trip report: 2 weeks in Paris, 3 in Provence
Aug 1st, 2005 | 11:12 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 251
Likes: 0
trip report: 2 weeks in Paris, 3 in Provence
This is my first trip report here and long overdue. I’ve used this site so much for information it’s time to “pay it forward”.
I was in France a total of 5 weeks, 2 spent in Paris, 3 near Avignon. I am a nanny so the whole reason for the trip was to accompany my boss and her girls. Paris was my vacation tacked on to take advantage of the fact she was paying airfare.
So where to start? I flew SAS which personally I was not impressed with and would have preferred BA. I rented an apartment in the Bastille (11th) neighborhood through Lodgis. I won’t use them again either. Not that I had a problem with them, they just did nothing but introduce me to the landlady who then I dealt with directly. The apartment was tiny but wonderful. It took 5 minutes to walk to Bastille or Voltaire metro stops and the lovely Richard Lenoir market every Thurs. and Sun. was just down the street. The market was one of my favorite things in Paris. We (my friend joined me) would get a roast chicken with the yummy potatoes and live on that, fruit and bread. It was great.
We did all the typical tourist stuff. So I will list my favorites.
• The Opera Garnier tour in English was well worth the 11E. It made it much more interesting to hear the history. I tend to just wander and look and not read a guide book while at a sight.
• Vedettes du Pont Neuf river cruise was the best. I printed out the discount coupon from their website and we took the 9:30 boat. It was the perfect thing after a long hot day. Actually I did this twice and preferred the later time when the sun was setting.
• Watching the Eiffel tower light up after sunset was amazing. Trocadero offers a great view.
• Lastly, walking! What a great city to just stroll around. The Marais was by far our favorite neighborhood.
And who can mention France without talking about the food! In five weeks I had only one bad meal and that was in Les Beaux. Again my highlights were:
• L’as du Falafel 34 rue du Rosiers was tasty. My friend’s first falafel and she loved it!
• La Casa Di Sergio 20 rue de L’exposition is a Rick Steves recommendation but I think I read good review here as well. There were lots of English speakers but the food was fabulous and wait staff great. I meant to call for reservation but we showed up at 7pm and were able to get a table without. It is a small place though. I had the vegetarian menu. First course was antipasti with roasted eggplant, zucchini, and a spinach & egg pie like thing, all tasty. The three vegetarian pastas were not all vegetarian. One had squid but I’m not a vegetarian so didn’t bother me but I’m sure would true veggies. My friend had a salad and Linguine Mare and enjoyed it as well.
The only bad meal in Paris was had by my friend in the restaurant on top level of Pompidou. I was starving so we had to eat NOW as I get grumpy. I enjoyed my overpriced club sandwich but she didn’t like her 18e plate of smoked salmon. Later we read it’s snooty and to skip it. Oh well…
So I must say I was taken quite by surprise by how much I really liked Paris. I didn’t expect to like it as well as I do. I missed it the moment I headed south and miss it still. I’ll report on Provence in the next post…
I was in France a total of 5 weeks, 2 spent in Paris, 3 near Avignon. I am a nanny so the whole reason for the trip was to accompany my boss and her girls. Paris was my vacation tacked on to take advantage of the fact she was paying airfare.
So where to start? I flew SAS which personally I was not impressed with and would have preferred BA. I rented an apartment in the Bastille (11th) neighborhood through Lodgis. I won’t use them again either. Not that I had a problem with them, they just did nothing but introduce me to the landlady who then I dealt with directly. The apartment was tiny but wonderful. It took 5 minutes to walk to Bastille or Voltaire metro stops and the lovely Richard Lenoir market every Thurs. and Sun. was just down the street. The market was one of my favorite things in Paris. We (my friend joined me) would get a roast chicken with the yummy potatoes and live on that, fruit and bread. It was great.
We did all the typical tourist stuff. So I will list my favorites.
• The Opera Garnier tour in English was well worth the 11E. It made it much more interesting to hear the history. I tend to just wander and look and not read a guide book while at a sight.
• Vedettes du Pont Neuf river cruise was the best. I printed out the discount coupon from their website and we took the 9:30 boat. It was the perfect thing after a long hot day. Actually I did this twice and preferred the later time when the sun was setting.
• Watching the Eiffel tower light up after sunset was amazing. Trocadero offers a great view.
• Lastly, walking! What a great city to just stroll around. The Marais was by far our favorite neighborhood.
And who can mention France without talking about the food! In five weeks I had only one bad meal and that was in Les Beaux. Again my highlights were:
• L’as du Falafel 34 rue du Rosiers was tasty. My friend’s first falafel and she loved it!
• La Casa Di Sergio 20 rue de L’exposition is a Rick Steves recommendation but I think I read good review here as well. There were lots of English speakers but the food was fabulous and wait staff great. I meant to call for reservation but we showed up at 7pm and were able to get a table without. It is a small place though. I had the vegetarian menu. First course was antipasti with roasted eggplant, zucchini, and a spinach & egg pie like thing, all tasty. The three vegetarian pastas were not all vegetarian. One had squid but I’m not a vegetarian so didn’t bother me but I’m sure would true veggies. My friend had a salad and Linguine Mare and enjoyed it as well.
The only bad meal in Paris was had by my friend in the restaurant on top level of Pompidou. I was starving so we had to eat NOW as I get grumpy. I enjoyed my overpriced club sandwich but she didn’t like her 18e plate of smoked salmon. Later we read it’s snooty and to skip it. Oh well…
So I must say I was taken quite by surprise by how much I really liked Paris. I didn’t expect to like it as well as I do. I missed it the moment I headed south and miss it still. I’ll report on Provence in the next post…
Aug 1st, 2005 | 11:16 AM
#2
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 251
Likes: 0
Well Provence was great but I was there to work. My boss rented a house outside Avignon for 3 weeks. We did lot’s of day trips with days spent by the pool in between. We didn’t eat out much since the house had a chef who prepared 4 lunches and 4 dinners a week. I think we all came home a little fatter than we arrived.
My favorites in Provence were:
• Canoeing down the river and under the Pont du Gard
• Seeing a French bullfight in the roman arena of Arles.
• Sitting on the beach at the Mediterranean.
• The street performer and show promoters for the Avignon Festival
• Weekly market in Villeneuve les Avignon
Overall I must say the people in France were great. I learned the most basic phrases and got along just fine. Of course back home people have asked about the stereotypical rudeness and I’m happy I can tell all I encountered NONE. I found Paris enchanting and am scheming how I could live there for awhile…
My favorites in Provence were:
• Canoeing down the river and under the Pont du Gard
• Seeing a French bullfight in the roman arena of Arles.
• Sitting on the beach at the Mediterranean.
• The street performer and show promoters for the Avignon Festival
• Weekly market in Villeneuve les Avignon
Overall I must say the people in France were great. I learned the most basic phrases and got along just fine. Of course back home people have asked about the stereotypical rudeness and I’m happy I can tell all I encountered NONE. I found Paris enchanting and am scheming how I could live there for awhile…
Aug 1st, 2005 | 11:50 AM
#4
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 251
Likes: 0
oh! I just remembered a good tip, when in a pharmacy try to remember Latin! I had a "feminine" issue and it took three tries to get the right meds. I kept using the word "infection" and getting the wrong stuff till I remembered the medical term. Not very pleasant while out of the country. And very frustrating as I can walk into any drug or grocery store here (u.s.) and take care of it!
