Rome and Paris January Trip Report
Jan 25th, 2012, 02:52 PM
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
January 16
We had reservations for a Scavi Tour at 9:15am. Having only been here during the summer I had no idea how long the line would be to get through security at St. Peters, so we got an early start. We had to check DH’s camera backpack at their bag drop. We stopped for cappuccinos and a pastry on the way. It was nice getting there early as the square and Basilica were practically empty. The Scavi tour was great. I had gone on it before and knew it was worth it, but after 6 years the memory had definitely faded. There were 9 people on our English speaking tour. We were done around 10:30am and went and picked up our bags. Took some pictures inside the Basilica. I loved how all the churches had Nativity scenes in them still. We then decided to walk up to the top of the cupola. Decided to walk up the 500 plus steps and skip the elevator. DH is 6’6” so it was funny to see him bending sideways to walk up some of the stairs towards the top. It was a great view from the top.
Once we were back down, we needed some lunch. Stopped and got a Panini and ate next to the Vatican Walls. After lunch it was time to explore the Vatican Museums. There was no line again (about noon on a Monday, yay winter). We got the audioguide which made our time so much better. The museum was busy but not too bad. I enjoyed the Egyptian part and of course the Raphael rooms and Sistine Chapel. We decide to skip the Pinateca as we knew we would see some paintings at the Louvre and we were getting tired.
After leaving the museum, we stopped for some more delicious gelato. This place was much better then where we had stopped the other day. We ate as we walked along the river to Trastevere. We tried to find the happy hour bar from the other day but to no avail. So we stopped someplace very inexpensive for water, house wine, a cheese plate and pizza with prosciutto and spicy salami. I can not find the name of this place. It was decent, needed snack.
After eating we walked back over to Campo di Fiori and found a happy hour (3.50 for a glass of wine). We each had a couple and decided it was time for dinner. We really didn’t know where to go, but we had seen the place that was close to Antica Taverna. So Il Fico it was as they were open and serving. It was great, we were greeted with 2 glasses of champagne and bread. I ordered the eggplant parmesan appetizer (it was very good and super hot). I had the mezze maniche cozze pecorino e pachino, very good. DH had the caprese to start, ravioli as a first course and the Roman meat (pork wrapped with prosciutto-he won). Finished with some complimentary limoncella. Best overall meal of the Rome trip (50E).
After the rest we walked around more at night for more pictures. Stopped and got more gelato along the way. This time it was a tad bit cold to hold, but so worth it. Went back to the hotel after picking up a couple more souvenirs and packed up for the morning for our flight to Paris.
We had reservations for a Scavi Tour at 9:15am. Having only been here during the summer I had no idea how long the line would be to get through security at St. Peters, so we got an early start. We had to check DH’s camera backpack at their bag drop. We stopped for cappuccinos and a pastry on the way. It was nice getting there early as the square and Basilica were practically empty. The Scavi tour was great. I had gone on it before and knew it was worth it, but after 6 years the memory had definitely faded. There were 9 people on our English speaking tour. We were done around 10:30am and went and picked up our bags. Took some pictures inside the Basilica. I loved how all the churches had Nativity scenes in them still. We then decided to walk up to the top of the cupola. Decided to walk up the 500 plus steps and skip the elevator. DH is 6’6” so it was funny to see him bending sideways to walk up some of the stairs towards the top. It was a great view from the top.
Once we were back down, we needed some lunch. Stopped and got a Panini and ate next to the Vatican Walls. After lunch it was time to explore the Vatican Museums. There was no line again (about noon on a Monday, yay winter). We got the audioguide which made our time so much better. The museum was busy but not too bad. I enjoyed the Egyptian part and of course the Raphael rooms and Sistine Chapel. We decide to skip the Pinateca as we knew we would see some paintings at the Louvre and we were getting tired.
After leaving the museum, we stopped for some more delicious gelato. This place was much better then where we had stopped the other day. We ate as we walked along the river to Trastevere. We tried to find the happy hour bar from the other day but to no avail. So we stopped someplace very inexpensive for water, house wine, a cheese plate and pizza with prosciutto and spicy salami. I can not find the name of this place. It was decent, needed snack.
After eating we walked back over to Campo di Fiori and found a happy hour (3.50 for a glass of wine). We each had a couple and decided it was time for dinner. We really didn’t know where to go, but we had seen the place that was close to Antica Taverna. So Il Fico it was as they were open and serving. It was great, we were greeted with 2 glasses of champagne and bread. I ordered the eggplant parmesan appetizer (it was very good and super hot). I had the mezze maniche cozze pecorino e pachino, very good. DH had the caprese to start, ravioli as a first course and the Roman meat (pork wrapped with prosciutto-he won). Finished with some complimentary limoncella. Best overall meal of the Rome trip (50E).
After the rest we walked around more at night for more pictures. Stopped and got more gelato along the way. This time it was a tad bit cold to hold, but so worth it. Went back to the hotel after picking up a couple more souvenirs and packed up for the morning for our flight to Paris.
We used to cover a lot of ground in Rome too... not so much on our upcoming trip with our toddler 
Jan 25th, 2012, 06:11 PM
#24
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A glass of bubbly and an eggplant starter...you are my kinda gal! 
And brava for finding a happy hour (aka...apperitivo) for 3.50 per glass!
I'm tickled pink my trip reports inspired you to write one.
And brava for finding a happy hour (aka...apperitivo) for 3.50 per glass!
I'm tickled pink my trip reports inspired you to write one.
Jan 25th, 2012, 06:50 PM
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
January 17
We got up early to get to the airport around 8am for our 10am flight. There is a taxi stand right next to the Pantheon Inn, so our plan was to take a taxi but if there was a random strike we would still have enough time to get to Termini and take the train. Luckily no strike, so we got to the airport plenty early. Our EasyJet flight to Paris Orly airport was not close to being full, so we were able to take up more seats and stretch out. It was a very clear day flying over the Alps which was neat. DH went to get the luggage while I bought a phone card and called the property management contact to let her know we were leaving. We took a taxi from the airport to our apartment. It was only 25E and took maybe 20 minutes. We were very pleased with that. However, since we got there quicker than expected we had to wait about 30 minutes for the lady to meet us with the keys. It wasn’t too bad as we were able to get in the outside door and waited in a courtyard, so we just read our books.
We had decided to stay in an apartment for the five nights in Paris. There are so many apartment options out there and we liked the idea of having a little kitchen, not really for cooking but snacks (wine and cheese mainly). We stayed at Le Bac Marche on Rue de Bac in the 7th. It is right off the Rue de Bac metro stop and what seemed like a 15 minute walk to almost everywhere (Notre Dame, The Louvre, Eiffel Tower). It is managed by Parler Paris Apartments. I actually found a different apartment in the 3rd that we liked on VRBO and when I tried getting more information about it this company responded. After looking at their website and other options, we decided on this one. The pictures looked nice, the price was right (125E/night) and it seemed like a more central location for the touristy things we wanted to do. It is very small though, a studio with a murphy bed, however we didn’t really need anything bigger for the length of stay and amount of time we spent actually in it. They required a 50% deposit upon booking but we were able to pay with a credit card and they had an American fax number. The security deposit is a bit steep (1000E) but you can again use a cc. We paid the rest of the rent in cash when we got there (better exchange rate).
After our apartment introduction we walked down the street to find someplace to eat. Stopped at Café le Flores at the corner. We were greeted by the waitress and had absolutely no idea what she said. Luckily she spoke some English. Neither of us have any knowledge of French pronunciation or language other than the very few basics. I know, shame on us and if we had more time to prepare for this trip we may have tried to learn more. I would study different phrases/words in our phrasebook but then my mind would just go blank when it was time to use them. Oh well, everyone we encountered was very nice and spoke some English, so we did get by just fine. Our lunch was very good. We both got salads. I had a salad with goat cheese on toast and green beans. DH had one with ham, cheese and egg. Along with a small carafe of wine it was 24E. After lunch we stopped at the Monoprix for a couple groceries (coke, diet coke, water, wine and cheese).
By this time it was midafternoon. After research, I had decided that getting the 4 day Paris Museum Pass for 54E would be a smart idea. We didn’t want to use it until the next day though, so I had planned on going to the Eiffel Tower on this day. We stopped at a Tabac and bought a carnat of tickets for the metro. We rode the RER to the Eiffel Tower, however it had closed at 1pm that day. So much for that plan. I was supposed to look at Louis Vuitton wallets for a friend of mine back home, so we were going to venture to Galleries Lafayette. We got back on the RER but got confused about using the tickets so we ended up just taking it back to the d’Orsay stop. After the past few days of walking, drinking wine, walking and eating we were both feeling tired. So we ended up just going back to our apartment and eating cheese and baguette for dinner while reading. Low key first night in Paris but still enjoyable.
We got up early to get to the airport around 8am for our 10am flight. There is a taxi stand right next to the Pantheon Inn, so our plan was to take a taxi but if there was a random strike we would still have enough time to get to Termini and take the train. Luckily no strike, so we got to the airport plenty early. Our EasyJet flight to Paris Orly airport was not close to being full, so we were able to take up more seats and stretch out. It was a very clear day flying over the Alps which was neat. DH went to get the luggage while I bought a phone card and called the property management contact to let her know we were leaving. We took a taxi from the airport to our apartment. It was only 25E and took maybe 20 minutes. We were very pleased with that. However, since we got there quicker than expected we had to wait about 30 minutes for the lady to meet us with the keys. It wasn’t too bad as we were able to get in the outside door and waited in a courtyard, so we just read our books.
We had decided to stay in an apartment for the five nights in Paris. There are so many apartment options out there and we liked the idea of having a little kitchen, not really for cooking but snacks (wine and cheese mainly). We stayed at Le Bac Marche on Rue de Bac in the 7th. It is right off the Rue de Bac metro stop and what seemed like a 15 minute walk to almost everywhere (Notre Dame, The Louvre, Eiffel Tower). It is managed by Parler Paris Apartments. I actually found a different apartment in the 3rd that we liked on VRBO and when I tried getting more information about it this company responded. After looking at their website and other options, we decided on this one. The pictures looked nice, the price was right (125E/night) and it seemed like a more central location for the touristy things we wanted to do. It is very small though, a studio with a murphy bed, however we didn’t really need anything bigger for the length of stay and amount of time we spent actually in it. They required a 50% deposit upon booking but we were able to pay with a credit card and they had an American fax number. The security deposit is a bit steep (1000E) but you can again use a cc. We paid the rest of the rent in cash when we got there (better exchange rate).
After our apartment introduction we walked down the street to find someplace to eat. Stopped at Café le Flores at the corner. We were greeted by the waitress and had absolutely no idea what she said. Luckily she spoke some English. Neither of us have any knowledge of French pronunciation or language other than the very few basics. I know, shame on us and if we had more time to prepare for this trip we may have tried to learn more. I would study different phrases/words in our phrasebook but then my mind would just go blank when it was time to use them. Oh well, everyone we encountered was very nice and spoke some English, so we did get by just fine. Our lunch was very good. We both got salads. I had a salad with goat cheese on toast and green beans. DH had one with ham, cheese and egg. Along with a small carafe of wine it was 24E. After lunch we stopped at the Monoprix for a couple groceries (coke, diet coke, water, wine and cheese).
By this time it was midafternoon. After research, I had decided that getting the 4 day Paris Museum Pass for 54E would be a smart idea. We didn’t want to use it until the next day though, so I had planned on going to the Eiffel Tower on this day. We stopped at a Tabac and bought a carnat of tickets for the metro. We rode the RER to the Eiffel Tower, however it had closed at 1pm that day. So much for that plan. I was supposed to look at Louis Vuitton wallets for a friend of mine back home, so we were going to venture to Galleries Lafayette. We got back on the RER but got confused about using the tickets so we ended up just taking it back to the d’Orsay stop. After the past few days of walking, drinking wine, walking and eating we were both feeling tired. So we ended up just going back to our apartment and eating cheese and baguette for dinner while reading. Low key first night in Paris but still enjoyable.
Jan 25th, 2012, 07:09 PM
#26
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,012
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This is a very good first report. Iguess we all love to read about these first hand impressions as you visit a city and learn more and more, or re-live earlier trips.
I'm right there with you, and enjoying your trip.
I'm right there with you, and enjoying your trip.
Jan 26th, 2012, 01:38 AM
#27
yes, ayla - nice report. funny how you seem to have eaten at the same places as us in Rome - DS and i ate at il Fico one night when DH wasn't feeling quite the ticket, and again on our last night because we'd liked it so much the first time, and DH agreed that it was very good. I know that people rave about food in florence but actually i think that overall it is better and cheaper in Rome.
looking forward to more of Paris!
looking forward to more of Paris!
Jan 26th, 2012, 08:27 AM
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
January 18
We woke up rested at 9am. The murphy bed was actually pretty comfortable and the apartment was quiet for the most part. It is right by the stairs so you do hear some people walking up and down but not too bad. We were out the door by 10am on our way to Sainte-Chapelle. We bought our museum passes across the street from it at the Tabac (thanks Rick Steves). Sainte-Chapelle didn’t open until 11:30am that day though. At this time I was kind of thinking “oh no, everything is going to be closed.” We walked over to Notre Dame. It was so beautiful inside. We walked around the outside to find the entrance to the Bell Tower but alas, it was closed until 1pm. One of our guide books was Rick Steves’ Pocket Paris. In it there was a historic walking tour, so we decided to do this. The next stop was the Deportation Museum then across the river and back to Saint Chapelle. As we were crossing the river we were approached by the petition girls, again I let DH know what was going on and they were ignored. They were the only ones we saw the entire trip. By this time it was 11:30 so we went in. What beautiful stained glass. My mom has taken up stained glass as a hobby and I kept wishing she could see it. After Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie was the next stop on the tour. On the ground floor they had an interesting modern art exhibit going. All the pieces had something to do with animals. Modern art not so much our thing…. After seeing where Marie Antoinette was held, we headed out for lunch. We stopped at Brasserie le Benjamin on the right bank not too far from Sainte-Chapelle. I recognized the word penne and chicken for one of the plat de jours and got that. It was fine. DH ordered the other plat de jour or filet mignon. It was pork with what he described as a potato pancake. He won again.
After eating we decided to head to the Louvre. There was no line at the Pyramid entrance. We had walked right by one of the other ones without even realizing it, but there was no wait. It seemed like we walked forever in that museum. We saw the Venus di Milo and Mona Lisa. It seemed like they could display the Mona Lisa in a more attractive way then on a stark wall. I liked the ornate Napolean Apartments. We were really only there an hour or so.
After the Louvre we walked towards the Galleries Lafayette. Happened to pass a Pierres Hermes shop along the way and bought 7 macaroons in all different flavors. Oh my were they delicious. We decided that the Galleries were the busiest, most crowded place during our whole trip. After quickly seeing that they didn’t have the LV that my friend wanted we made our way out of there. I felt like it was Black Friday times 10 (or maybe just a big city Black Friday, we live in a smaller community). We made our way to the closest metro and rode it back to our stop. At the apartment we both were doing a little research on restaurants and decided upon Café Verenne, which was close by. I got the French onion soup and the beef bourguinon, both very good. DH had the soup du jour which was cream and something and the steak tartare with fritates. I tried it and we both thought it was pretty good. Not sure if I would ever order it as a whole meal, but much better than what I was expecting. We had a very good wine with dinner for a total of 67E. After dinner we stopped and got a couple of croissants for breakfast and then headed back to the apartment.
We woke up rested at 9am. The murphy bed was actually pretty comfortable and the apartment was quiet for the most part. It is right by the stairs so you do hear some people walking up and down but not too bad. We were out the door by 10am on our way to Sainte-Chapelle. We bought our museum passes across the street from it at the Tabac (thanks Rick Steves). Sainte-Chapelle didn’t open until 11:30am that day though. At this time I was kind of thinking “oh no, everything is going to be closed.” We walked over to Notre Dame. It was so beautiful inside. We walked around the outside to find the entrance to the Bell Tower but alas, it was closed until 1pm. One of our guide books was Rick Steves’ Pocket Paris. In it there was a historic walking tour, so we decided to do this. The next stop was the Deportation Museum then across the river and back to Saint Chapelle. As we were crossing the river we were approached by the petition girls, again I let DH know what was going on and they were ignored. They were the only ones we saw the entire trip. By this time it was 11:30 so we went in. What beautiful stained glass. My mom has taken up stained glass as a hobby and I kept wishing she could see it. After Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie was the next stop on the tour. On the ground floor they had an interesting modern art exhibit going. All the pieces had something to do with animals. Modern art not so much our thing…. After seeing where Marie Antoinette was held, we headed out for lunch. We stopped at Brasserie le Benjamin on the right bank not too far from Sainte-Chapelle. I recognized the word penne and chicken for one of the plat de jours and got that. It was fine. DH ordered the other plat de jour or filet mignon. It was pork with what he described as a potato pancake. He won again.
After eating we decided to head to the Louvre. There was no line at the Pyramid entrance. We had walked right by one of the other ones without even realizing it, but there was no wait. It seemed like we walked forever in that museum. We saw the Venus di Milo and Mona Lisa. It seemed like they could display the Mona Lisa in a more attractive way then on a stark wall. I liked the ornate Napolean Apartments. We were really only there an hour or so.
After the Louvre we walked towards the Galleries Lafayette. Happened to pass a Pierres Hermes shop along the way and bought 7 macaroons in all different flavors. Oh my were they delicious. We decided that the Galleries were the busiest, most crowded place during our whole trip. After quickly seeing that they didn’t have the LV that my friend wanted we made our way out of there. I felt like it was Black Friday times 10 (or maybe just a big city Black Friday, we live in a smaller community). We made our way to the closest metro and rode it back to our stop. At the apartment we both were doing a little research on restaurants and decided upon Café Verenne, which was close by. I got the French onion soup and the beef bourguinon, both very good. DH had the soup du jour which was cream and something and the steak tartare with fritates. I tried it and we both thought it was pretty good. Not sure if I would ever order it as a whole meal, but much better than what I was expecting. We had a very good wine with dinner for a total of 67E. After dinner we stopped and got a couple of croissants for breakfast and then headed back to the apartment.
Jan 26th, 2012, 10:26 AM
#29
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The cost of the Paris Museum Pass seems to be escalating rapidly...54E for you, 50E when I purchased mine in November, and that price had just been increased from 48E. Wonder what's going on there...a few more euro and it might cease to be a good deal.
I also saw the strange animal-centered exhibit in the Conciergerie...very weird indeed.
I also saw the strange animal-centered exhibit in the Conciergerie...very weird indeed.
Jan 26th, 2012, 01:27 PM
#30
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 4,591
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I love Cafe Varenne. I had the best tomato mozarella quiche there!
We were speechless at Sainte Chapelle....gorgeous and we were lucky to have a sunny day! And also fortunate to climb the ND towers on our trip a few months ago.
Lots of great Paris memories as we look forward to making some in Rome this Fall.
We were speechless at Sainte Chapelle....gorgeous and we were lucky to have a sunny day! And also fortunate to climb the ND towers on our trip a few months ago.
Lots of great Paris memories as we look forward to making some in Rome this Fall.
Jan 26th, 2012, 05:49 PM
#31
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
@azzure- I agree about the pass. With everything we went to, it was just cost effective. It was nice to bypass ticket lines though.
@denisea-I'm sure you will love Rome (its hard not to).
@denisea-I'm sure you will love Rome (its hard not to).
Jan 26th, 2012, 05:55 PM
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
January 19
Today we had planned an excursion away from Paris. We were going to Reims to see the cathedral and do some champagne tasting. Our TGV tickets were scheduled to leave Gare de l’est at 7:58am. We were there about 15-20minutes early. Unfortunately there was some problem and our train didn’t leave until 8:40. Our phrase book was absolutely worthless, so we have no idea what the problem was. Whatever the problem, the train didn’t end up going high speed. So we arrived in Reims around 10. We walked from the station to the cathedral. It was massive and beautiful. I really like the gothic cathedrals. After walking around and reading about the history we went over to the tourist center to find out how to get to Ruinart. We had reservations there for 2pm. We got a city bus map and took the bus up to where many of the champagne houses are. Reims had the nicest bus system I think I’ve ever been on. It was so easy to use.
We ended up going to Taittenger for a tour and tasting. It was 16E for a 45 minute tour and a glass of champagne. There was a group of 7 of us. It was an interesting tour. The caves were neat. Taittenger is built on the ruins of an 11th century Abbey. After we enjoyed our champagne we still had some time before our Ruinart tour, so we walked over to St. Remi Cathedral. We were the only people in there at that time, which was kind of surreal. By this time we needed some lunch. We had already stopped at McDonalds (yes McDonalds) before taking the bus. We needed to break a 50 for the bus fare and use a bathroom but needed to be quick to make it to Taittenger for their last tour before lunch. DH said it was the best $2.50 hamburger he’s had. He would prefer to pay the $1 at home though. So after St. Remi we stopped at a brasserie (there wasn’t much to find out by the champagne houses) for a slice of pizza.
Our tour at Ruinart was very interesting. There were 8 of us on this English speaking tour (2 from Australia, 2 from Japan, 2 from Belgium and the 2 of us from US). It was nice to chat with them all after the tour of the caves and during our tasting. The tour lasted about an hour and then we had our tasting. We tried their 2 vintage ones (Dom Ruinart and Dom Ruinart Rose). Both were excellent, we liked the Rose better. The tour was kind of spendy (35E/each) but the bottle of champagne we got to try retails around 200E and we figured this would be the only time we would ever have champagne like that.
We took the bus back to the train station. This time the TGV was right ontime and we were back in Paris in 45 minutes (right around 6pm). We hadn’t seen the Arc de Triomphe yet, so we took the metro there and walked down the Champs de elysees. The energy here was really nice. It seemed to awaken and rejuvenate us. After our walk we took the metro back to Rue de Bac. We ended up eating at a place that was directly below our apartment. It was more of just a bar with a few food options then a full restaurant but it had a happy hour. It was called Le Gevaudan. I had the veal curry and rice and DH had a chicken Caesar salad with French fries. Their happy hour was a big beer for the price of a small beer. After four French beers and our food it was 40E. It was actually decent food and a nice low key atmosphere. We would go back there if we were in the area just for that reason alone. After dinner and drinks it was back to the apartment for bed.
Today we had planned an excursion away from Paris. We were going to Reims to see the cathedral and do some champagne tasting. Our TGV tickets were scheduled to leave Gare de l’est at 7:58am. We were there about 15-20minutes early. Unfortunately there was some problem and our train didn’t leave until 8:40. Our phrase book was absolutely worthless, so we have no idea what the problem was. Whatever the problem, the train didn’t end up going high speed. So we arrived in Reims around 10. We walked from the station to the cathedral. It was massive and beautiful. I really like the gothic cathedrals. After walking around and reading about the history we went over to the tourist center to find out how to get to Ruinart. We had reservations there for 2pm. We got a city bus map and took the bus up to where many of the champagne houses are. Reims had the nicest bus system I think I’ve ever been on. It was so easy to use.
We ended up going to Taittenger for a tour and tasting. It was 16E for a 45 minute tour and a glass of champagne. There was a group of 7 of us. It was an interesting tour. The caves were neat. Taittenger is built on the ruins of an 11th century Abbey. After we enjoyed our champagne we still had some time before our Ruinart tour, so we walked over to St. Remi Cathedral. We were the only people in there at that time, which was kind of surreal. By this time we needed some lunch. We had already stopped at McDonalds (yes McDonalds) before taking the bus. We needed to break a 50 for the bus fare and use a bathroom but needed to be quick to make it to Taittenger for their last tour before lunch. DH said it was the best $2.50 hamburger he’s had. He would prefer to pay the $1 at home though. So after St. Remi we stopped at a brasserie (there wasn’t much to find out by the champagne houses) for a slice of pizza.
Our tour at Ruinart was very interesting. There were 8 of us on this English speaking tour (2 from Australia, 2 from Japan, 2 from Belgium and the 2 of us from US). It was nice to chat with them all after the tour of the caves and during our tasting. The tour lasted about an hour and then we had our tasting. We tried their 2 vintage ones (Dom Ruinart and Dom Ruinart Rose). Both were excellent, we liked the Rose better. The tour was kind of spendy (35E/each) but the bottle of champagne we got to try retails around 200E and we figured this would be the only time we would ever have champagne like that.
We took the bus back to the train station. This time the TGV was right ontime and we were back in Paris in 45 minutes (right around 6pm). We hadn’t seen the Arc de Triomphe yet, so we took the metro there and walked down the Champs de elysees. The energy here was really nice. It seemed to awaken and rejuvenate us. After our walk we took the metro back to Rue de Bac. We ended up eating at a place that was directly below our apartment. It was more of just a bar with a few food options then a full restaurant but it had a happy hour. It was called Le Gevaudan. I had the veal curry and rice and DH had a chicken Caesar salad with French fries. Their happy hour was a big beer for the price of a small beer. After four French beers and our food it was 40E. It was actually decent food and a nice low key atmosphere. We would go back there if we were in the area just for that reason alone. After dinner and drinks it was back to the apartment for bed.
Jan 27th, 2012, 05:30 AM
#34
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 406
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Enjoyed your TR of Reims as we will be going there in May as well. Have a private tour reserved to taste and tour the smaller champagne houses in the small villages but we also want to do some of the bigger ones. Which did you like best Tattinger or Ruinart?
Jan 27th, 2012, 05:57 PM
#36
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
@cornelius01
I think we liked Ruinart better. It was a more detailed tour and better champagne, but also a bigger time commitment and fee. However, the tour guide at Tattinger was really good and it was interesting to see some of the old Abbey.
I think we liked Ruinart better. It was a more detailed tour and better champagne, but also a bigger time commitment and fee. However, the tour guide at Tattinger was really good and it was interesting to see some of the old Abbey.
Jan 27th, 2012, 05:57 PM
#37
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
January 20
DH woke up early to go get us some breakfast pastries down the block. Today was the day I think I was most looking forward to; we were going to Versailles. We walked down to the d’Orsay RER station and got our roundtrip tickets. We knew we were looking for ones that started with V, on the tv monitor the next train was VICK. When it was arriving the screen said VICK was arriving but the front of the train said something different. We still got on then decided to get off 2 stops later and wait for one that said VICK on the front. The train arrived to Versailles around 10am.
Versailles was always someplace I had wanted to go and it did not disappoint. Would it have been nicer during the spring, probably but the grounds and chateau were still really nice. The Chateau was pretty busy as there were a few tour busses there. The audioguides again were great to have. Once we were done walking through the apartments, we grabbed a sandwich at the café and headed down the hill. I loved all the tree lined paths, even if they had no leaves. We would have liked to see the fountains on though.
We walked down to the Grand Trianon and were there when it opened at noon. Walked through it, then the gardens to the Hamlet and then to the Petit Trianon. The Hamlet was so cute and picturesque. Once we were done, we walked back to the train station and caught the RER at 1:40 back to Paris. I definitely see how someone could spend the whole day there during better weather. It was rather cold and sometimes rainy, so we walked through the grounds pretty fast.
Since the Eiffel Tower was closed when we had gone earlier, today was the day. Fortunately it was open today. There were only about 20 people in line in front of us and we really didn’t have to wait for the second elevator ride to the top. The views were amazing and we had a nice time. Once back to earth, we returned to our apartment stopping for a baguette and breakfast pastries. We had some wine, cheese and baguette before heading out for dinner.
First stop before dinner though, was the Le Bon Marche department store. It was close to where we were staying and I needed to take a picture for our parents, specifically moms. The Pacific Northwest used to have a department store called The Bon Marche but it was bought out by Macys a few years ago. After walking through the store it was time to find some dinner.
We ended up stopping at a place called Il Settimo. The food was pretty good, the waiter very nice from Barcelona. DH liked the fact that it had roomy booths. Again, he’s 6’6” and didn’t fit very well in a lot of the restaurants and the small tables and chairs. He was happy to be able to stretch out. I had the caprese and then noodles with salmon and cream sauce. DH had a grilled veggie appetizer and then the trippa romana. With a bottle of wine it came to 85E. After dinner we headed back to the apartment.
DH woke up early to go get us some breakfast pastries down the block. Today was the day I think I was most looking forward to; we were going to Versailles. We walked down to the d’Orsay RER station and got our roundtrip tickets. We knew we were looking for ones that started with V, on the tv monitor the next train was VICK. When it was arriving the screen said VICK was arriving but the front of the train said something different. We still got on then decided to get off 2 stops later and wait for one that said VICK on the front. The train arrived to Versailles around 10am.
Versailles was always someplace I had wanted to go and it did not disappoint. Would it have been nicer during the spring, probably but the grounds and chateau were still really nice. The Chateau was pretty busy as there were a few tour busses there. The audioguides again were great to have. Once we were done walking through the apartments, we grabbed a sandwich at the café and headed down the hill. I loved all the tree lined paths, even if they had no leaves. We would have liked to see the fountains on though.
We walked down to the Grand Trianon and were there when it opened at noon. Walked through it, then the gardens to the Hamlet and then to the Petit Trianon. The Hamlet was so cute and picturesque. Once we were done, we walked back to the train station and caught the RER at 1:40 back to Paris. I definitely see how someone could spend the whole day there during better weather. It was rather cold and sometimes rainy, so we walked through the grounds pretty fast.
Since the Eiffel Tower was closed when we had gone earlier, today was the day. Fortunately it was open today. There were only about 20 people in line in front of us and we really didn’t have to wait for the second elevator ride to the top. The views were amazing and we had a nice time. Once back to earth, we returned to our apartment stopping for a baguette and breakfast pastries. We had some wine, cheese and baguette before heading out for dinner.
First stop before dinner though, was the Le Bon Marche department store. It was close to where we were staying and I needed to take a picture for our parents, specifically moms. The Pacific Northwest used to have a department store called The Bon Marche but it was bought out by Macys a few years ago. After walking through the store it was time to find some dinner.
We ended up stopping at a place called Il Settimo. The food was pretty good, the waiter very nice from Barcelona. DH liked the fact that it had roomy booths. Again, he’s 6’6” and didn’t fit very well in a lot of the restaurants and the small tables and chairs. He was happy to be able to stretch out. I had the caprese and then noodles with salmon and cream sauce. DH had a grilled veggie appetizer and then the trippa romana. With a bottle of wine it came to 85E. After dinner we headed back to the apartment.
Jan 27th, 2012, 06:50 PM
#38
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 412
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nice report, Ayla! Since you enjoyed your trip to Versailles so much, I will recommend a book you might enjoy. It is called Madame Tussaud, A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran. I am about halfway through, and it is extremely interesting. The descriptions of Versailles during the reign of Louis XVI are unbelievable. Also, I had no idea that Madame Tussaud of the wax museum fame dated back to the French Revolution.
Jan 27th, 2012, 07:04 PM
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
January 21
Today was the last day of our trip. The last day turned out to be the day of best food and best museum. First we had the best breakfast with pain au chocolat. So moist and the chocolate was so soft. After getting ready we headed for the d’Orsay Museum. We were there right when it opened. This was the first place we had used the bag/coat check and it was great. So nice to not carry everything around especially since we couldn’t take pictures. We fell in love with this museum. Love the Monets, Manets, Renoirs, etc etc. After leaving the museum we walked over to l’Orangerie to see Monet’s Water Lillies. We both enjoy impressionist paintings more so than the classical or modern art.
After our short stop there, we headed to the metro and got off at the Abbesses stop to go to the Montmarte area. Oh my there are a lot of stairs at that stop. Then when you get to the top there are a lot more stairs to get up to Sacre de Couer. There was a very nice view from the Basilica. Inside there was mass going on, so that was neat to see. After taking some pictures it was time for lunch.
We ended up at Café Chappe on 8 rue Tardieu. I had the croquet madame and it was so delicious. It also came with a side salad. Later we walked by restaurants and I saw people eating the same sandwich and it looked pretty lame next to what I had. DH got a salad with shrimp, salmon, avocado and mushroom. After two espressos the bill came to 24E.
Once done with lunch we needed to get a few souvenirs. Stopped and bought some vin chaurd. We love our wine but this was not the drink for us. We headed back to rue de bac and got a few more things from the store and I found some French perfume that I liked. After our shopping we went back to the apartment to pack things up and relax for a bit.
There were a few places I wanted to check out for possibilities for dinner, so around 5:30 we left the apartment and walked toward the Eiffel Tower past Invalides. Since it was already dark, we took a bunch of pictures at 6 of the Tower twinkling. DH got some great pictures with the SLR. We checked out the menus at the two dinner possibilities and then found someplace to have a glass of wine (DH had a beer) before dinner. I knew that with no reservations on a Saturday night we would be lucky to get a table, but I figured going right when they opened at 7 would give us a better chance. So we arrived at Pasco at 7:02. Luckily, they had one open table so we got seated right away. We were very lucky because as we were walking there it started pouring (first time all trip). To start was an aperitif of rose champagne. DH started with the lentil soup, a main dish of salmon with mashed potatoes and to finish a pastry with chocolate ice cream and hot chocolate sauce. I had the eggplant with pesto, and then a steak perfectly cooked to medium with roasted new potatoes and chocolate mousse with raspberries and ice cream to finish. This was by far the best dinner we had on our trip. It was a perfect ending. It was also the first restaurant where we just ordered blindly. We had no idea what we were getting (minus my eggplant, that word I recognized). With a ½ bottle of wine the bill came to 90E. It had stopped raining by the time we were walking back, so we took our time and enjoyed Paris at night. It was the perfect ending to our trip. When can I go back?
January 22
We were up early to get to CDG for our flight back to the States. This time we took the metro to the RER and took it to the airport. We got to CDG around 7:30 and started boarding at 9:40. The flight was from CDG to Salt Lake City (11.5 hours) then we had a short layover and were back at home by 4:15pm. Flying first class was great again. Excellent food and I watched five full movies.
Again, thank you to everyone who posts on this forum. I learned so much for our trip. Thank you for reading this report. It was fun to write and it is nice to have a record of our trip.
We both had a wonderful time on our trip and when can I start planning our next adventure?
Today was the last day of our trip. The last day turned out to be the day of best food and best museum. First we had the best breakfast with pain au chocolat. So moist and the chocolate was so soft. After getting ready we headed for the d’Orsay Museum. We were there right when it opened. This was the first place we had used the bag/coat check and it was great. So nice to not carry everything around especially since we couldn’t take pictures. We fell in love with this museum. Love the Monets, Manets, Renoirs, etc etc. After leaving the museum we walked over to l’Orangerie to see Monet’s Water Lillies. We both enjoy impressionist paintings more so than the classical or modern art.
After our short stop there, we headed to the metro and got off at the Abbesses stop to go to the Montmarte area. Oh my there are a lot of stairs at that stop. Then when you get to the top there are a lot more stairs to get up to Sacre de Couer. There was a very nice view from the Basilica. Inside there was mass going on, so that was neat to see. After taking some pictures it was time for lunch.
We ended up at Café Chappe on 8 rue Tardieu. I had the croquet madame and it was so delicious. It also came with a side salad. Later we walked by restaurants and I saw people eating the same sandwich and it looked pretty lame next to what I had. DH got a salad with shrimp, salmon, avocado and mushroom. After two espressos the bill came to 24E.
Once done with lunch we needed to get a few souvenirs. Stopped and bought some vin chaurd. We love our wine but this was not the drink for us. We headed back to rue de bac and got a few more things from the store and I found some French perfume that I liked. After our shopping we went back to the apartment to pack things up and relax for a bit.
There were a few places I wanted to check out for possibilities for dinner, so around 5:30 we left the apartment and walked toward the Eiffel Tower past Invalides. Since it was already dark, we took a bunch of pictures at 6 of the Tower twinkling. DH got some great pictures with the SLR. We checked out the menus at the two dinner possibilities and then found someplace to have a glass of wine (DH had a beer) before dinner. I knew that with no reservations on a Saturday night we would be lucky to get a table, but I figured going right when they opened at 7 would give us a better chance. So we arrived at Pasco at 7:02. Luckily, they had one open table so we got seated right away. We were very lucky because as we were walking there it started pouring (first time all trip). To start was an aperitif of rose champagne. DH started with the lentil soup, a main dish of salmon with mashed potatoes and to finish a pastry with chocolate ice cream and hot chocolate sauce. I had the eggplant with pesto, and then a steak perfectly cooked to medium with roasted new potatoes and chocolate mousse with raspberries and ice cream to finish. This was by far the best dinner we had on our trip. It was a perfect ending. It was also the first restaurant where we just ordered blindly. We had no idea what we were getting (minus my eggplant, that word I recognized). With a ½ bottle of wine the bill came to 90E. It had stopped raining by the time we were walking back, so we took our time and enjoyed Paris at night. It was the perfect ending to our trip. When can I go back?
January 22
We were up early to get to CDG for our flight back to the States. This time we took the metro to the RER and took it to the airport. We got to CDG around 7:30 and started boarding at 9:40. The flight was from CDG to Salt Lake City (11.5 hours) then we had a short layover and were back at home by 4:15pm. Flying first class was great again. Excellent food and I watched five full movies.
Again, thank you to everyone who posts on this forum. I learned so much for our trip. Thank you for reading this report. It was fun to write and it is nice to have a record of our trip.
We both had a wonderful time on our trip and when can I start planning our next adventure?
