Well I finally made it back to Paris and got my Mum there for her first viist. It was a magic time and three days after getting home I am already planning my next trip. This time it will be just three weeks travelling through France - anyway enough about that here we go
Day 1
Arrived in Paris around 6 pm on the Eurostar from London - waited a while for a cab but everyone was very chatty in the queue - it was like a party atmosphere- especially when the French found out we were Kiwis so there were lots of good natured jibes about the rugby ( sorry had to mention it ) . We got to our hotel - Holiday Inn Republique and we were in for a treat. I work for a German company and was able to access their corporate rates so we managed to get a 640 euro room for 120 euro ( 60pp per night ). It was great as having been to Paris before I know how small the rooms are. We had two queen sized beds, robes slippers, beautiful tolietteries etc . It was fabulous - we had been staying in my cousins in London prior to that and it had been rather cramped so this was luxury. We had intended flying direct into Paris from New Zealand but at the last mintue changed to London as we both really wanted to go on the train and due to circumstances beyond our control the main reason for going to Paris first had changed - Aussies and fellow Kiwis will understand that one - we also did not want to be too tired when we got to paris which was the most anticpated part of the journey . Our room looked over the Place De Republique and while reviewers here say that it is noisy we loved it - everytime we opened the window or looked out there was a parisian street scene. The place was buzzing - there are a number of restaurants, shops , crepe stands, carosuels etc around the square as well as residences so we felt like we were right in the thick of it. We dumped our bags and then got out amongst it - we walked around the square and then bought some crepes to munch on and sat in the square and soaked up the atmosphere. About 9.30pm we went back to the room and had a glass of wine each and then hit the hay for a failry early night . A coincidence is that my ancestry ( a long way back is descended from Alsace and republique is where the people from Alsace setteled when they came to Paris so there were resturants that specialised in the Alsace cuisine and some of the menus had a little bit of history so I not only was in Paris but was learning about my past as well
Day two
Up and atom early as we had booked a tour to Versailles and Giverny . I have to confess that we caught cabs everywhere and only used the Metro once - not because we could not use it but because we wanted to have a real holiday and just enjoy. We caught the cab to Tuileres and had coffee and croissants at the closest cafe then waited for the bus.
I had not told Mum about the roundabout at the Arc De triomphe so she was blown away as we started to drive around it and cars driving on did not stop - classic - I wish I had had a photo of her face
First stop was Giverny which was fantastic. I loved everything about it - the house, the interior of the house and even tho the gardens were due to close in two weeks there was still plenty to see . We spent most of our time in the lower garden by the pond and the Japenese bridge as I thought it was the most beautiful part - the shades of green and the peace were amazing
From there we headed to Versailles - I have been to Paris four times and never made it here so it was something I was excited about. Wow - no wonder %26quot; Jo Average living in squalor %26quot; rebelled !!!. I could not get my head around the size - we did not have time to do a full tour of the gardens but I don%26#39;t think I could have taken it in it was mind blowing. Once we got inside it was even more unbelievable. My bedroom would fit in Maire Antoinettes jewelltry box. The hall of Mirrors was lovely and a spotty skinny 18 year old came and told me I was a sexy woman so I was made up for the rest of the day. I am 40, curvy to say the least and had by this stage been travelling for a week and a half so he must have needed an eye check !!!! It was so funny .
From there back to Paris - a quick walk around the Louvre entrance ) it was dark by then , quick whizz through Sephora and then into Monoprix for baguettes, yummy cheese and all sorts of goodies for a room party. We could have gone somewhere nice for dinner but we were both just hanging out for baguettes, cheese, ham and munchies
Day Three
Today we decided that we would do the Hop on Hop Off bus as it covered everything and we could do our own thing - we decided that although we could catch the bus not far from the hotel we would do the 20 - 30 min stroll down to Opera and catch it there - FATAL MISTAKE. We got down to gallery lafayette at 8.30 ( i think and it was open - we thought that it would be too early ) 6 and a half hours later , two longchamp bags, 1 longchamp wallet, 1 Christian Lacroix scarf and matching gloves, one beautiful Chocolate leather bag, 3 tops, 1 tshirt , and on and on and on later I dragged my mother out of there and told her that she must must must at least see some of Paris in the daylight . We then promptly turned left and straight in Printemps - more purchases and a couple of Laduree macaroons to get us through the day we got out of the shops at about 2.30pm. We lumbered onto the bus with our purchases which were numerous and did the loop to decide on what we wanted to see the next day as it was hard to sightsee with 300 carry bags !!!!. We did get off at Laduree on the Champs eleysee tho and purchased an obscene number of cakes to munch - word to the wise rose flavoured cream is a taste sensation . By the time we got to the stop at Republique we decided to get off and dump our bags ( about 6pm ) . This was the last stop of the day and we were rather green from the cakes so back to the room dumped the gear and while Mum had a shower and freshened up I went and got a baguette and we finished off the cheese, ham etc and then went down to the bar and sat and watched Paris go by over a vin rouge for me and a vin blanc for Mum . At 9 .30 pm we were picked up for the Illuminations tour which was great and then we we dropped back to the hotel we encountered the roller derby which was a great sight to see - except Peirre the tour driver was in a panic as he needed to be back at the Moulin Rouge in twenty mins to pick up the next tour and they had closed the road off - so there was much hilarity over that
Day Four
back on the Bus - and this time we only spent 3 hours in the shops in the mrning - as I just wanted to get something that I had seen the day before but didn%26#39;t get and had spent the night laying awake dreaming of it and was terrified that someone had bought it %26gt; It was there ,, i bought it and then saw many more things that I had missed the day before - there was a sale on too. Once we dragged ourselves out of there it was back to Laudree ( terrible aye ) then we hiked up the Arc De Triomphe - and decided that becasue we had more bags we cabbed back to the hotel dropped our shopping and recaught the HOHO bus back to the Eiffell Tower - mooched about there, then to Notre Dame went in but did not go up the tower as the queues were too long. You may be thinking idiots they spent too much time in the shops and never saw the sights but it was just great - Mum and I had a lovely time just being together and soaking up paris . We then zoomed back to Opera to go in but it was not open to the Public that day for some reason so we were both dissapointed but decided that we would go back another time. We got back to the hotel aroun 8pm and then went to dinner at a totally unmemorable bistro but hey who cares . A nightcap at the hotel bar which overlooked the squarre and we were tucked up in bed at 11pm
Day Five
Up early and up to Sacre Couer to Mass - Mum is not Catholic and I am not a good Catholic nor do I go to Mass much but it was something that we both wanted to do - it was very emotional for some reason and we both sat there with tears streaming down our faces - not sure what that was about . We then wandered down through the streets of Montmatre - dodged the ribbon tiying guys and the drawers - they never came near us - which in a way was a bit dissapointing as I had told Mum not to speak to them , not to give them her hand bla bla bla and had her all schooled up and it turned into a fizzer - I think she thought I was mad - I like to think it was because we looked like locals ( yeah right )
From there we wandered down to the Moulin Rouge and caught the HOHO bus to go around the areas that we hadn%26#39;t been before. We got off in the Marais and walked around , had coffee and watched Paris go by. We then caught the Metro back to the hotel ( I made Mum do it so she could say that she had been on the Metro but it was 6pm Sunday night and it was packed so I was not too popular especially when the drunkest man in Paris took a fancy to her and was screaming rather loudly about her for the short but eventful trip back to Republique!! It was then back to gare Du Nord and back to London - big regret only having five days there - should have ahd more but we had family commitments that we had to get back to London for . We had also arranged to get a paris Greeter but with the late change in oour Paris dates we had to cancel it. -- Next time
Hope I have not bored you - you probably will want more detail about sights but the trip when we got there was just about spending time together in Paris and soaking up the atmosphere, pretending we were one of the locals and just being - not rushing to tick off monuments , paintings and being able to see been there done that - it was just the perfect trip really - spying Sebastien Chabal would be the only thing to have made it even more perfect - na it was perfect just as it was - Thanks Mum !!!!!!!
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What a lovely entertaining report ! Despite all the hours you spent shopping ( Any female can probably understand the temptation), you still got to see quite a lot of Paris, and I%26#39;m sure you and your mom had a wonderful time together in such a fascinating city.
Thank you for sharing with us, and have fun planning your next trip to Paris.
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Thanks Shoesy - our biggest regret is that we didn%26#39;t get to try Berthillion icecream - we were sitting eating Haagen Daas in the Latin Quarter when we both looked at each other and went - how could we have forgotten. That was the day of the many Laudree Cakes in fact the Haagen Daas we thought would cut the richness of the cakes and stop making us feel so green ( justify justify) . We knew that we weren%26#39;t far away but we just didn%26#39;t do it - so next years trip it will have to be
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Thanks enjoyed reading your trip report!
Love the new term ( at least to me).....!HOHO bus!!!! LOL
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I think most of us have regrets, regardless of how wonderful our trips were. One of mine is missing the Rodin Museum, which I was positive I would visit. The plan was to see it while my husband and his friend were touring the Invalides, which I had already been to. (They weren%26#39;t interested in going to the Rodin.) Well, it turned out that when the men went inside their museum, I decided to take a much needed break in the cafeteria there (it was such a hot day, and we had been walking a lot), and then I never had the strength to get up and walk over to the neighboring Rodin. I just remained in my seat, where I even dozed off for a while. When the men finally met up with me, my mind told me that I had wasted precious time, but my body disagreed.
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THANKS SHOESY - thats just how we felt - you have eased my guilt
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Hi RC
Great report! I enjoyed the shopping and rushing around just seeing everything on the way. That is much more fun than reading a description of every painting etc seen in umpteen museums. Your three week trip to France next year will have to include Paris! Lucky thing.
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