rkkwan's budget trip report: Belgium, Normandy, Loire, Paris
Sep 22nd, 2006, 08:16 PM
#22
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francophile - Thanks for reading. Just two more days. 
But since I'm going out of town this weekend, I won't finish until Monday the earliest.
Remaining - A little more Le Mans, Chenonceau, Chambord, Orleans, Chartres, Paris.
But since I'm going out of town this weekend, I won't finish until Monday the earliest.Remaining - A little more Le Mans, Chenonceau, Chambord, Orleans, Chartres, Paris.
Sep 24th, 2006, 06:06 PM
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<b>Day 4, Tues 9/5/06
Two Châteaux (and a little more)
A little more Le Mans</b>
Well, let me back up a little. As I described in the previous installment, we got to Le Mans very late. I didn't plan to tour it, but Le Mans still has <b>Roman Walls</b> surrounding the old town, and has more to offer than just motorsport. We went through a tunnel that went underneath the old city on the way back to the hotel the night before, as well as crossing the <b>Sarthe River</b> twice.
So, back to Day 4. We got up a little late, and was still too full from dinner. Therefore, no breakfast. But before heading down to the Loire Valley, we stopped by the <b>Musee de l'Automobile de la Sarthe</b> at <b>Circuit de la Sarthe</b>, but we didn't have time to go visit. As some here may know, I'm a big motorsport fan, and do track days on race courses myself; but I don't really follow the 24-hour races.
More important for me was to drive N138 out of Le Mans. That 5km of public road is the super-fast <b>Mulsanne Straight</b> during the races. I am surprised how undulating it is, even though one hump has been flattened after a Mercedes CLR went airborne there in 1999.
We got back on A28 toward Tours, and it was almost lunch time already, so we stopped at an <b>aire</b>. These service centers on French autoroutes are absolutely wonderful. Large and clean restrooms, big store, nice cafeteria. We bought some hot sandwiches, fresh coffees, and then brought them out to a nice patio with plenty of tables and chairs to eat. It's extremely civilized.
<b>Chenonceau</b>
With just one day in the Loire Valley, I had to pick which castles to visit. I know at most we could only do three, and Chenonceau would be the one "must see". Then if we had time, we would visit Blois and Chambord; if not, then one of those two.
We got off A28 just past Tours, then followed N76 along the south bank of the <b>Cher</b> river before crossing it to get to the castle. It was a very nice drive, and traffic was light. Probably because most of the tour buses came down from Paris through Blois instead.
<b>Chenonceau</b> (8€/person, chateau and garden) is well visited, so no need to describe it here. We got there at 1:15pm, toured the castle leisurely, took pictures from the Catherine de Medici Garden (sun position in the afternoon), and left at 4pm. Weather was absolutely perfect. Blue sky with no clouds, temperature around 70F. It cannot be any better. Also while there were plenty of tourists, we never felt the place being crowded at all.
Two Châteaux (and a little more)
A little more Le Mans</b>
Well, let me back up a little. As I described in the previous installment, we got to Le Mans very late. I didn't plan to tour it, but Le Mans still has <b>Roman Walls</b> surrounding the old town, and has more to offer than just motorsport. We went through a tunnel that went underneath the old city on the way back to the hotel the night before, as well as crossing the <b>Sarthe River</b> twice.
So, back to Day 4. We got up a little late, and was still too full from dinner. Therefore, no breakfast. But before heading down to the Loire Valley, we stopped by the <b>Musee de l'Automobile de la Sarthe</b> at <b>Circuit de la Sarthe</b>, but we didn't have time to go visit. As some here may know, I'm a big motorsport fan, and do track days on race courses myself; but I don't really follow the 24-hour races.
More important for me was to drive N138 out of Le Mans. That 5km of public road is the super-fast <b>Mulsanne Straight</b> during the races. I am surprised how undulating it is, even though one hump has been flattened after a Mercedes CLR went airborne there in 1999.
We got back on A28 toward Tours, and it was almost lunch time already, so we stopped at an <b>aire</b>. These service centers on French autoroutes are absolutely wonderful. Large and clean restrooms, big store, nice cafeteria. We bought some hot sandwiches, fresh coffees, and then brought them out to a nice patio with plenty of tables and chairs to eat. It's extremely civilized.
<b>Chenonceau</b>
With just one day in the Loire Valley, I had to pick which castles to visit. I know at most we could only do three, and Chenonceau would be the one "must see". Then if we had time, we would visit Blois and Chambord; if not, then one of those two.
We got off A28 just past Tours, then followed N76 along the south bank of the <b>Cher</b> river before crossing it to get to the castle. It was a very nice drive, and traffic was light. Probably because most of the tour buses came down from Paris through Blois instead.
<b>Chenonceau</b> (8€/person, chateau and garden) is well visited, so no need to describe it here. We got there at 1:15pm, toured the castle leisurely, took pictures from the Catherine de Medici Garden (sun position in the afternoon), and left at 4pm. Weather was absolutely perfect. Blue sky with no clouds, temperature around 70F. It cannot be any better. Also while there were plenty of tourists, we never felt the place being crowded at all.
Sep 24th, 2006, 07:47 PM
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<b>Blois vs Chambord</b>
So, how to choose between the two castles? Well, the two are very different. Blois with all its historical significance, multiple wings built during different period, city setting vs Chambord with its size, vast forest surrounding it, uniform architecture, but mostly empty interior...
Well, personally I had a strong opinion about this, and I really want to see Chambord. One, I know I had been to Blois in 1982, even though the only recollection came from a photo of me and my sister, yk, in front of its famous staircase. Second, honestly I'm not THAT interested in all the history, furniture, paintings, etc. I am more impressed by how they look from the outside.
In fact, I've been <b>mesmerized</b> since 1984 by Chambord, even though at that time the only thing I knew was that it's in France. I don't know its history, its exact location, or even its name. So, what happened in 1984 when I was 13? Well, that was the first time I visited Disney World in Orlando. In the French Pavilion is a 180-degree film of France, mostly shot from helicopters. Accompanied by Camille Saint-Saens' "Les Carnaval des Animaux", it was my favorite ride/attraction in all of Disney World. I watched it twice that year, and again when I went there in 1991(?), and 2000. Anyways, among the images I remembered most clearly was a helicopter shot of the chateau which I later learned to be Chambord.
Anyways, when I presented the case of Blois vs Chambord without my biased opinion, D & H have no preference one way of another, so Chambord it is.
<b>Chambord</b>
I had wanted to leave Chenonceau by around 3:30pm, but we didn't get on the road until 4pm. We followed the south bank of the Loire on D751, saw Blois from across the river, and continued northeast. We arrived Chambord at 5:30pm. The parking lot was virtually empty by then, but I knew ahead that they close at 6:15pm.
We got tickets (8.5€ person, low season), and hiked straight up the <b>double-helix staircase</b> that may be designed by Leonardo da Vinci to the roof. The staircase and the roof tops are the main attractions of Chambord. Again, no need to go into detail. At 6:15pm, we were chased out by the guards, and even the souvenir store closed promptly at 6:30pm. [The clerks didn't say "please finalize your purchase". They said "we were already closed", so can't buy anything.]
Anyways, we got out and at this time the grounds were virtually empty, the sun at a relatively low angle. And of course, the weather was perfect. <b>It was simply magical!</b> We walked on the little bridge across the Cosson river to take pictures of the castle, and then decided to lay down on the grass. No one around us. The three of us had virtually the whole chateau and park for ourselves. <b>This would be the highlight of my trip,</b> and I will remember this for a long long time.
<b>Orleans</b>
Finally, it was time to go, and we continued along the Loire to Orleans where we'd stay the night. Approaching Orleans from the south bank, I saw a new highway bridge across the Loire that I recognize in magazines, but as it was getting late, I didn't try to drive across it. Later I realized it's <b>Le Pont de l'Europe</b> (completed 2000) by the hot Spanish architect <b>Santiago Calatrava</b>. I should have turned back to drive on it.
Anyhow, got into Orleans and parked near the main train station. Perhaps due to its proximity to Paris, it seem to be a more bustling and modern city than places like Le Mans, Tours or Rouen. We saw plenty of modern buildings along with the old.
We also saw quite a few pizzerias. I am not kidding. And we ate a nice one called Pizzeria Martino. Good pizza and good pasta. (32€ for three).
From the train station looking straight south, we could see a large bronze statue down Rue de la Republique. We walked down to investigate, even though I already have a good idea who that is. (And to burn off some of the carbs). Closer to the <b>Place du Martroi</b>, I remembered being here before, in 1982. Of course, the statue is of Joan of Arc on horseback. Beautiful bronze statue in a nice plaza. We could see Cathedral Ste-Croix from there, but it was getting late.
<b>Novotel Orléans Charbonnière, 3*</b>
The Novotel is actually in Saint Jean de Braye, a few km NE of Orleans. Pretty nice room, and like many Novotels and Mercures, its room has a queen-size bed, plus two twin-sized ones stacked on-top of each other (and double as sofa when not used). 115€ + 10€ for the 3rd adult (kids could stay free). Even though it's 3*, it still doesn't have A/C. Not a problem on this cool night.
So, how to choose between the two castles? Well, the two are very different. Blois with all its historical significance, multiple wings built during different period, city setting vs Chambord with its size, vast forest surrounding it, uniform architecture, but mostly empty interior...
Well, personally I had a strong opinion about this, and I really want to see Chambord. One, I know I had been to Blois in 1982, even though the only recollection came from a photo of me and my sister, yk, in front of its famous staircase. Second, honestly I'm not THAT interested in all the history, furniture, paintings, etc. I am more impressed by how they look from the outside.
In fact, I've been <b>mesmerized</b> since 1984 by Chambord, even though at that time the only thing I knew was that it's in France. I don't know its history, its exact location, or even its name. So, what happened in 1984 when I was 13? Well, that was the first time I visited Disney World in Orlando. In the French Pavilion is a 180-degree film of France, mostly shot from helicopters. Accompanied by Camille Saint-Saens' "Les Carnaval des Animaux", it was my favorite ride/attraction in all of Disney World. I watched it twice that year, and again when I went there in 1991(?), and 2000. Anyways, among the images I remembered most clearly was a helicopter shot of the chateau which I later learned to be Chambord.
Anyways, when I presented the case of Blois vs Chambord without my biased opinion, D & H have no preference one way of another, so Chambord it is.
<b>Chambord</b>
I had wanted to leave Chenonceau by around 3:30pm, but we didn't get on the road until 4pm. We followed the south bank of the Loire on D751, saw Blois from across the river, and continued northeast. We arrived Chambord at 5:30pm. The parking lot was virtually empty by then, but I knew ahead that they close at 6:15pm.
We got tickets (8.5€ person, low season), and hiked straight up the <b>double-helix staircase</b> that may be designed by Leonardo da Vinci to the roof. The staircase and the roof tops are the main attractions of Chambord. Again, no need to go into detail. At 6:15pm, we were chased out by the guards, and even the souvenir store closed promptly at 6:30pm. [The clerks didn't say "please finalize your purchase". They said "we were already closed", so can't buy anything.]
Anyways, we got out and at this time the grounds were virtually empty, the sun at a relatively low angle. And of course, the weather was perfect. <b>It was simply magical!</b> We walked on the little bridge across the Cosson river to take pictures of the castle, and then decided to lay down on the grass. No one around us. The three of us had virtually the whole chateau and park for ourselves. <b>This would be the highlight of my trip,</b> and I will remember this for a long long time.
<b>Orleans</b>
Finally, it was time to go, and we continued along the Loire to Orleans where we'd stay the night. Approaching Orleans from the south bank, I saw a new highway bridge across the Loire that I recognize in magazines, but as it was getting late, I didn't try to drive across it. Later I realized it's <b>Le Pont de l'Europe</b> (completed 2000) by the hot Spanish architect <b>Santiago Calatrava</b>. I should have turned back to drive on it.
Anyhow, got into Orleans and parked near the main train station. Perhaps due to its proximity to Paris, it seem to be a more bustling and modern city than places like Le Mans, Tours or Rouen. We saw plenty of modern buildings along with the old.
We also saw quite a few pizzerias. I am not kidding. And we ate a nice one called Pizzeria Martino. Good pizza and good pasta. (32€ for three).
From the train station looking straight south, we could see a large bronze statue down Rue de la Republique. We walked down to investigate, even though I already have a good idea who that is. (And to burn off some of the carbs). Closer to the <b>Place du Martroi</b>, I remembered being here before, in 1982. Of course, the statue is of Joan of Arc on horseback. Beautiful bronze statue in a nice plaza. We could see Cathedral Ste-Croix from there, but it was getting late.
<b>Novotel Orléans Charbonnière, 3*</b>
The Novotel is actually in Saint Jean de Braye, a few km NE of Orleans. Pretty nice room, and like many Novotels and Mercures, its room has a queen-size bed, plus two twin-sized ones stacked on-top of each other (and double as sofa when not used). 115€ + 10€ for the 3rd adult (kids could stay free). Even though it's 3*, it still doesn't have A/C. Not a problem on this cool night.
Sep 25th, 2006, 08:38 AM
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moldy - Hope you're enjoying New Mexico. I forgot to add in my earlier post that when we were leaving Mont-St-Michel, we saw a couple of hot air balloons. That would be a pretty nice way to see MSM as well as the Loire Valley. In fact, I've seen Rudy Maxa doing exactly that on his <b>SmartTravels</b> show on PBS. Well, next time...
mv_rd - Thanks for reading.
Chartes and Paris will be posted tonite.
mv_rd - Thanks for reading.
Chartes and Paris will be posted tonite.
Sep 25th, 2006, 12:58 PM
#30
Excellent trip report, and I will make just 2 comments about the food details:
1. Taverne du Maître Kanter is a major Alsatian (not German) restaurant chain. There are 66 locations throughout France. (www.tavernes-maitre-kanter.com) It is hooked up with the French beer brand Kanterbrau.
2. There was no reason to be surprised by the number of pizzerias in Orléans. Per capita, the French consume twice as much pizza as the Italians (but far less than Americans).
1. Taverne du Maître Kanter is a major Alsatian (not German) restaurant chain. There are 66 locations throughout France. (www.tavernes-maitre-kanter.com) It is hooked up with the French beer brand Kanterbrau.
2. There was no reason to be surprised by the number of pizzerias in Orléans. Per capita, the French consume twice as much pizza as the Italians (but far less than Americans).
Sep 25th, 2006, 01:15 PM
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Wow, thanks very much for the clarification, kerouac! After I came back, I found the website for the Maitre Kanter du Mans own minipage, and didn't realize it has so many other locations.
But everybody please click on the link that kerouac posted. The picture on the right hand side was what I had! Except it looks <b>even bigger in person</b>.
But everybody please click on the link that kerouac posted. The picture on the right hand side was what I had! Except it looks <b>even bigger in person</b>.
Sep 26th, 2006, 05:26 PM
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<b>Day 5, 9/6/06, Wednesday
Before Sunset to Before Sunrise
Chartres</b>
Again, still full from dinner the night before, we skipped breakfast. We took the busy A10 north towards Paris, but detoured to Chartres on N154 to visit its beautiful cathedral. We left the car at the Cathedral Parking garage (5.6€, for about 2.5 hours), which has a unique double-helix design and cars entered from above, circling down and then back up to the exit. Very first time I saw this design. It also continued the “double-helix” sub-theme in this trip. Also interesting was that the local fire rescue squad was using it for training when we got there, climbing up and down the center opening with harness.
Chartres is well visited, being just a short train ride from Paris. The town itself is also nice, on a small hilltop, but the main attraction is of course the <b>Chartres Cathedral</b>. We admired its towers, its western porch, the labyrinth, and of course the world-famous <b>stained glass windows</b>. Some of the upper ones above the choir were being restored, and the “Blue Virgin” window has some scaffolding in front of it. But I was equally fascinated by the choir screen depicting Mary’s and Jesus’ lives. Rather than being bas-relief as in most churches, the panels here are 3-dimensional sculptures. Very impressive.
Another interesting item is of course the <b>Veil of Virgin relic</b>. But inside the casing a piece of old cloth mounted in the middle, and it didn't look anything like I've seen it in all the guidebooks and pictures. There was no explanation what's going on, and to date I have no idea.
There was some restoration work going on along the northern side of the cathedral, and the tower was closed. So, we just walked around the church (great vista from directly behind the cathedral, looking east), and then had some sandwiches at a cafe near the cathedral before our final journey into Paris. Anyhow, I think Chartres is a very worthy side trip for any Paris visit.
<b>Paris - Before Sunset</b>
I’ve described my little adventure in returning my rental car at Europcar’s Place d’Italie office in the other thread, so won’t repeat it here.
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34866860
But the drive into Paris is really no big deal. Pretty straightforward, in my opinion.
Anyhow, by the time we were settled into the Holiday Inn Express, washed our faces, etc, it was already close to 5pm. My time in Paris was starting to run out. Well, for those who’ve been following this thread,
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34513229
you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of the movies “Before Sunrise” (1995) and the sequel “Before Sunset” (2004), both directed by Richard Linklater and starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. “Before Sunset” was filmed entirely in Paris, so I knew I had to visit at least a few sites in it. And many many thanks to Fodorite <b>Beatchick</b>, who has posted great turn-by-turn directions on virtualtourist.com. She really made finding those places super easy.
The first place we went to is <b>Le Pure Cafe</b> in the 11th Arrondissement, short walk from the Charonne subway stop. This is where in the movie Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) stopped for coffee inside for a relatively long chat. In 2005, John Carter (Noah Wyle) and Kem (Thandie Newton) also went there for coffee in an “ER” episode. It was sunny and warm this day, and we sat outside for coffee and cocktail. This place was busy on a Wednesday afternoon, and we were the only apparent tourists. Inside, tables had been set for dinner. It seems like a pretty decent place for food too, but we couldn’t stay.
We then walked west towards <b>Cour de l’Etoile d’Or</b>, a little alley where Celine’s apartment was located. Unfortunately, the door to the alley was closed, and we could only go in to the next parallel alley and imagine. I was somewhat disappointed.
Before Sunset to Before Sunrise
Chartres</b>
Again, still full from dinner the night before, we skipped breakfast. We took the busy A10 north towards Paris, but detoured to Chartres on N154 to visit its beautiful cathedral. We left the car at the Cathedral Parking garage (5.6€, for about 2.5 hours), which has a unique double-helix design and cars entered from above, circling down and then back up to the exit. Very first time I saw this design. It also continued the “double-helix” sub-theme in this trip.
Also interesting was that the local fire rescue squad was using it for training when we got there, climbing up and down the center opening with harness. Chartres is well visited, being just a short train ride from Paris. The town itself is also nice, on a small hilltop, but the main attraction is of course the <b>Chartres Cathedral</b>. We admired its towers, its western porch, the labyrinth, and of course the world-famous <b>stained glass windows</b>. Some of the upper ones above the choir were being restored, and the “Blue Virgin” window has some scaffolding in front of it. But I was equally fascinated by the choir screen depicting Mary’s and Jesus’ lives. Rather than being bas-relief as in most churches, the panels here are 3-dimensional sculptures. Very impressive.
Another interesting item is of course the <b>Veil of Virgin relic</b>. But inside the casing a piece of old cloth mounted in the middle, and it didn't look anything like I've seen it in all the guidebooks and pictures. There was no explanation what's going on, and to date I have no idea.
There was some restoration work going on along the northern side of the cathedral, and the tower was closed. So, we just walked around the church (great vista from directly behind the cathedral, looking east), and then had some sandwiches at a cafe near the cathedral before our final journey into Paris. Anyhow, I think Chartres is a very worthy side trip for any Paris visit.
<b>Paris - Before Sunset</b>
I’ve described my little adventure in returning my rental car at Europcar’s Place d’Italie office in the other thread, so won’t repeat it here.
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34866860
But the drive into Paris is really no big deal. Pretty straightforward, in my opinion.
Anyhow, by the time we were settled into the Holiday Inn Express, washed our faces, etc, it was already close to 5pm. My time in Paris was starting to run out. Well, for those who’ve been following this thread,
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34513229
you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of the movies “Before Sunrise” (1995) and the sequel “Before Sunset” (2004), both directed by Richard Linklater and starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. “Before Sunset” was filmed entirely in Paris, so I knew I had to visit at least a few sites in it. And many many thanks to Fodorite <b>Beatchick</b>, who has posted great turn-by-turn directions on virtualtourist.com. She really made finding those places super easy.
The first place we went to is <b>Le Pure Cafe</b> in the 11th Arrondissement, short walk from the Charonne subway stop. This is where in the movie Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) stopped for coffee inside for a relatively long chat. In 2005, John Carter (Noah Wyle) and Kem (Thandie Newton) also went there for coffee in an “ER” episode. It was sunny and warm this day, and we sat outside for coffee and cocktail. This place was busy on a Wednesday afternoon, and we were the only apparent tourists. Inside, tables had been set for dinner. It seems like a pretty decent place for food too, but we couldn’t stay.
We then walked west towards <b>Cour de l’Etoile d’Or</b>, a little alley where Celine’s apartment was located. Unfortunately, the door to the alley was closed, and we could only go in to the next parallel alley and imagine. I was somewhat disappointed.
Sep 26th, 2006, 06:35 PM
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[Oh, I also want to recommend two other relatively new films with Paris scenes - <b>"Ronin"</b> (1998) with Robert de Niro & Jean Reno and directed by the late John Frankenheimer is the best car-chase movie ever made, period. I also enjoy <b>"Bourne Identity"</b> (2002) with Matt Damon and Franka Potente.]
<b>Paris - Before Sunrise</b>
After somewhat satisfying my own quest, it's time to show D & H main sites of Paris. The two things I planned are a Seine Cruise and going up the Eiffel Tower. I researched quite a bit here on Fodors, and cut the cruise choices to Vedette de Paris and Vedette du Pont-Neuf. In the end, I chose the former because of its departure location at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
We got off the subway at <b>Trocadéro</b>, and it was about half an hour before sunset. [Official sunset time was 8:24pm on that day.] As I said earlier, this was my 5th visit to Paris, but I had never seen a more beautiful Eiffel Tower. The gentle, warm sunlight shining on the west face of the tower was unbelievable. [Sorry, after being at Mont-St-Michel, Chambord and Eiffel Tower three beautiful sunsets in a row, I've run out of adjectives.]
We walked down the plaza, crossed Pont d'Iéna; but found that the next cruise wasn't until 9pm. So, we went up <b>Tour Eiffel</b> first. The line was pretty short for elevator tickets (11€ to top), and the wait for the 2nd elevator to get to the top was also reasonable. By the time we got to the very top, the sun had finally set.
It was fairly crowded up there, but not TOO bad. The air was very clear and we saw all the major buildings from there. [This was my 2nd time on the tower, 1st time at night.]
We came down at just past 10pm, and bought tickets for the <b>Vedette de Paris</b> cruise (9&euro
at 10:30pm. (Last sailing: 11pm). We still haven't had dinner, so we bought some crepes to eat onboard.
I wasn't totally sure about doing a Seine cruise before, but after doing this one at night, I highly recommend it. And the price is quite reasonable. Vedette de Paris uses relatively small boats, and one nice thing is that unlike larger boats, ours do not have bright spot lights mounted on it. Instead, we all sat in darkness, looking at ambient lights instead. I think this is so much better. Also nice is that our boat was totally uncrowded, with load factor about 10%.
Even though it was billed as an hour cruise, ours finished in just over 50 minutes. We then took the subway to the Latin Quarter to find food. It was just past midnight and many restaurants were closing down. We ended up eating at Le Pre Cafe in the heart of it. This place is owned and run by Thai people and has a location in Bangkok as well. We chose items from the 15€ menu (cheap menus were 10€ that night), and the food was quite decent.
It was now 1:30am, but I still had another attraction to visit! We walked a block up to the Seine to find <b>Shakespeare & Co</b>. The famous English language bookstore, and location of first scene in Before Sunset, was of course closed at this hour, but we peeked through its windows. Lights at <b>Notre-Dame</b> was also off by then.
The Metro had stopped running at this time, so we took a cab back to our hotel at Place d'Italie. (6.7&euro
H & I were to fly out the next day (separately), so we had some packing to do. And we still had some red wine and sparkling wine to finish. I don't think we went to bed till around 4.
<b>Express by Holiday Inn, Place d'Italie, 3*</b>
It's a Holiday Inn Express, but they call it a little differently there. D's other friends chose it because it was just across the street from where their bus tour would depart, and it was fine with me. Cost was about 140€ for three people, including breakfast. Not too bad. However, it was just a double room with an extra bed. The room has good amenities, modern decor, and <b>cold A/C</b>, but is pretty tiny.
<b>Paris - Before Sunrise</b>
After somewhat satisfying my own quest, it's time to show D & H main sites of Paris. The two things I planned are a Seine Cruise and going up the Eiffel Tower. I researched quite a bit here on Fodors, and cut the cruise choices to Vedette de Paris and Vedette du Pont-Neuf. In the end, I chose the former because of its departure location at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
We got off the subway at <b>Trocadéro</b>, and it was about half an hour before sunset. [Official sunset time was 8:24pm on that day.] As I said earlier, this was my 5th visit to Paris, but I had never seen a more beautiful Eiffel Tower. The gentle, warm sunlight shining on the west face of the tower was unbelievable. [Sorry, after being at Mont-St-Michel, Chambord and Eiffel Tower three beautiful sunsets in a row, I've run out of adjectives.]
We walked down the plaza, crossed Pont d'Iéna; but found that the next cruise wasn't until 9pm. So, we went up <b>Tour Eiffel</b> first. The line was pretty short for elevator tickets (11€ to top), and the wait for the 2nd elevator to get to the top was also reasonable. By the time we got to the very top, the sun had finally set.
It was fairly crowded up there, but not TOO bad. The air was very clear and we saw all the major buildings from there. [This was my 2nd time on the tower, 1st time at night.]
We came down at just past 10pm, and bought tickets for the <b>Vedette de Paris</b> cruise (9&euro
at 10:30pm. (Last sailing: 11pm). We still haven't had dinner, so we bought some crepes to eat onboard. I wasn't totally sure about doing a Seine cruise before, but after doing this one at night, I highly recommend it. And the price is quite reasonable. Vedette de Paris uses relatively small boats, and one nice thing is that unlike larger boats, ours do not have bright spot lights mounted on it. Instead, we all sat in darkness, looking at ambient lights instead. I think this is so much better. Also nice is that our boat was totally uncrowded, with load factor about 10%.
Even though it was billed as an hour cruise, ours finished in just over 50 minutes. We then took the subway to the Latin Quarter to find food. It was just past midnight and many restaurants were closing down. We ended up eating at Le Pre Cafe in the heart of it. This place is owned and run by Thai people and has a location in Bangkok as well. We chose items from the 15€ menu (cheap menus were 10€ that night), and the food was quite decent.
It was now 1:30am, but I still had another attraction to visit! We walked a block up to the Seine to find <b>Shakespeare & Co</b>. The famous English language bookstore, and location of first scene in Before Sunset, was of course closed at this hour, but we peeked through its windows. Lights at <b>Notre-Dame</b> was also off by then.
The Metro had stopped running at this time, so we took a cab back to our hotel at Place d'Italie. (6.7&euro
H & I were to fly out the next day (separately), so we had some packing to do. And we still had some red wine and sparkling wine to finish. I don't think we went to bed till around 4.
<b>Express by Holiday Inn, Place d'Italie, 3*</b>
It's a Holiday Inn Express, but they call it a little differently there. D's other friends chose it because it was just across the street from where their bus tour would depart, and it was fine with me. Cost was about 140€ for three people, including breakfast. Not too bad. However, it was just a double room with an extra bed. The room has good amenities, modern decor, and <b>cold A/C</b>, but is pretty tiny.
Sep 26th, 2006, 06:57 PM
#36
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<b>Day 6, 9/7/06
Going Home</b>
We got up after maybe 4 hours of sleep and had breakfast at the hotel, as it was included in our rate. Basic stuff, but decent.
My flight was at 12:55pm, so I figured I need to be at CDG2 at around 11am. Initially, I planned to use Metro/RER (8.1&euro, but D & H wants to go see the <b>Arc de Triomphe</b> and visit the Louis Vuitton store on Champs Elysees before H's Qatar Airways flight to Doha/Hong Kong at 3pm. So, I rode the metro with them after breakfast to l'Etoile, said farewell to the two girls, and took the Air France Coach (12€ instead). The 10:15am bus arrived CDG2A/C at 10:55am.
The rest about CDG and my flight home are in this thread:
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=126&tid=34866819
---
<b>Summary</b>
It was one of the best trip I ever had, because of great company and the wonderful weather. France was also not as crowded as I anticipated. Let me emphasize the first point. I usually travel alone, as I have had bad experience traveling with others. But D & H are excellent companions.
As for the budget, it's really fairly inexpensive. Our hotels average about 100€/night for three, our dinner never exceeds 60€, and lunch often 20€ or less. Admissions are also reasonable - MSM, Chenonceau, Chambord, Tour Eiffel and Seine cruise total about 45€. The car costs about 350€ including everything for 4 days. May seem a bit, but if you divide the cost among three persons, it's not bad at all, and gain a lot of flexibility.
So, this concludes my report of my 6-day trip. <b>Thanks for reading!</b> All comments welcomed.
Going Home</b>
We got up after maybe 4 hours of sleep and had breakfast at the hotel, as it was included in our rate. Basic stuff, but decent.
My flight was at 12:55pm, so I figured I need to be at CDG2 at around 11am. Initially, I planned to use Metro/RER (8.1&euro
, but D & H wants to go see the <b>Arc de Triomphe</b> and visit the Louis Vuitton store on Champs Elysees before H's Qatar Airways flight to Doha/Hong Kong at 3pm. So, I rode the metro with them after breakfast to l'Etoile, said farewell to the two girls, and took the Air France Coach (12€ instead). The 10:15am bus arrived CDG2A/C at 10:55am. The rest about CDG and my flight home are in this thread:
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=126&tid=34866819
---
<b>Summary</b>
It was one of the best trip I ever had, because of great company and the wonderful weather. France was also not as crowded as I anticipated. Let me emphasize the first point. I usually travel alone, as I have had bad experience traveling with others. But D & H are excellent companions.
As for the budget, it's really fairly inexpensive. Our hotels average about 100€/night for three, our dinner never exceeds 60€, and lunch often 20€ or less. Admissions are also reasonable - MSM, Chenonceau, Chambord, Tour Eiffel and Seine cruise total about 45€. The car costs about 350€ including everything for 4 days. May seem a bit, but if you divide the cost among three persons, it's not bad at all, and gain a lot of flexibility.
So, this concludes my report of my 6-day trip. <b>Thanks for reading!</b> All comments welcomed.
Sep 26th, 2006, 08:07 PM
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I'd imagine that they spend much more time in the bathroom. I could have gone to three museums already.
Did you have access to just one bathroom? You did mention that for at least one night you had two separate rooms. Sounds like you survived it.
Did you have access to just one bathroom? You did mention that for at least one night you had two separate rooms. Sounds like you survived it.
Sep 27th, 2006, 05:42 AM
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Enjoyed your report and thanks for your suggestion of checking out www.b-rail.be for train tickets. The first class tickets on the be site from Amsterdam to Brugge is €59.40/pp and from Brugge to Paris is €126/pp. I didn't see any Smily tickets even though I am booking more than two weeks before departure. I will search around the site some more, maybe I missed something.
Pat
Pat
