 2006, 08:22 AM
#47
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CoCo~
*LOL* You are TOOOOO funny!
For the cemetaries here, at least all that *I* am familiar with, what we have are "plots" - and each person family member has a place within the plot. These are not compact areas - as each measures approximately 7' x 4', and each grave is normally marked by an individual tombstone (or at least footmarker).
The very interesting thing about the French cemetary was how compactly the families are buried, and also, how generally one marker held all the information for each of the individuals.
I thought it was beautiful!
*LOL* You are TOOOOO funny!
For the cemetaries here, at least all that *I* am familiar with, what we have are "plots" - and each person family member has a place within the plot. These are not compact areas - as each measures approximately 7' x 4', and each grave is normally marked by an individual tombstone (or at least footmarker).
The very interesting thing about the French cemetary was how compactly the families are buried, and also, how generally one marker held all the information for each of the individuals.
I thought it was beautiful!
Jan 21st, 2006, 08:30 AM
#48
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Coco,
The meat cuts are not always the same. In my 30 plus years of shopping for food in France, I have yet to see a skirt steak. I assume that it is simply included in another cut of meat. This is also true in the States, where the chicken chuck steak (or something to that effect) is available in NYC and not on the West Coast.
The meat cuts are not always the same. In my 30 plus years of shopping for food in France, I have yet to see a skirt steak. I assume that it is simply included in another cut of meat. This is also true in the States, where the chicken chuck steak (or something to that effect) is available in NYC and not on the West Coast.
Jan 22nd, 2006, 01:10 PM
#50
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Day 7 - The Louvre
Believe it or not, we both got up with the wake-up call. Amazing!!! Before we left the hotel, I telephoned the ParisVision office to try to get their location so we could pick up Kristen's gloves and Richard's camera (ok, it's not really a long story - we left them on the tour van the day we went to Versailles). What a long phone call! I was transferred back and forth, and all around, and finally, was told politely that they obviously did not have them since they were not there! I had already explained that the personnel had told me by phone a few days earlier that the items were in the office and were being held at a secure location, so there was no sense beating a dead horse... I thanked them and hung up. Within minutes, the telephone rang - they indeed *did* have our items! Luckily, the office was very close to where we were going, so we took the Metro, picked up our things, and headed to the Louvre.
Arc du Carrousel and the Louvre
Directly before the Louvre is the Arc du Carrousel - a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe, and a beautifully detailed structure with horse statues on top. I took several photos, determined not to let Kristens insistence that I was over-photographing get me down! *grins*
It was quite a long walk to the Louvre, but the lines were really not that bad and we got in fairly quickly. "Children" under 18 were free; my fee was 8,50 Euros. Kristen suggested we rent the headphones - a very smart idea. At many exhibits, there was an audio-related number, which was keyed into the handheld attached to the headphones to play the related history of the exhibit.
Wasting no time, we headed directly for the Mona Lisa. After going through several rooms of paintings, we exited the area, feeling almost certain that we had gone to the wrong place. We headed for the Egyptian exhibits, which Kristen was keen to see. She was tickled to have her camera again, but oooops! - I had removed the batteries before we left the camera in the van (Richard will understand this - there's something tricky about the battery latch) - and the batteries were in the hotel room. I gave her my camera to use, and she took photos of nearly every single item on exhibition in the Egyptian rooms (I'm not exaggerating, either!).
Mona Lisa
After we finished in the Egyptian exhibits, we tried again to find the Mona Lisa. Yes, we were in the right place before. We exited only one room too early. *LOL* We made our way into the large room from which the entry to the room containing the Mona Lisa stood, and WOW. I stood before many beautiful paintings from the masters of our history. It was awesome.
We entered the area with the Mona Lisa exhibit, which was centered prominently in the room with 2 guards and a large, roped-off area. I did not mention earlier, but photos were not allowed in the rooms with the paintings. I saw some people sneaking photos, and while I am sometimes guilty of doing that myself, I didn't dare try it here. We made our way to the back of the broad group in the roped area to slowly inch forward to the painting. Kristen, fortunately, was allowed in FRONT of the roped area with other "kids"of similar height. I have heard that the Mona Lisa is a tiny painting, and I quite frankly was expecting a 4" x 6", or perhaps a 5" x 7". Not so. The painting is tiny compared to the HUGE wall-sized paintings, but it's not *that* tiny. I'd guess probably 16" x 20" - or perhaps a bit larger. It looked, of course, just like the photos we've all seen of it, but it was really fun standing in front of "the real thing".
I've exceed the Fodor's limit, please see next post for remainder of Day 7!
Believe it or not, we both got up with the wake-up call. Amazing!!! Before we left the hotel, I telephoned the ParisVision office to try to get their location so we could pick up Kristen's gloves and Richard's camera (ok, it's not really a long story - we left them on the tour van the day we went to Versailles). What a long phone call! I was transferred back and forth, and all around, and finally, was told politely that they obviously did not have them since they were not there! I had already explained that the personnel had told me by phone a few days earlier that the items were in the office and were being held at a secure location, so there was no sense beating a dead horse... I thanked them and hung up. Within minutes, the telephone rang - they indeed *did* have our items! Luckily, the office was very close to where we were going, so we took the Metro, picked up our things, and headed to the Louvre.
Arc du Carrousel and the Louvre
Directly before the Louvre is the Arc du Carrousel - a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe, and a beautifully detailed structure with horse statues on top. I took several photos, determined not to let Kristens insistence that I was over-photographing get me down! *grins*
It was quite a long walk to the Louvre, but the lines were really not that bad and we got in fairly quickly. "Children" under 18 were free; my fee was 8,50 Euros. Kristen suggested we rent the headphones - a very smart idea. At many exhibits, there was an audio-related number, which was keyed into the handheld attached to the headphones to play the related history of the exhibit.
Wasting no time, we headed directly for the Mona Lisa. After going through several rooms of paintings, we exited the area, feeling almost certain that we had gone to the wrong place. We headed for the Egyptian exhibits, which Kristen was keen to see. She was tickled to have her camera again, but oooops! - I had removed the batteries before we left the camera in the van (Richard will understand this - there's something tricky about the battery latch) - and the batteries were in the hotel room. I gave her my camera to use, and she took photos of nearly every single item on exhibition in the Egyptian rooms (I'm not exaggerating, either!).
Mona Lisa
After we finished in the Egyptian exhibits, we tried again to find the Mona Lisa. Yes, we were in the right place before. We exited only one room too early. *LOL* We made our way into the large room from which the entry to the room containing the Mona Lisa stood, and WOW. I stood before many beautiful paintings from the masters of our history. It was awesome.
We entered the area with the Mona Lisa exhibit, which was centered prominently in the room with 2 guards and a large, roped-off area. I did not mention earlier, but photos were not allowed in the rooms with the paintings. I saw some people sneaking photos, and while I am sometimes guilty of doing that myself, I didn't dare try it here. We made our way to the back of the broad group in the roped area to slowly inch forward to the painting. Kristen, fortunately, was allowed in FRONT of the roped area with other "kids"of similar height. I have heard that the Mona Lisa is a tiny painting, and I quite frankly was expecting a 4" x 6", or perhaps a 5" x 7". Not so. The painting is tiny compared to the HUGE wall-sized paintings, but it's not *that* tiny. I'd guess probably 16" x 20" - or perhaps a bit larger. It looked, of course, just like the photos we've all seen of it, but it was really fun standing in front of "the real thing".
I've exceed the Fodor's limit, please see next post for remainder of Day 7!
Jan 22nd, 2006, 01:12 PM
#51
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Day 7, Continued (sorry for the long post)
We exited to the lowest level for another few rooms of Egyptian exhibits. By now, we had spent almost 3 hours in the museum (and I was quite frankly amazed at Kristen's endurance), and my ankles were not happy campers. We exited the Louvre and headed back through the huge park, stopping at the fountains along the way, and watching the children floating their rented wooden boats.
We continued through the park to the huge Ferris Wheel, which we rode (of course). Obscenely, the ferris wheel ride cost more than the Louvre. It was fun, the view was beautiful, and I got some good photos from the top, so no complaints. We hobbled several blocks (more than several) back to the Metro Station, and returned to our home base. Kristen had agreed to let me eat at a "real" French restaurant, but we were too early for supper. She had a very large bowl of tomato soup, and I had a cheese (fromage) plate. Delicious! We returned to the hotel for a bit, then went to our favorite corner bistro.
Inspired by the great art in the museum, I sketched Kristen (either it was inspiration or boredom, one or the other...) in her Journal, then she went through the bistro getting autographs of the staff and patrons. It was a lot of fun, actually, and apparently won the approval of the owner, who sent us a free pepsi and champagne, and then, for the *biggest* surprise - he gave Kristen a wooden shoe (which HE autographed!) as a present when we left. I have, of course, no idea of the story behind the shoe, but it is large, obviously Dutch and gorgeous, and was a very nice gesture!
We exited to the lowest level for another few rooms of Egyptian exhibits. By now, we had spent almost 3 hours in the museum (and I was quite frankly amazed at Kristen's endurance), and my ankles were not happy campers. We exited the Louvre and headed back through the huge park, stopping at the fountains along the way, and watching the children floating their rented wooden boats.
We continued through the park to the huge Ferris Wheel, which we rode (of course). Obscenely, the ferris wheel ride cost more than the Louvre. It was fun, the view was beautiful, and I got some good photos from the top, so no complaints. We hobbled several blocks (more than several) back to the Metro Station, and returned to our home base. Kristen had agreed to let me eat at a "real" French restaurant, but we were too early for supper. She had a very large bowl of tomato soup, and I had a cheese (fromage) plate. Delicious! We returned to the hotel for a bit, then went to our favorite corner bistro.
Inspired by the great art in the museum, I sketched Kristen (either it was inspiration or boredom, one or the other...) in her Journal, then she went through the bistro getting autographs of the staff and patrons. It was a lot of fun, actually, and apparently won the approval of the owner, who sent us a free pepsi and champagne, and then, for the *biggest* surprise - he gave Kristen a wooden shoe (which HE autographed!) as a present when we left. I have, of course, no idea of the story behind the shoe, but it is large, obviously Dutch and gorgeous, and was a very nice gesture!
Jan 22nd, 2006, 01:51 PM
#52
It is possible that the wooden shoe is not Dutch but Breton, from Brittany. The area around the Montparnasse station is filled with Breton establishments, such as the creperies, and I am guessing that your bistro (as yet unnamed?) may have been owned by people from Brittany as well. They do have a tradition of wooden shoes there.
Jan 22nd, 2006, 03:23 PM
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Nikki~
After my post, I googled Brittany wooden shoes, and based on the drawings I've seen, I feel certain you are correct.
Thank you SO much for pointing us in the direction of the origin of the shoe!
After my post, I googled Brittany wooden shoes, and based on the drawings I've seen, I feel certain you are correct.
Thank you SO much for pointing us in the direction of the origin of the shoe!
Jan 23rd, 2006, 09:15 AM
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Day 8 - No General Plans
Today was pretty lazy indeed! We went to the Gare Montparnasse to try to do something with our France Rail Passes. We knew from information received on Fodor's site that we needed to go up to the second floor. Sadly, we were pretty lost from there. There was a main information desk; he did not speak english. As we wandered about, the roof began leaking. It wasn't raining outside, and hadn't been for 2 days - this must have been a water pipe. The leak turned into a downpour of sorts, pouring through the tiles of a 6 or 8 square feet area.
We kept looking for someone to help us; the downpour continued. We finally located an English-speaking attendant at one of the many ticket areas. I was under the mistaken impression that he could help me - you know, like a concierge or something - no, he really couldn't do that. As we fumbled through useless words, the roof over him sprung a leak. Let's see - downpour behind us was some 12 yards back - leak in front of us about 3 feet - logistically speaking, it didn't seem like a good place to be (the attendant behind the desk, now standing back with widened eyes, didn't seem to think it was either). We swiftly thanked him, and went downstairs.
Kristen wanted to just "get on a train and go (Metro or RER)" - she wouldn't let me look at the map. We had taken all but one of the Metro lines departing from this particular station, so we took the one that we had not been on. Four stops later, we were at the end of that line. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon, and I was quite hungry. We exited the station to the street and there were brasseries everywhere! Yay! or Not...
Kristen didn't want to eat here - she wanted to ride the trains! We went back downstairs (I am somewhat reminded of Eyeore being pulled by a rope while sitting on his rump looking dejected), and boarded the same train going the *other* direction. About half-way through, we got off at a station with RER connections (the Metro runs through the city of Paris only; the RER operates a bit in the city, but is primarily designed for connections to outlying areas).
The RER train was a delightful change - 3 floors (split level - the exit level was half way between the upper and lower decks) - and a very smooth ride compared to the Metro which I would classify as a smooth ride. As we left the city limits heading southward, the area certainly took on a different appearance. After about an hour, it was easy to determine that exiting at any of these stops would not yield a restaurant - in fact - the stops appeared to be mostly residential! The sun was beginning to set. Kristen and I agreed we would get off the train, then take the returning RER when it came through. The layover time was only about 20 minutes - not too bad.
Finally back in our neighborhood, we stopped for dinner at the same corner bistro - Kristen with her hamburger and me with my skirt steak (the menu is fairly limited here, but we liked the meal before and I was starving now!). After dinner (now around 7:30), we located the Internet Cafe down the street and purchased some time (1 hour for 3 Euros) - Kristen really wanted to communicate with some friends and I wanted to as well.
The keyboard was NOT QWERTY - not sure what it was - it wasn't arranged alphabetically and was difficult for both of us (actually, the letters were not that bad, but the punctuation marks were a horrible transition!). Without my own computer, there was little I could do. I chatted a bit with Richard; Kristen chatted a bit with friends. We used about 15 minutes of our time, then left to turn in.
Beginning of Day 9
Today we will try again to get tickets with our Rail Passes - we studied our notes from Fodor's and have decided on trips to Chartres, Lyon, Reims and Rouen. We'll see how it goes. The weather is gray again; we may have seen the last of the clear days.
Tomorrow (Jan 5) is our trip to London - we will be leaving frightfully early - a 6:22am train - egads!
Today was pretty lazy indeed! We went to the Gare Montparnasse to try to do something with our France Rail Passes. We knew from information received on Fodor's site that we needed to go up to the second floor. Sadly, we were pretty lost from there. There was a main information desk; he did not speak english. As we wandered about, the roof began leaking. It wasn't raining outside, and hadn't been for 2 days - this must have been a water pipe. The leak turned into a downpour of sorts, pouring through the tiles of a 6 or 8 square feet area.
We kept looking for someone to help us; the downpour continued. We finally located an English-speaking attendant at one of the many ticket areas. I was under the mistaken impression that he could help me - you know, like a concierge or something - no, he really couldn't do that. As we fumbled through useless words, the roof over him sprung a leak. Let's see - downpour behind us was some 12 yards back - leak in front of us about 3 feet - logistically speaking, it didn't seem like a good place to be (the attendant behind the desk, now standing back with widened eyes, didn't seem to think it was either). We swiftly thanked him, and went downstairs.
Kristen wanted to just "get on a train and go (Metro or RER)" - she wouldn't let me look at the map. We had taken all but one of the Metro lines departing from this particular station, so we took the one that we had not been on. Four stops later, we were at the end of that line. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon, and I was quite hungry. We exited the station to the street and there were brasseries everywhere! Yay! or Not...
Kristen didn't want to eat here - she wanted to ride the trains! We went back downstairs (I am somewhat reminded of Eyeore being pulled by a rope while sitting on his rump looking dejected), and boarded the same train going the *other* direction. About half-way through, we got off at a station with RER connections (the Metro runs through the city of Paris only; the RER operates a bit in the city, but is primarily designed for connections to outlying areas).
The RER train was a delightful change - 3 floors (split level - the exit level was half way between the upper and lower decks) - and a very smooth ride compared to the Metro which I would classify as a smooth ride. As we left the city limits heading southward, the area certainly took on a different appearance. After about an hour, it was easy to determine that exiting at any of these stops would not yield a restaurant - in fact - the stops appeared to be mostly residential! The sun was beginning to set. Kristen and I agreed we would get off the train, then take the returning RER when it came through. The layover time was only about 20 minutes - not too bad.
Finally back in our neighborhood, we stopped for dinner at the same corner bistro - Kristen with her hamburger and me with my skirt steak (the menu is fairly limited here, but we liked the meal before and I was starving now!). After dinner (now around 7:30), we located the Internet Cafe down the street and purchased some time (1 hour for 3 Euros) - Kristen really wanted to communicate with some friends and I wanted to as well.
The keyboard was NOT QWERTY - not sure what it was - it wasn't arranged alphabetically and was difficult for both of us (actually, the letters were not that bad, but the punctuation marks were a horrible transition!). Without my own computer, there was little I could do. I chatted a bit with Richard; Kristen chatted a bit with friends. We used about 15 minutes of our time, then left to turn in.
Beginning of Day 9
Today we will try again to get tickets with our Rail Passes - we studied our notes from Fodor's and have decided on trips to Chartres, Lyon, Reims and Rouen. We'll see how it goes. The weather is gray again; we may have seen the last of the clear days.
Tomorrow (Jan 5) is our trip to London - we will be leaving frightfully early - a 6:22am train - egads!
Jan 23rd, 2006, 11:24 PM
#59
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TBelle I'm always happy to read your reports but I have to scold you because you didn't think about a stop in Dijon! I would have been pleased to show you around! and my oldest son is 10! ;-)
It was only 1h40 with TGV...
maybe another time...
BTW I can't find "egads" in my dictionary do you have a synonymous?
It was only 1h40 with TGV...
maybe another time...
BTW I can't find "egads" in my dictionary do you have a synonymous?
Jan 24th, 2006, 03:24 AM
#60
Coco, I'm trying to think of a synonym for egads (which I have seen spelled a number of different ways). Best I can come up with is "Yikes!" Maybe, "Oh, no!" It's an exclamation, comes from "Ye gods".
And I have no clue what might be a French equivalent.
And I have no clue what might be a French equivalent.
