nola77382

Hi everyone,
My new year's resolution is to completely finish all of my trip blogs and I'm almost done with the one from our last trip, which was to France. I always gleam so much information from this forum that I wanted to share in hopes of helping others a bit. I'll post each day's narrative here; the pics are in the links. Cheers! NOLA

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

We're going back to France. Yes, really.
http://herewegoagain-france2017.blogspot.com/2017/08/were-going-back-to-france-yes-really.html

"You're going back to France? But y'all were just there..." (in 2015, www.herewegoagain-rance2015.blogspot.com ) Few people really understand my obsession with Paris. It's always first on my list of places I want to visit. And husband and I both really enjoy travelling in France. But I was willing to try something different in 2017 so we planned a trip to Greece.

Greece wasn't high on my list of destinations; I chose it because it was a place in Europe we'd never before visited. We planned a 22 day road trip through Greece in May/June 2017. But due to a death in the family, we cancelled. We could have rebooked Greece for later on but I really wanted to get back to Paris. I took the opportunity to plan this trip instead, with little objection from the husband.

Itinerary: 15 nights, August 31 to September 17, 2017
Chartres (1 night)
Amboise (3 nights)
Beaune (4 nights)
Paris (7 nights)

Agenda:
Chartres Cathedral
Chateaux
Wine tasting
Picturesque towns
and Paris J

Who: (long-suffering) husband and me

Car Rental: Auto Europe Hertz voucher pick up at CDG, drop off at Orly

Lodging:
Chartres: Mercure Chartres Cathedral Centre
Amboise: La Grange Amboise
Beaune: Air B&B
Paris: Air B&B

Off we geaux!

nola77382

Thursday, August 31, 2017

2017 Strikes Again

Pre-trip Drama? Yeah, we had a bit.
2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): 2017 Strikes Again

We cancelled our trip to Greece because of a death in the family. We almost had to cancel this trip because of a family member's injury and Hurricane Harvey.

A close family member suffered a fall in early August, had a difficult hospitalization, and was transferred to skilled nursing for rehab. We were pleased with the facility, the care provided, and his slow but steady progress. Another family member, who was to accompany us to France, stayed home to care for the injured family member. Unfortunate circumstances and timing all around.

Husband works in Houston, TX but comes home every weekend. He flew home as usual but couldn't get back to Houston on Monday (8/28), or anytime that week, because of Harvey. We were to fly out of Houston to Paris on Friday (9/1).

Delta changed our flights so we went from New Orleans to Atlanta to Paris. The return stayed the same, Paris to Houston to New Orleans. United worked with me to cancel my first leg, MSY to IAH. The forecasters were predicting that another storm might pound Atlanta on the Friday we flew out but I literally refused to worry about that. Challenge solved.

Husband didn't have his passport in New Orleans. It was the first time in years he didn't have it with him. Of course. Thankfully, the Passport Agency was able to issue him a new passport in one day. It was costly but so worth it. Challenge solved.

Packing was an issue because husband was supposed to go back to Houston and his trip stuff. We scrambled, shopped, and found enough clothing to get him by. We would have to buy new versions of our road maps once in France. And a new Navigo Decouverte for Paris. He borrowed a point-and-shoot camera instead of his DSLR. Challenge solved-ish.

We were concerned about our house in the Houston suburbs. Thankfully our neighbor kept us updated that everything was fine. No flooding, no downed trees, no issues. Worry assuaged.

On previous trips we'd used Skype or Facetime on wifi to call home. But with our family member's injury, hurricanes threatening, and just 2017 being 2017, we splurged on the Verizon International Plan for $40 each and we could easily keep in touch. Worry assuaged.

Our old Garmin Nuvi GPS (with a micro SD slot) crapped out about 2 weeks before the trip. I ordered a replacement on Amazon (prime) and was expecting delivery 1 week before the trip. Hurricane Harvey made landfall, stuck around, and disrupted deliveries to New Orleans. We didn't have maps and now didn't have a working GPS. We looked locally for a replacement but none of the models in stores had the micro SD slot. I posted this problem on Facebook and my good friend loaned us hers. Challenge solved.

This was the most stressful lead up to a vacation we've ever endured. But the fateful day arrived and we boarded our flights. After a few uneventful, typical economy, hours, we landed at CDG early.

But we wouldn't leave the airport for several hours. Sigh.

Next up: Day 1: Chartres

nola77382

September 2, 2017

Arrivals, delays, and finally Chartres
2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): Arrival, delays, and finally Chartres

Day 1: Delays galore and, finally, Chartres

After all the pre-trip drama, we were excited to get on the plane and be on our way for two weeks in France. We were also starving and looking forward (yes, really) to airplane food! You know we were starving. So imagine our dismay when ours was one of three rows that wasn't served. Yup. We got passed by and forgotten despite repeatedly asking the flight attendants for food. It was really weird. They were cleaning up the other sections when we finally got our meals. And then they didn't serve the guy one row up on the aisle. Very strange. The chicken dinner was not worth the wait but at least we weren't starving anymore.

The flight was uneventful otherwise and we landed 45 minutes early (730am). We taxi'd for awhile, got into the ubiquitous buses to the terminal, and made it through customs by time our plane should have arrived, around 815am. We were feeling good!

We walked to baggage claim and saw masses of people hanging around. We figured several international flights had landed, no biggie. Grabbed a cart and headed to our carousel. And started waiting. No bags were coming out.

We listened to an announcement over the PA and, resigned, found a spot out of the main crowd. The bad news was that there was a problem with the baggage system and they were working to solve it. No ETA provided. There was no good news.

Our bags finally arrived at 1045am. We were relieved that both bags made it. We looked for an ATM but the only one we saw was out of order. Our extra Euros were stuck in Houston (thanks, Harvey).

We routed ourselves to the Hertz counter to pick up our rental car. There were three clerks. There were tons of people. They didn't have cars for those of us with vouchers (from AAA, Travel Agents, or Auto Europe) but speedily served those with direct Hertz reservations. It took forever and an aggravating day. We didn't actually get our car, a very beat up, old Opal, until 1215pm.

We pulled out of Hertz around 1230pm. It had taken 5 hours to go from landing at CDG to leaving CDG. That has to be some kind of (sad) record.

We were tired, frustrated, dirty, and hungry. We didn't have any cash: the only ATM we'd seen was broken. It took awhile for the GPS to boot up. We didn't have a map. We still had a 2 hour drive to Chartres. We had already missed Malcolm Miller's tour and would also miss the 230pm tour. This was a most inauspicious beginning to our trip.

Traffic was heavy and the route was confusing. We got turned around a couple of times. Finally on the outskirts of Paris, we stopped at a rest station, had lunch, bought a map, and snacks.

As we neared Chartres, we were treated to a great view of the Cathedral. We both hoped it was worth the effort. This was the second time we'd tried to visit the Cathedral. In 2015, a major traffic jam stuck us on the highway for two hours and we missed it altogether.

Chartres was really busy. There was some kind of fair going on right across from the Mercure Chartres Cathedral Centre hotel. Husband stopped in front for a minute in the unloading zone to unload the car but a big stupid tour bus started honking. I flipped them off. I dragged our bags inside and husband went to park the car in a nearby garage.

Check-in was smooth. They had a beautiful room for us, overlooking the busy street, which I rejected as too noisy. We were moved to a less nice room on the first floor that was really quiet and looked out at the roof and a courtyard. Perfect for jet lagged sleeping.

We cleaned up and headed out to see THE reason we worked so hard to get to this town: Chartres Cathedral.

And yes, it was worth the effort. It is the most magnificent cathedral we've ever seen. We want to return and take a guided tour (with Malcolm Miller, preferably). It's stupendous. I took tons of pics that don't really show how awesome this Cathedral is!

We exited and went around the side to see the structure from all angles. The left side of the Cathedral was probably my favorite with the intricately carved figures of Jesus and the Disciples. There was a colorfully dressed wedding party taking pictures nearby which added to the atmosphere.

We made our way into the Bishop's Garden and the weather started to get ugly.

Had it been a nicer afternoon, and if I hadn't been bone tired, I would have walked the labyrinth. We left the garden just before the rains started.

There was a beautiful building, right across from the cathedral, with which I fell in love. Maybe it's the rectory or something. It had the really pretty blue doors that I see so much in France.

On the right side of the Cathedral it looks like the restoration is not complete but it's still spectacular.

The rain started in earnest so we popped into the little restaurant across from the Cathedral for a break. And had our first beers in France in 2017! The rain didn't last long. We meandered back toward the hotel.

After the brief rain, the day once again became beautiful and lots of people were out enjoying the festival. We planted ourselves at a Tabac, with more beer, to people watch before dinner. This is one of my favorite pastimes in France!

We had dinner reservations at Les Feullantines at 730pm. The sun was setting beautifully and we took our time getting there. What we saw of Chartres left a very positive impression; it was very cute.

Dinner at Les Feullantines was very good. It's a tiny place and was completely booked. They turned away several people while we were there. The food was fresh and well presented and the staff were generally attentive and helpful. We would return. Husband had a pork belly appetizer, I had a fish. Husband's main was beef steak and mine was fish with ratatouille.

This was our first meal in France 2017 and my first fish with ratatouille. Practically every fish I ordered this year came with the ratatouille, which I do not enjoy. We asked a Le Bacchus in Beaune and were told this is the traditional way of serving fish. To me it overwhelms the light, flaky fish but it's apparently very popular.

After our dinner, we walked back to the Cathedral for the Lumiere (light show). All I can say is WOW!!! We've never seen anything like it and were just blown away!

On the Left side of the Cathedral, the lights filled in the faces, clothes, and details of the statues and stone. The tableau came to life. Amazing! It was incredible to see. I loved it!

Then we got to the Front of the Cathedral. This part of the light show was set to music and ran for 10-12 minutes. It was so cool, interesting, and complex. Just incredible.

By now it was past midnight and we were done--crossed eyed from exhaustion. We walked back to the hotel, noticed a few more lit up buildings, and crashed.

Takeaways:
1. There will always be a reason to cancel a vacation. Try not to.
2. No more picking up rental cars at CDG. And never present to Hertz with a voucher from Auto Europe (or AAA or a Travel Agent). They treated people with direct Hertz reservations markedly differently than those of us with vouchers.
3. Driving to Chartres with the GPS was easy. Would have been very difficult for us without it.
4. The Chartres Cathedral was worth every effort we made to visit it.
5. If you have a chance to see Chartres en Lumiere, do not hesitate!
6. I love France.

Next: To Amboise, with detours

nola77382

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Le Mans, Solesmes Abbey, Amboise

http://herewegoagain-france2017.blogspot.com/2017/09/le-mans-solesmes-abbey-amboise.html

Day 2: To Amboise, with detours

Choosing the quiet room is always the right decision. We both slept well and woke up refreshed. After breakfast at the hotel (pricey but worth it today), we rolled our bags to the garage, located our car, figured out how to pay (this is always harder than expected), and routed ourselves to Le Mans for the 24 hours of Le Mans museum.

Husband is truly a "car guy." He has watched this race on TV and read about it for years, so he liked everything he saw. But I, too, found the museum, history, cars displayed, and seeing some cars race on the track very interesting. We talked about coming back to see the race in person one day.

We left the museum and went to the track. It was a separate fee (I think 3 euro) to look around and wait for the practice runs that started at 2pm. The whole area was deserted. We saw maybe 10 other people. Then it started to rain.

I liked watching the cars race. Especially when they lost control and spun out, or went up the little hill making tremendous noise. I can imagine the actual race is very exciting to see in person.

We left Le Mans and plugged in the address for Abbaye Solesmes into the GPS. We still didn't have a map of the area because the two rest stops we'd been to didn't have the map we needed. So the GPS did what it always does and routed us very circuitously to the Abbey. It took a long time on very small roads. But we arrived and found the mostly empty parking lot. The day was still overcast and drizzly.

Husband had seen this place described in the Michelin Green Guide. He was intrigued by the Saints of Solesmes sculptures which date from 1496 to 1553.

We walked into the bookshop figuring we'd have to pay to enter the chapel but there was no fee. The very kind and patient Benedictine monk explained about the abbey and showed us the books that talked more about it. They had a video and displays all in French.

Through the courtyard we went to the Chapel. No photos allowed. It was perfect. It seemed holy and reverent. Most tourists were appropriately quiet and respectful. The Belle Chappelle of Notre-Dame is on the left (Sud). It's all about the life of the Virgin Mary. Incredibly detailed and beautiful works. They were started in 1530 and finished in 1553. Across the aisle is the Tomb of Our Lord which was also incredibly beautiful. It's dated 1496. Their website for details and photos: The Saints of Solesmes Abbaye de Solesmes

On the left as we exited the compound, I noticed a small door leading to the Parochial Church. The organist was practicing, candles were lit, and a few people wandered in. It was a lovely little church.

Back to the car, stopping briefly to smell (and photograph) the roses, to make our way to Amboise.

We arrived at La Grange Amboise in good time, checked in with Madame Yveline, did not choose the quiet room, and headed out to walk about this cute town and have dinner. We really liked Amboise and the B&B in 2015 and were glad to be back for three nights.

It being a Sunday, many well rated restaurants were closed. We decided on pizza at La Florentine because we knew we didn't like the pizza at Via Roma. We sat at the tables on the sidewalk and this was when we first noticed the unintended consequence of banning cigarettes indoors--everyone outside was likely to light up and inundate us non-smokers with fumes. We asked to be moved to a different table (the first one was in between two tables of smokers) and enjoyed our meal. Husband had the pizza with lots of anchovies, while my Quattro formaggio pizza reconfirmed my dislike of gorgonzola.

After dinner, not ready to retire, we took a walk across the bridge to Le Shaker bar which had a great view of the nicely lit up castle. The rain and the smokers pushed us inside but we enjoyed watching the locals and staff interact.

Our room at La Grange Amboise was fine except it was on the road and noisy with the window open so we only slept ok. We got a later start than planned the next day but still managed to see 2.25 chateaus.

Takeaways:
1. Car museums can be interesting even for non-car people
2. Solesmes Abbey was definitely worth the detour
3. GPS is invaluable but boy does it route you on teeny roads
4. We really like our road maps in conjunction with the GPS
5. Develop a tolerance for smoke in your face if sitting on a patio, even at a restaurant
6. Always choose the quiet room!

Next: We see 2.25 chateaus (Valencay, Chaumont-sur-Loire, Clos Luce).

nola77382

Monday, September 4, 2017

Chateaux de la Loire Part 1
2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): Chateaux de la Loire Part 1

Day 3: 2.25 chateaux (Valencay, Chaumont-sur-Loire, Clos Luce).

After a good breakfast at La Grange Amboise in the company of a couple from Australia (who sat next to each other, side by side, at the narrow communal table, instead of across from each other, so we were facing total strangers first thing in the morning), we headed out to visit our first chateaux of 2017.

In 2015, we visited Chenonceau, Cheverny, Chambord, Blois, and Amboise. So this year the plan was to hit Valencay, Chaumont-sur-Loire, Clos Luce, Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry, and Langeais.

We started with Valencay. It was about an hour's drive from Amboise. The weather was generally great.

Valencay started in the 1540's and became the home of Tallyrand, the foreign minister for Napoleon, and his heirs. Before him, it belonged to the d'Estampes family of financiers. The exterior was lovely. It stands high above the Nahon river and the views were great. I'm sure the grounds are even nicer when everything is blooming. I didn't get a good picture of the front because the sun was in our eyes. Husband was enthralled by the roofing work being done on one of the turrets. By time we left, 2 or so hours later, most of it was complete!

I was more impressed by the exterior than the interior, which seemed a bit run down. The Tallyrand rooms were on display and the included audio guide helped flesh out his interesting life at the chateau. The story about his chef, Careme, who invented the chef hat and other cheffy things, was fascinating.

We walked around outside since it was a beautiful day and the chateau just gleamed in the warm sunshine.

We left the chateau and walked into the town, which was remarkably quiet, looking for lunch. We figured every one was having a siesta. But it was probably because it was a Monday and slightly off season. We ended up at Creperie Bretonne Le Biniou. We very much enjoyed our crepes and cider.

Next up was Chaumont-sur-Loire. It was started in the 10th century by Odo, the Count of Blois. But it was burned down in 1455 by Louis XI and rebuilt a decade later. It passed through lots of hands, including those of Catherine de Medici, who bought it in 1560, after Henry II died. She forced his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, to give up Chenonceau for Chaumont. In 1875, it was bought by sugar heiress, Marie-Charlotte Say. She and her husband build the stables and had the chateau restored. She donated the chateau to the government in 1938.

Chaumont has extensive, beautiful gardens and grounds. It sits above the Loire and has glorious views. We both really liked this chauteau a lot.

There was some sort of modern art exhibition going on but it didn't take away from the chateau except in the chapel. The interior rooms were pretty and fresh.

We wandered the beautiful grounds then and made our way to the stables. The horses and carriages really had it good!

We walked through more gardens. Everywhere I looked were interesting plants, flowers, trees, paths. Wonderful. Loved this chateau and grounds!

It was still early so we decided to hit Clos Luce back in Amboise. It didn't close until 6pm so we'd have a good hour or so to tour it.

We got there, parked down the street, walked in, and changed our minds. It was so expensive: 15 euro per person. We couldn't see how it was worth that. Plus, what I really wanted to see were the DaVinci toys in the gardens. Too bad they didn't have a ticket just for the grounds.

We got back in the car, parked at the B&B, and went looking for a drink. We found our spot at Café des Arts. We sat on the patio (dodging the smoke), people watching, enjoying our beer and sparkling wine, and gazing up at the walls of Chateau Amboise. Perfect!

The bartender lectured us about sparkling wine vs. champagne when husband ordered my first bubbly. He didn't really understand that for most Americans, champagne is like Kleenex or bandaids, i.e., the name we call the thing even if it's not of that brand. He was very passionate on the subject!

For dinner, I convinced husband to go back to La Florentine and this time he got lasagna and I had pizza (no gorgonzola!) again. It was pretty good food and good service. We sat inside this time.

We topped off the evening with ice cream from Amorino, from the same surly attendant we remembered from 2015. We ate it on the way back to our B&B for the night.

Takeaways:
1. Amboise makes a good base to visit lots of chateaux
2. Driving in the Loire valley is easy, especially with a GPS + map
3. September must be low season--nowhere was crowded
4. If you and a partner are at a narrow communal table at a B&B, do sit across from each other. It was very disconcerting to sit across from strangers at breakfast.
5. Bubbly is sparkling wine, not champagne, unless it's from the champagne region. You're welcome

Next: More chateaux (Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry, Langeais)

nola77382

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Chateaux de la Loire Part 2
2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): Chateaux de la Loire Part 2

Day 4: 3 chateaux (Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry, Langeais)

After another breakfast staring at strangers, we headed out. I was really looking forward to the chateaux on today's agenda. The clear blue skies over Amboise were riddled with vapor trails. Cool.

Azay-le-Rideau was the #1 chateau on my list for 2017. From my research, I believed it would be gorgeous with a fascinating history. It was all I expected and much more.

It's on a small island on the river Indre. It was started in the 12th century but it and the whole little town were burned down in 1418 by the Dauphin de France (future Charles VII) in retaliation for some insult. It was in ruins for 200 years. Under Francois I, it was rebuilt in the style of a Renaissance chateau by Philippa Leshaby and Gilles Berthelot. Francois I allowed use of lumber from one of his forests for the construction (described in the attic). The King took the castle away from the Berthelots and gave it to his Captain of the Guards. At the French Revolution, the Marquis de Biencort bought the chateau and it stayed in his family until 1840. They renovated and restored it during their ownership. It has belonged to the State since 1905.

It was recently renovated and was just absolutely beautiful inside and out. We were there pretty early and it was not crowded. The first thing we did was walk its entire perimeter. The grounds were gorgeous and the castle super picturesque from all angles.

The interior was equally gorgeous. There's a gorgeous staircase with the rooms branching off it. Some of the rooms had the original furnishings from the 17th century. We went up all the way to the attic--not to be missed--where we lingered reading the displays about the construction. Fascinating.

The grounds are not as extensive as at other chateaux and nothing really was blooming. We marveled at the variety of trees, including Louisiana Cypresses. We concluded that there was a lot of travelling during this period and the wealthy could acquire specimens from almost anywhere.

It may seem silly, but I felt I could manage this chateau, of all the ones we've seen. It's not massive, it's well laid out, the grounds aren't too extensive, it's in a decent sized town. It's kinda perfect; my dream castle.

Up next was Villandry which I wanted to see for its award winning gardens. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Villandry was the last of the Renaissance chateaux build under Francois I. Jean Le Breton started it in 1532. His family owned it until 1754 when it was acquired by King Louis XV's ambassador, Marquis de Castellane, who updated it which took away a lot of its original details. In 1906, Joaquin Carvallo and his American steel heiress wife, Ann Coleman, bought the chateau and grounds and set upon restoring it to its original design. The chateau is still in Carvallo hands, currently owned by great-grandson, Henri. It has been open to the public since 1929.

The interiors are furnished like when Joaquin and Ann Carvallo lived there. Pretty but not over-the-top, a bit worn in places. It seemed like a comfortable home.

The interiors were fine but the gardens were WOW! Spectacular! We could see them from all the windows. We pretty much ran through the house to get outside.

Per the internet, there are five distinct gardens: Sun, Ornamental, Water, Vegetable, and Medicinal Herbs. There was also a maze which one of us navigated perfectly. We took our time walking around and just enjoying the incredibly beauty around us. We took lots of pictures, too.

We reluctantly left Villandry's gardens; the weather looked threatening.

Next up was Langeais. I didn't expect much from this chateau and had chosen it because it was close to Villandry. It was a very pleasant surprise! We both loved this chateau.

Langeais was started in the 1460's by King Louis X!I. It's a medieval fortress with some early French Renaissance touches that were added by Jacques Siegfried, who owned it from 1886 to 1904, when he gave it to the State. It was here that Anne of Bretagne and Charles VIII were married in 1491--there's a creepy tableau of the wedding in the great hall. Siegfried restored it to its medieval glory and furnished it with 15C items. It has formal gardens and a great park overlooking the town. It also has the oldest stone keep in France--Fulk Nera--which you can climb for great views. There were loads of lovely medieval details throughout.

The great hall had the recreation of the wedding of Anne de Bretagne and Charles VIII which was held there in 1491. The mannequins were creepy. There was an audio reenactment but we didn't wait around to hear it in English.

We left the chateau and headed to the gardens and park. I loved climbing the Fulk Nera keep on the not rickety steps for lovely views. You could see how the chateau is really right in the middle of the town.
We also climbed the tree house in the park which was fun. I think kids would love this place.

We explored all the nooks and crannies we could then headed back to the car and got on the road to Amboise.

We parked the car at the B&B and headed to Café des Arts for drinks before our 730pm reservation at Chez Bruno. I got sparkling wine again. The bartender remembered we'd ordered "champagne" last night. It's a major offense! We sat outside, dodging the smoke, for awhile. It's a great spot to people watch.

We'd loved our dinner at Chez Bruno in 2015 and were looking forward to it again. Chez Bruno is now listed in all the guidebooks. Reservations are a must. The restaurant has expanded since 2015 and its charm seemed greatly diluted. We had a nice table inside; the restaurant was pretty full. The service was not as attentive as we remembered: in 2015, the hipster looking staff were ridiculously on top of things. The food was good but not great.

I had a goat cheese salad for my entrée to husband’s French onion soup. My main was a tasty fish, not covered in ratatouille, and husband had beef that was quite tough. We decided against desert--Amorino was calling!
We walked back to Le Shaker bar for a nightcap. It was a beautiful evening in Amboise.

Takeaways:
1. Some many chateaux, so little time! We've seen 10 but there's hundreds more we could visit
2. Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry, and Langeais are easy to see in one day
3. Langeais was a pleasant surprise--we loved it
4. Azay-le-Rideau lives up to the hype
5. Villandry's gardens deserve all their accolades
6. Don't be us: order sparkling wine when not in the champagne region--hahaha
7. We missed the charming Chez Bruno of 2015 but congrats on your success!

Next: On to Beaune in Burgundy

kerouac

I have a question. As a former car rental employee (before my glorious airline career), I know that rental cars operated by the major chains are never more than 9 months old. So I am extremely curious about how old you think that this Opel was. As for being beat up, actually that is how I personally prefer rental cars to be, because it means that if I have a little incident (or somebody does it to me in the parking lot), it will almost certainly go unnoticed.

You also said that you would never want to rent a car at CDG again. Do you think that what happened to you happens every single day at every car rental agency? I'm not being snarky -- just trying to figure out how your mind works.

nola77382

Hi Kerouac, Hertz at CDG looked like it was poorly organized and understaffed for the number of people needing service. Maybe they're the most popular of the rental agency at CDG? I don't know. But Avis next door was quiet--maybe 3 people served in the time we were there. We were one of three people with vouchers and all of us, because we were waiting so long, compared notes. We all got older cars and it took a long time to get them. People with direct Hertz reservations came and went quickly.

We don't want to rent at CDG, aside from this awful experience with Hertz, because it was challenging to get out and on the road. We would rent at Orly--returning the car there was easy so I'd hope picking up the rental would be easy, too, and it didn't seem as complicated to get in and out of there.

The car was definitely over 9 months old, I think it was a 2015. It had 60,000 or so kilometers. I don't think it was in the Hertz fleet, probably Thrifty or some Hertz partner. We had to wait until they brought it from wherever it was hiding then they proceeded to wash it. They didn't take the time to vacuum it so it was dirty on the inside (we wiped it down with Clorox wipes, but we do this with all rentals). We also like "used" rentals because yes, minor scratches are forgiven. This car was exceptionally scratched, dented or otherwise damaged--so much so that almost all of its exterior was tagged. But it ran fine!

So this was a rental experience unlike any other we've had at an airport. We've picked up cars at airports in London (Heathrow and Gatwick), Frankfurt, Munich, and Madrid, usually Avis, Hertz, or Enterprise, generally with the Auto Europe voucher. Picking up at the airport is not our favorite thing but none were as bad as this time. It was akin to our experience in downtown Rome with Thrifty when we had to wait a long time and the car was in similar condition, to include bad tires and unusable wiper blades (and of course it rained the entire trip!). One of our best rental experiences was Hertz at Heathrow so we were not really expecting this treatment at CDG.

kerouac

Thanks for the specific reply. Sounds like they were having a major shortage. Did you ask for an automatic or something like that?

Europcar is the #1 rental company in France. I think Hertz comes in 3rd, after Avis.

nola77382

No prob. We had no special requests. Husband drives a standard here so that's not an issue for us. We would've preferred a diesel but didn't dare bring that up. It was a very bad day at Hertz.

nola77382

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Abbaye de Fontenay and Beaune
2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): Abbaye de Fontenay and Beaune

Day 5: On to Beaune with a detour

After breakfast, we took our leave of Madame Yveline at La Grange Amboise. We enjoyed our stay and her hospitality and would definitely stay there on a subsequent trip.

We had a relatively long drive from Amboise to Beaune and planned to stop at Abbaye de Fontenay, a Unesco World Heritage site, and possibly Semeur-en-Auxois.

Driving in France is really easy. We had no problems getting out of Amboise and onto the autoroute. We stopped at a rest stop and purchased the Beaune area map for which we'd searched in vain at bookshops and gas stations and anywhere maps were sold.

After lunch, we made our way to the Abbaye de Fontenay on small back roads that were deserted. There were very few villages and fewer villagers. We saw two cats and one man in an hour. I didn't realize France was so rural in spots. The drive was beautiful.

The Abbaye de Fontenay is in a quiet, green, peaceful, and picturesque location.

From their website Abbaye de Fontenay - Patrimoine Mondial
Fontenay Abbey in Burgundy was founded in 1118 by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a leading French saint, and is the oldest preserved Cistercian abbey in the world. After the French revolution, which led to the departure of the monks, it was converted to an industrial use which preserved all the buildings of the Romanesque period: the Abbey Church, the Dormitory, Cloister, Chapter Room, the Common Room, and the Forge. Located in northern Burgundy, it is nestled in a fully preserved valley which extends over 1,200 hectares. Since 1820, the Abbey of Fontenay has been the private ownership of the same family, which continues to preserve this exceptional site opening to public visit all year round. The Abbey welcomes 100,000 visitors each year who come to admire the beauty and purity of architecture unspoiled for 900 years, and enjoy the quiet of a place designed for spirituality.

The abbey church was consecrated in 1147 by Pope Eugene III. It is simply beautiful.

From their website Abbaye de Fontenay - Patrimoine Mondial
Abbey Church of Fontenay is one of the oldest Cistercian churches in the world. Built between 1139 and 1147, it is also one of the few Cistercian churches of the twelfth century to have survived intact until today. According to the will of St. Bernard and the General Chapter of the Cistercian Order, nothing in the church was to distract the eye so that all could be turned to God during the daily offices. That is why this building was designed with simplicity and is a model of Burgundian Romanesque architecture: Latin cross plan, bare facade, simple foliage sculptures for the capitals, and single row of side windows.

The Virgin and Child statue is a beautiful example of late 13C Burgundian sculpture. The glazed tiles are from the 12th and 13th centuries. The monks slept in a dormitory (reconstructed after a fire) that looks like the upside down hull of a ship. The 12th century cloister seamlessly and beautifully connects all of the rooms.

The common room was large, light filled, and beautiful The monks did all kinds of different work here, possibly including making illustrated manuscripts.
The forge is a beautiful 12th century building with vaulted ceilings and decorative stone work. Per the website, it was set aside from the rest of the buildings to mark a difference between work and spiritual life. It had interesting displays on the works that what went on in it after the French Revolution.

The grounds were just immaculate. The peace was only interrupted by the grounds keeper's mover or blower. There was a massive Platane tree from 1780

We spent a bit of time in the museum and bookstore before leaving. An excellent and extremely worthwhile detour was Abbaye de Fontenay!

We decided to skip Semeur-en-Auxois because it was getting late.

Next stop: Beaune. We programmed the GPS to our Air B&B rental and it got us there with no problems. The owner, Jacqueline, met us within a few minutes and let us into the gorgeous, roomy apartment. We parked the car a few blocks away in the free lot near a pretty park. It was easy to get there by car and back by foot.

The apartment had a functional, small kitchen. An open shower and sauna! The bedroom was huge with a king bed. And great views of the town.

The only drawback was that it did not have a washer/dryer or a sink in the separate toilet room. I used the sauna every night--loved it! We really liked this place and would stay there again in a heartbeat.

The apartment was very central in Beaune, right on Place Monge. We went exploring, stopped for drinks at Les Chevaliers, did some grocery shopping, made some phone calls, relaxed.

We noticed a couple of really disheveled and dirty looking people hanging around. I thought it was sad that there was a homeless problem in Beaune. We later found out they were grape pickers--harvest had started!

We considered a couple of different restaurants for dinner but ended up back at Les Chevaliers. We sat outside, the smoking was not too bad, and enjoyed our meal. We also enjoyed watching all the people and animals. It seems natural and right that well-behaved dogs are allowed everywhere (and I'm not your typical dog lover). We laughed at a little dog that kept trying to go after bigger dogs that just ignored it. It was the most barking we'd heard in a long time! It was more cute than disruptive. It was a gorgeous night.

A quick walk and we were back in our apartment for the night.

Takeaways:
1. Driving in France is really easy and pleasant. No potholes or bad roads anywhere.
2. Tolls can get expensive. But are worth it!
3. I was charmed by rural, deserted France.
4. Abbaye de Fontenay is worth the detour.
5. The Air B&B apartment was great and the sauna was fantastic (I want one at home)
6. Sitting outside for drinks and dinner is delightful.

Next: All day wine tour

nola77382

Thursday, September 7, 2017

When in Burgundy, drink wine

Pictures are here: 2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): When in Burgundy, drink wine

Day 6: All day wine tour

Sleep is one of my favorite things and it came easy in this apartment. After the sauna and a shower, I slept until the alarm went off at 730am. It was an early start but for a good reason: Wine! I had enjoyed the documentary, A Year in Burgundy, and wanted to see the real thing for myself.

Patrick with Burgundy Discovery picked us up in front of the Dali Museum in a black VW minivan at 9am for our all day Grand Premier Wine Tour. There were three others on the tour with us: enthusiastic wine student, J, from DC; and wine aficionados, M&K, from Chicago who were on their third wine tour.

Patrick is 1/2 British and 1/2 French and fluent in both languages and cultures. He started by giving us packets with information about Burgundy's wine growing regions, why the terroir is so important, how to read a label, etc. He also talked a bit about these things. I wished he'd given a longer background introduction, truly, as it was hard to read while the van was in motion.

His first stop was by this sign which details the terroir and what lots are Grands Cru, Premiers Cru, Communal, and Regional. The labels in the packet showed this too.

Patrick drove us around the vineyards and villages which were teeming with people because it was harvest time. We actually saw one of the "homeless" guys we'd noticed the day before getting ready to start picking grapes!

We passed the headquarters of Romanée-Conti and J yelled excitedly because the man himself was out in the street directing the workers. He snapped pictures while the rest of us snoozed. I really know next to nothing about Burgundy wine (or wine in general, other than I love drinking it!) so didn't understand the significance until later.

Romanée-Conti is apparently the most prestigious and expensive wine in the world. It's almost impossible to get a bottle unless you're very much in the know. And I know I'll never be in that know. It was cute to see how excited J was. He hopes to taste those wines one day.

As we were leaving the Romanée-Conti vineyards, Patrick spotted some Asian people eating away on the grapes. He angrily told them to stop, that was they were doing was illegal. They were not contrite, said they had permission, and continued on with their disgraceful behavior as we drove away.

Our first tasting was at the less prestigious (as compared to Romanée-Conti!), Noëllat winery. We first toured their cellars, which definitely smelled like mold. There was a tasting table down in the cellar but we thankfully tasted the wines in the modern store above. We tasted, I think, 5 wines. I didn't love any of them. No one bought any bottles.

From Noëllat, we drove around for awhile looking at the beautiful vineyards and workers busy picking grapes. Patrick pointed out how in what looked like small garages, people were actually making wine.

Our next stop was at Domaine D'Ardhuy which is a monopole winery run by women. Our guide had a heavy accent, was nice, gave us a history of the winery and a tour of the small old cellars. We tasted 5 wines (I think). These were more to my taste and I bought a delicious white.

The enthusiastic J bought several wines. He said he'd cellar them for awhile but the price and quality couldn't be beat. We bought a bottle of the Savigny Les Beaune Clos de Godeaux white. The reds, all from the pinot noir grape, were ok but a bit too light for my palate. We bought one delicious white.

The next order of business was lunch. Patrick drove through some back roads to a cute village--I didn't get its name--and an empty, very casual, restaurant--also didn't get its name--where we had a nice, not great, lunch. He chose a big bottle of red wine for the table--it was just ok. A white might have been better. Once that bottle was gone, there was no more (and I could've used another glass).

After lunch, we got back on the road. It seemed to take a long time to get to our next destination, Domaine de Villamont, in Savigny-les-Beunes. Patrick was not very talkative. He did answer our questions and explained about being in the higher elevations which was not conducive to good wines and that some of the vines were for cassis.

We paused to get a good luck at the human pickers with the mechanical picker nearby. Patrick explained that the mechanical picker shook the vines which, in the long run, decreased their viability and production. Thus it's the less preferred method of harvesting the grapes.

Domaine de Villamont was teeming. The grapes were being trucked in and workers were sorting them. We went into the modern tasting room while Patrick talked to someone to get permission for us to watch the process. As we waited, we took pictures of the grapevines next to the parking lot. It was a very pretty setting.

Permission to wander about the production area where the grapes were being sorted and dumped into huge metal vats was granted. It is a fascinating process, much of it done by hand, and very like what I'd seen in the A Year in Burgundy documentary.

The grapes are hand sorted, they go on the conveyor belt into a big bucket, what's left is sold or composted. The grapes in the bucket get dry ice and them are dumped into the vats.

We headed downstairs to the cellars, which were incredibly extensive. There was a display about the terroir. There were thousands of barrels of wine. People pay wineries to age their Hospices de Beaune wines and we saw some here. The red wine barrels have chestnut around them.

We tasted another 5 wines (I think). These were probably my favorites of all. We ended up buying one bottle of a 1er Cru Red which we enjoyed during our time in Beaune.

Patrick dropped us off close to the apartment and that was that. It was a long, mostly enjoyable day. We learned a fair amount about wine and I certainly understood the labels better, which helped me choose wines more confidently. Not sure I would do the tour again, though.

Back in Beaune, we set about relaxing before dinner. The apartment was kinda perfect for that. Husband and I facetimed with family back home. My parents liked the apartment and our view. Mom noticed a tiny car getting a parking ticket down below, ha.

We ended up at Piqu'Bouef for dinner. It had a lively atmosphere and open cooking area. We didn't have a reservation but were sat promptly by the window. Service was very good. The food was quite tasty. I had a delicious risotto with scallops; husband had steak and baked potato. We both enjoyed our meals and would return.

We sat chatting with two friendly and interesting gentlemen, brothers-in-law, from England who visit Beaune every year to buy wine. They invited us along to drink at a jazz bar but we were too stuffed and passed.

We noticed some of the buildings were lit up (nothing like Chartres magnificent light show) as we walked back to the apartment.

Takeaways:
1. Burgundy wine is complicated. And some are really good. I love wine.
2. I don't think I'd do the all day wine tour again. There was a lot of wasted time. I wanted more unprompted information (not just in a packet of handouts) about what we were seeing and doing, particularly on the long drives.

Next: It's time to see Beaune

nola77382

Friday, September 8, 2017

Beautiful Beaune

2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): Beautiful Beaune

Day 7: It's time to see Beaune

After another great sleep, we took our time getting out. We weren't going far--just a few blocks to the Hospices de Beaune aka Hotel-Dieu de Beaune. Our apartment really was in a fantastic location!

I've worked in healthcare my entire adult life so was very interested in visiting the Hospices de Beaune.

Nicholas Rolin, the Duke of Burgundy's Chancellor, received permission from Pope Eugene IV for a hospital and it was founded in 1443. It was built to care for the sick poor after the 100 years war. Beaune was devastated by the war and many of its people were destitute and suffering from the plague. The hospital was consecratred in 1452. Nicholas Rolin and his wife, Guigone de Salins, also started an order of nuns who would take care of the patients. The Hospices de Beaune was a functioning hospital until the late 1970's. (Break to grab calculator) That's 500+ years!

It was designed by Jacques Wiscrene (Flemish) and is a fantastic example of Northern Renaissance architecture. It has a central courtyard and all the buildings radiate off it. This likely made it easier for the staff to carry out their duties.

The most remarkable feature of the building is the roof which is made of colorful glazed tiles in red, brown, yellow and green laid in intricate patterns. The tiles currently on the roof are replicas from the early 1900's. The roof is spectacular!

The main building contains the chapel and hospital beds. It was a Catholic establishment and caring for the soul was as important as caring for the body. Most of the patients died here but were hopefully comforted at the end of their lives.

The hospital for the poor is a long room, with a chapel at one end, with really pretty ceiling beams. The floor has tiles with Nicholas and Guigone's intertwined crests.

The rich also needed medical care. They also came to the Hospices de Beaune but were cared for in a separate space. It held fewer patients and had more amenities.

A big part of the tour was about the medical treatments provided to the patients. There were interesting displays about the equipment used, very primitive at first but more advanced as time went on. There was a fascination with the bowels and some of the enema devices were yikes, shocking.

The 18C pharmacists concocted cures with items from beautiful bottles and jars which were on display.
The tour took us through the kitchen where the nuns toiled to feed everyone.

Next up was a small, dark, temperature controlled room that had the most amazing altarpiece. It was made by Roger van der Weyden of Brussels between 1443-1450. It used to hand in the chapel but is too precious to be exposed to the elements there. It is spectacular!

The front of the altarpiece is the Last Judgment. The back of the altarpiece shows Nicholas Rolin and Guigone de Salins being pious. This room also has gorgeous old tapestries one of which depicted the Legend of Saint Eloi, 15C.

Overall, the Hospices de Beaune went beyond my expectations. Nicholas Rolin may have founded it to buy his way into heaven, but it provided 500+ years of medical care to those who needed it. That's pretty remarkable.

We next went to the Basilica of Notre Dame de Beaune. It's pretty on the outside and plain on the inside. There was a Baby Jesus of Beaune on display.

We walked around Beaune for a bit but were getting hungry. And needed to do laundry.

Jacqueline had told us there was a Laundromat close-by the apartment. I looked in the Rick Steves France and he recommended La Ciboulette (which I had found on other sites, too) and wrote that there was a Laundromat next door. That made our decision easy!

We started our laundry then went next door to have lunch while the machines did their thing. It worked out beautifully! The meal was one of our favorites this trip. I had a nice goat cheese salad and husband had a terrine. My fish did not have ratouille (yay!). And husband enjoyed his pork with bourguignon sauce.

Laundry done and bellies full, we contemplated the rest of our day on the way back to the apartment.

I dragged husband to Patriarche Père et Fils for some wine tasting. He was all like, "didn't we already do a whole day of this yesterday?" But we paid our money, got our little tasting cups, and went a wandering down the cellars. It's a very commercial enterprise, well laid out. We tasted 10 wines and none of them impressed us.

Carved over one doorway: "Wine has the power to fill the soul of all truth all knowledge and philosophy"

After Patriarche et Fils, we walked about some more. Took some bad selfies. And a better picture of Notre-Dame.

We made our way to the Museum of Burgundy Wine only to find it had just closed. The pretty courtyard was still open so we took a few pictures.

We walked back to the apartment and relaxed before our dinner at Le Bacchus.

It was too pretty an evening, so we headed back out. We window shopped and stopped for drinks at La Part des Anges. Sitting on the sidewalk, dodging the smoke, watching Beaune go by: Wonderful.

Le Bacchus is a tiny restaurant with very good food. It's run by a husband and wife and they did an admirable job keeping up with the full house. Things got bogged down late because a table of 8 had two birthday cakes to serve (why they needed two is beyond me) so we, and a couple of other tables, had a long wait for dessert and checks. But the food was very good and we would certainly return.

We had poached eggs, escargot, a fish covered in ratatouille fish, and the burger. We had bread pudding and crème brulee for dessert.

Back at the apartment, we watched the light show on the tower outside the window before bed. It had been a lovely, relaxing day in Beaune.

Takeaways:
1. Beaune is a really nice town.
2. The Hospices de Beaune is a "must-see" for a very good reason
3. We were glad the apartment didn't have a washer/dryer after our great experience at La Ciboulette
4. Relaxing with a drink on the sidewalk really is a fabulous thing
5. Le Bacchus was as good as expected (except for slowed down service for 2 bday cakes)

Next: Day trip to Dijon and Semeur-en-Auxois

TravelParis23

Went to Chartres in 2106 but missed the light show
Seems we need to go back. Any excuse to travel to France
Anxiously waiting to hear about your time in Paris
Thanks !

Treesa

Nola, I'm enjoying your TR. Thanks for posting.

nola77382

Thank you for reading and following along.


Saturday, September 9, 2017

Dijon and Semeur-en-Auxois

Pictures are here: 2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): Dijon and Semeur-en-Auxois

Day 8: The Owl Trail and a criminally cute town

This was our last day in Burgundy and the weather took a turn for the worse. It was overcast, cold, and drizzly all morning and into the afternoon. We were not deterred but our enjoyment of Dijon was dampened a bit.

The drive from Beaune to Dijon was pretty easy. The only problem was we forgot our guidebook at the apartment and didn't really know where to head. Husband chose a random parking garage and it turned out to be exactly where we wanted to be--about 1 and 1/2 blocks from the Tourist Information center! We bought the Owl Trail booklet and set off to see a bit of Dijon.

The trail is well organized and well-marked. I don't know who came up with the idea, but kudos to him or her. We learned a bit of Dijon history, saw some very pretty buildings, and it kept our interest and attention. We went into the churches on the tour. First was Eglise Notre-Dame de Dijon.

We saw the Statue of Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir

We stopped in Edmond Fallot Mustard shop. It was very busy in there.
They had samples of about 10-15 mustards and were all delicious! We bought 8 jars.

We peeked in the courtyard of L'Hotel de Vogue

We bought pastries and macarons from a place nearby but didn’t get the name. They were quite tasty.

We stopped in the Square Des Ducs and saw Philippe Le Bon’s statue

Next stop was the Fine Arts Museum, which is undergoing restoration but has a fantastic collection. It was free to enter. It is very well signed in English.

The Tomb of the Dukes of Burgundy dominated one room. It is magnificent! There’s a stairwell leading to a room with a great view of the tombs.

One of the side rooms had the impressive, incredible, Altarpieces of the Charterhouse of Champmol, founded in 1385. The panels display the life of Christ and the saints, including the crucifiction. The altarpieces are from ard. 1396. They are sculpted, painted, and gilded. Just gorgeous.

The paintings, sculptures and objects in the museum are spectacular. We spent about an hour in there and were very impressed by what we saw.

We walked out and ended up in the Place de la Liberation, from 1689. It's beautiful.

Following the Owl, we stopped at the Palais de Justice and the door just drew me. It was incredibly ornate and probably very significant (the guide didn't explain).
Continued walking around and saw some of the private mansion along rue Vauban. It's how the other half live...

We stopped at a nearby creperie for lunch. Our crepes were quite good but service was pretty slow. I enjoyed chatting with two little Spanish kids in Spanish

After lunch we hit a couple of more Owl Trail spots: 15 Century timber framed houses and Sainte-Benigne Church which is Burgundian Gothic. Saint-Benigne's has an 11th century crypt that is considered a masterpiece of Burgundian Romanesque Art.

The weather had cleared but it was time to leave Dijon. We found the car, had a really difficult time figuring out where to pay for parking. Very nice locals helped us out: apparently the machine on the 4th floor had been removed and there was only one paystation left. But no signs indicated this.

We decided to visit Semeur-en-Auxois. It's a beautiful, compact town. Very walkable. It was pretty quiet on this beautiful day. I think they have a walking tour of some sort, too, or maybe it was in our guidebook. At any rate, we walked around for awhile.

We started at the Memorial to Americans who died in World War I

Walked through the 14C Porte des Cycognters (no idea what that means) to see the views.

Stopped at the Margot Tower, by the theatre, and took in the views.

I’m taking French and loved the cute Ecole Elementaire du Rempart. They must have amazing views from the windows on the back.

Above one of the main gates is a carved sign that says something like: "The Semurois are pleased in the acquaintance of foreigners" (thanks, google translate).

After a drink in a cafe watching the people of Semeur, we headed back to Beaune and arrived in time to catch a beautiful sunset from our apartment.

We decided to try pizza for dinner. It was a small, family run place that did a lot of takeout. The pizza was just OK.

After dinner, we stopped at L'Hotel Dieu to watch the lights show. It was lacking in comparison to Chartres but still interesting.

We walked around the clock tower by the apartment and watched that lights show before turning in for the night. We really enjoyed our short time in Burgundy!

Takeaways:
1. Dijon's Owl Trail is a great way to see the city
2. The free Fine Arts Museum (Musee des Beaux-Arts) is magnificent; not to be missed
3. Dijon merits more than a few hours but we were glad to be based in smaller Beaune
4. Semeur-en-Auxois is a really pretty town and easily accessed from Dijon or Beaune
5. The Beaune lumiere paled in comparison to Chartres

Next: On to Paris with a couple of detours.

nola77382

Sunday, September 10, 2017

A couple of stops before Paris
2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): A couple of stops before Paris

Day 10: Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte and Paris

We cleaned up our apartment and got on the road by 9am because our destination was Paris. We really enjoyed our time in Beaune. It's a place we'd definitely visit again and we'd stay in the same air b&b.

After stopping at a rest stop to buy another map and sandwiches, we routed ourselves to Fontainebleau and arrived with no problem to park in a pay lot near the castle.

First impression of Fontainebleau was "wow! It's huge and beautiful." I snapped a (pretty terrible; can't crop) picture of two cute little ballerinas before we bought our tickets and started our tour.

Chateau du Fontainebleau was (almost) continuously inhabited from the 12th century until the fall of Napoleon in 1870. It was the home of kings like Francois I, Louis XIV, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, and Napoleon III. They all put their stamps on this chateau by commissioning art, furnishings, decor. It has been preserved in its entirety and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The tour was very comprehensive--we were able to see many rooms in the palace. They were all pretty and elaborate but perhaps not at their best on this gloomy day.

We saw the Great Apartments and the Pope's Apartments.

The Francois I Gallery and Ballroom have amazing frescoes and stucco work which were produced by Italian artists during the reigns of Francois I and Henry II. The ballroom was finished by Francois' son Henri II.

We saw the room where future King Louis XIII was born in 1601.

The Francois I salon was the Queen's chamber. It later was the dining room under Louis XVI and Napoleon I.

The Diana Gallery was constructed under Henry IV and recounted the story of the goddess Diana. It was redecorated under Napoleon I and Louis XVIII then converted into a library under Napoleon III.

The Empress' Chamber: From Queen Marie de Medici to Empress Eugenie all of the queens of France have occupied this room.

We saw the room that was the King's Chamber from the 17th century until the Revolution. It was a state bedroom. Napoleon I kept it as a symbolic place by converting it to a Throne room.

The Emperor's Chamber was constructed under Louis XVI and was Napoleon's bedchamber.

On a little table in the Abdication Room, Napoleon signed his deed of abdication on April 6, 1814.

The Chapel, which was visited also from a balustrade, was the final stop on the tour. Beautiful.

Back outside, we walked around this massive building before heading out.

We enjoyed our visit to Fontainebleau. The history in its rooms, and keeping track of it, was overwhelming. It was here that I bought my "Chronology of the History of France" by Claude Lebedel. America is an infant in comparison...

Next up was Vaux-le-Vicomte, from 1641, which is the largest private estate listed as a Historic Monument in France.

We grabbed a nice lunch in the cafe and then started our tour with the stables and carriages.

Vaux-le-Vicomte was the brainchild of Superintendent of Finances, Nicolas Fouquet, and his "interior decorator," Charles Le Brun. King Louis XIV visited the chateau in August 1661, apparently was jealous of its grandeur and the wealth of its patron so three weeks later decided to have Nicolas Fouquet arrested and imprisoned at the Bastille. The King seized the chateau and lands and used the same artists to build Versailles.

We enjoyed our tour of Vaux-le-Vicomte. The history and the displays were outstanding. It's a beautiful chateau, all the more special because it's in family hands. They are working hard to keep it up--must be an amazingly costly endeavor. I probably liked it more than Fontainebleau.

Next, we set the GPS for Orly airport where we would return our rental car. It took awhile and it didn't seem like there was a direct route to the airport. After a couple of attempts to fill up the car, we delivered it--full of gas--to Hertz and found our way to the taxi stand. About 30 minutes later, we were checking into our air b&b on rue de Bellechasse.

It was large apartment, 62 steps up, very plainly decorated, with a cobbled together bathroom, kind of noisy at night, but ours for 7 nights. Its location was fabulous--a block and a half from the Orsay Museum and the Seine, a block from Solferino metro. Close to everything but not really a "neighborhood" feel. Although we liked it, we won't stay there again.

One of our Paris traditions is having fallafels at L'as du Fallafel. So there we headed. And they were delicious as always! Plus, the people watching was outstanding (those waiters sure are cute .

We weren't ready to turn in so headed to Au Bougnat on Ile de la Cite, where we'd spent time on our last trip, for nightcaps. Some of the same people were there and we again enjoyed the people watching while we had our drinks.

A slow meander past Notre Dame and a few other beautifully lit up buildings brought us "home."

Takeaways:
1. Returning the car at Orly was painless compared to CDG
2. The price fixe cabs from the airport are fabulous
3. Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte are outstanding. Would be great day trips from Paris
4. I love our Paris traditions (L'Aus du Falafel, for example)
5. 62 steps up is a lot, especially after a long day
6. I love Paris!

Next: A day of arches and cheese

nola77382

Monday, September 11, 2017

Arches and cheese in Paris

Day 11: A day of arches and cheese
2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): Arches and cheese in Paris

There is nothing better for me than waking up in Paris. I just love this city and can't get enough of her.

Today's agenda was pretty loose: Visit the Arc de Triomphe and La Defense before our walking tour of St. Germain at 3pm.

This was our 5th trip to Paris and we hadn't been up in the Arc de Triomphe since the 2nd (2005). I figured it was time for a revisit.

We procured a Navigo Decouverte for husband (his original one was stuck in Houston because of Hurricane Harvey), loaded up mine, and we were off to the Arc. As we walked to the ticket office I realized that I had planned to buy Museum Passes at Fontainebleau the day before but forgot. No matter, the 6 day Pass still saved us money and time.

We made our way up the hundreds of steps, husband saying "I don't remember there being this many steps last time." It's was hike but so worth it for the incredible views of the city. It was a pretty day and we took pictures from every angle. Watching the traffic below is always interesting, too.

On our way down, we kind of stumbled into a really cool exhibition on uniforms worn by different armies in World War I. Very interesting. We liked it a lot--and more than just as a spot to take a breather!

Our next stop was La Defense, where we'd not been before. We caught the metro from the Arc de Triomphe and it was a straight shot there. We didn't really have a plan except to take in the views from La Grande Arche. The weather was beautiful and there were a goodly number of people wandering about.

We got to the ticket line for the Grande Arche and decided to have lunch in the restaurant because that was in some ways cheaper than spending the money on just going up.

The escalator ride up was pretty scary for me. Husband was not bothered at all

We only made one mistake with this plan because we chose to eat before taking in the views. The weather while we ate changed from sunny and cool to cloudy and threatening, and eventually rainy. No matter, our lunch at Les Jardins du Josephine was outstanding. The restaurant was pretty quiet, except for a table of about 20 business people and a table of four chefs, the service was outstanding, including two visits from Chef Jean-Christian Dumonet himself, and we both enjoyed our food. Husband had a terrine de campagne as his entrée. I had sebaste (red fish) for my main while he had rumsteak or pave de faux filet. We shared a cooked pear and ice cream for desert. All very good. We'd definitely eat there again.

We headed down which was a lot less scary for me. We took the metro to the 7th to meet our guide with Paris by Mouth for our tour of St. Germain.

We arrived at the appointed location and were invited into a small, closed boulangerie where about 12 other people were sitting around a table laden with cheese. This is when I realized I'd booked the wrong tour and that, after a delicious and filling lunch, we'd be tasting tasting various cheeses accompanied by wine, instead of walking around collecting items for a picnic.

Oh well, husband just chuckled and shook his head--I've made these types of errors before! After admitting our mistake, we set about enjoying the tasting. The guide was fabulous and kept everyone involved and interested. We learned a lot about cheese and it made our ordering cheese at Le Meurice Alain Ducasse a few days later much easier.

Afterwards, we were really stuffed so we meandered down to the Champs de Mars, taking in the views of the Eiffel Tower. We made our way over to the Trocadero and joined the masses enjoying the view. It was a spectacularly gorgeous evening.

On our trip in 2015, husband really enjoyed Tabac de la Muette so we headed there for a drink. It was about 730pm and they closed down right around 8-815pm. The quick service, the people watching and then a most spectacular sunset, made us both very happy.

We closed the place down! Then we wandered the area a bit before heading back to Au Bougnat on Ile de la Cite for a nightcap. They had this cool old picture hanging and husband captured today's view. Pretty cool.

We walked by Notre Dame to the RER. I ignored his pointing out all the rats. I refuse to see them! An Asian woman asked for directions to CDG and we helped her find her way (feels good to know how to give basic directions in my favorite city!).

And that was our day of arches and cheeses. Fantastic!

Takeaways:
1. The views from the Arc de Triomphe are really worth the climb
2. La Defense and the Grande Arche was a fun, off the beaten path thing to do
3. Les Jardins de Josephine was great, we'd definitely eat there again
4. Dining at Josephine Chez Dumonet and taking in the view from the Montparnasse Tower vaulted to the top of the list for our next trip
5. Booking the wrong tour doesn't have to be a disaster. We learned a lot in our cheese and wine tasting
6. Old haunts (Tabac la Muette and Au Bougnac) are fun to revisit. Makes us feel like we belong a bit
7. I love Paris.

Next: Walking in the 1st and 2nd, Canal St. Martin, and the opera

nola77382

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Exploring Paris
2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): Exploring Paris

Day 12: Walking in the 1st and 2nd, Canal St. Martin, and the opera

My favorite guide for Paris is the Blue Guide. It's heavy but so comprehensive! With 6 full days, we figured we'd take advantage and just wander one day. That was today.

Without any place to be at any specific time, we woke up late, had breakfast, then caught the metro to Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre to start our Blue Guide walk: Around Palais Royal.

We followed the walk pretty closely but the Palais Royal was closed for a strike so we couldn't wander around the columns or cut through into the garden off Rue Montpensier. We saw the Fontaine Moliere, peered through the gates at the Jardin du Palais Royal, wandered the quiet Coeur de Honour.

We got to Square Louvois which is a pretty little park surrounded by gorgeous Haussmann buildings. I'd love to live anywhere around here! It was established in 1830 and is an oasis on rue Richlieu. The Louvois fountain is just gorgeous. The 4 statues of women represent the four major rivers of France: the Seine, the Garonne, the Loire, and the Saone.

The other reason I'd love to live around here is because the Biblioteque national de France, Richelieu, is here. The biblioteque was recently restored and is just gorgeous. You enter the beautiful courtyard after a security check and can then look into the spectacular Richelieu reading room. Many people were in there working but tourists could gawk and take pictures at the entrance. I loved it.

We headed out to continue our walk. Around the corner we could see that the restoration work was not quite done. And I got a picture of another beautiful blue door; I'm slightly obsessed with blue doors.

We continued the walk and made our way to the Palais de la Bourse. It's on a little square that was taken over by food vendors--everything looked and smelled delicious. I also feel in love with the buildings in this area--I'm not that picky; I'd live here!

The walk next took us to Notre Dame de Victoires. The church is covered in ex-voto tablets. Wikipedia says "An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ex voto suscepto, "from the vow made" or in gratitude or devotion." The church filled up with the faithful for 1230pm mass and it was nice to see the parish was still quite active.

The circular Place des Victoires from 1685 has a statue of Louis XIV on horseback. It's a really pretty square.

We passed by the Banque de France (and thought about returning there on the Journees de Patrimoine for a tour), and the Vero-Dodat arcade, thought about grabbing lunch somewhere but decided to head out to Canal St. Martin so made our way to the metro where'd we started our morning. It was a great little walk in a beautiful area of Paris that we hadn't previously explored.

The metro is so easy! We arrived at Riquet and walked down to the Canal. We aimed for Paname; we'd read it was a brewery that served decent food. The weather changed--rain came down as we walked there. We noticed the prices listed at restaurants we passed were significantly lower than in the 1st or 2nd. As we finished our decent lunch and very tasty beers, the rain poured down. We hung out awhile then popped into the Eglise St. Jacques before making out way to the metro and up to Parc de la Villete to visit the Cite des Sciences et de l'industrie museum.

The museum was free with our pass but it would be worth the admission price for anyone interested in how things work. The collection is really extensive. I particularly liked the space displays. We also had fun inserting our face on a rolling display.

We headed back to our apartment so I could get ready for my date with Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte at the Opera Garnier!

On two previous trips we'd tried to tour the Opera Garnier without success, it was either closed or the auditorium was dark. To avoid more disappointment, I figured having tickets to a performance guaranteed me admission to the auditorium. Husband was so not interested in the opera and was content to spend his time wandering Paris instead. The ticket was pricey, the box was stiflingly hot and, in the second half, I had a huge head obstructing my view. In general, I did not like the staging of the opera--it was very non-traditional. There were two artists per part: a vocalist and a mirror dancer who was supposed to be interpreting the emotions behind the words. The dancing was so simple that a child could do it and all of the artists did basically the same movements. BUT-the music and singing were outstanding. In the second act, I just closed my eyes and let my ears transport me heavenward.

I cannot describe how beautiful the building itself is. I took tons of pictures (iphone) and walked about everywhere before the opera started and during intermission. We were at the Vienna Opera in December and I would be hard pressed to say which building I liked more. The Chagall ceiling shouldn't work with this Baroque decor but it's perfect. I loved it all! I still want to take a tour of the building but won't be as disappointed if, at the time, the "auditorium is dark."

Husband met me at the end of the performance. He had spent most of his time at Earth K Bar so we headed back there for a couple of drinks and guacamole and chips to end our night. After I described my evening, particularly how hot it was in the box, he was glad to have missed it.

What a wonderful day in Paris!

Takeaways:

1. We need to win the lottery and buy a place on rue Richelieu
2. So glad we could view the Biblioteque national de France's Richelieu reading room
3. One could probably save a lot of money by staying and eating in the Canal St. Martin area
4. Cite des Sciences et de l'industrie museum is worth the time
5. The Opera Garnier exceeded my (massive) expectations but I prefer my opera staged more traditionally
6. I love Paris!

Next: Pretty things, lunch with a friend, and belly laughs

nola77382

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Decorative arts, lunch, and laughs
2017: France (Chartres, Amboise, Beaune, Paris): Decorative arts, lunch, and laughs

Day 13: Pretty things, lunch with a friend, and belly laughs

We love "house" museums and have previously enjoyed visiting the Nissim de Camondo, Jacquemart-Andre, the Frick, and the Doria Pamphilj. So today we decided to tour the Cougnacq-Jay museum and meet up with our former Paris Greeter, now friend, JL, for lunch.

Looking out the window confirmed that it would be a less than glorious day in Paris. It didn't matter to me; I'll take Paris any way I can get her!

The Cougnacq-Jay Museum is at the Hotel de Donon which as built in 1575. It's free to enter and was the collection amassed by Ernest Cougnacq, the found of La Samaritaine Department store, and his wife, Marie-Louise Jay. They bequeathed their collection to the Ville de Paris in 1928, when he died. It was pretty quiet there, except for a bunch of students on a field trip. We decided to start at the top and go from there (kind of backwards).

We visited La Samaritaine on our first trip to Paris in 2003. We loved it! Super central and just beautiful on the inside. We went back in May, 2005 and I remember buying several bottles of Le Marseillaise body wash. It closed down in June 2005. It should be reopening in late 2018 or 2019.

The Cognacq-Jay is not your typical "house" museum because the couple never lived there. But we liked looking at all the beautiful pieces this couple collected. The museum provided map and in each room there was a guide describing the contents.

I took lots of pictures of the beautiful objects, furniture, and paintings: Mechanical desk; furniture a la Reine ca.1775-1780; secretary in a cupboard, ca. 1750; Polish style bed ca 1755; "The Accident" by Hubert Robert; "Balaam's Donkey," Rembrandt, 1626; lyre pendulum ca. 1780-1785; "The Banquet of Cleopatra," Tiepolo ca. 1742-1743; "Gathering in a Park," Watteau de Lille, 1785; Bust of Marie Antoinette.

After wandering and enjoying this collection, our friend JL met us and we headed out to lunch. He was our Paris Greeter in 2015 and we've kept in touch. He chose a nearby Britton restaurant, Le Sevigne, as he is originally from that area. I don't think he liked it much--there was a lot of rapid French exchanged between him and our waiter--but we thought the food was fine. We loved catching up with him and enjoyed time together. After lunch, we all walked to the nearest metro. JL headed to the suburbs to meet a potential tenant for his apartment while we decided to visit the Decorative Arts Museum.

The Decorative Arts Museum is at the Palais du Louvre. It was rainy and cold when we arrived to a long line. Pretty much everyone was there for the Christian Dior exhibit which was not included with our museum pass. After discussion, we stuck to the line and were admitted within 15 minutes.

This museum was included with our Museum Pass and it was quite an unexpected delight. The collection was extensive. Each room was filled with gorgeous furniture and priceless objects d'art. I felt it was kind of the "overflow" from the Louvre but the main collection was not crowded and we really enjoyed looking at all the pretty pieces. The collection was well signed, in French. Thankfully, we had the included audioguide

I took a lot of pictures here as well, including: Armoire of 7 colums ca. 1715-1720; cabinet, 1670; a chair that looked like one my in laws own!; secretary, ca. 1750; Napoleon I's throne; Renaissance vase, 1830; "Landscape of Brittany, Windmill of David," Gaugin, 1894.

There were a few reproduced rooms like the salon of the Hotel de Serres from 1790-1795 and the Duchess of Berry's apartment.

Next was a room about the great courtesans of the 1850's to 1910's. This massive bed was commissioned and build for Emilie Valtese de la Bigne who was immortalized in the novel Nana by Emile Zola.

The last thing I looked at was a beautiful door made by Lalique for the 1925 International Exposition of Decorative Arts and Modern Industries. It's just iron, glass mold and glass panes but is gorgeous.

After the museum, we headed back to our apartment to relax before our Air B&B experience: How to Become a Parisian in One Hour. It included drinks and appetizers with the comedian, Olivier, before the show, champagne toast, front row seats, and a tour of the theatre after the show.

We met at a nice bistrot close to the theatre. The Metro (and the Navigo Devouverte pass) made getting there easy, even with the rain. We met Olivier and two other couples and chatted for awhile. It was really interesting to meet the comedian and see him "off-stage" because it made his routine even funnier! At the bistrot, I recommended the Navigo to one of the other couples instead of just using carnets and he cleverly incorporated that into his routine (with a wink to me as he did it!). It was a really funny show! Husband had been reluctant to go but agreed that it was time well spent. Especially since we missed it in 2012 when I had us go to the theatre a day late... Seriously, numbers and dates are not my strong suit!

Afterwards, we were in no way ready to go back to our apartment so husband and I headed back to Earth K Bar for our nightcap. Husband had Britton Whiskey in honor of our friend JL.

Takeaways:
1. The Cognacq-Jay is a lovely collection in a pretty old mansion and free to enter.
2. Paris Greeters is a great program; we've made a friend from our greet in 2015!
3. On rainy days, everyone goes to the museums. Patience is essential for the long lines.
4. The Decorative Arts Museum is very worth your time. Do get the audioguide as the signage is almost entirely in French.
5. Learn more French!
6. How to Become a Parisian in 1 Hour is a very funny show! Bravo, Olivier!
7. I love Paris, even in the rain!

Next: D'Orsay xs 2, fancy dining, and Mr. Rodin.