At the outset, I just need to say a huge thank you to everyone who posts on the Trip Advisor forums. I have gleaned a wealth of information from everyone here. How thankful I am for a community of fellow travelers who are ready and willing to share advice.
I never dreamed of ever going to Paris. It was never on my list of places I thought I%26#39;d actually have the chance to visit. But...because of my amazing family it became a reality for me! My son who just graduated from college happened to be working at a music festival in Fontainebleau this summer. My husband thought it would be a fun trip for me to join my son in France...so he sent me on a solo trip across the ocean! I ended up spending 3 nights in Fontainebleau and then at the end of the music festival my son %26amp; I took the bus/train to Paris and we spent 4 nights there. I am certain that this trip will be one of the highlights of my life.
Before going, I gathered a TON of information. My resources:
%26quot;Paris: Made by Hand,%26quot; Pia Jane Bijkerk
%26quot;Authentic Bistros of Paris,%26quot; Thomazeau %26amp; Ageorges
%26quot;Markets of Paris,%26quot; Dixon %26amp; Ruthanne Long
%26quot;Best Wine Bars %26amp; Shops of Paris,%26quot;
%26quot;Pudlo Paris,%26quot; Gilles Pudlowski
%26quot;Eating %26amp; Drinking in Paris,%26quot; Andy Herbach
*this last book was a LIFE-saver for me, as I love to eat but speak no French...this book is a menu translator and restaurant guide.
All the books made a world of difference in how I approached what we did and where we went. Plus the first 4 books have fabulous photography! The other item that proved incredibly helpful was my little Paris moleskin book that I bought at Barnes %26amp; Noble before coming. It had every map I needed, it%26#39;s so well-divided into sections to write my favorite places I wanted to go, and it%26#39;s a great size to tuck into my purse...it has become a real treasure to me! And now it%26#39;s filled with my journal entries from the trip.
We arrived in Paris by train from Fontainebleau and everything went very smoothly except navigating through the train/metro with our luggage was pretty difficult. Lots of stairs and we each had 2 rolling suitcases. We managed it...but it%26#39;s a miracle I didn%26#39;t injure myself trying to lug those things up and down the many many flights of stairs. After living and learning through that experience, I made a note to self that at the end of the trip we would take a private taxi back to CDG for our flight home. :)
Upon finally arriving at street level I felt as though I had stepped into a dream. I cannot put into words how overwhelming it was to be in such a lovely, lovely place! The architecture, the lovely shops, the bustle of the streets, the beauty all around. It really swept me away. I had to just stop and stand still to take it all in. We made our way from the metro station to our hotel, which was even better than I had expected it to be.
We stayed at a hotel that really was more of a bed %26amp; breakfast. It had 10 rooms and was *wonderful* in every way. Perfect for my son and me. It was right across the river from Notre Dame and is called Les Degres de Notre Dame. I found it here on Trip Advisor, although you have to email the hotel directly to book a reservation. It was an awesome place to stay because it was so intimate and charming and was in such a great location in the Latin Quarter. Breakfast was included and we thoroughly enjoyed staying there. I won%26#39;t say much more about the hotel here, as I plan to do a review in the hotel section of TA.
Paris Trip August 2-6, 2009
-Day One-
We arrived at our hotel around 3:00 in the afternoon and since we were just so close to Notre Dame we quickly made our way across the river to hear the Sunday organ recital that is at 4:00 pm. On our walk there we just *had* to stop into one of the many bakeries and grab a pastry. So we each got a chocolate eclair to enjoy while walking. Upon arriving at Notre Dame my heart just sank when I saw the line to get in...but it moved so quickly that it was no problem at all. We had time to get settled and take it in before the free recital began. What a wonderful treat it was to hear such a beautiful instrument in such a majestic place. It was lovely to just sit and be so refreshed after an afternoon of travel. We spent time after the concert to take in all the beauty of the place and get some photos. Then we wandered along the Seine enjoying the booksellers set up along the river. So much to see! The variety of books, art %26amp; postcards made it quite interesting to go from vendor to vendor...just wandering and taking it all in. Later in the trip I ended up visiting the book sellers a number of times and bought some fabulous antique postcards. Many had lovely handwriting on them and were just gorgeous. They were only 1 Euro a piece and proved to be some of my daughter%26#39;s favorite souvenirs that I brought her. She is a Graphic Design major in college and is obsessed with fonts, handwriting and all things paper. I only regret not buying more of them!
After wandering along the river and getting over the fact that I was actually in Paris, we went to an amazing place for dinner. I had read about it in the Pudlo guide so we were confident that it would be something we would like. It was conveniently located in the 4th and is named Le Trumilou. Fabulous, fabulous. I had Tarragon Chicken, assorted cheese plate w/ baguette, Cote d%26#39; Rhone and Creme Caramel for dessert. We were there with a group of musicians who my son knew from Fontainebleau and everyone was very happy with their meal. Really comfortable place to dine.
After our leisurely dinner we wandered our way outdoors in time to accidentally catch the twinkling light show of the Eiffel Tower at 10 pm. It was just magical and I felt so spoiled! We then walked past Notre Dame again so that we could get some nightime photos and then made our way to our hotel. After the climb up 5 flights on the narrow, spiral-staircase we were ready to relax! Yet, there was one more treat in store for us. As we got ready for bed and turned off the light we looked out our window and there was one of the towers of Notre Dame all lit up in plain view. It was our nightlight every night and was a magical view that I shall never forget. I could see it from my bed! And the funny thing is that I kind of assumed it was lit all night. Well no...at 1:00 am every night the lights go out. Not all at once mind you. They go out switch by switch by switch. We laughed out loud the first time we saw it happen! We just never would%26#39;ve guessed it would work that way. :)
-Day Two-
Our goal was to be in line at the Louvre by 9:30, so we went down for our fabulous breakfast around 8 am. Oh my word. We were treated to fresh-squeezed orange juice...squeezed in a really unique machine right in front of us! The juice was the best I%26#39;ve ever had (and I used to live in Florida!). We also enjoyed baguette, croissants, jams, 2 kinds of cheese, tea and coffee that gave me the best start ever to my day. Nicole, the very kind and helpful hostess there makes a small pitcher of steamed/frothed milk to go with the separate pitcher of very strong coffee. I could mix it just the way I wanted and I just have to say it was heaven. The coffee was over-the-top wonderful. And I%26#39;m really picky.
So, with just the start we needed to our day we walked about 10-15 minutes to the Louvre. Beautiful walk all along the river in the beauty of the morning. We arrived to virtually NO line at the museum. I was stunned! My son had been there last summer and knew that if we went early we would avoid lines...but we really hit it perfectly. We spent from 10 am to 3:30 there. I won%26#39;t even bother talking about it. Everyone knows about the Louvre. I will say that it was a perfect length of time for us to take in what we felt we could handle. We did stop around 2 pm to have a sandwich %26amp; drink from one of the carts in the food area of the museum. It was good to sit, have a little something and then carry on.
Our next stop was a place I was so excited to visit. E. Dehillerin. It is such a wonderful wonderful place for people like my son %26amp; me. We absolutely love to cook and this place was a joy to visit. I bought quite a few things there and actually regret not buying more. The quality of the items and prices were so good! And every time I use my crepe pan, my garlic press, my brioche pans, etc. I am reminded of my trip to Paris! It%26#39;s unlike shopping at any other store because it%26#39;s meant for professional cooks/restauranteurs. They are happy to sell to the general public, but nothing has prices on it so you have to get some help in looking up the codes and then having a salesperson write up a slip for you to keep track of your items. It was an adventure and I%26#39;m just thankful my son speaks French! It was a fun treat to shop in E. Dehillerin.
We then wandered our way to different shops that we had learned about in the Paris: Made by Hand book. Astier de Villatte was a highlight and if I ever get to visit Paris again I will save my money so that I can actually buy something the next time I go there! Lovely, lovely shop @ 173 rue St-Honore filled with handmade ceramics, dishes, glasses, jewelry, hand-printed fabrics, furniture, etc. The building where it is was once occupied by a silversmith to Napoleon. Walking down to see the furniture in the basement was an adventure just to see the stairs and the walls and feel the history of the place. We just loved it!
By this time we needed to go back to the hotel to drop our purchases from E. Dehillerin and look over our book and decide on a place for dinner. We ended up choosing a really fun place called Balzar, located at 49 rue de Ecoles. It was a little pricey for what we got and our meals were nothing to write home about...but the waiters there were so kind and the ambience was just so much fun that it was worth it. We shared a nice bottle of Cote d%26#39; Rhone with dinner and our true highlight was the Profiteroles I had for dessert. They were drenched in chocolate sauce that was made from Valrhona chocolate. I about fell out of my chair when I tasted it. Wonderful!!! Balzar is a hopping place and is great for people-watching. We were glad we ate there. After dinner we wandered for quite awhile all through the 5th %26amp; 6th and took in all the sights and sounds of Paris at night.
-Day Three-
Another fabulous breakfast to start our day and then it was off to the Musee d%26#39; Orsay. We stood in line for about 30 minutes to get in...since it was a beautiful summer day we didn%26#39;t mind a bit. The museum was filled with paintings and sculptures that I had grown up seeing all my life. I was so floored to actually be with them in person that I broke down crying in the first room we went to. Renoir, Cezanne, Monet, Degas, Pissarro, Gauguin. It was just so stunning and lovely. What a treasure. I loved this museum so much. Everything about it was just so refreshing...the size of the galleries, the placement of the art, the lighting, the architecture of the building, everything. We spent about 3 or 4 hours there...stopping for a lovely lunch out on the terrace. It was a great view up there too. Even if you don%26#39;t want to eat lunch you should walk out on the terrace and take in the view.
Next we walked through the Tuilleries and were so refreshed by the beauty of the landscape there. After wandering through the gardens we made our way to the Opera Garnier only to find that it was randomly closed that afternoon. It was not supposed to be. But it was. So, we then decided to just to check out the Church of Madeleine. What a place! It had a very interesting art installation going on there, so we saw that and explored the architecture of the church. It was a nice, quiet place to sit and just %26quot;be%26quot; for a bit. A chance to rest our feet and make a new gameplan for the afternoon.
When in doubt, our motto is usually...get something to eat! So, we decided to find Fauchon and learn what all the fuss was about. Oh my! We were sucked in immediately and quickly found ourselves sitting at the counter enjoying 3 different pastries between the 2 of us! It%26#39;s a really wonderful place if you like gourmet food shops. After Fauchon we decided we should probably check out their competition so we then browsed through Hediard. Again...stunning. We are real %26quot;foodies%26quot;, so a place like this is simply a blast to explore. We had a ton of fun there and decided we would have to come back to buy some gifts to take home.
We walked around the Madeleine area and then decided to pull out our well-used metro pass and take a ride up to the Montmarte area. Once there we made our way to Sacre Couer, coming in through the back way and NOT up the steps out front. The week previous my son had been there with a friend and his friend had been accosted on the steps. The string-people were trying to do their thing to him (which he was ignorant to) and in the process one of them took his glasses while another of them went for his wallet and ripped the front pocket of his pants in the effort to try and get at the wallet. His friend was pretty shaken up by this...he did end up getting his glasses back by the way. But as a result of that little incident, my son decided he didn%26#39;t want to bring me to Sacre Couer that way. So...we walked through a really charming and beautiful neighborhood and come around the back side of Sacre Couer. After spending time observing one of their services of Mass, and enjoying the enforced silence and no photography policy (how refreshing!) we went out and relaxed on the front steps and enjoyed all the humanity there. It was truly wonderful. Live music, lots of diversity of people and just a gorgeous time of day...early evening. I could%26#39;ve sat there for hours just enjoying the beauty of looking out over all of Paris. We decided we would make our way down the steps because we were confident in our ability to avoid the scam artists at that point. After an uneventful journey down the long flights of stairs we took the metro to get ourselves in the vicinity of the Arc de Triomphe.
We found a charming place to eat that had good food...even though our waiter left a bit to be desired. The restaurant was L%26#39;Ecluse @ 15 pl de la Madeleine. We always are careful to order tap water so we%26#39;re not charged for water, and even though the waiter brought us the normal tap water...it showed up as a charge for bottled water on our check. When he brought out the glasses of wine we ordered, he clearly brought us the wrong stuff. We pointed out his error and with a little discussion he was willing to make things right. My son speaks French, but this man was insistent on speaking English to us. So I%26#39;m not sure if he just didn%26#39;t understand well or what...but in the end at least things were straightened out. It just took a little work is all. After our meal we walked over to the Arc de Triomphe and climbed the bazillion steps to the top. And what a view at night! So glad we did this. If it weren%26#39;t for all the advice on TA I don%26#39;t think we would%26#39;ve known to do this. We spent quite awhile up there taking it all in. We went at the very end of the night and it was great. I highly recommend it.
After that we took the metro to try and go back to our restaurant from earlier in the trip to enjoy the Profiteroles again. Since we knew the restaurant stayed open late...we thought there would be no problem. So, there we were all ready to go in for our amazing dessert and even though the restaurant was going to be open for at least an hour longer they would not let us come in and order. We were so disappointed! And all we wanted was dessert. But it did not matter. No was the answer. Oh well...at least we tried!! We ended up just wandering the Latin Quarter and landed at a not-so-great place for dessert. I had a crepe and my son had the baba rhum cake. It was just kind of like eating bad diner food...but hey, another chance to live and learn. Exhausted from our full day we plodded back to our room well after midnight and fell asleep before they even turned off the lights at Notre Dame. :)
-Day Four-
Breakfast and then it was off to Sainte Chapelle to take in the gorgeous stained glass windows in the morning light. Absolutely wonderful! Please treat yourself to this stunning place if at all possible. There is an entrance fee and a security search to get in, but it really is worth the little bit of trouble. If I ever get the chance to go back again I will certainly bring some reading material and just spend some quality time enjoying this quiet and beautiful church. I was so taken aback by the colors and the workmanship and the utter peace that is exuded from this place. All I can really say is WOW.
After that we made a return trip to Opera Garnier to catch the 11:30 tour. It was so fabulous. We had a guide who led the tour in English and she did a wonderful job. Her name was Martine and we so enjoyed her! And the Opera House was a fascinating place to tour. I would never have known all about it if not for the tour. Please take the time/money to do a tour if you%26#39;re at all interested in the place. Just so worth it! What a treasure this place is to the city of Paris.
Afterward we made our way back to Fauchon and Hediard to buy gifts for our family back home. We bought various honeys, preserves and chocolate. Wandered more shops, went in search of a few markets I wanted to visit...but due to my error, we got there just after the markets had torn down for the day! So disappointing. We ended up just buying some pizza %26amp; quiche to go from a bakery and then took it to a wonderful garden nearby to eat. Afterwards we walked to Luxembourg Gardens and sought some shade for a much needed rest. It was heaven. We napped in chairs near the pond with the toy boats. If I had it to do all over again I would plan to spend an afternoon there with a picnic, a good book, a blanket to sleep on and just do some serious relaxing. It is probably one of the coolest parks we%26#39;ve ever been to. Our time there was short because I was trying to get to a few more shops to buy gifts for my artsy daughter. :) Found just the perfect place thanks to my guide book and ended up buying her some wonderful journals, paper and a little writing book for myself at Melodie Graphiques @ 10 ru du Pont Louis-Phillipe.
We then walked along the river again, trying to decide where to go for dinner. But because I forgot to throw the Pudlo guide in my purse we were on our own. We ended up finding a place that was in a cool area, but the food was just marginal. It was Ma Bourgogne in the Place des Vosges. I wouldn%26#39;t go there again. After dinner we walked along the Seine since it was our last night in Paris. We loved seeing all the people out relaxing and picnicking and playing games. There were really interesting places to sit and lay down by the river and there were lots of fun things going on down at the Paris Plage (the manmade summer beach activity area). We strolled and reflected on our trip, we watched the sunset and walked around under the full moon and were just so grateful for a trip like this. We ambled back toward our hotel, stopping along the way to explore Shakespeare and Company bookstore, and then hitting one last gift shop in the Latin Quarter before climbing the stairs up to our room.
We packed all our things and were ready to leave bright and early for the airport the next morning. We had arranged in advance to have a private cab waiting @ 8 am. Our flight was at noon. Things couldn%26#39;t have gone more smoothly at the airport, except that for some reason the woman at the check-in desk had it in her mind that even though my son %26amp; I were traveling together she thought my bags were being sent to a different place. As my suitcases went away on the conveyor belt my son noticed that they had the wrong tags on them, so after a little horsing around the attendant there was able to retrieve them. We had so much time to kill after that, we ended up gathering up the last of our Euros and spent them all at the duty-free wine shop. We really enjoy wine with meals at our house, so this was a fabulous way to use up the rest of our money. The man at the shop assured us that we would each be able to safely carry 3 bottles a piece onto the plane with no problem. And technically he was correct. We could do that. It%26#39;s just that when we got back to the US, picked up our luggage for customs and then re-checked our luggage for the next leg of our trip...we were not allowed to bring liquids of that size aboard the plane. Since I had never done duty-free stuff before OR travelled with wine I hadn%26#39;t really thought that through. My bad. So, we scrambled at the last minute before checking our bags and stuffed our wine in our luggage amidst the dirty clothing and gifts. We zipped our luggage shut, said a prayer and sent them on their merry way. We had no idea what mess might await us on the other end of the journey. But at that point, we had no time to waste. Time to catch a flight home.
My son%26#39;s luggage arrived on the carousel just fine. No issues at all. No wine dripping out. Good! Now...where was my luggage? Hmmmm...Well, it didn%26#39;t end up coming. So they said I should go home and they would track it for me and I could go on the airline website to see when it might come. It ended up being delivered to my home the next morning. At that point I was convinced that is was probably all stained with red wine and that it had been delayed because of a giant mess. I was so worried. But...everything was fine! The story had a happy ending. I was reunited with my luggage and all my gifts for my family. And you can bet that we celebrated with a glass of wine at dinner that night!
A few observations and lessons learned:
*always carry a refillable disposable plastic water bottle...saves a ton of money and kept us well hydrated for all the walking. easily fit in my bag
*never, ever bring new shoes on a trip...no matter how awesome they look with my outfit.
*a metro pass is always a bargain in any large city, ours were well-used
*despite what people told me about Paris before I went...I found the city to be very friendly, clean, beautiful and nobody hated me for being an American. i felt completely at home there.
*it can be done on a budget...meals do not have to cost a ton of money. bakeries, markets, cafes all have inexpensive offerings
*before traveling to a country where i don%26#39;t speak the language i will now make a better effort to learn basic polite phrases in the foreign language. though most everyone in france spoke english when i needed them to...i felt like a loser for not making a better effort.
*clothing...people do seem to dress a little nicer in paris. it was refreshing to me. actually seemed a little more modest than in the US. i noticed it more when i came home, that things here seemed more immodest and more casual. also didn%26#39;t see many men in paris wearing shorts and ball caps. saw them wearing capris though. not something i see much in the US
*all the fuss about not going to paris in august because of locals being on holiday...not a big deal. if you can go in august, go in august. paris is amazing.
I can hardly wait to return!
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Now THAT is a trip report! Loved it!
Sounds like the best dream vacation one could ever hope for.. you are a fine, fine writer.
please link back to your B%26amp;B review, once posted.
The Opera Garnier tour, is actually one of my top 3 eagerly anticipated events for our upcoming trip.
Was the one you did, the 90 minute tour? did they take you downstairs? i can%26#39;t wait to do this.
was there any issue just walking up to buy the tickets? did you need to do so beforehand?
thank you so much for posting this, and am so glad you have the experience of a lifetime!
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Nickles~ thanks for your kind words! The Opera Garnier tours were offered at 11:30 and 2:30 in English. We were advised to arrive 1 hour early to buy our tickets...which we did. We thought since we had an hour to kill, that we would quickly walk over to Fauchon to buy a little something. Big mistake. By the time we made it back (5 minutes before the tour should%26#39;ve started) it turns out the tour had already begun!! When...in France, does anything begin EARLY??! We were stunned. This had happened to a few other people who were wondering what was going on as well. So, my son %26amp; I just quickly followed in the direction the guard said they went and we joined them in progress. If I had to do it all over again I would buy my ticket and then wander in the immediate vicinity of the Opera and then arrive at the tour mtg spot 10 minutes early. Oh well, live %26amp; learn! And yes, the tour was the 90 minute one. We loved every minute of it. Our tour began on the lower level where we bought the tickets and then went up from there a few levels.
Enjoy, enjoy! It%26#39;s a wonderful place!!
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Great trip report!
We also went to E. Dehillerin and came away with several gifts. Great store. Hard to imagine a kitchen supply store in business for nearly 200 years.
I agree with virtually all of your observations as well. We went in early August and had a fantastic time.
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What a beautiful trip report. How nice to be able to share your time in Paris with your son too.
Our apartment in Paris looked down on Hediard, which my wife referred to as %26quot;the little candy store%26quot; on our corner.
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What a great report! It sounds like you had a great time!
I, too, loved my little Paris moleskin book that I also bought at Barnes %26amp; Noble before coming. I flip through it and my journal entries periodically to remind me of my time in Paris.
I%26#39;m glad you had time to just wander along the Seine. We stayed on a barge docked on the Seine and walked along the Seine many times and found it relaxing, but great fun to people watch, especially early Sunday morning, when there seemed to be more people walking their dogs, riding bikes, etc.
Good tips at the end, too.
Thank you for sharing!
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I also thought this was a beautiful trip report. What I liked best was your wonderful attitude. If something went wrong or did not go as expected, you did not let it ruin your day or your vacation as many do. I could just feel your joy in being there as I read your trip report. I hope you get to go back again someday!
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Just loved your trip report and found it very informative and interesting. Made some notes of some (more)things we must do when we hit Paris next month!
Thank you so much.
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One of the better TR%26#39;s I have read.
You made a lot out of only a few days, experienced a lot.
Good report - thank you for taking the time to post it - I don%26#39;t mind long trip reports because many of us live vicariously through others and their reports.
Well Done!
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Thanks for a great report. I have 5 weeks 3 days to go, and you made me even more impatient! :D
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Thoroughly enjoyed your report. We%26#39;ll be in wonderful Paris in just over 4 weeks. Can%26#39;t wait!
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