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Jocelyn,
I'm so pleased you had a great time in Paris I imagine you're already planning your next trip there. :-) A friend and I stayed at your hotel's sister ( Hotel Agora Saint-Germaine) last October. I had asked the hotel to recommend a casual restaurant we could walk to on the night of our arrival and we, too ,were sent to Maree Verde. I don't know if there is a business or family connection between the 2 hotels and Maree Verde, but I don't care. We both were delighted with the restaurant , the food, the service... and our complimentary kir royales.. ( bet you got those, too.) ;-) Judy |
Hi J,
Glad you liked Paris. >I witnessed more men offering up their seats on the metro and opening doors than I notice in the U.S.< Of course. The last time I held a door open for a female type person I didn't know she refused to go ahead of me and called me an MCP. ((I)) |
Oh goody! Another Paris report! Thanks Jocelyn! I still can not get over the phenomenal price you found from Tulsa!
By the way, Jocelyn, I am still traveling through Bolivia. I have now started the Latin American portion of my trip report... you can click on my name to find it. Sharon |
Your trip sounds wonderful; so glad that you were enchanted by Paris as so many of us are, again and again! Welcome to the group!
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welcome home, and glad you fell in love with Paris
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I've been to Paris 65+ times and there is nothing as wonderful as the experience of the first-time smell/taste/hear/eyeball experience. You come upp from the Paris métro, and all of Paris is before you. It's magical, and you are spellbound.
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I know just how you feel Jocelyn. I too am in love with Paris. Paris is truly magical and calling me again. I went for the first time 3 years ago, revisited Paris again last Sept/04 and just today I booked Paris for this summer again. I can't seem to stay away.
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What we did:
First of all, I don't think I've ever done that much walking over 4 days. You just can't stop! We walked through: A good chunk of the 5th, including the area around Rue Mouffetard, which we really enjoyed. We scouted out some hotels down there for future trips. We visited the Port Royal, which we liked, but it's directly across the street from a big McDonald's. We also went inside Carroftel Gobelins, which is the first hotel I asked about here. It was my least favorite of the ones we saw. We also visited L'Esperance. I LOVED the location, right off Rue Mouffetard, but we weren't able to see a room. If I were to stay in that area I'd probably choose L'Esperance. The 6th: We walked by Hotel Bonaparte so we peeked in there as well. The room we saw was larger than any other we'd seen in the city, but it was not as "pretty" as most. We did not see the cat. The 4th: This was probably my favorite arrondisement from the short time we spent there. So charming and walkable. We loved the flower market along the Seine. If price were no object, I'd want to stay here next time. The 3rd: We liked the narrow, winding streets--they made me think of Italy. The 1st: around the Louvre. The 8th: what glitz and glamour! The 7th: We really enjoyed the Parc du Champ de Mars. We walked through on a Thursday morning, then again on a Saturday afternoon. There was a much different feel each day: during the week we saw mostly joggers, but Saturday was filled with families and tourists. Fun Fun! Rue Cler was nice, too, although I prefer Rue Mouffetard. 16th: We walked down Rue de Passy. I wish we'd gone up towards Victor Hugo, but I'll have to save that for next time. 18th: This was our least favorite area. We went on a Saturday evening to see Sacre Couer. We had considered exploring more up there, but we were so turned off by the VERY aggressive street vendors we just wanted to get out of there. It was getting dark, and we didn't feel good about venturing into the dark, unknown streets by ourselves. Of course we did all the touristy first-timer stuff, like the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Musee D'Orsay (loved it!), Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, Sacre Couer. We did a river cruise (the Pont Neuf one) at night to see everything all lit up. It was definitely worth the time and money. We feel like we covered a lot of ground in 3.5 days. We also spent our fair share of time sitting in cafes, resting our feet and watching the world go by. |
Getting around:
Obviously we walked whenever we could, but we did take the metro a few times. I kept thinking of Robespierre's comments on the "close to the major sites" thread: there's nothing to figure out, you just find the train you want and get on it. We kept laughing about that, because Becky and I spent a LOT of time trying to "figure it out!" Admittedly, we are both navigationally challenged and are not accustomed to taking public transportation. First we had to get out the map and figure out where we were. Then find where the nearest metro station was. "What? We'd have to make 2 transfers? Where's the next closest metro station?" Figure that out, navigate the streets to get there, then decide which line we needed and which direction to go. It was quite a process for us. We felt like such airheads! :) |
Was the weather agreeable the entire time?
When are you and Mr P going back together? :) |
The weather wasn't too bad; highs in the 40s and 50s with just one day of wind/intermittent rain. One day was cloudy and drizzly; not enough for an umbrella, but enough to keep everything wet. What a glorious day that was! The first time we saw the sun we RAN over to Sainte Chapelle and we're so glad we did!
When are DH and I going back? I wish we could go tomorrow! He has to plan his time off way in advance so it's unlikely we'll be able to take advantage of a last-minute sale. Every day of vacation is planned out for 2005, so it will have to be at least 2006 for us to go together. We may even have to take the kids, which wouldn't be all that bad, but a different experience. |
Jocelyn, I'm glad you and Becky had such a great time. We were in Paris this weekend too with my in-laws (only their second trip) and it was wonderful to see the city through their eyes.
On Sunday in the middle of a hailstorm, I saw two women consulting their map outside of the Rodin Museum and I wondered, "Could that be Jocelyn and Becky?" Of course my husband was perplexed since we don't <i>know</i> a "Jocelyn and Becky." It was pretty funny. I can't wait for more of your delightful report! |
mvor,
How funny! On Sunday we watched that hailstorm from inside CDG, on our way home. I too, though, wondered how many fodorites we unknowingly encountered. |
Glad to hear that you fell in love with Paris, Jocelyn, since I know you are a big fan of Italy, too. I'm enjoying your lively report!
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Jocelyn, were the security people on strike on Sunday? Yesterday as our cab pulled up to Terminal 1 we saw lots of people walking from Terminal 2. Apparently the bus drivers were out in sympathy because the security folks were on strike. It only took us about 20 minutes to check-in and get through passport control. My FIL was horrified which made for a long wait at the gate. Fortunately I had my iPod...
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mvor,
We weren't sure what was going on at the airport. We got there 3 hours before our flight, and all the check-in procedures and such took a very long time, probably an hour and a half to two hours. We did hear an announcement about about security personnel but didn't pay much attention. We were able to take the shuttle bus from the RER station, though. Oh, that would have been awful to walk all that way with our luggage! Hi Statia :) Yes, I can't decide which I like better: Paris or Italy. I'll just have to keep going back to both until I make up my mind. ;) |
Welcome back, Jocelyn, and welcome to the Paris-lovers' club! It's been almost five years since my last trip to Paris, and sometimes the withdrawal symptoms crop up -- usually after reading others' trip reports.
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Hi Joc, I am so enjoying your enthusiastic trip report--I feel as though I've been transported back to Paris along with you and Becky! Perhaps you should consider an occupation in travel writing?!? ;-)
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Glad you're back home safe and sound, Jocelyn. I always envy the first timers to Paris. Sort of "rites of passage." Check out Famous Uncle Art's picture show on another thread.
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Jocelyn - thank you for your insights. I'm taking notes. :) And your writing is light and entertaining. I love it.
Dear Loveitaly and mamc - I am in the same boat as you both. We had planned our honeymoon for two weeks in Italy - but I couldn't get Paris out of my head. I love it so much - I think about it all the time. (And it is where my husband proposed - so it's doubly sentimental to me/us) Anyway, we had to revise the trip. We're including Paris. I just can't not do it. (is that proper english??) No matter what, it never ever fails. You should go! |
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