Day 0:
We had a little bit of a rocky start before we even got on the airplane. At the airport in Seattle, the handle of my roll-on bag broke and refused to extend so that I was forced to either carry it or bend way over to roll it. Now what??? Luckily, as soon as we got through security we were staring at a kiosk that sold luggage/travel accessories. I managed to buy a set of strap-on wheels that worked out just fine for the remainder of the trip. Whew - disaster averted!
Day 1:
We made it! We arrived at the Paris airport at 8:00 AM and after a quick stop at the ATM for some Euros, we promptly went to our hotel in the Montparnasse district. Since it was fairly early in the morning, our room wasn't ready so we left our bags with the concierge in a secure room. They nicely offered to allow us to have breakfast in the breakfast room so we ducked in there for a quick bite. Wow - eggs, cereals, sliced meats and cheeses, fruit, juices and lots of different breads and pastries. And, to top it off, a cappuccino machine! If we weren't so excited to begin our exploring, we could have spent the day in there. However, armed with the guide book and map, and wearing our trusty money belts (with passports, cash and credit cards), we set off to hear the organ concert at St. Sulpice Church, which the guide book stated is held every Sunday after 10:30 Mass. Thank you, Rick - it was magnificent!
We then walked on to St. Germain-des-Pres Church, the Pantheon, St. Etienne du Mont Church and the Luxembourg Gardens. On arriving "home" at our hotel, we consulted the guide book for advice on dinner. The Montparnasse district near the hotel was a magnet for people from Brittany, who brought with them their love of crepes. We settled on a recommended crepe restaurant and had wonderful gallettes (a traditional crepe made from buckwheat). Truly yummy!
Rick recommends that his travelers interact with the locals. At dinner, we found ourselves seated at a table next to two gentlemen who, between themselves, were speaking a language that neither of us could identify, although they were conversing with the wait staff in English. Ok, so they weren't really "locals" since they weren't speaking French, but we simply had to ask where they were from. It turned out that they were commercial airline pilots from Israel, in Paris for flight training on a new Boeing 787. Did I mention that we were retirees from Seattle? Well, we both retired from Boeing so we had a most entertaining conversation with those two men!
After dinner, and a long day consisting of a 10 hour flight (more or less) and a full day of sight-seeing in Paris, we walked back to the hotel and collapsed as happy travelers!
St. Sulpice Church, completed in 1780.
Day 2:
After a nummy breakfast at the hotel (again - and every other day we were there), we charged off, this time in another direction. We crossed the Seine, and walked through the Place de la Concorde and up the Rue Royale (we passed Maxim's but, no, we did NOT stop to eat). We then passed the Laduree store, famous for their wonderful macarons and made the decision to pick up a couple of boxes to take home as gifts.
Our goal was the Paris Opera House, but we took a little detour through La Madeleine Church (did I mention we liked to explore churches?) which we passed along the way. We then wandered through the Opera House, known as L'Opera Garnier (absolutely gorgeous!) and continued on to Les Galeries Lafayette, an over-the-top department store. The prices were astronomical, but I bought a bottle of perfume, requested by my sister. That was fun!
After arriving back at the hotel, we again consulted the guide book for nearby dinner restaurants and had a wonderful meal. Have you ever tried Steak Tartare or Apple Tatin? Clearly, we were branching out!
Interesting note - when we arrived back in our room, in reading the little pamphlet that came with the macarons we had purchased earlier, I learned that they only last 3 or 4 days and need to be refrigerated. Hmm. Guess we can't carry them through France, back to Seattle. Clearly, our only choice was to eat them all, so we had great desserts every night for several days! Not exactly the worst fate.
Place de la Concorde. The obelisk in the center is from Egypt, placed here in 1836. This Place is where the guillotine was set up during the French Revolution.
Day 3:
This is the day we get to meet our tour - but not until the evening so we have another full day of exploring!
Remember our love of checking out churches? We had decided that, if at all possible, we would really like to see the Basilica of St. Denis, which is said to be the first Gothic church. We can't miss that one! Although it is in a northern Paris suburb, it was an easy metro ride. We did our exploring, and from there we took the metro back to central Paris and stopped at Les Invalides, where Napoleon's tomb is located. Since we were so close, we took a small detour to the Rue Cler area for lunch at Le Petit Cler, and a little tour through some of the wonderful shops in that neighborhood. After the metro ride back to the hotel, we walked through the Cemetery of Montparnasse, located just a few blocks away. Fascinating!
After all of this touring, we had time to freshen up before we met up with our tour group. Everyone was so excited to be there! There was wine for us to sample, and our guide, Christine, introduced herself before we all gave a brief "who we are" to the group. She passed out our museum passes and metro tickets, and led us in a little orientation walk around Montparnasse before we trooped to the restaurant for our first group dinner. By the end of dinner, we knew we had a great group - we had a lot of fun.
Day 4:
What a fun day this was! Christine was a rock star of a tour guide. From tips on metro riding, to historical overviews, to lessons on some key French phrases and words, she was terrific. The group began the day with a metro ride that put us within walking distance of Ile de la Cite where Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame are located. We had a wonderful walk through Sainte Chapelle and around Notre Dame while Chris pointed out the interesting highlights. Dennis and I then toured the Conciergerie, where many victims of the French Revolution awaited their turn with the guillotine, including Marie Antoinette. The Deportation Memorial, commemorating the French Jewish victims of Nazi concentration camps, is also located on the Ile de la Cite, and we couldn't resist a quick visit. Then on to the Orsay Museum. Did I mention that I LOVE impressionist art? This is my favorite museum in the whole world! Busy, busy day!
Our group, awaiting the arrival of the next metro train. That's our guide, Chris, in the forefront!
PARIS
Background photo: This is our favorite Paris view. Ok, so we're a little quirky and didn't choose the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower or from the top of l'Arc de Triomphe. This one is taken from the top floor of the Musee d'Orsay, through the clock. We simply love this view!
Day 5:
Our last day in Paris before we "hit the road!" The group did a walking tour of the Marais District with a local guide. Fun and interesting! After lunch, Dennis and I continued on our wanderings. We went through the Hotel de Sully courtyard to reach the Place des Vosges, then on to Victor Hugo's home. We then found what I think is the mother-lode of churches! St. Paul - St. Louis, St. Merri and St. Eustache, all interspersed with the Pompidou Center and the Stravinski Fountains. We had a great time wandering through each of them. We finished off by walking by the Hotel de Ville. What a grand building!
That night, in reviewing our "list of what we want to see," we realized we had hit every single item. There is so much more in Paris, though, that it begs for another visit!
Hotel de Sully. A grand 16th century mansion. Rick is right - when you enter the courtyard, the Paris traffic noise subsides and you feel like you are in another world!
Hint: When dining out, we found that the tip was most often included (search for the words "service compris"). We would then simply round up. For example, leaving 20 Euros instead of 18. Also, it's considered rude for the waiter to bring the bill without your asking for it. "L'addition, s'il vous plait"
Hint: If you're like us and take lots of photos of various buildings and churches, we have found that it's a good idea to take a picture of the name of the building, or grab a parish bulletin (with the name) from a church. This saves the frustration of later realizing that you have no idea what's in the photo.
Hint: Look up! There are some truly interesting things to see above street level and you'll miss them if you are only looking straight ahead!