Trip to France a success. Thank's
 

Thank's to all the help from the Fodor family our 2 week trip to Paris and Provence was a smooth and happy one.
We stayed at Hotel des Chevaliers in the Marais. Location was handy to the Bastille metro and for walking the streets of the Marais , Place des Vosges and the Picasso museum and Carnevelat also for shopping on Sunday.The construction in front of the hotel widening the sidewalks made manoevering difficult. We were at the back of the hotel with no view just a blank wall but it was quiet.The hotel was adequate,there is a lift and AC,it was clean and for all the time we spent in our room it was fine.The beds were very comfortable we had a twin and the bathroom was a good size . We walked km's every day to try to see everything. Thanks to a Fodor hint we got our Orangerie tickets at FNAC and the line was quick and what an wonderful collection in addition to the Monet's. We experienced the sleight of hand artists "finding" gold rings in the Tuileries Gardens at the Louvre quite funny .Being forewarned we ignored the bracelet sellers at the funicular going to Sacre Coeur.We had no trouble with ATM's or using our Visa cards,and used no extra security means. We were not at any time afraid of being pickpocketed any more than if you were in any big city.For my fellow Canadians reading this, my Fido phone service worked wonderfully well no loss of signal at all during the whole trip. I haven't got my bill yet so time will tell how much the service cost me but it was worth it for the comfort of knowing that family could reach us at any time..
One little gem we found that will appeal to the men travelling was the L'Atelier Renault on the Champs-Elysees. It is a Renault showroom with painting commissioned by local artist showing all kinds of car parts , the newest models of Renaults and the most delightful restaurant on the mezzanine level with big windows overlooking the street. We had the crispest, coldest best Sauvignon there, salmon to die for and a delightful dessert. The other restaurant we enjoyed was Le Petit Marche in the Marais 9, Rue de Bearn. The staff were charming and the chestnut soup was like silk.We had a bakery near the hotel for our croissants and pain chocolate and stopped often for coffee and drank lots of red wine.....heaven.
the Rodin museum was high on my list of things to see and didn't disappoint , we took the twilight boat trip and when the Eiffel tower started twinkling it was like magic.At every turn there was a piece of history.
MorganB's help with booking our TGV train trip made for a seamless ride to Avignon in comfort and quiet of a nearly empty 1st class car.
We stayed for a week at the Mas des Romarins in Gordes and what a delightful place. The staff were excellent the view was breathtaking and Gordes an easy walk away. We toured as many hill towns as we could. We particularly were taken with Rousillon, Les Baux, Segreut, Bonnieux and spent a day in Arles and Avignon.
In Gordes, Le Clos de Gustav was a treat, the whole meal is like theatre and we had 2 visits for 3 hour suppers...how divine.
We stayed at the Mas for suppers as well which was a wonderful way to meet the other guests and enjoy a meal without travelling.
All in all the trip was all the we wanted. We found the French people we encountered to be helpful and accomodating of our rusty french, treating our mistakes with humour and help....thanks again to all the people who's reports I read to learn more about France,you are too numerous to name

what a nice, concise, well written report.
sounds fabulous.

Sounds like a lovely trip. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks lincasanova and stokebailey for your kind remarks. It was a great trip and I hope I can repay the help I received.

That was lovely - thanks so much.

Very nice, thank you. You've also given me a few new places to try!

Hi rosieg
What a surprise to read your report this morning. My husband and I(Ottawa couple) met you & your husband and brother at the Mas des Romarins and had several pleasant conversations with you.

We also encountered the "gold ring" scam which we managed to avoid.

Glad to hear that your trip ended well in Paris as did ours.

It was a pleasure to meet you.

"the chestnut soup was like silk"

"... drank lots of red wine ..."

rosieg, thanks for posting this; it sounds like a perfect vacation to me!! I'd be interested in hearing how your Fido charges worked out. As you point out, the peace of mind knowing that family back home can reach you is worth a great deal.

Anselm

Thank you for the tip re: Fido...this is somethng I was wondering about and will actually help with a cell-phone decision...don't know if I want to know how much you paid, but worth every penny in peace of mind!

We encountered the gold ring scam twice within the space of a half hour. The second time, we just smiled at the woman, and she walked away. We stayed at Ferme de la Huppe, outside of Gordes. It was a wonderful location for visiting the perched villages.

Enjoyed your report. What exactly is the "gold ring" scam? Maybe I should know so I can be prepared for next Paris trip!

Hi Royal, what a nice surprise that you two are part of the Fodor family as well.My husband and I enjoyed meeting you.We still miss those yummy croissants. for breakfast. My brother stayed on in Provence and in fact will just be returning this week.
The gold ring scam for those who haven't encountered it yet is a young woman coming up beside you, ours was on the path through the Tuilleries gardenss ,and appear to find a gold ring in the dirt path. She appears surprised and asks you if you think it is real. The first time I was somewhat naive and congratulated on her find and walked on. 2-3 minutes later a woman maybe the same one came on the other side of us and wow "found" a gold ring on the path...but this time we laughed and kept on walking. I'm not sure how they try to part you from some of your money we never stopped long enough to find out!!!
I will let folks know how our Fido billed tallied up but it sure was seamless and I have an old Motorola V60i which is not being made any more it's a tri-band 1900/900/1800 MHz and as soon as I turned in on in Paris I got a text message from Fido saying that I was activated.
Hope this helps.