After nearly a week in Prague we were onto Paris for the second week of our vacation. Our SmartWings flight was an hour late and when we arrived at CDG there was no sign of the taxi we had booked which was recommended by Paris Perfect. We called and were told the driver was there holding a sign with our name on it but after waiting awhile longer we called Paris Perfect to confirm the greeting at our apartment and took the next taxi in the que.

We arrived at the blue door of the Kir apartment and put ourselves and luggage in the small elevator. On the 6th floor we were met by one of the Paris Perfect staff who showed us "around" the apartment and provided directions on how most things work, what supplies were provided, where to take the trash out, how to open and close the sofa bed and showed us the small binder that was the instruction book for the apartment. It is just as pretty as in the photos on the Paris Perfect website but the bathroom is actually smaller than we thought. I don't know how they even got photos of it for the website. http://www.flipkey.com/palaisbourbon...entals/p89911/

We dubbed it the "Smartpartment" like the Smart cars we saw around Europe. It had everything we needed except extra space. The kitchen was small but well-fitted and made our own small kitchen at home seem huge by comparison. Over the week we decided the coffee maker should be replaced by a French press to make more room and they might have chosen a smaller size toaster. Paris Perfect provided lots of fluffy white towels and the bedding was very nice. We would find out that the sofa bed was surprisingly comfortable.

After unpacking we headed to an ATM, boulangerie and grocery store to stock up for the week. We have stayed in this neighborhood of the 7th near the rue St. Dominique on previous trips so knew our way around somewhat. Dinner that night was simple, just some cheese, fruit, bread and wine. A good start to the week.

Good apartment review. Hope you're continuing with your trip report. Can never have enough of Paris!

Thanks for posting the info. The more info we all have the better, even about Paris Perfect Apts.
And nice to know the lateness of your flight was a glitch but not a major problem.

I can never have enough of Paris either CW so here's more.

The first thing we had to do on Wednesday morning was laundry. Not what one usually thinks of for a first full day in Paris. We try to pack light so have begun to add a laundry morning and decided this would be it. The weather looked very cloudy so we thought if it rains we won't miss the touristing time.

As an aside, last night we wondered if we would keep the sofa bed out all the time or if it would be difficult to return to a sofa each morning. While DH was in the shower I put it away myself. This should be pretty easy all week. Four sofa cushions for the back and seat stay in place when unfolded and there is plenty of room in the large cupboards for the pillows and duvet.

Found a "laverie" listed in our Paris Perfect directory located on the rue Auguereau between the rue St. Dominique and the rue de Grenelle. Turns out it is across the street from the Hotel Londres Eiffel where we stayed in 2002. That was a little hotel room and the shower had no curtain but was about $100 a night at that time. That bath was bigger than the one in our apartment but at least the apartment overall is larger.

We loaded up 4 little washing machines, figured out the instructions and took turns walking in the neighborhood and watching the laundry. The clothes dryers were huge so we dumped all our clothes into 2 of them. After returning to the aparment with clean clothes and putting everything away we headed to find lunch.

I remembered La Terasse across from the Ecole Militaire. If you visit Paris and are at this Metro stop it is the cafe with red awnings and red plush seats inside. We were seated on the second floor with a nice view down the avenue. DH had a really good quiche and I had perfectly grilled fresh salmon.

We had a low-key afternoon strolling, napping and enjoying "our" neighborhood.

The next day we were ready for serious touristing. We started off planning to take the Batobus to Notre Dame for an inside visit which we have not done for several years. It was such a beautiful morning and we saw the top of the Eiffel Tower peaking above the trees that we decided to walk over and see how long the lines were. While walking through the park a man pulled the gold ring scam on us. I just said "Non, non, non, monsieur" and we kept walking.

The line for ET tickets wasn't bad so we decided to go to the top. The view was gorgeous. It was cold up there however but we were so glad we visited. We even picked out our apartment on the corner across the street from the red-roofed school.

When we came down we did finally take the Batobus after buying a 5-day pass. We don't like traveling underground when Paris is so beautiful and we have the time for a leisurely visit. We were ready for lunch by the time we arrived at the Notre Dame stop so went to Au Lys d'Argent which we discovered with family four years ago. It was just as good as we remembered. We wandered the Ile St. Louis and across to the right bank completely forgetting we planned to visit Notre Dame. Oh well, perhaps another day.

We brought home cheese and fruit for dinner and some amazing cookies from La Cure Gourmand on the Ile St. Louis. The shop was so beautiful with its buttery yellow exterior that we could not resist. The almond cookies were especially good. After dinner we walked over to see the sparkling Eiffel Tower show and end our second day in Paris.

Nice report and a good reminder of our recent wanderings in Paris. thanks for the effort.

I am enjoying going back to Paris with you. We always stay on Ile St. Louis, but have been tempted to stay in your area. Maybe next time.

Good to know....we stay in the Kir soon. Am relieved to know the bed is comfortable and not really surprised to know that the bathroom is tiny. I think we can manage and it is paid for now, so we will manage it.

Can't wait to read more.

WE are staying in Kir apartment in May so this is good info. We also like to have lunch at Le Terasse....ate there quite a few times two years ago. Good creme brulee. We only treat ourselves to that when in Paris.

denesea,

We liked the Kir apt. It fit our budget and for a week it was fun. Makes our own small house seem huge by comparison. A couple things the photos do not make clear; one the kitchen counter is filled by small appliances so the only work space is on and next to the cooktop. Internet connectivity was good and they should have the cable box for the TV fixed by the time you are there . . . it was out for our last 2 days. Also the view from the windows shown on the website is what you see if you look out the windows to the right. Looking straight out the windows you see the roof of the school and apartments across the Avenue de la Bourdonnais. Not bad just not exactly what is shown on the web. I hope you enjoy your stay.

Sorry I missed the creme brulee Cornelius. I love creme brulee!

I should also mention dinner at the Cafe Rousselin at the end of our lowkey first day. DH's stomach was a little sensitive that day (this is usually my problem) and all he wanted was a little chicken after a nice walk on the rue de Grenelle. Service was good and the roast chicken perfect and juicy. Dinner for 2 was 35 euros, no wine this night. Sometimes you just need a simple meal in a pleasant place.

I know what you mean about a simple meal and no wine...sounds good.

I knew that the view of the ET was looking to the right, but not that important to me. This is our first apt in Paris.

We looked at a few other small ones (also in our budget, but barely), but none were available during our vacation. We will not cook, so I am not concerned about counter space. Just want to have a lite snack or breakfast from time to time at the apartment. Is there any chance of ice in the fridge/freezer or is it fridge only? I am very American in that regard and miss ice when we are in Paris...need it for my Coke light!

Hi Denisea,

There is a small freezer with ice cube trays in the Kir apartment. That was very handy to have.

There is not really a view of the ET to the right unless you are about 6ft 5. At only 5ft 2 I could not safely lean that far. ;-)

S.

Friday out of Paris

There was a Rick Steves Paris 2010 book in the apartment and we used it and France magazine that we brought from home to plan a trip to the Chantilly Chateau on Friday. DH's knee has been bothering him (we both have a little arthritis) so we sprung for a cab to the Gare du Nord and from there it's about a 25 min train ride to Chantilly. Once there we looked for the Tourist Office which Rick recommends as well as a shuttle to the Chateau. The friendly lady in the T.O. said there is no shuttle so we decided to walk through town to the Chateau. We had a very nice lunch at a bistro called Sylvia and see cute shops along the way. We took lots of photos of the grounds of the chateau as we approach along side the huge stables. We walked further in the gardens and toured the chateau which has a beautiful two-story library. By now my back is starting to hurt. When it was time to head back to the "gare" we ask at the chateau entrance about a shuttle . . . I ended up helping the young woman read the schedule and it seems there is no shuttle that day for some reason that is never made clear. So we walked back to the gare on a path through the woods about 2 kilometers. We are hurtin' now. We finally ended up at the gare and the kind SNCF gentleman directs us to an earlier train and voila we are back in Paris.

At the gare du Nord we take a taxi to Angelina on the rue de Rivoli for a "photography assignment". We thought about eating there but the wait looked long. So we went to the food court under the Louvre. We were tired and just wanted some dinner and to head back to the apt. We missed that there was a Paul cafe near the pyramid or would have eaten there--we ate at one in Prague and it was quite nice. Dinner at the Louvre was mediocre but we were too tired to care.

We came out of the Louvre and headed to the Batobus stop and after waiting awhile realized it was past 7pm and our brochure says the service stops at 7. We waited a little longer because we saw a Batobus on the other side of the river but finally decide to cross to the left bank and hope for a taxi at the Musee d'Orsay or we will walk home. Usually not a bad walk but on this night we were sore and tired. After we crossed the bridge, there it was, the Batobus just at the Louvre stop. Sigh. We wait at the stand and a man ahead of us gets a taxi so we had hope. After a few more minutes a taxi comes! We were home shortly and it was worth every Euro.

Chantilly was lovely but I liked Vaux-le-Vicomte (which we visted four years ago)better. It was nice to get out of Paris for a day especially on a beautiful day that showed off the fall colors.

It was supposed to warm up to nearly 60 degrees and be clear on Saturday but it was really very cold and cloudy when we left the apartment. The top of the Eiffel Tower was obscured by clouds. We were bundled up while on the Batobus and heading to Notre Dame. Turns out many hundreds of other people had the same idea. It is a beautiful cathedral but I had never seen it so crowded. After visiting the inside we had an early lunch at a little cafe on the street behind the Notre Dame. We think it is called Cafe Esmeralda and we remembered having hot chocolate there on a previous trip. There are lots of tourist shops and restaurants on this street but this cafe has pretty good food and professional staff.

We wandered purposefully across the left bank to find the Arenes de Lutece. This is a Roman arena that was discovered about 1870. It's off our usual tourist track and a bit of a trek but interesting. We also passed the Pantheon. The bummer of it was that the uphill walk further aggravated a tweak to my achilles that happened on the cobblestones in Prague.

Then we floated back down the Seine to the Louvre for an inside visit. Frankly I don't know why we keep trying to see this place. It is an unending maze (we still talk about the time we got lost there in 1996 making an endless circle through the Napoleon III apartments) and today was not much better. TT then suggested this time we choose one or two works we wanted to see and find those. We focused on sculpture and saw the Venus de Milo and Cupid and Psyche. Winged victory is my favorite work at the Louvre but we gave up on it today.

Found a lovely gift in the museum store and a couple of souvenirs on the Rue de Rivoli before returning to our neighborhood by Batobus. We picked up a baguette and fruit, already had cheese in the apartment for a quiet dinner. We thought we would try the Musee d'Orsay or Rodan Museum on Sunday, both easier to deal with than the Louvre.

Wonderful, Scootoir. Your Batobus appearing just after you'd gone to the other side sounds like the kind of thing DH and i experienced with busses.

The apartment looked really nice.

Yippee! Ice in the apartment...I know, I know! It's my thing.

Enjoying your report.

Then we floated back down the Seine to the Louvre for an inside visit. Frankly I don't know why we keep trying to see this place. It is an unending maze (we still talk about the time we got lost there in 1996 making an endless circle through the Napoleon III apartments) and today was not much better>>

we got terribly lost last time we went to the Louvre - I thought we'd be stuck in the Egyptian area forever, and end up looking like one of the mummies there!

Am enjoying your adventures, and want to read more. not sure I'd have been able to put up with such a small apartment though, especially the kitchen - it doesn't sound as if there was much room to do any actual cooking!

Thanks for your all your comments.

Annhig--love the mummy picture you've painted. Glad to know we are not the only ones who get lost in the Louvre. I think there is a movie there . . .

We had not planned to cook exactly but to fix food. So we made our breakfast in the morning and assembled dinners in the evening. With great fruit, cheese, wine and bread we were happy to relax in the apartment with a fairly inexpensive dinner some nights. I could have cooked in that space, I have very little counter space in my home kitchen and have learned to adapt. I would have put all the appliances in the big cupboard in the living room to clear space.

Sunday in Paris

We slept late today and then hopped the Batobus to the stop at Notre Dame. What a beautiful fall morning. We crossed a couple of bridges and made our way to the Marais. We had not wandered these streets much although we have visited the Place des Vosges in the past. We had read that many stores were open here on Sundays and not Saturdays because it is historically the Jewish neighborhood. We found the memorial to the righteous who assisted Jews during the Nazi occupation of France; very moving.

We wandered more streets until we came to the rue de Rosiers and the Sacha Finkelsztajn boutique where DH bought some cookies. Across the street I found a shop that sold beautiful soaps and lotions made from Dead Sea minerals. There were lots of families out and it seemed rather festive. We walked further to the Place des Vosges which must be the most beautiful square in Paris. We sat on a bench enjoying the trees and sun and watched children playing. One little girl and her mother walked by us and we played the usual 1-year-old games of waving and peek-a-boo, no French needed.

We wandered our way back to the river and took the Batobus to the Louvre stop. Crossing the river we wanted to visit the Musee d'Orsay if it wasn't too busy. Well no problem with overcrowding at the Orsay--it was closed due to a strike. We walked further to the Rodin Museum and paid only 1 Euro each to enter the garden as it seemed kind of late to do the whole museum. We had tea and hot chocolate in the garden along with a few macarons. We enjoyed this garden cafe a few years ago on a 90 degree day and it was just as pleasant on a late fall afternoon.

We walked home and purchased a few things for our dinner. After dinner we strolled over to the watch the lights sparkle on the Eiffel Tower which happens every evening on the hour.
A delightful end to the day.

Those pesky French strikes! Hoping there are non while we are there in a few weeks!