Posted By: kenmoore
Trip report - France - 2013 - 07/01/2013 08:37 PM
My wife and I flew from Boston to Paris via Frankfurt on Lufthansa using one of my code share FF mileage tickets. We arranged for a shuttle van to take us from the airport to our apartment at St. Michel. I’m glad we did because driving in Paris is no fun at all. Don’t even think about it.
Our apartment was a half block from St. Michel on the left bank of the Seine, two blocks from Notre Dame and two blocks from the Sorbonne. Our apartment was a 4th floor walk-up which was only a problem when you had luggage. It was a delightful 1 bedroom apartment with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom/shower facilities. The French windows overlooked Rue de la Harpe and, with a little imagination, looked as it did 100 years ago. The apartment had a clothes washer which allowed us to reduce the amount of clothing to take with us. It was owned by an Australian who came to Paris as a young man and never left. He was most gracious and made our stay extremely pleasant. The fully equipped kitchen allowed us to eat breakfast there and host a Happy Hour with some longtime French and English acquaintances
Paris is Paris. I was in France as a student in 1968, but my wife had not been there at all. Thus, we did all of the sights that most tourists do the first time there. We also discovered that we could not have a bad meal there. Here are some of the things that we did:
Musee d’Orsay – For Impressionism art, it is definitely a must see place and it’s worth a 3-4 hour visit. It’s big enough so that any crowds are not bothersome
The Louvre can only be appreciated by spending a day or two in each section over a period of several months. Thus, our Museum Pass allowed us to run in, see the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo and run out with a plan to see more on another trip to Paris.
Walking the length of the Champs Elysees from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe. Excellent bistros along the way to rest your weary feet and quench your thirst with local wines. Lots of stores to tempt your wallet such as Louis_Vuitton and Cartier
The Arc de Triomphe is worth the climb up the stairs to the top, if you can do it. Great 360 degree views of Paris. Underneath the Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WWI. Solemn and respectful, despite the crowds.
Naturally we did the Eiffel Tower and rode the elevator to the top. The lines were long, but they moved quickly. From the start of the line to the top was less than 45 minutes. Breathtaking views;
Les Invalides & Napoleon’s tomb. Very interesting – especially knowing the history of Napoleon and those buried in the same area. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was so impressed that he had his own mausoleum built in Norfolk, VA resembling Napoleon’s tomb.
Montmartre & Sacre Coeur. We attended a sung Mass at the basilica and then moseyed over to Place du Tertre and the artist colony. Very French and very touristy, but impressive nonetheless and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it started to rain and many of the artists packed up their canvases for the day. Without them, it’s just another park.
Pigalle – Getting to and from Montmartre required a Metro (subway) to Pigalle, the former red light district known to so many WWI & WWII GI’s. Snapped some picture of the Moulin Rouge and walked up the boulevard. It was loaded with sex shops, some with over the top gadgets, but nothing that we haven’t seen walking around NY & Boston. Did not spend much time there.
We also took two day trips outside of Paris
1. Giverny – home to the Impressionism artist Claude Monet and his famous gardens. We could have spent twice the time there by spending more time in and around the gardens and the small village. However, we were somewhat constrained by our train schedules. This is a must-do for anyone interested in Money’s work or Impressionism art.
2. Versailles – this is another place that has to be seen in sections. The crowds there were enormous, but with its size, we were able to walk through most of the palace on our own time. Hint: don’t go there on a Sunday. Next time, we want to do the gardens and the Petit Trianon – Marie-Antoinette’s palace. Plan at least a day in each area.
After Paris we took the train to Caen on the Normandy coast. I was a student at the university there 45 years ago. We stayed at the same hotel where I had my room. Not too surprisingly, it looked quite the same, although with modern upgrades.
As a student, our shortcut to the university involved walking through the Chateau of William the Conqueror each day. There have been some major restorations since my student days and we spent some time visiting the displays. It was fun, but somewhat nostalgic to re-visit some of the bistros and haunts of my college days
The next day we rented a car from Europacar and drove to Mont St. Michel. Once we found our way out of Caen, the path was easy to find and delightful to drive. Despite being a major tourist attraction, the roads to the Abbey were quaint, quintessentially French, and a joy to see. The Abbey is an amazing place, despite the crowds of tourists. Unfortunately, the Abbey itself was closed due to a one-day workers strike, but the rest of the cobblestone stores, restaurants and hotels gave a definite sense of the 17th Century.
We satisfied our cathedral fix by returning to Caen via Bayeux. There we saw the famous Bayeux Tapestry depicting the battle of Hastings in 1066. We also entered the Bayeux Cathedral and marveled at the stained glass windows.
The next day – our last full day in France, we drove to the
Normandy landing beaches. This is another place where we’d like to spend several more days at each beach. There is an excellent museum at Arromanches where the British and the Canadians landed in 1944. We then motored up to Omaha beach and the American Cemetery. Similar to Arlington, this hallowed ground is meticulously maintained and inspirational. My wife and I were awed by the sacrifices made so many so years ago, and deeply moved by the dedication to their sacrifices. Both of us were fighting to keep back some tears.
Alas, our time was running out. We returned to Caen, turned in our rental car, and took the train back to Paris and to our airport hotel for our return flight the next morning.
We were exhausted, but thrilled and satisfied by our trip and would like to return about 2 years from now for a more sedate pace. When either of us wins the lottery, we’d like to do the same pace of touring and seeing everything for two weeks, and then come back via SXM and Club O for a week of sand gravity and decompression.
Next year it’s off to Germany where I was stationed from 1972-1975. We are planning on taking the southern loop from Frankfurt through Bavaria and the Black Forest and spend 8-9 days in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Munich area.
Au revoir & Auf wiedersehen.
Our apartment was a half block from St. Michel on the left bank of the Seine, two blocks from Notre Dame and two blocks from the Sorbonne. Our apartment was a 4th floor walk-up which was only a problem when you had luggage. It was a delightful 1 bedroom apartment with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom/shower facilities. The French windows overlooked Rue de la Harpe and, with a little imagination, looked as it did 100 years ago. The apartment had a clothes washer which allowed us to reduce the amount of clothing to take with us. It was owned by an Australian who came to Paris as a young man and never left. He was most gracious and made our stay extremely pleasant. The fully equipped kitchen allowed us to eat breakfast there and host a Happy Hour with some longtime French and English acquaintances
Paris is Paris. I was in France as a student in 1968, but my wife had not been there at all. Thus, we did all of the sights that most tourists do the first time there. We also discovered that we could not have a bad meal there. Here are some of the things that we did:
Musee d’Orsay – For Impressionism art, it is definitely a must see place and it’s worth a 3-4 hour visit. It’s big enough so that any crowds are not bothersome
The Louvre can only be appreciated by spending a day or two in each section over a period of several months. Thus, our Museum Pass allowed us to run in, see the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo and run out with a plan to see more on another trip to Paris.
Walking the length of the Champs Elysees from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe. Excellent bistros along the way to rest your weary feet and quench your thirst with local wines. Lots of stores to tempt your wallet such as Louis_Vuitton and Cartier
The Arc de Triomphe is worth the climb up the stairs to the top, if you can do it. Great 360 degree views of Paris. Underneath the Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WWI. Solemn and respectful, despite the crowds.
Naturally we did the Eiffel Tower and rode the elevator to the top. The lines were long, but they moved quickly. From the start of the line to the top was less than 45 minutes. Breathtaking views;
Les Invalides & Napoleon’s tomb. Very interesting – especially knowing the history of Napoleon and those buried in the same area. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was so impressed that he had his own mausoleum built in Norfolk, VA resembling Napoleon’s tomb.
Montmartre & Sacre Coeur. We attended a sung Mass at the basilica and then moseyed over to Place du Tertre and the artist colony. Very French and very touristy, but impressive nonetheless and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it started to rain and many of the artists packed up their canvases for the day. Without them, it’s just another park.
Pigalle – Getting to and from Montmartre required a Metro (subway) to Pigalle, the former red light district known to so many WWI & WWII GI’s. Snapped some picture of the Moulin Rouge and walked up the boulevard. It was loaded with sex shops, some with over the top gadgets, but nothing that we haven’t seen walking around NY & Boston. Did not spend much time there.
We also took two day trips outside of Paris
1. Giverny – home to the Impressionism artist Claude Monet and his famous gardens. We could have spent twice the time there by spending more time in and around the gardens and the small village. However, we were somewhat constrained by our train schedules. This is a must-do for anyone interested in Money’s work or Impressionism art.
2. Versailles – this is another place that has to be seen in sections. The crowds there were enormous, but with its size, we were able to walk through most of the palace on our own time. Hint: don’t go there on a Sunday. Next time, we want to do the gardens and the Petit Trianon – Marie-Antoinette’s palace. Plan at least a day in each area.
After Paris we took the train to Caen on the Normandy coast. I was a student at the university there 45 years ago. We stayed at the same hotel where I had my room. Not too surprisingly, it looked quite the same, although with modern upgrades.
As a student, our shortcut to the university involved walking through the Chateau of William the Conqueror each day. There have been some major restorations since my student days and we spent some time visiting the displays. It was fun, but somewhat nostalgic to re-visit some of the bistros and haunts of my college days
The next day we rented a car from Europacar and drove to Mont St. Michel. Once we found our way out of Caen, the path was easy to find and delightful to drive. Despite being a major tourist attraction, the roads to the Abbey were quaint, quintessentially French, and a joy to see. The Abbey is an amazing place, despite the crowds of tourists. Unfortunately, the Abbey itself was closed due to a one-day workers strike, but the rest of the cobblestone stores, restaurants and hotels gave a definite sense of the 17th Century.
We satisfied our cathedral fix by returning to Caen via Bayeux. There we saw the famous Bayeux Tapestry depicting the battle of Hastings in 1066. We also entered the Bayeux Cathedral and marveled at the stained glass windows.
The next day – our last full day in France, we drove to the
Normandy landing beaches. This is another place where we’d like to spend several more days at each beach. There is an excellent museum at Arromanches where the British and the Canadians landed in 1944. We then motored up to Omaha beach and the American Cemetery. Similar to Arlington, this hallowed ground is meticulously maintained and inspirational. My wife and I were awed by the sacrifices made so many so years ago, and deeply moved by the dedication to their sacrifices. Both of us were fighting to keep back some tears.
Alas, our time was running out. We returned to Caen, turned in our rental car, and took the train back to Paris and to our airport hotel for our return flight the next morning.
We were exhausted, but thrilled and satisfied by our trip and would like to return about 2 years from now for a more sedate pace. When either of us wins the lottery, we’d like to do the same pace of touring and seeing everything for two weeks, and then come back via SXM and Club O for a week of sand gravity and decompression.
Next year it’s off to Germany where I was stationed from 1972-1975. We are planning on taking the southern loop from Frankfurt through Bavaria and the Black Forest and spend 8-9 days in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Munich area.
Au revoir & Auf wiedersehen.