Sandi_travelnut's Trip Report: Paris, Switzerland & Italy with parents in tow....
Jan 2nd, 2005, 12:37 PM
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Sandi_travelnut's Trip Report: Paris, Switzerland & Italy with parents in tow....
A bit of history before I begin. My husband son and I have been to Italy before and my husband and I to Paris as well. My parents have been on cruises but never traveled outside the US to Europe. This is their 50th wedding anniversary and because of that, and the fact that right now they are both in good health and my husband and I were going to be traveling anyway, we decided to take them along.
My parents are both 69 years old and my Mom had both her knees replaced a couple of years ago. She cannot walk long distances without stopping to rest often. My husband, son and I are used to a lot of intense walking on our vacations, which we really enjoy. It was not uncommon on out last trip to Rome to walk from the Vatican to Trastevere so walking very slowly and stopping often took some getting used to but that was fine. At times, my Mom did push herself (not at our request) to go further. She was able to walk from Place de Concorde to the Arc in Paris (only stopping a couple of times) then up to the top of the Arc. She was very proud of herself, and we were as well.
I took about 8 months to research the trip, taking their request to see as many countries as possible within the time allotted (Dec.17 – Jan1). We decided on Paris, train through Switzerland and spend the night in Montreux then train to Venice, Florence and Rome.
I purchased a 3 country 5-day SelectPass for 1st class travel. First class because I wanted the most comfort for my parents and because I was hoping it would give more luggage space. I had pre-purchased a Channel Tunnel ticket and the tickets from Paris-Montreux and Montreux to Venice. The rest of the tickets were purchased at the individual stations the day before they were needed.
My brother donated over 100,000 airmiles to give them free business class seats. He originally had them in first class all the way but about 3 weeks before the trip, AA and British did away with first class on the routes we had booked, so he got back about 50,000 miles.
My parents are both 69 years old and my Mom had both her knees replaced a couple of years ago. She cannot walk long distances without stopping to rest often. My husband, son and I are used to a lot of intense walking on our vacations, which we really enjoy. It was not uncommon on out last trip to Rome to walk from the Vatican to Trastevere so walking very slowly and stopping often took some getting used to but that was fine. At times, my Mom did push herself (not at our request) to go further. She was able to walk from Place de Concorde to the Arc in Paris (only stopping a couple of times) then up to the top of the Arc. She was very proud of herself, and we were as well.
I took about 8 months to research the trip, taking their request to see as many countries as possible within the time allotted (Dec.17 – Jan1). We decided on Paris, train through Switzerland and spend the night in Montreux then train to Venice, Florence and Rome.
I purchased a 3 country 5-day SelectPass for 1st class travel. First class because I wanted the most comfort for my parents and because I was hoping it would give more luggage space. I had pre-purchased a Channel Tunnel ticket and the tickets from Paris-Montreux and Montreux to Venice. The rest of the tickets were purchased at the individual stations the day before they were needed.
My brother donated over 100,000 airmiles to give them free business class seats. He originally had them in first class all the way but about 3 weeks before the trip, AA and British did away with first class on the routes we had booked, so he got back about 50,000 miles.
Jan 2nd, 2005, 12:38 PM
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The flight over:
We were on an extremely full AA 767. My husband is 6’4” and his knees were literally touching the tray in front of him. He had to remove the few magazines from the seatback pouch just to give him an extra inch of room. Fortunately my parents are flying in Business class (thanks to my brother’s generosity with his air miles) so I didn’t need to be concerned with their comfort. I know things will always get better and after my husband discovered that his headphone jack didn’t work and his tray was not only covered in a very sticky substance, it was broken..I welcomed looked forward to the better part…just 5 more hours until we land.
During the flight, my Dad came back to offer to buy us a drink. He talked about the multi-course meal they were having and about the individual DVD players. I later walked up to the front to see them. They were completely stretched out having a grand time. My Mom told me again about the 5-course meal that took them over 2 hours to eat. I’m glad they get to experience travel, in this way. I was a bit jealous though.
Landed at Gatwick, went thru customs in a flash and found the connection to the Thameslink train in the South terminal of the airport. Our original plans were to stay in London a couple of days before moving on to Paris. I bought the airline tickets, and then we changed plans. That’s why we landed in London and went right on to Paris.
We switched trains at the London Bridge stop and went on to Waterloo East..up a few ramps and we were at Waterloo International. Very easy. We had landed about 10am and I had the choice of a 1pm-ish Channel Tunnel train or a 3-ish train. I didn’t know (obviously) about delays with the plane or customs or getting our bags so I played it safe with the later train. We could have easily made the earlier train, which meant we had 2 hours to kill in London. I did check to see if we could get on the earlier but they did not have enough 1st class seats available.
Since we had too many bags to deal with, we went in shifts outside to catch a glimpse of London by the London Eye. An easy walk outside (quite cold) and I was able to see London for the first time. Lovely view of the river, Westminster Bridge etc.. My parents were excited to see that little bit, so the extra time before the train turned out to be a plus.
From Waterloo Int’l we finally boarded the E.S. to Paris. First class was roomy and quiet and we enjoyed several interesting conversation with our young English and French servers. The meal they provided was ok, nothing even to write about.
Finally made it to Paris, got off with all our bags (my Mom is not a light packer even though I tried to convince her to scale down. This came back to haunt her and my Dad every time we got off and on the many trains ahead of us). Since SUV or van-sized cabs are almost non-existent in Europe we usually had to take 2 when we had all of our bags with us. Outside Gare Nord, we caught 2 cabs to our hotel at 9-11 Rue de Saint Jacques in the 6th. The ride was about 25e for each cab.
We were on an extremely full AA 767. My husband is 6’4” and his knees were literally touching the tray in front of him. He had to remove the few magazines from the seatback pouch just to give him an extra inch of room. Fortunately my parents are flying in Business class (thanks to my brother’s generosity with his air miles) so I didn’t need to be concerned with their comfort. I know things will always get better and after my husband discovered that his headphone jack didn’t work and his tray was not only covered in a very sticky substance, it was broken..I welcomed looked forward to the better part…just 5 more hours until we land.
During the flight, my Dad came back to offer to buy us a drink. He talked about the multi-course meal they were having and about the individual DVD players. I later walked up to the front to see them. They were completely stretched out having a grand time. My Mom told me again about the 5-course meal that took them over 2 hours to eat. I’m glad they get to experience travel, in this way. I was a bit jealous though.
Landed at Gatwick, went thru customs in a flash and found the connection to the Thameslink train in the South terminal of the airport. Our original plans were to stay in London a couple of days before moving on to Paris. I bought the airline tickets, and then we changed plans. That’s why we landed in London and went right on to Paris.
We switched trains at the London Bridge stop and went on to Waterloo East..up a few ramps and we were at Waterloo International. Very easy. We had landed about 10am and I had the choice of a 1pm-ish Channel Tunnel train or a 3-ish train. I didn’t know (obviously) about delays with the plane or customs or getting our bags so I played it safe with the later train. We could have easily made the earlier train, which meant we had 2 hours to kill in London. I did check to see if we could get on the earlier but they did not have enough 1st class seats available.
Since we had too many bags to deal with, we went in shifts outside to catch a glimpse of London by the London Eye. An easy walk outside (quite cold) and I was able to see London for the first time. Lovely view of the river, Westminster Bridge etc.. My parents were excited to see that little bit, so the extra time before the train turned out to be a plus.
From Waterloo Int’l we finally boarded the E.S. to Paris. First class was roomy and quiet and we enjoyed several interesting conversation with our young English and French servers. The meal they provided was ok, nothing even to write about.
Finally made it to Paris, got off with all our bags (my Mom is not a light packer even though I tried to convince her to scale down. This came back to haunt her and my Dad every time we got off and on the many trains ahead of us). Since SUV or van-sized cabs are almost non-existent in Europe we usually had to take 2 when we had all of our bags with us. Outside Gare Nord, we caught 2 cabs to our hotel at 9-11 Rue de Saint Jacques in the 6th. The ride was about 25e for each cab.
Jan 2nd, 2005, 12:50 PM
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We stayed at Hotel Henri IV Rive Gauche and we realized that the address (9-11) was confusing the cab drivers. This is because there are 2 doors (only one is used though) to the hotel. One has 9 above it the other has 11 above it. So it's really 9 thru 11. I said (in French) I guess what sounded like I meant 911 rue de Saint jacques and they argued that there was not such address. Anyway...I like the hotel very much. My husband son and I had an adequately roomy triple and my parents had a double on a higher floor. The hotel also had a lift. I went to see their room and they threw opent the windows to reveal the full view of St. Severin which was across the street. It was a fantastic view. We had an inner corridor view, nothing of the street.
My parents decided to retire, my son hit the shower so my husband and I hit the street to see the neighborhood. My husband and I were in Paris 2 years ago but this was my son's first time, he is 16. We walked down the very touristy rue de petite pont to see what we could quickly grab to eat. We settled on a couple of huge gyros (4.5e each) and brought them back to the hotel. We ate and retired at 10pm.
My parents decided to retire, my son hit the shower so my husband and I hit the street to see the neighborhood. My husband and I were in Paris 2 years ago but this was my son's first time, he is 16. We walked down the very touristy rue de petite pont to see what we could quickly grab to eat. We settled on a couple of huge gyros (4.5e each) and brought them back to the hotel. We ate and retired at 10pm.
Jan 2nd, 2005, 03:02 PM
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Good report. I am waiting for the rest. It is too bad that you could not get your tickets changed and land in Paris, but it appears that you managed just fine. I must admit when I first started to read the report I was thinking why did she buy chunnel tickets.
Jan 2nd, 2005, 10:18 PM
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sandi travelnut - Love it so far. How generous of your brother to donate the miles for the Business Class seats.
I for one would like to hear all the boring daily details. Please continue as you have begun.
Thanks.
Sandy
I for one would like to hear all the boring daily details. Please continue as you have begun.
Thanks.
Sandy
Jan 3rd, 2005, 04:50 AM
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Hi sandi,
Lovely anniversary present.
>She was able to walk from Place de Concorde to the Arc in Paris (only stopping a couple of times) then up to the top of the Arc. She was very proud of herself, and we were as well.<
I can tell that you were very concerned about not overdoing it.
For future reference, may I remind you that it is *downhill* from the Arc to Pl de Concorde.
Look forward to more.
Lovely anniversary present.
>She was able to walk from Place de Concorde to the Arc in Paris (only stopping a couple of times) then up to the top of the Arc. She was very proud of herself, and we were as well.<
I can tell that you were very concerned about not overdoing it.
For future reference, may I remind you that it is *downhill* from the Arc to Pl de Concorde.
Look forward to more.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 02:59 PM
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12/19/04 First full day in Paris -
Woke around 8am and hit the streets for breakfast. It was cold, rainy and very windy. You had to hold the ribs of the umbrella so it wouldn't turn inside-out. My parents said that they had been so exhausted by or plane/train travel day that they just couldn't get to sleep last night. That plus the weather started a terrible pattern of worry for me. I had to stop taking the weight of every incident on my shoulders. Everything would be fine...
We walked down the quai de Montebello to rue la grange to the 1st cafe we saw, Cafe Pannis. Trying to soften the culture shock again, I was pleased to see petit dejuner complet with coffee, juice, grapefruit, 2 kinds of bread a 2 eggs for 11.8e. Turned out well, but from now on we'd find cheaper and more authentic breakfasts.
From breakfast, we headed for the Louvre. We spent many hours there, wandering the halls as well as seeking out the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo etc. My son loves Egyptian art and artifacts found heaven in there as well. We eventually made our way to the cafeteria for a tasty piece of quiche. By the time we left it was 4pm.
We decided to eat close to the hotel in the St Michel area. The meal was..edible. I really wish this was more of a foodie review but alas..it is not.
My parents, however are having a really good time and are getting used to "Meri" and "Bonjour" etc..which made me very happy. They had seemed reluctant at home to attempt any such thing. We walked back to the hotel with a much bigger day planned tomorrow. My husband and I left my parents to rest and my son stayed in as well, and we headed to a jazz club we saw down the street called Cavern de la Hechette. It was so much fun, so unpretentious. It did have a stiff 10e cover charge but we needed a little fun of this sort. The bar was on the street level and a winding staircase takes you way down into the are with the band and dancefloor. The band was lively and everyone danced. We even danced to a slow song.
It's after midnight and I go to sleep knowing that the intimidation my parents felt initially is all but gone..good because tomorrow I choose the restaurant.
Woke around 8am and hit the streets for breakfast. It was cold, rainy and very windy. You had to hold the ribs of the umbrella so it wouldn't turn inside-out. My parents said that they had been so exhausted by or plane/train travel day that they just couldn't get to sleep last night. That plus the weather started a terrible pattern of worry for me. I had to stop taking the weight of every incident on my shoulders. Everything would be fine...
We walked down the quai de Montebello to rue la grange to the 1st cafe we saw, Cafe Pannis. Trying to soften the culture shock again, I was pleased to see petit dejuner complet with coffee, juice, grapefruit, 2 kinds of bread a 2 eggs for 11.8e. Turned out well, but from now on we'd find cheaper and more authentic breakfasts.
From breakfast, we headed for the Louvre. We spent many hours there, wandering the halls as well as seeking out the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo etc. My son loves Egyptian art and artifacts found heaven in there as well. We eventually made our way to the cafeteria for a tasty piece of quiche. By the time we left it was 4pm.
We decided to eat close to the hotel in the St Michel area. The meal was..edible. I really wish this was more of a foodie review but alas..it is not.
My parents, however are having a really good time and are getting used to "Meri" and "Bonjour" etc..which made me very happy. They had seemed reluctant at home to attempt any such thing. We walked back to the hotel with a much bigger day planned tomorrow. My husband and I left my parents to rest and my son stayed in as well, and we headed to a jazz club we saw down the street called Cavern de la Hechette. It was so much fun, so unpretentious. It did have a stiff 10e cover charge but we needed a little fun of this sort. The bar was on the street level and a winding staircase takes you way down into the are with the band and dancefloor. The band was lively and everyone danced. We even danced to a slow song.
It's after midnight and I go to sleep knowing that the intimidation my parents felt initially is all but gone..good because tomorrow I choose the restaurant.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 03:20 PM
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Really enjoying your report so far! Look forward to reading the rest.
"That plus the weather started a terrible pattern of worry for me. I had to stop taking the weight of every incident on my shoulders. Everything would be fine..."
This is the hardest part for me when traveling with my mom. I'm always so concerned about things going well and making sure she's having a good time, that I start worrying too much. Little by little, I've finally learned to relax, but it's not always easy. But it sounds like you made sure to keep a positive, I can't control everything, all will be well attitude!
"That plus the weather started a terrible pattern of worry for me. I had to stop taking the weight of every incident on my shoulders. Everything would be fine..."
This is the hardest part for me when traveling with my mom. I'm always so concerned about things going well and making sure she's having a good time, that I start worrying too much. Little by little, I've finally learned to relax, but it's not always easy. But it sounds like you made sure to keep a positive, I can't control everything, all will be well attitude!
Jan 3rd, 2005, 03:54 PM
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12/20/04 - Freezing temps and "American Coffee"
We woke a little earlier than the day before and met the folks in the lobby. Again, my Mom had not been able to sleep and we deduced that the Decaf coffe at dinner last night was probably not decaf at all. No more coffee after dinner. The temperature was below freezing as we noticed the ice along the curbs, but no precip and clear blue skies. Walked down the pont just in front of Notre Dame (I don't have my map with me to verify street names!) and found a nice cafe. Had the usual, croissant, jouice, coffe and a more hardy bread with butter. The waiter, although he spoke no English, was very polite, even helping us with our French and extremely accomidating when my parents made the first request for American coffee. They learned from this day on that you can ask for it, and it may even come in a bigger cup, but it's still not what they're used to.
After breakfast, we walked to Notre Dame where they had their first real cathedral experience. Notre Dame is a good place to start, I'd say. They loved it and seemed to be very moved.
From there we took the metro at St. Michel to the Eiffel Tower. It was absolutely freezing outside and incredibly crowded. Lots of families on Christmas holiday. Waited in line outside for well over an hour but finally made it to the top. We were so fortunate that there was no rain, or sleet although the skies were hazy. We were able to take our time pointing out the sites that we could find. We got some hot chocolate and made our way back to the first level to see this skating rink we had heard so much about and were planning to take a spin ourselves....what a joke!! Have you seen pictures of this thing? I will post them soon. It was large enough for only about 20 people at a time, the ice was not being groomed so it was full of gashes and there was a line all around the perimeter of that level. The tower website talkes about that it'll be festively decorated...a couple of disco lights here and there and some very loud dance music playing. We got a few pictures and had a good laugh.
We woke a little earlier than the day before and met the folks in the lobby. Again, my Mom had not been able to sleep and we deduced that the Decaf coffe at dinner last night was probably not decaf at all. No more coffee after dinner. The temperature was below freezing as we noticed the ice along the curbs, but no precip and clear blue skies. Walked down the pont just in front of Notre Dame (I don't have my map with me to verify street names!) and found a nice cafe. Had the usual, croissant, jouice, coffe and a more hardy bread with butter. The waiter, although he spoke no English, was very polite, even helping us with our French and extremely accomidating when my parents made the first request for American coffee. They learned from this day on that you can ask for it, and it may even come in a bigger cup, but it's still not what they're used to.
After breakfast, we walked to Notre Dame where they had their first real cathedral experience. Notre Dame is a good place to start, I'd say. They loved it and seemed to be very moved.
From there we took the metro at St. Michel to the Eiffel Tower. It was absolutely freezing outside and incredibly crowded. Lots of families on Christmas holiday. Waited in line outside for well over an hour but finally made it to the top. We were so fortunate that there was no rain, or sleet although the skies were hazy. We were able to take our time pointing out the sites that we could find. We got some hot chocolate and made our way back to the first level to see this skating rink we had heard so much about and were planning to take a spin ourselves....what a joke!! Have you seen pictures of this thing? I will post them soon. It was large enough for only about 20 people at a time, the ice was not being groomed so it was full of gashes and there was a line all around the perimeter of that level. The tower website talkes about that it'll be festively decorated...a couple of disco lights here and there and some very loud dance music playing. We got a few pictures and had a good laugh.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 04:00 PM
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Sandi, when I travel with anyone I tend to feel the responsibiity if everything is not perfect. My goal this year is to just stop that kind of thinking. We are not responsible for the weather, for someone not feeling well, for bland restaurants etc.
Think a lot of us that love traveling take on the role of first the TA and than the tour guide and consequently approach the trip as if it was all on our shoulders. Happy travels in 2005
Think a lot of us that love traveling take on the role of first the TA and than the tour guide and consequently approach the trip as if it was all on our shoulders. Happy travels in 2005
Jan 3rd, 2005, 05:13 PM
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From the tower we had planned that my parents would go to the Rodin, but it was closing in about 45 minutes. We headed back to the hotel and once on St. Michel my Mom and I did a little shopping at Promod. My husband told me later that when he was alone with my Dad, my Dad said "ya' know, I like this town". They were now at ease with being here.
While they were resting my husband and I ran down to Ste. Chapelle to see about a concert but they said the chapel was closed until tomorrow and no other information was posted about any upcoming concerts. My son had eaten a sandwich so wasn't hungry for dinner when we went, so we gave him permission to walk around while we were gone. I kept a brave face during dinner only to find out that he fell asleep watching TV and never left the hotel.
We had taken a cab to St. Germain to find a place to eat. Again a prix fixe menu but a little better than our neighborhood. The lambchops were good and my husband had some great salmon. We window shopped a bit and my Mom spotted a beautiful blouse for the upcoming anniversary party...we must come back.
Our day ended again at midnight and tomorrow is our last full day in Paris.
While they were resting my husband and I ran down to Ste. Chapelle to see about a concert but they said the chapel was closed until tomorrow and no other information was posted about any upcoming concerts. My son had eaten a sandwich so wasn't hungry for dinner when we went, so we gave him permission to walk around while we were gone. I kept a brave face during dinner only to find out that he fell asleep watching TV and never left the hotel.
We had taken a cab to St. Germain to find a place to eat. Again a prix fixe menu but a little better than our neighborhood. The lambchops were good and my husband had some great salmon. We window shopped a bit and my Mom spotted a beautiful blouse for the upcoming anniversary party...we must come back.
Our day ended again at midnight and tomorrow is our last full day in Paris.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 05:35 PM
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12/21/04- SNOW
My parents slept well and kept sleeping. My husband, son and I took off to find breakfast. We walked south on St. Jacques to St. Germain to a cafe on the corner. It was even more cold than the day before. So cold that I was having trouble catching my breath as we walked fast. The scarf had to pulled up over your mouth and nose. After breakfast we walked to the Pantheon. As we exited the Pantheon we saw a lovely site...SNOW. It was snowing big, fat flakes and had already blanketed the streets. What a fun surprise.
We continued into the Latin quarter on Rue Mouffetard(?) with the snow turning into sleet (and some of you laughed when I asked about taking silk long-johns..thank God I did). The sleet turned into rain as the day warmed slightly. We had been gone a couple of hours and decided to head back to the hotel via the metro. We found them enjoying a late breakfast at the hotel. The hotel was very accommodating to them since it was quite late in the morning.
We re-grouped and headed out together. We headed down to Ste. Chapelle. My Mom was almost in tears when she went in. She thought it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen..and that was just the lower chapel! She had to sit down when we went upstairs and she saw the windows. After that, I took my Mom on the metro back to St. Germain to go shopping. I believe the store was Infinity (?) on the corner of rue de Dragon and St. Germain. Beautiful clothes. She found a stunning blouse for her party.
Back to the hotel and met up with the boys. My husband and son walked to the obelisk while I took my parents in a cab. We met them there just as it was getting dark and festive. Right next to the obelisk was a ferris wheel all lit up. We walked up the Champs Elysees toward the Arc de Triomphe. There were lights in all the trees lining the streets. Along the way we stopped and had crepes. My Mom had to stop a few times but made it all the way to the Arc. Once we got there, we walked to the tope of the Arc to take in the view. It was a fantastic ending to our Paris visit. As we stood there marvelling at the lights on the street, the Eiffel Tower put on a light show.
I realize we did only a fraction of what there is to do, but we were happy and my parents were thrilled with the city and their experience.
Next stop, Montreux Switzerland.
My parents slept well and kept sleeping. My husband, son and I took off to find breakfast. We walked south on St. Jacques to St. Germain to a cafe on the corner. It was even more cold than the day before. So cold that I was having trouble catching my breath as we walked fast. The scarf had to pulled up over your mouth and nose. After breakfast we walked to the Pantheon. As we exited the Pantheon we saw a lovely site...SNOW. It was snowing big, fat flakes and had already blanketed the streets. What a fun surprise.
We continued into the Latin quarter on Rue Mouffetard(?) with the snow turning into sleet (and some of you laughed when I asked about taking silk long-johns..thank God I did). The sleet turned into rain as the day warmed slightly. We had been gone a couple of hours and decided to head back to the hotel via the metro. We found them enjoying a late breakfast at the hotel. The hotel was very accommodating to them since it was quite late in the morning.
We re-grouped and headed out together. We headed down to Ste. Chapelle. My Mom was almost in tears when she went in. She thought it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen..and that was just the lower chapel! She had to sit down when we went upstairs and she saw the windows. After that, I took my Mom on the metro back to St. Germain to go shopping. I believe the store was Infinity (?) on the corner of rue de Dragon and St. Germain. Beautiful clothes. She found a stunning blouse for her party.
Back to the hotel and met up with the boys. My husband and son walked to the obelisk while I took my parents in a cab. We met them there just as it was getting dark and festive. Right next to the obelisk was a ferris wheel all lit up. We walked up the Champs Elysees toward the Arc de Triomphe. There were lights in all the trees lining the streets. Along the way we stopped and had crepes. My Mom had to stop a few times but made it all the way to the Arc. Once we got there, we walked to the tope of the Arc to take in the view. It was a fantastic ending to our Paris visit. As we stood there marvelling at the lights on the street, the Eiffel Tower put on a light show.
I realize we did only a fraction of what there is to do, but we were happy and my parents were thrilled with the city and their experience.
Next stop, Montreux Switzerland.
