7 days in Paris

We flew SkyEurope from Prague to Paris on Tuesday, August 5th. The flight was nice, though not much leg room, especially because the woman in front of me insisted on putting her seat back in the tiny amount of room I had. No matter, I was on my way to Paris!

We arrived at 4pm and took the RER-C into Paris from Orly Airport, to the Luxembourg stop. The RER, it seems, resembles the Metro North or LIRR (for you NY folks). I thought I followed all instructions properly, however, after switching from the Orlyval (the airtrain) to the RER, we found ourselves at the exit of the Luxembourg station, attempting to get out... and unable to. See, to exit these stations, you have to put your ticket through the machine at the end of the trip and obviously I failed to buy an extra ticket, or something. I don't know specifically how I screwed up, but I did, and was on near-breakdown mode since there are no attendants there to tell you what to do... but Andy spoke English to some worker who came through an exit (who probably didn't know what the hell we were saying), but the wonderful man let us out.
Thanks to that man, otherwise we'd still be there... mole people of the Paris RER system!

We stayed at the Hotel Cluny Sorbonne, which is on the Rue Victor Cousin, directly across the street from the Sorbonne. The Latin Quarter. It was also down the block from a lovely square, the Place de la Sorbonne (or something like that...). There was a lovely cafe there with some wonderful food (L'Ecritoire) and great benches and fountains. This was our home base, and it was fantastic.



Paris was... pricey. I am sad to even have to mention it, but because I see Paris as a great foodie (hate that term) experience, this really impacted our trip a bit. The dollar is quite weak right now, though I'm not completely sure of the exact exchange rate. An example, though, is that a 70 euro meal was actually 100 US dollars. Paris was hugely pricey anyway, no matter where we went, and with the weak dollar... it was tough. An average cafe breakfast of cafe au lait and a croissant was about 10 euros (for one person - crazy!) which ended up being about 13 dollars. So, the best deal is to go to a patisserie or boulangerie and get food there and go eat breakfast in Luxembourg gardens (which we were right near). We also found an excellent little crepe shop, very local and not fancy, but offering great cheap crepes AND great cheap coffee. It was on the rue Monsieur le Prince, up some steps, walking away from Boulevard Saint-Michel. Awesome.



Needless to say, we picnicked a lot. And it was great!! Wine is super cheap at the grocery stores, and so we often found ourselves out drinking great wine and eating some cheese or baguette with pate, or something yummy. Despite being pricey, it was great.



We planned on going to Versailles, but didn't. The RER trains, which we had to take there, were all screwy and confusing and we just didn't get around to it. But we did go to Notre Dame, and Montmartre and hanging at the Eiffel Tower quite a bit. We were accosted by gypsies at the Eiffel Tower. When I said "no, sorry" in response to being asked for money, then insisted I give them food, a cigarette or my wine... "Give me your wine" were the exact words. I said "no, sorry" a few more times until she walked away saying "no, sorry, no, sorry, no sorry" really nastily to herself!



Our favorite place to picnic was right on the Seine, down the steps on the Ile St Louis. Facing the right bank, which is turned into the "Paris Plage," or beach, in the summertime, was great. The city brings in sand and sets up sprinklers and drink and food stands, and its really lovely, as well as watching the boats go by... it was a great picnic spot. We always found a seat, though lots of groups of locals also picnic there. We saw students and adults, and children... it was great. People even brought candles with them to enhance their nighttime picnicking experience!



We did a ton of walking (sometimes up to 12 miles a day, which is a lot in city walking) and got very familiar with the entire left bank, and some of the right bank. This was also a good way to walk off all that pate de foie gras, my favorite french food which they put on everything, including salads. Ah, I love Paris. Except now I have some weird frictiony-rubber band feeling in my left ankle/foot area. It doesn't hurt, it just feels weird. And freaky. You can even feel it if you put your hand on the ankle. Weird! Does anyone have any clue what this is?



Anway, we had a great time in Paris. We went to some lovely restaurants, as well, including my favorite, the Cafe du Marche on the Rue Cler. We also went to Crémerie Polidor, which is a classic bistro where all the greats have eaten - Joyce, Hemingway, Kerouac and others - but they had changed their menu and so didn't have the veal, and were out of the foie gras! I had beef with tomato sauce, which was quite simple and good, and Andy had kidneys. We had an amazing lemon tart for dessert... the best I think I'd ever had.



Enough about food. Paris is also about history and beauty and elegance and style. It was great. We got all that in abundance. Fabulous trip. If you haven't been there, go.

Paris pics un

Paris pics deux

Paris pics trois



The lovely glittering, twinkling Eiffel Tower.

About the next trip

We are leaving on Tuesday afternoon for Paris. We will be there for eight days, then we go to Venice. We will be there for four days, and then will return to Prague.

I am very excited about going to Paris. I was there once before – four years ago, I think - with good ole Edith. We went in April and it was great. I am excited about going back. I am also excited because Andy has not been there and I cannot wait to show it to him. I have been practicing my French, preparing for what I will have to say at various times on our trip. I am hoping my French will come back to me, since I have taken about a total of 6 years of it, over my dicey high school and college years. Ah, Monsieur Hosford, I think of you now as I prepare for this journey! (and Madame Morey, though not so fondly!)

We are staying in the Latin Quarter (named for the original language spoken, as the Sorbonne and its scholars were there), which is not an area I am so familiar with. Edith and I stayed in the Rue Cler last time, and had an amazing time. Nearly everything we needed, in terms of food, and there’s really little else, was available to us there. Of course, we ventured out, but that neighborhood was great. However, it’s a little pricier now than it was then, so we went with another Rick Steves’ suggestion, and are staying near the Sorbonne at the Hotel Cluny Sorbonne hotel. This is quite near the Luxembourg Gardens, which I am eager to explore and near the Seine and the bridge to the Ile de la cite, which is a quick walk to the Ile St Louis and the Berthillon ice cream shop, which we visited last time and was great. I just wish I could remember where that fondue restaurant was, Edith?!

Anyway.

Then on to Venice… I have no idea what to expect, though have done a good deal of research, and of course have my trusty Rick Steves guidebook to help me through. I love this man. If you don’t know who he is, and you are planning a trip anywhere in Europe, I sincerely suggest you pick up his guidebook, above any others. He’s got wonderful suggestions and lists very reliable restaurants and hotels. He also has wonderful self-guided walking tours that are interesting and easy to follow. I’ve used his suggestions in Paris, Vienna and Prague and all have been great. We’ll see how he is in Italy!

It’s unlikely I will be posting anything on this trip, unless the hotel has wi-fi, which I doubt. But I will take loads of pictures and post when I return. Please, if anyone has any suggestions for sights or places to check out on this trip, let me know!!

Cheers!