Hi everyone....thanks so much for all your help prior to our trip. It was wonderful and in return I am posting my report. (Disclaimers: My report is being pasted from Word and Fodors keeps turning my punctuation into question marks. DOes someone have a solution before I post the rest of the report? Also - please excuse typos. And lastly, our report is full of our personal opinions & experiences. We love France & hope you do too!

DAY ZERO ? Wed, May 7th

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Parked the car in the economy lot and caught the shuttle to the airport. Checked in with Air France ? our first taste of Paris. One of the reasons I like to fly Air France is that the flight attendants have wonderful French accents and it makes me feel like I?m already far, far away from home. It?s fun to check in & practice your French ? waiting to see whether they respond back in French or whether you?re ?busted? right away as they respond to another silly dreamer of an American in English.

The flight was rather unremarkable. I guess these days that?s a good thing. We left on time (10:15PM from Washington Dulles). The plane was a 777 ? set up with a 3-3-3- configuration. It was pretty full ? though luckily we had en empty seat between us. Despite that fact, neither of us was able to sleep a wink. Hubby even tried laying on the floor while I took all 3 seats?.but the flight attendant didn?t like that and made him get back up after a while. They served dinner before lights out, but we had already eaten ? so we just nibbled before we tried to sleep.

DAY ONE ? Thursday, May 8th

We landed at CDG around 11:30AM (right on time), passed through immigration, picked up our bags and walked right out within no more than 15 minutes. Pas de probleme! We walked out the door to the taxi area and voila ? no line! Then we hopped into a nice roomy Mercedes taxi and we headed into the city. Hubby fell asleep right away, while I just soaked in the scenery (not that the scenery near the airport is that great ---- but it?s fun to read the signs in French and start to get in the mood.) As we got closer to the city, he woke up; probably because I was poking him to ?look at this? and ?look at that? as I reminisced about previous visits. I couldn?t wait to show him everything as this was his ?virgin visit? to Paris. Traffic wasn?t terrible ? but it still took about 45 minutes to get to our hotel in the 6th ? the Artus Hotel (formerly Hotel Buci Latin).

As soon as our taxi stopped ? the manager of the hotel (Sanjay) ? was on the sidewalk to greet us & unload our bags - even before we had gotten out of the car. He was extremely welcoming & full of smiles. There was no paperwork to fill out (I had made our reservations via email) ? and we were just whisked up to our room in the littlest elevator you have ever seen. (Seriously ? it sunk when the second person got in and both of us are relatively small people!) Since it only fit 2 people, Sanjay took the stairs with our bags. There are only about 20 rooms in the hotel and when the elevator doors opened ? our room was the only one there. The door to each room was painted by a different art student in styles reminiscent of various French painters. Our door featured a wavy brown tree trunk with a royal blue swirly background. It made me think of Van Gogh.

The room itself was somewhat stark in that funky odd sort of style. The ceilings were extremely high with wooden beams across. We had two windows over looking a small street and a spacious up-to-date bathroom with toilet, large vanity and a bathtub with shower set-up. Two additional windows in the bathroom overlooked an inner courtyard. We quickly unpacked, broke the bed in (<grin&gt & then took a short nap. (Well ? hubby did ? I just lay there with my eyes closed. I was much too excited.)

We headed out to get a quick look at ?our? neighborhood. And it was just perfect. Our hotel was on Rue de Buci ? just down the street from the Buci market. The road curved just past our hotel and the street was full of people. We hadn?t eaten lunch yet, so we grabbed a quick baguette poulet & a Coke before walking around to get our bearings. The sandwich was so fresh & yummy that hubby decdided he liked Paris already. But it was getting late and we had a few things planned ? so we finished up and took a quick stroll around. We stopped in L?Eglise St Germain des Pres and peeked in lots of store windows. I also wanted to pick up some fresh flowers for the room. This would be my first real opportunity to ?practice? my French. This is always one of the highlights of any trip for me. I studied French in high school, spent six weeks in southern France as an exchange student between high school & college?.fell in love with France?.then minored in French in college (spending one summer studying at Montpelier)?and have been in love ever since. My French is pretty rusty (read VERY rusty) ? but I love the challenge of being able to communicate in someone else?s native tongue.

Anyways?I digress. We brought the flowers back to the room and then headed back out for a quick walk to the Seine. We held hands and strolled for a while - arm in arm with lots of pauses for kissing ? after all, we were in Paris. Since our pace was pretty slow and hubby?s foot was hurting, we decided to catch the Batobus (river taxi) to the Eiffel Tower. There is not a ?tour? per se (like on the Bateaux Mouches) ? but this was more fun as I could point things out to my husband in my own fashion. (They also give you a nice little guide to use if you want to). We passed by many of the ?now you know you?re in Paris? sights (like the Louvre & the Pont Alexandre and the Musee d?Orsay) and eventually arrived at the Eiffel Tower.

The last time I was in Paris was in 1997 (for World Youth Day ? Les Journees Mondiales de la Jeunesse) with the Pope and 1,000,000 plus visitors. Every time we were near the Eiffel Tower at that time, the place was just swarming with gypsies. This time it seemed almost deserted ? though there were small lines at each entrance. It was fun to wait in line and try to see how many different languages you could hear being spoken at one time. We bought our ticket to go all the way to the top. It wasn?t a sky blue bright day ? but it was clear ? so we figured we?d go for it. We didn?t stop to see the movie as it was getting late & we were tired, but we enjoyed the views from above ? Sacre Coeur, l?Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, the Seine. Now I knew we were really here!

There was also a military expo taking place at the foot of the Tour and along the Champs de Mars. When we first approached the Tour, we thought that security was high just because we are post 9-11. T here were military & police everywhere. But it turned out that there were displays by the military & various governmental & police groups ?with helicopters & planes & people rapelling. It looked pretty interesting and this was apparently the first time France has done anything like this. (Plus ? today was VE Day).

It was about 7:15PM when we descended and we had dinner reservations at 8PM. The Batobus had left the Eiffel Tower at 7PM for its last run of the night, so we caught a cab. Whoosh! I had forgotten what it was like to drive in the city! It took about 30 seconds flat to get back to our hotel in the 6th! Time to shower & shave & get ready for dinner. We had reservations at Rotisserie d?en Face. My daughter & I had eaten there twice in 1997 and it was our favorite place ? so I thought it would be a nice start to my trip with hubby. I also thought it would be a relatively familiar menu ? with comfort food like mashed potatoes - and maybe that would be a good idea after a long 36 hours without sleep.

It turned out that I was right on. The meal wasn?t 5 star ? but neither were the prices. The food was excellent ? the service good ? and it was a nice easy walk from the hotel.

We both ordered the 39E plat (though hubby had one dish with a supplement). Total bill with alcohol, service, etc was 127E. Here?s what we had:

Arugula Salad
Cold Zuchini & Tomato Soup

Rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes.
Shrimp & Zuchini Tempura with Crab Sauce (extra supplement)

Two Valrona Chocolate Moelleuxs

Two Decaf Coffees

1 demi bouteille of Pouilly Fume

The best part of the dinner was dessert - the same dessert my daughter & I oohed and aahed over 6 years ago. I think I would come all the way to Paris just for this dessert! Then coffee. I don?t even drink coffee at home, but the coffee in Paris?.ooo la la!! No need for cream. Just a little sugar. And then it?s just right!

Hubby could barely stay awake during dinner, but he enjoyed it and it was the perfect ending to a perfect beginning in Paris.

Side comment ? hubby liked that fact that the service was 15% compris. Ahead of time, he thought that would mean no incentive for good service, but we had excellent service everywhere we went - from the street corner café to the 3 star restaurant. The waiters in Paris are professionals ? not like at most places in the US. It?s not just a job you take til you get something better, but it?s a career in and of itself.

When we came out of the restaurant, it was finally dark (It stayed light each night til about 10PM) and it felt like we were on a movie set. The moon was bright in the sky ? the street so quiet you could hear a pin drop ? and the tall, old, quaint European buildings rose around us. Two lovers in the streets of Paris. We kissed and headed home for a long needed rest (etc ?etc ? etc) <grin&gt.

Very nice, Smyling, I am smiling too

DAY TWO ? Friday, May 9th

Well ? I hate to say it, but despite my well-laid plans ? we slept in til 10:45AM. I had every intention of getting up early each day to make the most of our time ? but we ended up sleeping late each day and then having a leisurely breakfast downstairs in our darling little breakfast room/lounge in the hotel. I didn?t stress out about it though as part of vacation for me is relaxing and just going with the flow. (I?m a pretty intense planner/scheduler at home ? so this was a nice break.)

Breakfast at the hotel was included in our rate ? so we ate there each day except one. Since we were such late risers, we often had the place to ourselves. It was kind of nice. The room was outfitted kind of like a ?Friends? type coffee house with colors of bright purple & yellow ? odd shaped chairs & couches ? and even a computer workstation in an alcove on the side. While hubby got caught up on the news with USA Today ? I got to read Le Figaro and check my email. To each his own. And we enjoyed our companionable silences like the almost 20 year married couple we are.

Breakfast was continental ? a basket of breads, croissants, pain au chocolat (my favorite!), plus yogurt and fresh squeezed oj?as well as coffee, hot chocolate, tea or café au lait.

After breakfast, we hopped on the Metro. It was oh so convenient with at least two stops within a block of the hotel - plus several more within another block or so. I could write paragraphs just about the Metro. It?s so convenient. The ?live? performers were wonderful. It?s easy to figure out. It?s different than at home (the doors don?t open automatically). Each station has it?s own décor & personality. And hubby loved all the posters in the Metro tunnels?especially the many posters of big-breasted women!

Anyway, our first stop of the day was to see ?Paris Story?. It?s a multi-media movie about the history of Paris. It?s narrated by Victor Hugo. It was kind of cheesy. I guess it?s hard to do hundreds (thousands!) of years of history in 30-45 minutes, but hubby thought it would be a good overview for him since he knew nothing about France & her history before this trip. The production was in French, but they had headphones so you could dial in whatever language you needed. The narration was done very well, so I enjoyed listening in French ? switching back to English when there were parts I couldn?t catch. And hubby thought it was a good intro for him. He commented several times during the week about things he had seen in the movie that we were now seeing in person.

When we exited the building, we realized we were across the street from the Opera Garnier. How beautiful! The day was slightly overcast, yet the gold atop the building still sparkled like someone had just finished shining it. But alas?.a visit here would have to wait for our next trip.

We hopped back on the Metro and headed over to Sacre Coeur. (Yes, I know our criss-crossing around town doesn?t seem to make a lot of sense geographically, but it worked for us.) We stopped in a few cute little shops on our way to the Funiculaire & bought some things for the girls. Then we took the Funiculaire up to the top. What a view, but we wished it had been a little more sunny. We stopped & read our guide books, then went on in. On my last trip, I happened to walk in just as Mass was beginning. I was just reminiscing about this as we entered the doors and God was smiling on me again as the same thing happened. We attended Mass (all in French) and felt so blessed to be in Paris. After Mass we walked around the building then stopped in the gift shop where I picked up a copy of the Lord?s Prayer and The Creed in French to bring home to frame for my bedroom wall.

After we left, we took a quick walk around Place de Tertes ? looked at the art ? it seemed pretty expensive ? but I wish now that I had bought something. We took the Funicular back down (noting the Metro Abbesses) and went back ?home? to the 6th. We decided to have a snack at the café on the corner ? Café Mabillon. This was to become one of our favorite things to do. It was in a great location with wonderful people watching. After the snack ? time for a quick nap as tonight was our ?big? Paris dinner at Les Ambassadeurs.

The first decision of the night was how to get there. I wanted to get a cab ? but hubby liked the Metro? So I buttoned up my coat (I didn?t want my flashy jewelry to show) and we hopped on the Metro. It was an easy trip and we came out right near the hotel (Hotel de Crillon). As we approached the hotel, we noticed about twelve bellmen, guards, etc. out front. It was rather intimidating, but I guess that was the point (ha!). We strolled on past like we knew what we were doing and entered the lobby. The entrance to Les Ambassadeurs was just to our right and we walked up the steps. We were immediately greeted as if this was our millionth visit to the restaurant. They took my coat and seated us before we even knew what hit us. I felt like the Queen of England. Now we have eaten at many of the top restaurants in the US ? in New York, LA, DC, etc? - and we have NEVER had service such as we experienced this night. I cannot really describe it except to say that we lacked for nothing. There was not a hint of the snobbery or condescension you sometimes find at home and we had every need taken care of almost before we knew we needed anything. It was unparalleled in our experience.

That being said, I would have to say that I wouldn?t need to do this again. The food was good ?in fact very good ? but not unlike what we have experienced at the top restaurants at home. And the ambiance was fairy tale like. Crystal and marble & mirrors & gold gleaming everywhere?.high ceilings?.a table overlooking Place de la Concorde?..champagne flowing?..only 20 tables?..and about twice as many wait staff as customers (and they were young, friendly & cute ? a plus in my book ? grin).. But the bill was 440E. For me, that was a little over the top. (More later on a meal that would blow this one away.) It was worth a once-in-a-lifetime experience ? but once was enough for me.

Here?s what we had in case you?re interested:

Two glasses of Taiitinger Brut champagne (from the ?round the world? rolling champagne on ice bucket? ? man I need one of those to greet me when I come home from work!)

Amuse Bouche:
Martini glasses with 4 layers (all different colors) of various ?mousses? ? cauliflower, avocado, lobster gelee & carrot (this was awesome & looked beautiful)

Entrees:
Prawn ravioli
Tomato, avocado, mango & crab millefeuille

Plats:
7 Hour Lamb with mashed potatoes (no knife needed it was so tender)
Turbot with dill & salt (the aroma was amazingly enticing)

Cheese Tray:
I wish I knew the names of the cheeses. The only one I recognized was Pont l?Eveque. I also had a good chevre and an incredible bleu that you can only get in France. (I didn?t want the same old same old that you can find in the US.)

Dessert:
Six Kinds of Chocolate Dessert (This was the highlight of the night for me?..ever heard of a food orgasm?!)

Wine:
We decided to stick with champagne. The sommelier was a woman (which I found unusual, though maybe it?s not) and she was very friendly & helpful. We decided on a bottle of Pommery Brut Royal (I forget which year) ? since we were headed to visit Pommery later in the week.

After dinner we floated home on Cloud Nine??well at least it seemed that way?.maybe we really rode home on the Metro.

DAY THREE ? Saturday, May 10th

After breakfast, we headed out. Today we started by walking through the 6th to the Latin Quarter and then across the bridge to Sainte Chappelle. I had missed this sight on my last trip and I wondered if it would really hold up to everything I had heard about it. Well ? it did! This was probably one of the highlights of our trip. The temperatures were relatively warm while we were there ? but it wasn?t particularly sunny. We caught a brief glimpse of the sun shining through the windows while we were there ? but I could only imagine what it would have been like in full-fledged sunlight. It was spectacular enough just with an average day. Pictures cannot capture the incredible beauty of the stained glass windows. Not even the professional cards & pictures sold in the gift shop there.

We didn?t buy the combination ticket for the Conciergerie on this trip ? but instead wandered through the flower market and then on to Notre Dame.

On my last trip, I visited Notre Dame ? but didn?t get a chance to climb up the towers, as the lines were always too long. This trip I was determined to meet the gargoyles in person. First we went on in to the Church. Our guidebooks came in very handy as we strolled around the different sites. We mostly carried three books: Eyewitness Access Paris, Fodor?s Paris and Top 10 Paris. We would each read the appropriate sections before we went in ? then trade books ? read again and then use them as guides as we walked through the sites. This worked well for us ? especially as many of the sites seemed to be out of English brochures. (My hubby speaks no French.)

As we started to walk around the church, we noticed that the center section was blocked off ? bummer ? we couldn?t get a head on view. It appeared that a wedding was about to begin. They had closed the center section, but we were still able to walk around the periphery. We paid the extra 2.5E to go into the Tresor - the little museum where the relics & reliquaries are. This was definitely worth it. Our priests back home would have loved to seen this! We saw the reliquary that holds the pieces of the Crown of Thorns and some of the chalices were really amazing.

We continued around the church and as we circled around the other side of the altar, the bride & her father came down the aisle. It couldn?t have been more picture perfect. (It must have been weird for them though to have all these tourists gathered around & staring open mouthed, but maybe they?re used to it.)

We got in line for the towers and only had to wait about 15 minutes. We climbed and climbed and climbed (me wondering if it would be worth it and hubby laughing at how out of shape I was) and finally reached the top. And it was SO worth it! The view was spectacular. And I couldn?t believe how high up we were. It didn?t seem that high from down below. But the best part was the gargoyles. They look so cold & intimidating from down below. But they were incredibly cute from up top. In fact, each one had its own little personality and I could almost hear them talking to me. (Hubby thought I was crazy, but they really were so unique and charming that you could picture them coming alive when the people weren?t around). We crossed to the other side and climbed up the bell tower. (And of course took the obligatory picture of hubby pretending to be Quasimodo).

And then we had two wonderful surprises. First, the bells from the other bell tower began to ring. They apparently are only rung about 10 times a year (for Easter, Christmas, etc..) ? but they were ringing today. It was soo cool! When they stopped, we headed down, down, down the winding spiral staircase. And as we walked out the rear of the tower, we came upon the wedding party. We were inside the gates?. along with the wedding party as they were preparing to jump into their cute little sports car and rev off. All the wedding guests were behind the gates on the public street side ? so we had the best view of them all! There were four cute little flower girls and two curly blond haired ring bearers. It was picture perfect and sol I started snapping. After they roared off, we walked out to the public area and I continued snapping pictures of the guests. The crowd was exactly what you would picture at a Paris wedding. Most of the women had beautiful outfits on ? but best of all were the hats! One lady had a hat that I swear was 3-4 feet in diameter. Since I love hats anyway, I was just in heaven. We never did make it to a fashion show at Galeries Lafayette ? but this was better than any fashion show I?ve ever seen. We talked to a few of the guests and could only determine that the groom was named Sebastian and the bride Geraldine and that they lived close to Notre Dame. We figured they either had to be important people or important donors as weddings at Notre Dame are apparently pretty rare. Since we were in Paris to celebrate our upcoming 20th Anniversary, we took this as a sign from God that we were being extra blessed this week!

After Notre Dame, we decided to walk over the bridge to Ile St-Louis. As we crossed the bridge, we realized that a crowd had gathered at the other end. Of course, we had to see what it was. It turned out to be one of the many street entertainers that you come upon all across Paris. This one happened to be a New Jersey comedian ? who juggled a knife, an apple and fire ? all while riding a unicycle. He was quite good and the crowd seemed to be enjoying him, so we watched for a while, then continued our walk around the island. There were lots of cute little shops and also many charming, intimate little restaurants. Oh to have the time and money to be able to try every restaurant in Paris! After our stroll, we walked back ?home?. We stopped in St Julien le Pauvre on the way back. A concert was scheduled for that night, but we decided we might be too tired. It was now 5PM and we realized we had forgotten to eat lunch, so a stop at ?our? café ? Café Mabillon ? was in order.

Watching the people go by was definitely interesting, but this night, watching the people in the café was more interesting. As we sipped our champagne and munched on our snacks, we noticed a couple sitting at the bar. I?m not sure why they caught our eye, but a few moments later, the girl got up on top of the bar and started dancing and pulling up her shirt & lowering her pants. She never did really show anything, but it was incredibly suggestive and she had a great body! Okay, now we definitely knew we wee in Paris! It turned out that she worked there as a waitress and was off duty. But she sure turned some heads - including my hubby?s! Well ? only in Paris!

After this, it was time for a nap before we went out for the evening. When we woke up, we weren?t too hungry since we had just finished lunch, so we took a long walk ? from our hotel ? down to the Seine ? across the Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris) ? past St Germain l-Auxerrois ? and back across the bridge to rue de Buci. We decided to try a different café for a snack this time and settled in at the Café Conti. While we were there, there was an awesome jazz band playing in the street just a bit down from where we were sitting. They were there to promote some kind of jazz fest in St. Germain and they were really hopping! The band had about eight pieces and they had the crowd swinging. Some of their selections cracked us up though. Mostly it was ?typical? jazz music. But then all of a sudden we heard ?Tequila? and then ?The Lion Sleeps Tonight? (except in French). This was more the kind of concert we were in the mood for ? better than the Mozart & Gospel concerts we had passed up earlier!

After our snack, we headed back to the hotel. One of things we liked about our hotel was the intimate gathering areas with couches & chairs in the lobby. There was a self-serve bar and full-length glass windows overlooking rue de Buci. We had a bottle of ?Pop? ? Pommery?s new line of champagne for young people. (I didn?t like it ? it was too sweet ? but hubby did.) Then we headed off to bed.

SUNDAY, MAY 11TH

This day we skipped breakfast at the hotel. I had chocolate on my mind, so we headed over to Angelina?s. I had been warned that there might be lines, but we walked right in and were offered a window table. Perfect! This was another place I had heard raves about, but wondered if they were true. Well, my verdict was ?yes? ? but hubby voted no. Maybe it was a girl thing?you know ? chocolate & all that. But I was in chocolate heaven! We both ordered the Chocolat Africain. It was basically a cup full of melted dark chocolate served with a big bowl of whipped cream. Oh man ? what a sugar high I probably had! We also ordered lunch/brunch ? and it was good too ? though it couldn?t hold a candle to the chocolate. Hubby had an onion & pepper omelet and I had a sandwich with goat cheese & Camembert plus a salad. The tables were close together and we ended up chatting with a nice lady from Verona, Italy (the home of Romeo & Juliet I think). She gave us her phone number and told us to call her if we ever come her way. (That will probably never happen ? but you never know.) (Total bill: 33E)

After brunch, we strolled along the street there and wandered in a few shops. (Since it was Sunday, most of the shops in ?our? neighborhood were closed.) Then we went to the Arc de Triomphe ? crossed under that incredible traffic circle ? and bought a ticket to the top. And yes, we did the stairs ? not the elevator. By this time, I was feeling my age! (Okay ? I?m not THAT old ? but I sure felt like I was!) The pictures on the museum level were pretty interesting. And the view from the top was pretty good in all directions. We climbed back down and took a look at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ? lit non-stop since the 1920?s. Pretty cool.

After l?Arc, we decided to stroll down the Champs Elysees?.the perfect thing to do on a Sunday. Just me & my honey?.all alone?on a street teeming with people from around the globe. We stopped at a café for a quick refreshing Coke and enjoyed watching the sea of humanity going by. I was happy as a clam ? people watching is one of my favorite sports. I like to notice different things?. like what kind of shoes people are wearing?..and do they really wear more scarves in Paris than at home?.and how many countries can you spot people from?..and how nice it is to see moms & daughters & girlfriends & grandmas all holding hands or walking with their arms entwined?.and how all the owners look just like their dogs?..and how long or short European men keep their hair?.etc.

After our Coke (and don?t you love how you can sit as long as you want without a waiter hassling you!), we continued our stroll - stopping to shop as the spirit moved us. The shops were mostly very touristy or very ?American? ? but since I love to shop that didn?t bother me. When we entered Sephora ? they had signs up about the upcoming ?Fetes de Meres? on May 25th and I realized that back at home today was Mother?s Day. Ha! Another excuse for shopping! And since I have the best hubby in ther world, he was of course very patient (he HATES to shop!).
We continued our walk all the way to the Pont Alexandre?.even more beautiful up close than it was from our view from the river. We snapped a few photos; then walked across & caught the Metro back to our hotel for our daily nap. (Taking a nap is such a wonderful luxury!)

The nap didn?t last too long as we had plans for Mass and then dinner afterwards. The church closest to our hotel happened to be St Germain-des Pres. It was just around the corner and it is the oldest church in Paris. It?s right next to Deux Magots and is also where Descartes is buried. I had checked out all the Mass schedules online for the churches I thought we might like to go to (Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, etc), but it turned out that St Germain had a ?Student ? Young Professionals? Mass on Sunday night and that sounded good to us. We weren?t sure what to expect, as we knew that the state of the Catholic Church in France is not what it once was. We figured the attendance would be pretty lame (especially among the young people), but we were pleasantly surprised. The Mass was packed ? a great big student choir ? chairs packed in everywhere and people sitting on the floor and standing wherever there was room. Some were dressed up. Most were dressed pretty casually. Some had their rollerblades tucked under their seats. The music was great and we had three young priests concelebrating ? plus a seminarian. It happened to be World Vocations Awareness Sunday and one of the priests shared his story of becoming a priest after having several jobs in the ?real? world - one of which was as a magician. He had a good sense of humor and the congregation seemed to really relate. Hubby kept asking me what they were saying because everyone kept laughing. It was pretty neat to be united in prayer with Catholics all around the world in a place where people had been worhsiping God for hundreds of years. A close friend of ours at home is getting ready to enter the seminary to become a priest, so it was pretty cool to know that in a sense people all over the world were praying just for him.

After Mass it was time for dinner at a place I had heard about from a guy I met in a restaurant in Paris six years ago. He told me about this great place to eat where they only have one thing on the menu and people wait in line to get in. Unfortunately, since it was so long ago, I couldn?t remember the name. But thanks to the Fodor?s message board ? I tracked it down. The restaurant is Relais d?Entrecote (I think there are two branches) and one turned out to be right near our hotel just a few streets away from the church (rue St Benoit).

I figured by now that hubby would be ready for ?regular? food (but still with some Paris ?style? for me though) and I was right. He LOVED it! We arrived around 8:30PM and got a table right away. Good thing though as within about 20 minutes a line formed and when we left around 10:30, people were still coming in. This was a Sunday night, so I can?t imagine what a Friday or Saturday must be like! Anyway, the only thing they serve is Steak Frites ? or ?Freakin Steak? as my hubby called it. All you need to tell them is which bottle of wine you want and how you want your steak and then kick back and enjoy. First came a green salad & bread. Then, the piece de resistance: nice tender slices of steak (entrecote) served with a wonderful greenish brown sauce ? and piles of frites! And don?t worry if it looks like a small serving. The waitress will come back with round two when you?re ready. They just don?t want the meat to get cold. After dinner we had dessert (a tarte framboise - just average) and coffee. Hubby was ready to eat here every night! Total bill inlcuidng coffee, dessert & a bottle of wine: 67E.

MONDAY, MAY 12TH

This was to be our last full day in Paris. Hubby finally decided he was brave enough to venture out on his own, so we made plans to start out together, split up & do our own thing and then to meet back at the hotel at 6PM. Hubby wanted to do one of the Fodors walking tours and I wanted to do some ?real? shopping.

First though, we had one thing we wanted to do together: visit the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. I had been there during World Youth Day and thought it the most beautiful of all the chapels/churches I had visited on that trip. Plus, we wanted to see St. Catherine Laboure. Hubby didn?t believe that she was still preserved in the chapel with her body intact.

I thought we?d take the Metro. but since it was a nice day we decided to walk. We arrived just as Mass finished and were able to go in and sit leisurely. The chapel is very small & beautiful and looked just the same as I remembered. There was a crippled man up on the altar praying and it was very moving to watch the faces of the people who were there and praying with such faith. We read about St Catherine, said a few prayers, bought some medals for the girls and then we headed out to ?do our own thing?.

I wandered my way back toward the hotel?stopping in many of the shops. There was a very wide variety of shops and prices along the way. The windows were extremely inviting and I probably could have spent the whole day just in the 6th! I like how the items in the window always have the prices displayed. It makes it easier to know whether you want to go in or not. I stopped in to Bon Marche, but felt like I was in a big store back home ? so I didn?t spend much time there. I eventually got on the Metro (which up til now had been incredibly easy to navigate) and decided to head over to the ?biggies? (Galeries Lafayette and Au Printemps). Well, I proceeded to get lost and spent about an hour on the Metro getting there! But every experience is worthwhile and I developed a great appreciation for the variety of musical entertainment available on the Metro. And when I say ?on the Metro? ? I don?t just mean outside the stations or even in the connecting tunnels- but on the trains themselves. We have a great Metro system where I live, but it?s not quite like Paris. On our Metro ? everyone looks the same. They wear dark suits, all look alike, never look at one another and God forbid that any music might be played. Well ? on this one trip alone ? I passed a German oompah band (dressed in these green short overalls I forget what they?re called), a blind guy playing a clarinet, a trumptet player, a sax player, a woman singing sultry nightclub type music and another clarinet player.

As wonderful as the musical entertainment was, I realized how long I had been down below when I exited the Metro into the bright sun and could barely see. First I decided to go to Au Printemps, but it wasn?t my style. The stores reminded me of Macy?s, Saks, etc in New York ? but with whole stores just for Women or Men or Housewares and each one taking up a whole block. I then went to Galeries Lafayette. I was getting hungry by this time, so I headed up to the top of the store where there was a café on the roof. The view was nice, but it was a little cold, so I went back down to the ?food court? area.

But this was no ordinary food court. There were homemade pastries galore, wine on tap, lots of hot meals - not just your usual choclate pudding in a cup cafeteria or fast food haven. Now don?t get me wrong, this wasn?t a 3 star restaurant ? but it was still better than what we?re used to at home. I grabbed a quick sandwich ( I love those fresh chicken baguettes instead of the processed meat you see at home) and sat down to eat. There were lots of tables and people just sat wherever. A lady came & sat down directly across from me, with a full steak & green bean meal, but try as I might I could never catch her eye to start a conversation. It was very weird! She gulped down her whole meal in about 10 minutes flat and then was gone. What a strange bird.

After my lunch, I browesed the store ? enjoying the lingerie department ? but not in the mood to try things on. I also liked the jewelry section. I had forgotten about the domed ceiling with stained glass and came upon it accidentally. It was beautiful.

By this time, I was a little tired of department store shopping, so I wandered back to the Metro and back to ?my? neighborhood. Despite walking through & looking in the windows many times so far, I had always been with hubby and hadn?t had a chance to really ?shop?. I finally made a few purchases at a store just down the street from the hotel. It was a teeny, tiny shop that sold scarves & jewelry mostly, but they had a rack of jeans in the back (not the same old ones we have at home, but fun ones with lace & other things). Another American was in the store when I arrived and was asking all sorts of questions (in English) of the girl who worked there. When she was done, I chatted with the girl who worked there (in French) and went to try on the jeans. We yakked back & forth (in French) in between her assisting the other lady (in English) and I got a kick out of being able to ?fake? being French. I?m sure she knew I wasn?t, but it was one of my trip highlights!

I then headed over to Monoprix. What a great store for the money ? sort of a combination of your local grocery store & Wal-Mart & department store & Home Depot. I bought a few things for the daughters (jewelry & candy & a leather purse) and then continued my shopping until I ran into l?Eglise St. Sulpice. I took a quick look around ? enjoyed the de la Croix fresco and the huge organ (my mother-in-law is a professional organist). And then it was time for more shopping and back to the hotel to meet the hubby.

Well, hubby was fired up. He was so proud of himself for spending the whole day without me ? on his own in a city where he didn?t speak the language. It has been quite the role reversal on this trip for us. At home, hubby is very friendly & outgoing, He talks to everyone he meets. He?s the kind of guy who knows all the checkout people at the grocery store by name. He knows all their children?s names. And when he asks someone how they?re doing, he really wants to know. I am usually much more introverted. Though a very opinionated, active person ? I am much more dependent on him than he is on me. Things have been the opposite on this trip. Since I am the one who speaks the language and I am the one who is always the trip planner and this is ?my? dream come true trip ? I have been in charge the whole time. He has been very dependent upon me, especially in situations where people don?t speak English. And he hasn?t been able to be his usual gregarious self. So when we got back together, I couldn?t stop him from talking. It was quite cute!

When we split up at the Chapel, he went back in to absorb things a little more. (He?s very interested in all the history & details of everything we see and I always rush him along because my attention span is not what his is. So this was his chance to do things at his own speed.) After that, he too hopped on the Metro ? and unlike me, had no problem getting where he wanted to go. He did a walking tour that started out at Park Monceau. He very much enjoyed it and spent about an hour and a half following the path set out in the book. At some point, he picked up food from a street vendor ? but then decided he had to go to the bathroom. This was his version of when I wasted all that time on the Metro. He thought that paying for a bathroom was just about the stupidest thing in the world and despite the fact that we had paid almost $500 for dinner a few nights before, was determined to find a ?free? bathroom. So he wandered & wandered & wandered. Between the language difficulty and not knowing his way around, he wandered so long that he didn?t have to go any more. So he decided to go back to the Eiffel Tower to see the movie we had missed seeing before & he hopped back on Metro. All this time, he?s carrying around his baguette sandwich and his Pepsi and when he gets off, he knows that now he REALLY has to go to the bathroom! He looks up and sees the Hilton Hotel and thinks, ?aha, I now they?ll have a bathroom and I know they?ll speak English and since the hotel is American ? maybe the bathroom will be free.? So he goes there (literally!) Ya know ? it?s all about bathroom talk for guys, isn?t it!

SO, after that?s all taken care of, hubby goes back o the Eiffel Tower, sits down on the Champs de Mars & has his lunch in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Once he finished,he bought a ticket for the first level and went to see the movie we missed on our last visit. He has always been fascinated about how buildings & towers like this were built back in the days before computers & the equipment we have now ? so he thought this was great.

After the Eiffel Tower, hubby headed back to Notre Dame on a double decker train on the Metro (perhaps the RER?). Are you noticing a pattern here? Poor hubby was rushed through everything by his wife earlier in the week and now he?s going back to do things at his own speed. While he was there, he decided to go to Confession. Most of the churches we saw had glassed-in confessionals (they looked like glass offices) where the priest sat at a desk facing out and the person sat across the desk with their back to the public area. Each priest who is hearing confessions would hang a sign up with his name and what language they could hear confessions in. The one my husband went to was hearing confessions in 5 languages. Almost every church we went to had someone there hearing confessions and people waiting in line. I thought that was pretty cool. (And even cooler ? the priest advised him about the strike scheduled for the next day and apologized to him for it! Good thing he warned us so we could call a cab early!)

After that, he headed back over to see Sainte Chapelle again. He took the time to look at each window and read about each person from the Bible that was depicted. This time, he bought the full ticket and he went through the Conciergerie where Marie Antoinette was held before her execution. (By the way, a side note here. Before we left for Paris, we were doing some reading with our 12-year-old daughter and telling her about some of the places we?d be visiting. She decided the read some of our guide books and she read about how the guillotine was invented in France. Since she already has an Eiffel Tower souvenir, she asked us to look for a mini-guillotine as her souvenir since that would be really ?different?. So, obedient parents that we are, we asked in each tourist shop we entered whether they had any ?guillotines?. Of course no one did (we didn?t expect them to), but I bet no one had asked them that before. We got lots of laughs out of it though.

After this, hubby headed back & we caught up for a few minutes in the lobby before we went to dinner. It was our last night in Paris and hubby wanted to go back to Rotisserie d?en Face since he had been too tired last time to really enjoy it to the fullest. So back we went ? asking for a table in the front room this time for a change of pace. We again got the 39E plat and enjoyed it even more than last time. (Total bill 116E). Several of the things we ordered were from the daily specials on the board (which they didn?t mention to us either time ? but we had noticed). Here?s what we ordered:

Two mesclun salads ? toast with goat cheese mousse on top (Awesome!)
Rotisserie chicken & mashed potatoes (hands off my potatoes this time hubby!)
Beef & snow peas
Two moeulleux chocolats
? bottle red for hubby
? bottle Sancerre for me (I love being able to just get a half bottle. It?s rare at home!)

Then we slowly wandered back to the hotel?trying to make our last night in Paris last and las

TUESDAY, MAY 13TH

Packed up. Checkout was at noon. Today was to be the big strike affecting metro, etc?so we had asked Sanjay yesterday to call a taxi for 2PM today to take us to Les Invalides to pick up our rental car. We could have probably walked, but not with all the luggage we had. They brought our bags down & held them for us so we could do some last minute shopping and sightseeing. I scooped up a few last souvenirs, took hubby over to see St. Sulpice, picked up some baguette sandwiches (to go) & wine and then it was time to meet the taxi. It was right on time. I was pretty surprised. I thought that with the strike going on, the cabs would be really busy & unreliable.

Anyways, we headed over to Les Invalides. The cab driver was super nice and once again I enjoyed practicing my French. On my other trips to France, I have never traveled with another adult. Traveling with another American on this trip meant that I had done less ?chatting? with the people I met ? so I enjoyed the cab trip for this reason. The driver said that things on the Left Bank were still relatively busy, but that the Right Bank had been absolutely dead ? even with the strike. He gave us directions for how to catch the A4 to Reims from the rental place. And then he was off. We went inside, filled out the paperwork and walked two blocks down to the garage to get our car. We loaded up the luggage and then realized we were missing our hanging bag. Drat! That meant heading back to the hotel & having to drive through Paris traffic before we got out of town. Oh well ? just another adventure.

Hubby drove & I navigated. This worked out well. I don?t know how anyone could both drive & navigate at the same time. But it?s a good thing he was used to driving rush hour traffic in Washington DC. We pulled up in front of the hotel and I rushed in, got the bag, got new directions to the A4 and within minutes we were on the road again.

Only to be stopped a few blocks later by the police. Nope, not a traffic ticket (phew!) ? but la greve (the strike)! The roads were closed and more than a million people were demonstrating. Zut! So we found an alternate route across the river and headed on out ? pas de probleme. By this point we were pretty hungry, so we just chowed our sandwiches in the car. (So much for my idea of getting out of the city & having a picnic.) The good news about la greve for us was that the first two toll booths had workers on strike too and they just waived us on through without collecting a toll.

The climate and scenery soon began to change and it was incredibly beautiful. There were storm clouds and blue skies and rain and bright sun - all within the same panorama. The land became hillier and the vineyards & farms & flowers were beautiful. There were fields of asparagus (oh I?m in heaven!) and fields of those yellow flowers they use to make oil (I forget what they?re called). The speed limit was 130km (110km if it?s raining). About an hour and 15 minutes later, we hit our exit for Reims and seconds later we arrived at our destination for the next 2 nights ? Les Crayeres. This was our big ?splurge? to celebrate our Anniversary.

Well, I now know what it would have been like to be a Queen. And the Queen had arrived! Oh my gosh - how to put the experience into words. I don?t think I?m up to the task.

We arrived on Tuesday. This is the one day of the week that the kitchen is closed ? meaning that everything was pretty low key. This was good as hubby is a pretty laid back kind of guy (the kind who is happy to wear the same jeans & t-shirt for 10 days straight) and he?s not as into these kind of experiences as I am. Anyways, we pulled up in front of the chateau (I?m not sure I?d really call it that ? but it was grand). The American flag, along with the French flag and the Champagne/Ardenne flag, was flying out front. We walked in and were whisked right up to our room by a charming lady who spoke beautiful English. We had reserved the least expensive room as our big splurge was going to be our dinner the following night, so I wasn?t sure what to expect.

Well, all I have to say is that I can?t imagine what the most expensive room would have been like. After being in a ?Paris? sized room (which was actually big for Paris) ? for the past 5 nights, this was like having a whole hotel to ourselves. We walked into the foyer area ? where there was a mini-bar and nice spacious wardrobe. Then we came into the bedroom ? a huge corner room with 4 windows, a king sized bed, wardrobe with TV & DVD player, plus chairs, coffee table & secretary. Back to the foyer to check out the bathroom (where I would end up spending LOTS of time!) It was light & bright ? with several windows, a HUGE bathtub (including shower set-up), separate commode area (with requisite bidet), spacious marble double vanity and another closet. The furniture was all antique looking, but we also had every modern amenity. The windows looked out on two views?one of the grounds of the château and one across the street to the Pommery vineyards/grounds. It was a perfect retreat after the frenzy of Paris.

We quickly unpacked so we could take a stroll around the grounds. We walked downstairs (noting the red velvet wallpaper on the hallway walls), through the reception area, through the bar area and out the back door. We felt like we had the place to ourselves. The hotel only has 19 rooms, but to this point we had not seen another soul (other than the few employees around). So out we stepped to the rear of the château and the most beautiful panorama. Ahead of us was an expansive green lawn as far as we could see - framed by trees & flower beds ? and with cathedral spires in the distance. We walked down the lawn and came upon a number of quaint little paths with benches & trees & lovely views. There was also a tennis court in the midst of the little forest. We had been told there was a ?bowling lane? as well (for lawn bowling I would guess) ? though we never came upon it. We also stumbled upon a wonderful garden with fresh herbs & lettuces and all sorts of wonderful things that we found out later was the source of many of the flavors in the restaurant.

The sun was shining brightly and the skies were robin egg blue, but the wind was starting to blow so we headed back in to the château to make plans for dinner. We took their recommendation for a café in town (in Reims) and went up to change & head out for our next meal. The center of town was just a quick drive down the road. We were a little early, so we thought maybe we?d walk around town, but things were all closed up by this time.

Dinner this night was at Café Boulingrin. And though the surrounding neighborhood was absolutely ?dead? ? this place was hopping! We were quickly seated and soon found out the difference between being in Paris and being outside of Paris. My husband asked if they had a menu in English. He had gotten used to this as many restaurants in Paris offered this to him right away. (I liked getting the French version though, as sometimes it was a fuller, more complete menu). Anyways, the waiter politely acted like he was crazy. So, time to really test my French. I can usually do pretty well ? figuring out about 80% of what?s on the menu. But it does take a little more time for us to order this way, as I have to go down the menu item by item and translate for hubby. Sometimes I know what things are ? but don?t have the words in English to explain?.or I know that he will or will not like something ? but have a hard time explaining why. Before we left, one of things I had purchased for the trip was a ?food dictionary?. We LOVE eating out, so I had thought that might be a good idea. Well, in Paris we hadn?t needed it, so I had put it away. This was the first night I could have used it, but I hadn?t thought ahead to bring it. Oh well. We finally ordered and ended up with a wonderful meal. (Total bill: 72E). Here?s what we had:

2 Goat cheese salads with lardons
Perch with curry sauce
Chateaubriand
1 Crème Brulee
1 coupe de champagne
1 Coke
1 demi-bouteille of white wine

The restaurant seemed very popular. The maitre-d and ?head? waiter greeted almost every arrival by name and there weren?t any other tourists that we could spot. The service was good and the food was great too. All in all ? another wonderful meal in France. But all good things come to an end and we were tired, so we headed back to the hotel. Before we left I had asked the girl at reception what time they would be there until (in case we had questions) ? and the response was that they would be there until whenever we needed them.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13TH

?The Day of Luxury?.

After our whirlwind visit to Paris (the six days just flew by!), I was ready to decompress. I hadn?t realized how frenetic it was until we reached the comparative peace of the countryside. And my feet were done! We started the day out with breakfast in the room. The hotel serves breakfast daily, but only in your room. It was 24E for a continental breakfast, so we just ordered one breakfast. Promptly at 9AM, Martine rang our doorbell. (Yes, each room was so big that it needed a doorbell!) When I called out ?Entrez?, she cheerfully greeted us with the perfect perky little voice & smile, wheeled our breakfast in and was gone before we knew it. I felt like Scarlett O?Hara. We were both still under the covers, but the smell of the coffee called to us and we soon had our napkins tucked under our chins. It wasn?t anything out of the ordinary ? coffee, juice, croissants, bread, jams & fresh fruit ? but it was arranged beautifully with a nice bouquet of flowers and the strawberries were the best I?ve ever had. I don?t normally eat much fruit, but this was like eating candy. There was no sugar on them, but they were incredibly fresh & sweet. Breakfast in bed ? the perfect start to my day of luxury.

We couldn?t linger too long, as we had a 10:45AM appointment at Pommery for a tour of the champagne house. So I jumped in the shower and dressed. We didn?t get downstairs until 10:45, but the hotel called over for us to say we were on our way. I was feeling bad that we were probably holding a group up from the tour, but little did I know that we had a private appointment. Pommery was just across & down the street, so we were there in minutes and quickly walked in. We were immediately greeted by the cutest, most bubbly tour guide (how appropriate lol). Another couple had happened to walk in just before us and since they also spoke English, they joined us on the tour. (Lucky for them that we had one scheduled!) The gentleman was Dutch (and spoke 7 languages including English) and the girl was from Thailand. They were very friendly and it was a fun group.

Before we started the tour, we saw a quick movie about the House of Pommery and about the champagne process. It was a good intro for us. I am a big champagne drinker, but am very uneducated as to the process ? so I enjoyed this. Once the movie was complete, it was time to ?see the real thing?. This experience was probably one of the highlights of our trip. We descended a long, long set of stairs - down into ?Les Crayeres? ? the chalk mines. There are apparently only three champagne houses that use the natural chalk mines found in the region and Pommery is one of them. The guide told us a lot about the history of Pommery and also about the fermentation process. We saw hundreds of thousand of bottles in varying stages and walked all through the tunnels. And who knew that the sediment is extracted by freezing the neck of the bottle and then opening it so the natural gasses pop out the ice cube formed (with the sediment in it)? There were some incredible sculptured tableaux on the walls of the mines ? sculpted out of the chalk (which was apparently used for constructing buildings, making roads, etc.). These very crayeres were also used as shelter for the people of Reims during WWII since they are so far under the ground.

The story of Madame Pommery was fascinating. The Pommery house was originally owned by her husband and another man (I forget his name). Her husband bought out his partner and then suddenly, at a very young age, he died. Mme Pommery was widowed at the age of 39. She had a 17-year-old son (who was not interested in the business) and a young daughter. She had never worked, never been involved in her husband?s business ? but she decided to take over the company. She is the one who came up with the idea of leveling off the chalk mines & connecting them with tunnels to use for the fermentation process. The temperatures down below are naturally stable & perfect for the champagne process. Brillaint!

In addition,, at the time she came into the business, champagne was very sweet and was mostly just drunk as a dessert wine. She decided to try adding less sugar to the champagne and to market it as something to drink before & during meals ? as well as with dessert. Talk about creating your own market! What a genius. And the house is now known & does business worldwide. It was quite a story!

Once the tour was complete, we had the obligatory tasting ? first of the Pommery Brut Royal. (This was the same kind we had ordered at Les Ambassadeurs), so of course we liked it. Then we moved to a different tasting area andour guide popped open a bottle of the 1995 Grand Cru. What a difference! The Brut Royal wasn?t ?cheap champagne? ? but this was much better. And the perfect thing to buy to bring home for our ?real? anniversary celebration in July.

Sadly, this was the end of the road. I could have stayed forever, but tonight was our ?big? dinner and I didn?t want to sleep through it ? so we headed out. We popped over to the Basilica. It was huge ? just as big as the churches in Paris ? and beautiful ? but we decided we were touristed out. We decided to get some food to bring back to the chateau for lunch and we headed towards what we thought was the center of town. Oops ? not! We ended up in some industrial type area ? and ended up buying lunch at a ?7-11? type store. Oh well, another chance to practice my French. There?s always an up side to things! We headed back to the château (at least we thought we did) ? and ended up eating our sandwiches in the car since we were starving by that time. We finally got our bearings and got back to the hotel.

And I spent the rest of the day in the bathtub. Hubby decided to walk the perimeter of the grounds ? while I decided to soak up the atmosphere. Literally! I got a magazine & a book, filled the tub with the most exquisite bubbles you?ve ever seen and soaked away. After about an hour, I emptied the tub and then filled it again for my second bubble bath of the day. Oh it?s tough to be a princess! About this time, hubby came back from his walk. He poured some wine for us and joined me in the tub. Ooo la la ? you can use your imagination from here.

While he was out, I had asked him to find out what time our dinner reservations were for, as I couldn?t remember what I had set up. When he came back, I asked him what time we were supposed to be downstairs for dinner. They told him we should ?come whenever we wanted after 7:30PM?. So we relaxed and leisurely got ready for dinner?.strolling down about 8PM for what would be the dinner of our lives.

We were greeted and taken into the little sunroom area off the bar where we had our aperitifs and perused the menu. We each had a glass of champagne as we absorbed the wonderful atmosphere. Again no English menus, so I went through everything with hubby. We had a hard time deciding, as everything sounded so good. While we were still looking at the menu, we were served the amuse bouche. After we ordered ? we relaxed a little more. This was definitely ?our? pace. It drives me crazy at home when they bring you your meal before you?ve even gotten halfway through your appetizer. All of my conversation to this point had been in French, so I was very happy. Now it was time for them to bring us the wine list. Oh my gosh ? I couldn?t hardly lift it! The only way I could look at it was to lay it on the table. I wished that my Dad could have been there as this would have been heaven for him! But alas, I am not so educated. The sommelier came over (he already knew every detail of what we had ordered) and he assisted us very ably ? without making us feel like idiots. We settled on two different half bottles of white wine ? one with our entrée and one with our plat. They weren?t inexpensive ? but we really wanted to try something? ?good?.

Here?s what we had:

Amuse Bouche
Shot glass with basmati rice on the bottom ? then some kind of light white frothy sauce & lobster gelee ? topped with a tempura-ed prawn

Entrees
St Pierre (white fish) w/ Gazpacho cream sauce
Trilogy of Langoustine ? 1 fried, 1 tempura-ed, 1 with an orange/lemon sauce

Plats
Emince de Veau de Lait with sauce & two stuffed onions filled with ris de veau ? topped with crunchy fried onions
Volaille de Bresse with an awesome champagne sauce

Dessert
Four kinds of chocolate
Almond chocolate biscuit with crème brulee

Drinks
3 glasses of chmpagne (Philipponnat Clos de Garenne)
? bottle ? 1997 Chassagne Caill. BG
? bottle ? 1997 Pul Garenne Sauzet
Coffee


We relaxed for a little while longer and then it was time to head in for dinner. The sun was just going down and as we were seated at our table, we had a wonderful view of the setting sun. The dining room was beautiful. We could really picture what it had looked like when Mme Pommery had lived here. Our waiter came over with bread & water and my husband asked him if he spoke English. He said he spoke very little. (Which was just fine with me!). The couples on either side of us both were speaking English and their waiters spoke a lot of English. I wondered if this was on purpose or accidental ? but either way I was happy about it.

Our wine came and we toasted our happiness. The first wine was my favorite. And just after the wine came our entrees. Oh my gosh! Not one thing we had eaten in Paris could even compare to this. The flavors were incredible, the aromas wonderful, the sight of each dish on the plate exquisite. And the wine was perfect with the food. The service was very good ? not intrusive ? but still friendly. And we ate every bite.

Then it was time for our entrees. I would have been happy after the plats, but the entrees were even better than the plats. The second wine was excellent as well, but I still liked the first one better. I couldn?t even eat half of my dinner and I wished I had been able to bring the rest home, as it was wonderful.

We skipped the cheese tray in favor of dessert. (We didn?t have room for both!) But I wished later that I?d done the cheese instead. It was an incredible array. The dessert was good ? but I didn?t really need it after the incredible feast we had just had. While we were having dessert, the chef came out and stopped at each table. He was very charming (and handsome!). He said he was very happy that Americans were still coming to France despite everything going on. (By the way - this was the only slightly political comment made to us on our whole trip - so don?t worry about the whole ?the French are treating Americans badly? myth). After dinner, they asked whether we would rather have our coffee in the bar or at the table. It was time for a change of pace, so we were escorted to the bar. I had a glass of champagne to end the evening and hubby had some coffee. We also had a little tray of chocolates, etc? - but we couldn?t even touch them, as we were so full.

We shared the bar area with an eclectic group of people ? several Japanese businessmen, several French groups and quite a few Brits ? including a woman with her doggie in her lap. (Wonder what they fed him!) We finally rolled on up to our room about midnight after an incredible feast of gastronomic glory!

THURSDAY, MAY 15TH

Boo hoo. Our last day. Time to pack & check out. We headed into town to grab a last few gifts for the family. This time we went to the right place. The center of town is charming with lots of cafes & shops and we found a wonderful wine shop recommended by the hotel. We stopped at Monoprix for some quick baguette sandwiches and then got on the road to head to the airport. It was a good thing we left a little early though as I had not realized there were three different places to return EuropCar rentals. Of course we went to the wrong two locations first ? but eventually ended up at the right place. We checked in and then had a last drink in the bar before our flight took off. (We ?had to? spend our last Euros.)

The flight home was uneventful. A lot easier going west than east due to the time of day. We watched two movies, played a few video games on the seat back in front of us and the time flew by. Until we hit the Washington area. We had to circle Dulles for over an hour before we were finally allowed to land. We were a little apprehensive about how long it would take to get through customs as the Alert Level had been raised to Orange (4) while we were gone due to the terrorist actions in Saudi Arabia. But our fears were for naught. (I don?t know if that?s good thing or bad.) We came through immigration ? it only took about 15 minutes. And our bags were already there. We picked them up and went to Customs. ?Why were you in France? ?Vacation? ?How long?? ?8 Days? ?Did you bring back any fruit, nuts, seeds, etc?? ? Nope.? ?Welcome home.? An hour later we were home & back to reality.

MISCELLANEOUS:

People are always asking what to pack. Well, now that you know when we went (May ? weather in the low 60?s) and what type of things we were doing?.here?s what I packed. (Note that we definitely overpacked., but since we were only at two hotels over 8 days, that wasn?t a problem.)

What to Pack

Black pants with white flowers
Paris pants (black & white & grey print)
White turtleneck
Black DKNY Sweater
Grey Turtleneck
White butterfly sleeve shirt
White baby doll shirt
White screened t-shirt
Sleeveless white sweater
White under sweater
Red Flowered Shirt
Grey sleeveless top
Black dress & wrap
Black suit jacket
Black leather coat
Black long sweater
Black Bra
White Bra
Jammies
Cheetah Scarf
Polka dot scarf
7 Pairs Underwear
7 Pairs Socks
Neutral Hose
Brown sandals
Black shoes
Black heels
Jewelry
Sunglasses (2 pair)
Makeup
Black Glasses
Gold Glasses
Contacts
Scrunchies
Shampoo
Conditioner
Shaving Cream
Razor
Deodorant
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Comb
Q-Tips
Nail Polish
Cotton
Polish Remover
Perfume
Saline
Inhaler
Meds
Imodium
Pepto
Sudafed
Advil
Tampons
Umbrellas
Rest of travel books
Corkscrew
Swiss Army Knife
Ziploc bag
Film
Plastic silverware/plates
Directions to Les Crayeres

CarryOn
Euros
Passports
Email confirmations
Copies of passports, credit cards, drivers licenses (also put copy in luggage)
Camera
Travel books
E-Tickets
Advil
Makeup

Things I Brought but Didn?t Wear
New black pants & belt
Black drawstring pants
1 pair Capris
Black turtleneck
Blue Turtleneck
White button down blouse
Red Butterfly sleeve Shirt
Black long sleeved t shirt
Black & Silver Shirt
Blue Flowered Shirt
Black SF shirt
Red Dress
Black short skirt
Slip
Black Tights
White Pantyhose
Black sandals
White sandals
Black boots
White heels


THINGS WE MISSED:
We have started our ?next time? list already. First & foremost of course are the museums. We skipped them on this trip as I had done them before and hubby was not much interested. He was open to going, but since he hadn?t studied French history or art as I had, we decided there were so many other things he might enjoy that we would leave the museums for next time.

What else?
Versailles
St Leon (this was my ?home base? at World Youth Day
BHV
Visit the tippy-top of the Samaritaine department store. Enjoy the 360 degree view.
Willi?s Wine Bar
Fauchon (picnic fancy food)
Ice Cream @ Berthillon (31 rue St. Louis en L-Ile)
The Cathedral in Reims
Reims is also home to the Salle de Reddition, or Surrender Room., right near the train station. It is the well-preserved map-covered war room used by General Eisenhower as Allied headquarters at the end of World War II. It was here that the German General Alfred Jodl signed the German surrender at 2:41 AM on May 7, 1945, formally ending the war. Fighting officially stopped at midnight the next day. The original table and chairs are still set up the way it was at the actual signing.
Concert in one of the churches
Marais
Place des Vosges
Etc
Etc
Etc



BUDGET
I had budgeted $6,000 for our ?trip of a lifetime? and I came in right on budget. I know that we could have done this trip for A LOT less, but this was our big 20th Anniversary splurge and we wanted to ?do things right?. I am a big believer in budgeting ahead of time and planning well ? so that once you are on vacation, you don?t have to spend one minute thinking about money ? whether to order dessert or wine ? or whether to buy a certain souvenir or not. You can adjust accordingly to figure out your own estimates:

ACTUAL EXPENSES (in Euros):

SUMMARY:
Transportation $1,340
Hotels $1,685
Tips $70
Mudeums/Monuemnts $116
Gifts/Sopuvenrs $305
Food & Drink $1,469
Total $5,153 E

Here is the breakdown for each category:

Transportation:
Airfare $562 x 2 $1,124
Taxis - from airport to city & 2 in-city $82
Batobus $20
Metro (2 carnets) $18
Car Rental ? Europcar ? 3 days $168
Gas $26
Parking at Dulles $70 (US)
$1,340
Hotel
Artus ? 5 nights (incl breakfast) $1175
Les Crayeres ? 2 nights $510
$1,685
Tips
Sanjay $10
Sanjay $10
Maid at Artus $20
Bellman @ Les Crayeres $10
Maid @ Les Crayeres $10
Bellman @ Les Crayeres $10
$70
Museums & Monuments
Eiffel Tower $20
Paris Story $16
Donation ? Sacre Coeur $4
Donation ? St Germain $20
Ste Chapelle $12
Notre Dame (towers) $13
Notre Dame (museum) $5
Arc de Triomphe $14
Eiffel Tower (movie) $3
Ste Chappelle/Conciergerie $9
$116
Gifts/Souvenirs
Flowers $6
French prayer cards $2
Soap (K) $5
Tissues (M) $1
Disposable Camera $16
Mascara $7
Purse $12
Miraculous Medals $3
Jeans $20
Purse $25
Scarf $9
Bracelet $10
Earrings $12
Watch $8
Candy $2
Cup & Saucer $10
Plates (2 large/2 heart) $24
Sponge holders $16
Postcards $2
Kit Kat & Chips $2
Wine $35
Wine $25
Wine $25
Champagne $28
$305
Food
Takeout sandwiches (L) $7
Rotisserie d?en Face (D) $127
Café Mabillon (snack/drinks) $26
Les Ambassadeurs (D) $460
Coke $3
Café Mabillon (L) $57
Café Conti (D) $22
Champagne at hotel $14
Relais d?Entrecote $67
Café on Champs Elysees (drinks) $12
Angelina (L) $33
Galeries Lafayette (L) $7
Hot dog stand (L) $7
Rotisserie d?en Face (D) $116
Patisserie (L) $12
Café Boulingrin (D) $72
Les Crayeres (B) $24
French ?7-11? type place (L) $8
Les Crayeres (D) $379
Airport (drinks) $8
Monoprix (L) $8
$1,469
TOTAL: $5,153 Euros
$5,926 US Dollars (approx) (assuming $1.15 US = $1 E)

Sounds like you and hubby had a fine trip, Smyling. I love the way everyone has their own way to plan and enjoy a trip! More power to us all. Ironically, we were ascending the Eiffel Tower at the very time you were descending.... but I'm still working on my trip report, not that it's that long--I'm just slow. (PS I hate it that Fodor's now changes proper apostrophes and dashes to question marks! What's the deal?)

Smyling,
What a great trip report! Thank you for all of the details. You really do paint a vivid picture and my taste buds are crying for satisfaction!!!

Mike

Smyling,
Thank you for all of the details,and your wonderful descriptions. Now I have even more "must do's" to add to my "next time" list.

Smyling- Great report with lots of financial details for those who need to know how much it will cost. We went to Reims and had an incredible lunch at Les Crayeres. Had we known how beautiful it was (and this was in March-can't imagine how much nicer it would be in May) we would have arranged to stay at least one night as well. That is on the list for the next trip. While we were enjoying coffee/tea in the Salon off the bar an elderly English couple came in to wait for their room to be prepared. I had the impression that they were long time clients of means. She said they stay in one of the outbuildings and that it is the best. Something to think about while we save our pennies for another trip.

Ahh, Smyling, what a great trip report! And you are making me sooo hungry (droool).

Happy 20th Anniversary to you & hubby!! I'm glad your trip of a lifetime was JUST EXACTLY THAT!!