Two old folks (I’m 71) just home from our visit. Spent one week in a Paris apartment (Studio Mazarene) in the 6th owned by Thierry (VRBO). It was very nice for us, well equipped, and the location could not have been better. We did discover from other visitors we talked to that most of the older units in Paris can be noisy (Studio Mazarene was on one night) and we were glad that we had our ear plugs with us. I highly recommend ear plugs for visitors to Paris.
Day 1. Took Yellow Shuttle (good service) Checked in to the apartment – no problems - visited the local neighborhood spots on Rue Mazarine and Rue de Seine and found everything we needed. Late lunch at the Café le Buci – good. Bought Museum passes at the Musee Delacroix (sp?) and Metro carnets at the Tabac on Rue de Seine. Found the Metro stop on the Louvre side of Pont Neuf and walked along the Seine and across Pont des Artes and then back across Pont Neuf. Had sandwiches/wine/sweets at the apartment in the evening.
Day 2. Metro to the Marais, had breakfast – did the Marais Walking Tour and had lunch on Place des Vosges at Ma Bourgogne (OK, not great). Metro to Arc De Triomphe, climbed the 480 steps to the top for a great view. Metro to Trocadero for the view and walked to Eiffel. Very long lines and after the climb of the Arc, we didn’t feel like more climbing. We went on the night Bike tour by Fat Tire Bicycles (left from the Eiffel) and later saw the Eiffel light show. The tour included an evening boat ride on the Seine complete with wine. We enjoyed this tour, but, we didn’t get home till about 1:00. Felt very safe on the Metro.
Day 3. Walked to Sainte Chapelle (was great), Conciergerie (didn’t go in), Notre Dame (interesting) , Ile Saint Louis (found a nice art gallery on the main street). Brasserie de I’lle St Louis was not open for lunch. Tried Berthillon (we did find that the Amarino gelato that we tried later was much superior). Went looking for Atelier Maitre Albert – somehow we missed it (I think – again not open for lunch). Had lunch at an Italian Tavern in the same area and it was very good. Walked to the Jardin du Luxembourg then back to St Sulpice looking for the Avis location where we were to pick up a rental car later. Had a hard time finding it as it was in an underground parking lot. Walked St Germain and back home. Found the Kayser Boulangerie to have baguettes superior to those at Paul’s.
Day 4. Went to the Louvre early but, missed the direct entrance from the metro. Entered the main entrance with no problems. Big place - we did see the main attractions – overall, not really that impressive for us. Walked through the Tulleries (be carfeful under the trees – lots of bird poop) to L-Orangerie (just OK - not our favorite), then Place de la Concorde. Walked to Angelina’s for their hot chocolate (l%26#39;africain) and Mont Blanc dessert (expensive, but, very good). Stopped at Laduree for more sweets (very good), saw La Madeleine and walked Rue Royal and St Honore to see the fancy stores. Walked des Champs Elysee toward the Arc – the Mercedes dealer - with the new E Class coupe (to be seen in the US late fall) was interesting and packed. Went to see a Ballet at the Palais Garnier in the evening. Beautiful place (exquisite), but, very hot. We kept falling asleep, so we left before the ballet was over. Beware, even though we were assured we had adjacent seats by the opera staff in emails, our seats were one behind the other.
Day 5. Walked to D’Orsay (our very favorite Musee – highly recommended). Forgot to go directly to the top floor first, so when we got there we found lots of folks. A great museum. Walked to the Musee Rodin – the garden was the most interesting. Went to see the big Department stores on Blvd Hausmann– ate a late lunch on the terrace of the Au Printemps – great views – OK food. Went to see their selection of women’s shoes – unbelievable! Then on to Galleries La Fayette, great place to see, especially the atrium. My wife looked at a nice dress hanging on a rack - $5000. We didn’t buy anything and didn’t spend a lot of time here – too many people for us. Boat tour on the Seine from Pont Neuf so we could see the sights in the daytime – internet tickets saved us some money. Light supper at Café le Buci near our apartment.
Day 6. Fat Tire Bike - All day tour to Versailles. Shopped at a local market area and then had a picnic on the Estate grounds near the canal. The grounds were wonderful - the palace less so – too crowded. All-in-all a great day. After returning to Paris, we tried to find a restaurant, La Bistrot du 7eme, recommended by our guide – grew tired of walking and found La Terrasse, 2 Place de l%26#39;Ecole Militaire, first - had a light supper here – very good.
Day 7. Crepes early at a small neighborhood shop – not good- one of the few times we had bad food. Then on to the Bastille Street market – interesting. To Montmarte, Basil. Du Sacre-Coeur, and Place Du Tertre. Went via Abbesses metro station to avoid the funicular line and vendors. Getting from the metro stop to street level seemed like climbing the Arc deTriomphe again and then more steps to Place du Tertre. Found very nice art by Maryse Desmedt, and reasonably priced. Went looking for La Bistrot du 7eme for lunch and waited only to find the place not open on Sunday – ate at a nearby Café La Tour Maubourg – very good. I don’t think that (for most people) spending a lot of time trying to find the very best restaurants will be productive. We had good food at almost every stop – even some places obviously catering to tourists.
Day 8. Rent a car and leave Paris. We purchased a Garmin chip for our GPS unit that covered France and don’t know how we would have survived if we didn’t have it. The GPS didn’t work in the underground parking garage, so we had to start driving without the GPS unit – drove in circles for awhile until the GPS was able to get going. Before leaving, I asked the Avis attendant what we needed for the toll roads. He advised that my credit card would work for tolls, coins would not be needed – boy, was he WRONG. At the first toll, the unit kept rejecting my card while traffic backed up behind us and horns started blowing – you are trapped – no way forward, no way back. Luckily, I did have enough coins to pay the toll. Found other toll stations where my card would work and no place for coins (after I gathered a supply of coins), and other toll stations that actually had humans in attendance. Drove south to the Loire Valley, the Chambord Castle, and Amboise, then, because we were running out of time, we skipped Tours and drove to LeMans to see the race circuit and the Sarthe museum. Found the souvenir shop open and the museum closed on Mon and Tue. Went in to the track and grandstand – saw some motorcycles running. Since a part of the LeMans circuit uses the highway, we were able to drive on it – neat. Stayed at La Campagnile in LeMans – Just OK for the reasonable price.
Day 9. A really great day driving secondary roads in France. Drove to Mont St Michel, arrived before the crowds – very, very interesting. Good lunch just off of the island. Drove to Bayeux, saw the cathedral, and the Tapestry. Walked the shopping area.
Day 10. Band of Brothers all-day Tour by Overlord Tours. Highly recommended. Our Guide and Tour Company owner, Alain, was interesting and passionate about his history. An unforgettable day. Later drove to Honfleur to stay in the Dauphine (GPS is a must), saw the wooden church, the Vieux Basin and a few galleries were still open. Art was nice, but seemed to be much overpriced.
Day 11. I think that GPS is required to get out of Honfleur - drove to Giverny to see Claude Monet’s Garden We were early and went right to the pond - quite a sight. Highly recommended. Went back to Vernon to see the central area and have lunch – just picked a corner bar/café – food was great. Drove back to Paris to turn the car in – had the usual trouble finding the Avis car return at the airport - - it’s in the “hole” between Terminals 2E and 2F. We were trying to find it near Terminal 2A – doesn’t work. Took the hotel shuttle to the Comfort CDG – worst place we stayed in France. Internet service was out, Coke vending machine (2Euro) was not working, but, they would sell you a Coke at the bar for 3Euro. Later, we found that the water vending machine (2Euro) was also not working, but, they had plenty of water at the bar for 3 Euro. Shower water turned alternately scalding and cold while using the shower and the room was very noisy. The evening buffet was not very good.
Day 12. Home – All in All, a great time.
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Thanks so much for posting your report. Sounds like you had a great trip.
For %26quot;old folks%26quot;, you were able to do a lot of walking, climbing and bike riding. Good for you.
I also rented from Avis at St. Sulpice and had trouble finding it. Your report brings back memories.
Thanks again for posting.
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Loved your report. Especially the part about the GPS in the parking garage and driving in circles till GPS catches up with your location! We still laugh at trying to leave our car rental garage with a VERY STEEP incline and some one right on our bumper. This is a very difficult task when you are not used to driving a manual transmission and you have to stop half way up to press in an access code.
And you are so right about needing GPS to get out of Honfleur. I think we went around the traffic circle a few times and still ended up making the wrong decision which resulted in a less than convenient retracing of our steps!
Life is always an adventure......welcome home!
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You may think of yourselves as %26quot;old folks%26quot;, but the ground you covered and the things you were able to do would out pace many young people. Great report!
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Great report! Thanks for posting.
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thanks for report, as noted,, for %26quot;old folks%26quot; you certainly ran circles around many younger folks I am sure. Nice to hear you did the FT bike tours.. the one to Versailles does involve a fair amount of peddling ,, so I am impressed!!
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