Sue survives Paris; thanks for all the tips
 

I’m back from Paris and I wanted to thank everyone for contributing all the great information I used in planning my trip, from hotel advice to credit cards to new things to see and restaurants to try. I’d list names, but there would be way too many.<BR><BR>April 14-24: I had a great time and the weather cooperated, too. Actually, according to the natives, Paris was about a month ahead of itself weather-wise; the muguets had all bloomed, which made the florists tear their hair out, for there would be none for May Day. I'll have to remember this when planning a future spring trip--it was just perfect.<BR><BR>My housesitter drove us to the airport, where I discovered that the only thing I’d forgotten was American money! No luck cashing a travelers check, but my friend bought coffee for us.<BR><BR>I flew over with a French friend C&eacute;cile, who was going to spend time with friends and family, and upgraded us both to business with American FF miles (whoo-hoo!). We transferred in Dallas and lo and behold, the little jitney picked us up (we must have looked decrepit), so we didn’t have to take the tram and do all that trekking. What heaven business class is--my feet couldn’t even reach the back of the chair in front of me. And I loved being able to choose my own movie, a little French comedy to get in the mood.

Arrived at Terminal 2 in pretty good shape, got money at the ATM and were picked up by C&eacute;cile’s cousin. They dropped me off at my hotel, the Relais Bosquet in the 7th. Because it was my first trip back since my husband’s death, I got a superior room (144 euro)--I did not want to be depressed! It was a large, sunny room in yellow (just like the website).<BR><BR>There was so much to like about this hotel: half-empty minibar (perfect for storing yogurt) with a square little freezer where I made ice cubes in plastic cups. Walk-in closet with safe, iron and ironing board, towel "shelf" over the end of the tub great for hanging clothes to dry, shower curtain. And they have electric shutters that you can lower to keep out noise and sun. I lowered them 3/4 of the way at night and left my window open, feeling very safe. (Ever since someone came through an open window in Florence and robbed us, I’m leery.)<BR><BR>There were real glasses on the English-style refreshment tray, as well as Villeroy and Boch cups for the tea or instant coffee (and a water heater). I loved being able to run down to a patisserie in the morning to get a croissant and pain au chocolat to eat with instant coffee (not bad at all). I waited to get a caf&eacute; cr&egrave;me (3.50) till mid-morning, a nice pick-me-up. At that price, I was grateful for the instant in the room.<BR>

The people at the desk were very kind--they found me a room that was ready, so I was able to plunk my stuff down immediately and shower. They also found the address of the closest SNCF boutique, so I set off for a newsstand to get TV guides, l’Officiel des Spectacles (I prefer that to Pariscope) and a Ticket de T&eacute;l&eacute;phone (7.5 or 15 euro) with scratch-off PIN so I could use it from my room. Then down to the metro station to get the coupon hebdomadaire (13.25) for my Carte Orange, then to rue St. Dominique to the SNCF boutique to pick up the first-class RT tickets to Amboise ($45) that I had bought on the internet. Painless. Then back for a 1/2 hour nap before meeting up with Fodorites! I took bus 87 to Seine/Buci. I had said I would have a blue flower in my hair, but couldn’t find any in the fading Buci market.<BR><BR>We met up at Caf&eacute; Conti on the corner of Buci and Ancienne Com&eacute;die. It was the perfect thing to keep me awake till bedtime. Diana, Joy, Mike and Mary, Bill and Paula, and Mark Harris (of Parishuttle fame). Mark even brought a sign that said Fodors, but we all showed up at the same time. (He’s a cutie; somehow I didn’t expect him to be so young.) See Diana’s pictures on Sally’s site: http://geocities.com/dhfsbf/fodorite/fodor.htm<BR>(Thanks, Diana!)<BR>To be continued...

Sue, great beginning of your trip report! Just the thing to get me through this boring Friday.<BR><BR>I tried the link for the pictures but it says it doesn't exist.<BR><BR>Wendy

Sue, I just wondered if getting euros at the ATM at CDG took a lot of time; someone earlier said that there were a gazillion of people in the line. I am thinking of going over w/o any euros (on a matter of principle, I hate to get such a bad exchange rate to convert at bank here before I go--yep, I know, why get hung up on such a trivial matter!!) but perhaps that is rather foolish. Sounds as tho you had a wonderful time; good for you!

I'm so glad your trip was great! I can't wait to introduce a good friend of ours to Paris in June:)<BR><BR>Hmmmmm .. that link should have worked BUT -- here's domain named lin instead: http://traveurope.net/fodorite/fodor.htm

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing!

Sue, there was a line, but it didn't take too long (5-10 mins). Not a gazillion people. I agree: it galls me, too, to get a bad rate, and I always bring home money to have with me the next time, but there was this durned euro changeover.

It was great to meet and talk, and finally most of us walked over to the Relais Odeon (on Monday many restaurants were closed) and had their plat du jour (10 euro), duck leg with vegetables—yum! I had a hard time finding the bus back—I finally caught it at St. Sulpice.<BR><BR>The next day I went to the Orsay—the entry is now on the quai side because of renovations; I went right to the front of the line with my teacher ID card, then straight to the top floor before it was too crowded, rounded the corner and the first painting I saw was Daumier’s La R&eacute;publique (some of you may remember the art question earlier this year)! It seems you can’t go out on the terrace any more, and I did love to do that.<BR><BR>The funniest scene in Orsay: two American couples--one in dark clothes, woman in scarf, dark shoes; the other, woman in light blue jogging suit, man in khakis, flowered shirt, both in white Nikes with backpacks. You should have seen the look the dark-clad woman gave them. I thought, "I’ll bet that gal is a Fodorite!" Later that day a family of French walked by me, all in tennies.<BR><BR>Next I went to Thoumieux to meet my friend and her cousin for lunch. Nice atmosphere, waitress. I had cassoulet (17 euro) and crudit&eacute;s (8), they had fish. We all enjoyed the meal. I walked back to RB, browsing on the way.<BR>

After a nap, I headed over to the Caf&eacute; Bosquet for lamb chops. The food was so-so, and it was surprisingly empty. Then I walked over to the Champs de Mars and the Eiffel Tower. It was twilight, people were walking their dogs, kids playing soccer; it was lovely.<BR><BR>Wednesday after croissants and phone calls, I took off for Auvers-sur-Oise. In the Invalides station, the ticket booth was closed, so I had to enter the RER and then leave it again (glad I had my Carte Orange) to get upstairs to buy the combined ticket that included the chateau (14.60). Trains leave every half hour and, of course, I just missed the 9:51. Then what did I do but get off to change at the wrong station (it’s a new one, not yet on the map with virtually the same name as the right one). My advice: go clear to Pontoise (not far) to change. I exited the track at the wrong end to easily find the connecting train, which as it turned out came in on the opposite side of the tracks from the RER. Honestly, I am not usually this ditsy!<BR><BR>I finally made it to Auvers! I visited the park with Zadkine’s statue of Van Gogh and went to the tourist office; I had a lovely chat about flowers--I was so happy to see the lilacs in bloom. I miss them a lot in the desert.<BR>

By then I was starving, so I had a salad in what looked like the only restaurant in town; it was pretty full and they were racing around like mad as if running the few steps from the kitchen to the little dining room would speed things up (it actually slowed things down, as the waiter kept dropping things). From there, up to the chateau (everything was up or down) to see the multimedia impressionist show--actually you walk around with the listening device that triggers explanations depending on where you are standing. I found it a little hard to use; you really had to be standing in just the right place. The one at the Georges Brassens museum in S&egrave;te worked better.<BR><BR>I didn’t bother to see Vincent’s room since it is bare, but I did walk up (there’s that word again) to the cemetary to see his and Theo’s graves. Daubigny’s museum was closed, but this was the only day I could work this trip in. Then back to town, pretty uneventfully, except that I missed the Invalides stop (honestly, this just wasn’t my transportation day); however, it was easy to catch the bus 69 back to my area, and I got off near lots of restaurants: Fontaine de Mars, Le Croque de Sel, and walked down rue de l’Exposition, where there are lots of others, but it was too early and I was too tired from my adventures to contemplate a restaurant.

So I hit a little market on rue Cler and bought a tiny loaf of pain Poilane (with walnuts, but not sweet--it was great with cheese), some camembert and ham, made a picnic and took it to the Champs de Mars. What a lovely place in the evening. I also bought a $2 bottle of wine, which I thought would be terrible, but it was great.<BR><BR>The next day I got up early and took a walk, then off to Amboise. The young woman at the desk of the RB almost blushed when I told her it was the hotel of my dreams, and she said that a regular single would be plenty big (17 square meters, as opposed to 22 for the superior).<BR><BR>I had to wait at the taxi stand on avenue de Tourville, but got to Austerlitz station in plenty of time (not Montparnasse because I wasn’t taking the TGV). I love regular trains; I had a whole compartment to myself (with my luggage) and read, ate, slept and worked crossword puzzles during the 2.5 hour trip.<BR><BR>I stayed at the Hotel Belle Vue mainly because of the elevator--I just like to save my legs for touring! The first room she showed me was rather dismal and had a little roof outside the window (safety?), so I asked for a higher room, which she gave me for 2 euro more (48), room 19 with nice yellow spread (karma) overlooking the Seine. Some of the rooms look onto the chateau.<BR>

Sue--what a great report! I'll bet it makes a lot of people eager to be in Paris. I leave in 34 days(not that I'm counting) Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for a great write-up, Sue. Glad to hear you had a wonderful time in Paris.

Thank you Sue, a wonderful report!

Sue:<BR>So very glad to hear all the great <BR>things about the Relais Bosquet as<BR>we're there next Friday!<BR><BR>Sounds like you had a terrific trip.

don't think your hotel in Amboise overlooked the Seine.

Good sign that it was time to take a break! The Loire, of course.

Thanks so much for your travel experiences. My daughter and I will be in paris Tues staying at the Relais Bosquet for six days. It is our first trip to France. It was so great to hear that it is a good choice of a place to stay. Already Frederica has been so helpful. Can't wait!!

Mary Anne, I hope you two have a wonderful time! Don't forget the Champs de Mars at dusk. Caf&eacute; du March&eacute; is across the street at rue Cler, and my husband and I enjoyed it a lot last trip. It is very popular. I didn't try the patisserie beside the hotel, but did like the one on the corner of rue Cler and Champs de Mars, less than a block away. If you can figure out the buses, it's a good way to get places. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.<BR><BR>Sorry this report is so chopped up, but I understand posts have to be less than 250 words, so my "word-count" function has been getting a lot of work.

This is sooo enjoyable.Thank you Sue for sharing your trip with us.Waiting to hear more!Kate

Sue, what a great trip report. Thanks!<BR><BR>Please post information about using your teacher ID card to get into the D'Orsay. What kind of ID card do you have? Did you use it to get into other sites? Tell all!

Sue, thanks for your great trip report!<BR>I'm leaving Monday for Paris, and your report made me even more excited. I'm staying for 10 days, so will probably take a couple of day trips, and am still trying to decide which. I've never been to Giverny, and thought it would be pretty in May. I also have never been to Chartres, or Fontainebleau. Guess I'll decide after I get there. I get really caught up just wandering around Paris, so I know I won't do more than 2 trips away. Your report made me which I were staying in the 7th, I love rue Cler. I'm staying in a hotel in the 6th, but near Montparnasse, which I don't know much about - the Aviatic. It sounds nice - hope it is! Thanks again for your great report!

I have a photo ID from my high school and on the back I put a sticker: Enseignante, Lyc&eacute;e Bonanza. (lycee = high school) I always got into the Louvre and Orsay free; at Pompidou, they wanted me to be an art teacher? But that was one time. Other times I have gotten in free. I'm not sure where else you can get in free, but I always try. (Sometimes you get a discount.)<BR><BR>Also, there are many City of Paris museums that are free as of Dec., 2001: The museums are: Mus&eacute;e d’art moderne de la ville de Paris, Carnavalet (Museum of the History of Paris), Cognacq-Jay, Vie Romantique/H&ocirc;tel Scheffer-Renan, Bourdelle, Zadkine, Maison de Balzac, M&eacute;morial Mar&eacute;chal Leclerc, Jean Moulin.

Amboise was totally charming. The Belle Vue is right around the corner from the chateau and the pedestrian shopping area, so that afternoon I just walked all over, trying to get my bearings and to check out some of the recommended hotels and restos. Le Blason is fine for people in cars (big public parking on square), but I’m glad I chose BV for its proximity to the action despite its having no safe. My TravelSmith jeans with secret zippered pocket came in handy for toting passport, CCs and extra money. After doing all that walking, I asked a shop lady where the PO was, and she pointed down the long street by the chateau and said it was clear at the end; I just looked at her and said, Demain (tomorrow). She laughed.<BR><BR>However, I had been afraid that it would be lots of way ups and way downs--no problem. Auvers was much hillier.<BR><BR>Went to L’Epicerie in a square by the chateau (about a block up) for dinner--good choice. Fixed price menu at 23 euro, but I ordered a la carte. Absolutely the best goat cheese salad I have ever had, a Charolais steak in some sauce, and a cr&egrave;me caramel that wasn’t: it was made with pears and had a wonderful moussy chocolate sauce. Just the right touch for the heavy meal. Guess I was ready for something substantial after the picnic the night before.<BR>

Breakfast at the BV was only 6 euro so I went for it, and I’m glad I did. Plain yogurt (my fave), hardboiled eggs, ham, cheese, p&acirc;t&eacute; and even pickles (!). I was glad to have the protein.<BR><BR>I was up and out early to see Clos Luc&eacute;, Leonardo da Vinci's museum--went there first to beat any troops of school kids who might be heading there. It was fascinating. I found myself (and one other guy) writing down Leonardo’s sayings ("If the body of man seems a marvelous work to you, consider that it is nothing compared to the soul.") IBM has fashioned a lot of mockups of his inventions based on his drawings and I loved that. Everything from monkey wrenches and ball bearings to cars and tanks.<BR><BR>Then I went to the chateau, which was also interesting, especially the St. Hubert chapel. On the way back down from the chateau to the main drag, I stopped in the Galerie de la Martinerie, which has beautiful tapestries created by a small group of artists; I just bought a couple of cards with pictures of the tapestries.<BR><BR>In honor of St. Cirq, I had tea and a pastry at Mme Bigot’s. Sitting outside, listening to new age music and gazing at the chateau on this beautiful in-and-out sunny day, it was the kind of minute I wished would last forever.

Back to L’Epicerie for dinner, the "menu" this time. Fois gras, veal, cheese (yum!) and 3 balls of sorbet--cassis, green apple and lime--with "red fruit" sauce in a basket made of the thinnest crepe you have ever seen. What a delicious contrast in flavors.<BR><BR>The next morning, I walked up the street to buy a sandwich and water for the train. Everyone at BV was so nice; Monsieur opened the door for me and Madame came out to say good-bye. And I had a nice chatty woman cab driver. Plus the nice conductor helped me on the train with my baggage. By now do you know something is going to go wrong?<BR><BR>I caught the 11:20 train and the conductor helped me on with my bags, but when he came to punch my ticket, he said, "But where are you going, Madame?" I replied, "Paris." To which he replied: "But this train goes to Tours." Yes, indeed, I somehow managed to get on the train going the wrong way; instead of checking train number (or even destination!), I just looked at departure time. Duh. Not only that, I had forgotten to "compost" my ticket. But he very kindly said just get off at Tours and get on a train going the right way. So at Tours, I waited an hour and caught the train going to Paris. Yikes!<BR><BR>I think I am reverting to the dumb blonde act of my college day... but this is no act!<BR>

Checked into Le Cl&eacute;ment, just off St. Germain, a block from Mabillon metro stop. Booked a superior double on the street, got a triple for the same price (123 euro)--love that extra bed for stacking things on! No minibar or shower curtain, but newly redone in provincial print wallpaper and tiles, safe in room. The street rooms are said to be noisy, but it wasn’t too bad. There is a soup kitchen next door, but only for lunch. The halls were being painted, but no smell in room and frankly I only ran into workers once. This is a great location, smack dab in the middle of things, and the hotel does have A/C, though I didn’t need it. Breakfast 10 euro, but I discovered you could order a caf&eacute; au lait simple and get a pot of coffee for 3. There are lots of patisseries in the area.<BR><BR>Immediately set off for the Opera area to get Fragonard cologne for a friend’s husband (requested--not an attempt to woo him; my blonde act hasn’t gone that far!). Then to Cave des Cigares near the Madeleine for cigars and pipe for my son--very nice personnel. Then the first of two fruitless trips to Sephora in the boutiques du Carroussel mall (entrance 99 rue de Rivoli across from Benelux); then a bus to Monoprix on rue de Rennes for water, munchies, chocolate and wine. Then another bus 2 stops to the hotel--love that Carte Orange. That water was heavy!<BR>

Since there was a little bar in the breakfast room, I had the presence of mind to ask the guy if he had any ice, so he gave me a bucketful. I made a few phone calls and headed for the Italian place next door. Every once in a while, I need something plain for dinner.<BR><BR>Le Golfe de Naples is hopping every night. I sat outside and had a half bottle of wine and a wonderful vegetarian pizza (eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, red peppers 9.50). There were loads of people waiting outside for a table inside and this poor little girl was crying her eyes out (probably starving). I offered her a piece of my pizza and she immediately stopped crying (probably astonished that this American woman was speaking to her). She refused, pointing out that she didn’t like the grilled part on the bottom, so I cut that off (this was a piece without veggies BTW), and she finally took it (I got a kiss in return, prompted by mom). I think I saved the day not only for mom and dad, but also for the other customers eating outside!<BR><BR>I went looking for the Baskins & Robbins I remembered, but I think I made a wrong turn (hard to imagine!) (I saw it later somewhere around there) and ended up having a Mexican coffee (Kahlua, etc.) for dessert at Indiana on St. Germain--it was great, and a perfect ending to a long day.<BR>

I hope this continues for a long while, I am enjoying this so much:)<BR>today reading about the little crying girl and the pizza was perfect!

I love Paris on Sundays—it is so quiet in the mornings, fun to walk around with no noise and traffic congestion. Went to the Egyptian Artisans of the Pharaohs exhibit at the Louvre (5.50, exhibit only) and it was packed. It primarily showed objects from everyday life of these artisans, much of it lovely. If you go early, run to the end of the exhibit to view the full-sized mockup of whatever it was and return to see the rest, because by the time I got to the end, the line to enter the mockup was humongous, and I needed lunch! (Thousands will post to say I missed the best part!)<BR><BR>Across town to Nissam da Camondo and Parc Monceau. Nissam was interesting to see, and what a sad story: I felt so bad--this guy had been really active in Paris benevolent things, his son was killed in WWI, he left his house and goodies (mostly furniture and decorative items) to Paris in 1936, and then his daughter and two lovely grandchildren were deported to Auschwitz in 1943. That said, if I had to choose between the two, I’d pick Jacquemart-Andre. Parc Monceau was packed—there’s nothing like a park on a beautiful Sunday in Paris.<BR><BR>There was also a great florist/flower market on Courcelles between Villiers and Monceau metro stops. Bunches of flowers for 2 euro. If I hadn’t already bought lilacs from the street seller on Buci….<BR>

Had dinner at Au Temps Perdu on rue de Seine. The food was very good (salmon, aspargus, profiteroles), but the personnel were cold. There was a very unpleasant American couple sitting next to me doing that polite arguing ("I’m just sorry you deprive yourself of that experience.."); fortunately, they were almost through with their meal. There was also a lovely American mom and teenage daughter (I thought they might be Andi) seated at another table.<BR><BR>And then there were these odd exchanges (in French). The woman part of couple asked the waitress (in very good French except that she used inclu instead of compris) if the service was included, to which the waitress replied (rather snottily, I thought), "It always is, madame." Later the mom asked if the tip was included, using pourboire instead of service, and the waitress responded Non. So the mom tipped an additional 15-20%.<BR><BR>That was enough for me to give a negative review to this place. If the situation had been reversed (arguing woman instead of nice mom), I might have understood. I may be wrong, but I always assume the tip is included, and leave a little extra for good service.<BR><BR>Today was the first round of elections in France: what a brouhaha about Le Pen’s making the final cut. It was quite a shock! I know C&eacute;cile and her cousin both assumed (like everyone else) that the final round would be Chirac vs. Jospin. It was interesting watching the results ( and the demonstrations) on TV.<BR>

Monday morning I did a little shopping: got several bars of Roget et Gallet’s oatmilk soap at a pharmacy, found Oliviers on rue de Buci and bought olive oil soap and hand cream recommended by Beth, plus a little jar of artichoke spread. I got their chickpea one last time and it was yummy. Then back to Sephora for something else recommended, but they didn’t have it. Lunch at the Caf&eacute; Carroussel on Rivoli—an omelet, which I had been craving since day 1.<BR><BR>Then to Place des Pyramides for the Cityrama 1/2 day tour to Vaux le Vicomte. However, I only had one credit card with me, which didn’t work at Cityrama (which is very odd considering that it was brand new and had functioned perfectly well twice before). I didn’t have time to find an ATM and so had to cash a travelers check at perfectly outrageous rates (virtually even-steven) there at their office. I honestly think that "oh, your credit card doesn’t work" bit is just a ploy. Why can’t they just manually enter the number?<BR><BR>Nonetheless, I was happy to pay a little more and let someone drive me there, especially since I seemed to be making a career of getting lost. The tour was 53 euro lasting from 1:30 – 6:00 including driving time, and there were only 8 people on the bus!<BR><BR>The chateau itself was great—I loved seeing Fouquet’s emblem, squirrels (?) everywhere.<BR>

Fortunately, we were able to go at our own speed, touring the chateau with the listening device, and then on our own to the grounds, so the tour was literally not much more than a bus ride (I went round-trip to Amboise for less than that!). I could probably have used more time in the gardens, but I had about an hour there. I eyed the golf carts, but knowing me, I’d probably have ended up in one of the canals.<BR><BR>I found the story of Fouquet so interesting that I couldn’t help buy a biography in the bookshop. He sounds like an ill-fated genius (also a little na&iuml;ve). Did everything he could to keep the regime financially afloat after the economic collapse of 1648, became minister of finance, built a magnificent chateau, the precursor of Versailles, only to have the rug jerked out from under him by Colbert and Louis XIV, both of whom were jealous of his intelligence, good looks and wealth (not to mention Vaux-le-Vicomte). So he was brought to trial under trumped-up charges, and was banished by the Paris Parliament, which was rigged, but that verdict wasn’t strong enough for Louis, so he banished him to prison in the Italian Alps.<BR><BR>For dinner I went to Bistro de la Grille (corner Mabillon and Guisarde). Friendly personnel. I had asparagus (8), lamb shanks (12) and fondant au chocolat (5-6) Thought the shanks a bit tasteless; the boeuf en daube I had here last year was much better. But the rest was good, as was the ambiance.<BR>

Sue, these are just wonderful! Thank you! I can almost follow your entire itinerary in my mind's eye. And I'm so glad you got to Madame Bigot's in Amboise. I just read a little blurb about it in some fancy travel mag (Cond&eacute; Nast or something like that); like all such articles the writer made it seem like it was some hot place that had just come on the scene, and he'd just discovered it. Little does he know how many decades it's been there and how many thousands of happy customers have passed through its doors.

Sue that was a great report , didn' t realise you had been so busy.<BR>I especially appreciate you referring to me as looking so "young" even though I certainly don't feel it.<BR><BR>See you again soon in Paris <BR><BR>best regards <BR><BR>Mark<BR>Parishuttle<BR>

Sue: Your trip sounds wonderful. Can you give more information about Clos Luce? How far is it out of Amboise? Do you think this could be done as a day trip from Paris? How long did you spend at Clos Luce? Thanks.

Sally, Clos Luc&eacute; is a Renaissance manor house lent by Fran&ccedil;ois I to Leonardo da Vinci, who spent the last four months of his life there. You wander through the house without a guide and then through the basement exhibits. It is in Amboise proper, about a 5 minute walk from the chateau. Entry fee is 6.50 euro. I probably spent a couple of hours there. There are gardens and a modest snack bar.<BR><BR>There is a direct train at approx 7:22 or 9:21 that arrives in Amboise 2 1/2 hours later. For a return, there is a direct at about 5:30, arriving around 8:00. There is also a TGV (involving a brief change about 10 mins out of Amboise) that gets in an hour earlier, but costs about $10 more. (I didn't see a TGV for departure.)<BR><BR>As you see, Amboise isn't as convenient as some other chateau towns, but I don't mind the train ride; I enjoy the down time and often pack a picnic lunch/dinner. And the town itself and sites are quite compact. The RR station is on the other side of the river, but easily walkable to the chateau.<BR><BR>And I think I'm finally ready to finish this puppy off!<BR><BR>

Tuesday was my day to make a pilgrimage to the tip of La Grande Jatte to throw flowers in the Seine in memory of my husband. I went to the florist I found near Nissim da Camondo after not finding any at the flower market on Ile de la Cit&eacute; (seemed to be all potted plants) and got some bright orange daisies. The morning was dark and overcast and when I got there, there were two young women taking rather arty photos (hair blowing in the wind, etc.), but one of them offered to help me up (I’d forgotten the two very steep steps to get up there). I’m glad they were there. I "planted" a sprig in the mud at the base and then tore blossoms off and tossed them in the Seine. When I finished, the sun came out and the day was beautiful.<BR><BR>From there to the Palais Royal to find the Banque de France to exchange my old francs. Entrance on rue Croix des Petits Champs. I visited the Palais Royal gardens on the way and they were absolutely beautiful. In addition to all the flowers, there were several quite modern sculptures. Stood in line to get a number (and a form) (short line) and waited for a window to call me. Even though there were 16 people in front of me, it only took 10-15 minutes. I only had 100 FF, but, as I told the lady, it’ll buy a cup of coffee.<BR>

Then to the Pantheon for moules at La Gueze in honor of Christina. I was so ravenous that I devoured the free little bread and sliced sausage that they brought me (I guess because I bought a beer). Frites didn’t come with the moules, but since it was my last day in Paris, I thought I needed some (11 euro for both). I thought the moules just OK, but it may have been an off-day (for them or me). The Belgian beer was great! At this point I made a management-level decision. I was tired, I had a Fodor meet at 5:00 and it was now 2:00, so I skipped the Pantheon (again) and went book shopping on St. Michel. Good decision. I got a used copy of the mystery I was looking for at Gibert Jeune. Mysteries are now called "polars" (trad: "roman policier"); I swear this word popped up overnight. Then I headed down St. Andr&eacute; des Arts toward St. Germain.<BR><BR>Off to Relais Odeon, where the Fodorites again all seemed to arrive at the same time: Joy and Carol (a friend from one of Joy’s other forums), Beth and Meg, Kip and Barbara, Steve and Diane (hot off the Eurostar). The RO has a little garden out back with bigger tables, so they put us there, which was neat. Next time I’m going back there to check out how that works; I think there is an entrance to the garden off a little alley. I had never noticed that. Again, a good lively group with lots of adventures to recount.