BACKGROUND: Traveling were myself..60 yr old couch potato with arthritic knees and my 35 yr old daughter. Paris is the last of our 3 city tour....Florence, Rome and Paris. This was my first trip out of the US. Sharon has been to Paris twice before. You can find Florence and Rome trip reports on those forum sites.
THRUSDAY, Oct 25.......Arrive at FCO (Rome airport) 3 hrs before flight time. Mass confusion. LONG check-in line for AF/KLM/Alitalia. Not sure which line is which. Sharon notices the AF business class check-in window has no line and goes to ask what line we should get in. She motions me to come to this window...we are traveling coach. We are checked in, luggage checked and through security and at our gate in 20 minutes. Because of AF wildcat strike, flight is 2 hrs late departing Rome.
We arrive at CDG, claim luggage and grab a cab. We are in 5:30pm traffic, but arrive at our hotel in the 6er in just about an hour. We stayed at Le Regent, 61 Rue Dauphine. We each had a double (for single use) superior room. I was in room 52 and Sharon in 32. Both rooms faced Rue Dauphine. Neither of us was bothered by street noise. Both rooms were clean, and had very nice bathrooms (tub/shower combo) large counter space around bathroom sink, well lit mirrors. My mattress should have been replaced long ago. Sharon%26#39;s was in better shape, but not the best.
We had reservations with Paris Vision for a 9pm Illumination Tour. It was very nice to sit back and enjoy the beautifully illuminated buildings and monuments. I didn%26#39;t even bother to listen to the commentary over my headset. Tour was timed so that we saw the Eiffel Tower %26quot;twinkle%26quot;. Lovely....
Back at the hotel, sorry mattress or not, I was soon fast asleep!
FRIDAY, OCT 26......We have arranged for Michael Osman to be our guide for the next two days. He will meet us in the hotel lobby at 9am.
What a delightful young man Michael turned out to be! He has great humor, wonderfully warm personality and is a storehouse of knowledge in all things Paris. I would gladly adopt him!
Coffee at Starbucks and chit-chat to get to know one another then off to the Muse d%26#39;Orsay. What a great building! As I wrote in my Florence and Rome reports, paintings are nice, but sculpture is really %26quot;my thing%26quot;. The exception to that are the impressionists. All that heavenly, pearly luminance is fantastic. And the vibrant colors of Van Gogh...WOW!!!
Rodin Museum and Invalids were next. I was surprised to find roses in bloom in the Rodin Musem Gardens. After paying our respects to Napoleon, it%26#39;s a short walk to Rue Cler. We had the most wonderful meal of roasted chicken with a clear glaze of some kind, mashed potatoes, salad (€10). Michael said he usually takes all his visitors to this street because Rick Steves gives it such high marks in his book. It was a very diverse market street. Almost bought some huge strawberries, but didn%26#39;t want to have to carry them around with me for the afternoon.
We walked off our lunch at the Louvre. I loved the carved crystal quartz vases, urns, etc. that were in the same room as the crown jewels. Mona was smiling sweetly as we paid homage.
By this time, I am more interested in soaking my aching feet in hot water than the magnificent art that surrounds me. A quick bus ride and we are back at the hotel. We say good bye to Michel and agree to meet at 9 in the morning.
I%26#39;ve been in Paris just over 24 hours and already I am in love with the city! After Rome, it is sparkling clean and grifitti free. The buildings are beautifully maintained. I love the tree lined boulevard, small parks and large open spaces!.
Sharon decides to visit a near by intenet cafe and then take Metro to the Eiffel Tower to take photos. I opt for my lumpy bed.
SATURDAY, OCT 27.......A cheery Michael is waiting for us in the lobby. After 12 days of rolls for breakfast, I want an egg! Little cafe on Blvd. St Germain had the most wonderful potato and onion omlette!
Sainte Chappelle is our first stop. Big mistake. Should have gone to Notre Dame first. After those breath-taking stained glass windows of Sainte Chappelle, Notre Dame was just a big brown church. We enjoyed just wandering the streets of Ile de la Cite.
We decide to pass up a visit to Pompidou Center and walk along the Rue Rivoli to Place de la Concorde. We just had to take a ride on the Ferris Wheel! Fantistic views over the city.
A slow walk along Rue Royale and we were at La Madeleine. But this wasn%26#39;t our goal. We pushed on another block or two to Printemps and Galeries Lafayette for a little shopping. While in Printemps, we visited the roof top for another view over the city. Galeries Lafayette already had the big Christmas tree up in the center of the store and were hanging huge snowflakes on the outer walls of the building.
My omlette is long gone, so we stop to refuel. I don%26#39;t have a clue what street we were on or the name of the restaurant. I had veal in wine and mushroom sauce. Good.
We spend the rest of the afternoon simply enjoying being in Paris.....peering into shop windows, people watching, laughing and taking delight in each other%26#39;s company. We hate to see the day come to an end because we must say good bye to Michael. I will forever refer to him as %26quot;my friend in Paris%26quot;. Michael, God bless you.
SUNDAY, Oct. 28.....An extra hour of sleep! The end of daylight savings time in Europe.
We are out of the hotel before 8:30am. The streets are empty. We have Paris to ourselves. We poke down some of the small streets around the hotel, eventually ending up at the little cafe on Blvd. St Germain for another omlette. Had planned to take Metro to Trocodero, but it is such a wonderful morning, we decide to walk. Sharon takes MORE pictures of the ET. We cross the river and get in line to take the elevator to 2nd level (top is closed). After standing in line for about 35 min, we reach the ticket window, only to find we have been waiting in line to purchase tickets to CLIMB THE STAIRS! A girl who was taking tickets saw us duck under the rope to exit the line. She directs us to the opposite corner and tells us to look for someone dressed like her and they will take us to the front of the line. (I have been using a cane on this trip). When we reach the correct line, a man sees us and escourts us to the front of the ticket line then to the front of the elevator line. When we get on the elevator, Sharon can%26#39;t hold back her laughter any more. Using my cane (for balance on the uneven paving stones in all 3 cities) has put us at the front of the line on several occasions! Her comment was %26quot;Next time I come to Paris, I%26#39;m bringing your cane!%26quot;
Back on the ground, we have no real plan for the day. Sharon asks if I am hungry? If I could eat, she would like to go back to the cafe on Rue Cler. We pull out the map and start walking. The streets have a little more traffic, but the city is still %26quot;empty%26quot;. This is NICE! We find Rue Cler and spot the restaurant...D%26#39;Marche. We both order the roast chicken again. Honestly, I thought Sharon was going to lick her plate! There was nothing but a few bones left when she finished!
Remember, this is Sunday afternoon. I tried to explain the ritual of a Sunday afternoon nap to Sharon, but she wouldn%26#39;t let me have my way. More walking; this time along St Germain to St Michel.
We decide to take a boat ride down the river. By the time we return to the dock, we are both chilled to the bone! A quick walk back to the hotel and on to Starbucks, only to find a LONG line. To cold to stand outside, so we walk on a few block to the internet cafe. When we return, the line at Starbucks is even longer. We decide to substitute a hot bath for hot coffee.
MONDAY, Oct 29
Today, we fly home. The hotel as arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 8. It%26#39;s raining. We arrive at CDG about 2 hrs prior to our flight. Just as we approach our check-in area, we are told to evacuate to the other end of the building. Someone has abandoned a suitcase in the terminal. OK%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;perhaps a bomb? If this is their official thinking, why were we just pushed to one end of the terminal and not told to evacuate the building? Why not call the bomb squad to remove the potential hazzard? No....they simply observed the lonely little suitcase for 2 hours; then someone (not dressed in any type of protective clothing) picked it up and took it away.
Our flight departed 3 hours later than expected.
This was a trip of a lifetime for me. Florence and Paris were my favorite cities. Rome lost points because of the taxi thief (see Rome trip report for details) and the cigarette smoke pollution. But Paris was perfect. The Metro made moving about the city so easy. Michel made it fun. I hope to return in a few years, to spend another Sunday wandering the %26quot;empty%26quot; streets.
And if you are wondering.....after 16 days of being together continuously, Sharon and I are still speaking to each other. We are wondering where we can go next time!
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I enjoyed your trip report very much, I like long trip reports, those short ones are useless( %26quot; went to Paris had fun%26quot;) LOL .
Anyways, sounds like you had a great time, EXCEPT your visit sounded very short and you fogot Versailles, LOL . So ,, You must go back , LOL .
PS What on earth are you doing drinking Starbucks in Paris, 50 lashes with a wet noodle, shame, shame shame, you should have enjoyed a lovely %26quot; cafe creme%26quot; at a little cafe each morning.
PS I stayed at same hotel last time, loved location, and my bed was great, but it was too cool to use A/C , but just a tad too warm sometimes( stuffy) so we did find the noise a bit much when you left your windows open. We really did like hotel though, and our bathroom was very spacious.
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Joan1, You are so right about the shame of coffee at Starbucks. That first morning was our only stop. Sunday evening was in search of take out. Coffee %26quot;to go%26quot; seemed to be non existent in Paris, Rome or Florence. We did stop several time at little cafes in all 3 cities and not one time did we get a bad cup!
Yes, I do want to return to Paris. I want to spend more time just wandering down those little streets just to see where they lead.
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MeMe, thank you for your colorful trip report. I am going to look up your TRs on Rome and Florence. We were there a couple of months ago. I%26#39;m glad that you have been bitten by the Paris bug and I hope that you will have the opportunity to visit again.
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Please consider posting your trip report as a review. It%26#39;s fantastic.
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Great report! Thanks for sharing. I can%26#39;t wait for my visit to Paris - 7 days and counting!!!
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I enjoyed reading your report! Never too long for me!!!
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Thank you all for your kind words! I do enjoy an audience!!!
FRANCE MANIAC......I%26#39;m unfamiliar with a %26quot;review%26quot;
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What an honest, spontaneous review. You offer concise, practical, no-nonsense information....merci! And, I%26#39;m happy that you would gladly return to Paris. There is so much to do and see there, that a second (and third, etc.) trip lets you enjoy the city over and over again.
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Thanks again MeMe!
I hope i didn%26#39;t stress you so you had to cut it short ; ). And nice to know that you are still on speaking terms, I was thinking of takeing my mom to paris when she dings 75. Too bad you didn%26#39;t buy the strawberries mine didn%26#39;t last till the afternoon.
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I agree that is a nice report. I like the fact that you got a guide and that you weren%26#39;t on the %26quot;cheap%26quot;.
Nice job.
