Category Archives: France

Paris Day 14 (Final Day)

23 Sunday Sep 2012

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I have to admit that my feet are a bit sore, and I’ve climbed many more stairs in these past few weeks than I have climbed in months. The morning was spent lounging about and getting myself organized, printing the boarding pass and kicking back reading. I managed one last lunch out at a cafe – I was actually trying for Quiche Lorraine and wanted a cafe where the view was not of cars. the cute Le Marche’ in Le Marais sits on a lovely square. I tried the Foie Gras and really didn’t like it. I also had the Onion Soup, which was tasty but not something I would order every day. After lunch I did some window shopping at the exclusive designer shops in the 8th, enclosed in the golden triangle formed by avenue des Champs-Elysées, avenue Montaigne and rue François 1er and along rue du Faubourg St-Honoré. A quick stop at the Arc De’Triomph

More info on Arc de Triomphe

There is a special bus that runs only on Sunday afternoons with a route that runs from the Arc
de Triomphe, through Place de la Concorde, through the center of the Louvre, through the Marais and all the way into the Bastille area. As this was my last route through the town of Paris, I shot many photos through the bus windows.

Tonight my host is making Quiche Lorraine for dinner and I will enjoy the last of the Bourgogne Pinot Noir. I have truly enjoyed spending 2 weeks with friends and getting to experience the true Parisian lifestyle.

Hotel de Bethune Sully

Hotel de Bethune Sully

Onion Soup

Foie gras – I tried two bites and traded with my lunchmate

Capturing the essence of a Sunday afternoon in the Marais

Many people wait to get in to buy a purse, limited one per person per season. You must have a passport

Pretty creepy window display

Some great people watching on this street

Check out the hot pink shoes and purse

I’m leaving Paris with one magnet and a single small eiffel tower which was a special request

A Parisian courtyard

Dire au revoir à cette belle ville. J’ai eu un temps fantastique

Paris Day 13 (only one day left)

22 Saturday Sep 2012

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It seems I’ve already seen the major tourist sites here in Paris… so today I went to the Rodin Museum, walked to the Parish St. Germaine and had lunch near there before seeing a Lana Turner movie Imitation of Life from 1959. It was in English with French subtitles. After a nice walk through the red light district, and a night time visit to Sacre’_Coer I had dinner in the Montmarte neighborhood. I was suprised when my fish arrived with a head.

The oldest cafe in Paris where Benjamin Franklin visited

A Perfectly Cheesy Movie from 1958

Beef Stew with Gnocchi

Paris Day 12

21 Friday Sep 2012

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Montmarte is the highest point in Paris with a fabulous view. I have to admit, this is the #1 recommended spot from all my friends who have been to Paris. I took the metro to the closest station – Abbesses and climbed many steps into the heart of the famous artist village. I would recommend first time visitors to use the Avers metro stop for the most dramatic view of Sacre’-Coeur while climbing. Just don’t miss the artists on the left of the Basilica.

More info on Sacre’-Coeur Basilica

Many artists were drawing tourists, but there were also just as many doing their own thing

Local entertainment – the crowd was pleased

I enjoyed sitting on the steps of Sacre’-Coeur Basilica singing along to the american tunes

I had to sneak this photo inside the Basilica

Some of those charming roof tops up close


The Louvre is open evenings on Wednesday and Friday. Seems it’s less crowded after 5 so I waited until then to finally check it out. I took the metro and entered the Louvre from the underground mall – which was great on this rainy day. I had Rick Steeve’s Podcast and was so happy that it was organized in chapters because I wasn’t able to go the route they suggested. I visited the Denon wing first, because that’s where they keep the most popular pieces of art.

The Louvre Official Website

In the emperor room there was an empty pillar that tourists keep posing for photos

At one time this was the king’s palace

A close up of Napoleon

I told myself I would not leave Paris without trying the escargot, so here it is… and they were really quite tasty

Escargot

Here’s a recipe for Confit de Canard, which was delicious

Confit de Canard

Paris Day 11

20 Thursday Sep 2012

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Today I walked.

First stop – Luxembourg Gardens
Info on the History of Luxembourg Garden (needs translating)

Luxembourg Gardens

Nice day for a nap in the garden (no, I don’t know this person)

Seemed this boat was on a string, not remote control

The Senate Building

The trees are in boxes and are brought inside in the winter

Next stop – The Pantheon, just down the street from Luxembourg Gardens. The crypt here holds the remains of Marie Curie, Victor Hugo and Louise Braille.

Info on the Pantheon

The Pantheon, Paris


Paroisse Saint-Séverin – Saint-Nicolas – noticed the stained glass was modern

Crossing the Seine, here’s a different angle of Notre Dame

Bastille Neighborhood, open air market

La Marais neighborhood by day

Students fill the square

Catholic parish of St Paul – Saint-Louis in Le Marais

St. Paul

These church organs are so impressive

The stained glass at St. Paul is pretty simple

Each row of chairs has a row of kneeling benches

I thought I would pick up some Patte to go with the baguette and burgundy wine I had picked up in the Marais but got so confused I left with none

La Marais Neighborhood

Paris Day 10 – Normandy

19 Wednesday Sep 2012

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Normandy has an interesting history. It seems the Vikings invaded so often that France was forced to sign a treaty in 911 granting the land to them. Hence “North Man” became Normandy.

Note – I did not go to the typical tourist spot of the Normandy invasion, instead went to the village where Parisian’s spend time on weekends and followed a picturesque route up the Seine back to Paris.

History of Normandy

Honfleur is a Viking seaside town which is crawling with tourists, and a nice place for lunch and a stroll.
Honfleur link

Honfleur harbour

Normandy does not make wine – they make cider. I tried it and didn’t like it.

Notice the shrimp are served with their eyeballs

I chose the daily special crepe, which turned out to be ham, cheese and egg.

The other selection was mussels

The church and steeple were separated because it was believed the steeple would be more likely to be hit by lightening

The church was built with 2 boats

Still in Honfleur – this church is right on the harbor

Normandy beach

A “drive by” photo of one of many houses with thatched roofs

Following the river Siene back to Paris, we first stop at Pont Audemer – an adorable town with flags flying from all neighboring countries.

History of Pont Audemer, you will need to use translate

Pont Audemer

New age shop


Allianz is everywhere, even in cute Viking villages

The countryside was beautiful

Along the Seine

The next stop was Juieges, hoping to see that Abbey – however they just started closing earlier two days ago. These little towns have so much character and charm.

More information on Jumieges Abbey

Jumieges Tourist Center

What I could see of what was left of the Abbey

Ooozing with charm

The last stop of the day was the larger town of Rouen, in the Siene Valley. This is the spot where Joan of Arc was burned.

More info on Rouen

Even more info on Rouen

This is the actual square where Joan of Arc was burned

Rouen

An old castle in Rouen currently being used as a Prison

This church is being cleaned up nicely in Rouen

Paris Day 9

18 Tuesday Sep 2012

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Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

The weather today began sunny, but turned cloudy and fit the mood exactly for a September afternoon at Pere-Lachaise Cemetery. A funeral service was in progress at the chapel while tourists roamed with cameras. The leaves were turning and there was a bit of a breeze, so the leaves were also falling – creating the perfect atmosphere for visiting.

More Info on Père-Lachaise Cemetery

I hear this guy was the founder of Spirituality – he was very popular and had many visitors

Founder of Philosphy of Spirit

Famous French Mime

This one was huge!

The view


Chopin’s grave

The Famous Lovers – a nun and a monk are buried here together

Jim Morrison’s grave

For the brave soldiers who fight against the revolution

The stained glass is still in tact

I found this to be a bit disturbing

This woman was tending to the family grave


Paris Day 8

17 Monday Sep 2012

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Today was typical tourist day, with snapshots of all the major sites in Paris. I first took the LesCarsRouges LesCarsRouges website which is a hop on, hop off tour. I just stayed up there on the top deck and let them drive me all over Paris while I exhausted the battery of my Nikon P100. I picked up the bus at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. There are ear phones and recorded tour information in many languages. After my bus tour, I took a small Siene River cruise tour, past all those same monuments and sights again, but from a slightly different angle. By then, the sun was shining and it was quite enjoyable to be out there on the river going under the famous bridges. There are many river tour companies, but I liked the look of the smaller boat and chose Vedettes de paris which is just at the foot of the Eiffel tower, or Tour Eiffel as they say in Paris. I’m getting pretty good at navigating the metro, especially since I’ve been to the same station only a week ago. I also enjoyed my first Crepe today. Chocolate and Banana for 4.50 Euros.

Eiffel Tower from Trocadero


Assemblee Nationale

The Louvre

Booksellers along the Seine

Concergierie – where Marie Antoinette spent her final days

Notre Dame Cathedral

Fancy bridge work

The other side of Notre Dame

More fancy bridge work

Seems the fire department had a little issue

The oldest bridge in Paris

The whole bridge is full of locks, a few years back couples started expressing their love by locking a lock to the bridge

I like the little girls hand – she was waving, but it looks like she’s trying to touch the bridge

That’s my very first Parisian Crepe cooking there

Musee D’Orsay

Avenue Des Champs Elysees

Arc De Triomphe

Champs Elysees

Opera

Place de la Madeleine

Place de La Concorde

Musee D’Orsay

Paris Day 7

16 Sunday Sep 2012

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The sun was shining today, a perfect day for a stroll through a Palace Garden. Versaille is not far from Paris, but by car it was an ordeal. A drive past some of the most famous landmarks in the world, along the Seine was beautiful today with the sun shining. Seemed there were people everywhere. There was a Woman’s European bicycle tour alongside the Louve and people and traffic everywhere. Parking at the Palace in Versaille was also a test in patience, but doable.

I entered the palace gardens first and made my way through mazes, past many statues and fountains before seeing the palace at first. It was striking – after all, it was home to a King.

They only run the fountains during certain hours but the statues and fountains were impressive without the fountains running. There is a public park with rented row boats, people bicycling, running – I imagine many locals really enjoy living is such a picturesque setting.

The Palace itself is pretty much a museum – the first floor dominated by paintings, statues and 3D film renderings. The crowds mostly had audio guides or human guides with translators. Upstairs was the Royal apartment, with King Louis XIV chambers and Marie Antoinette’s chambers and wigs. My favorite room of the palace was the hall of mirrors.

The Palace grounds also has 2 smaller palaces, one was more intimate for both the King and Queen, and the other was just for Marie Antoinette. There was also a farm house built nearby to please her.

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Paris Day 6

15 Saturday Sep 2012

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Simple things are a bit more complicated when you do not speak the language. I was proud to have gotten to a post office and mailed off a postcard for my aunt who doesn’t read blogs. I bought a lightbulb at a home improvement store and a baguette (standard) and some roses for my host’s grandmother who had invited us for lunch.

Saturday was family day. Not many tourists are invited to a multigenerational family lunch in Paris, but I am lucky to have a gracious host with an unbelievably charming family, most of whom speak English. They would have conversation in French and then translate for me. It was very entertaining. I enjoyed their customs of the patte aperitif, followed by a salad course, the main course and desert with leisurely conversation and wine, of course.

A short walk away is the oldest garden in Paris, originally planted for the king back in 1626. the Jardin De Plantes has a fabulous botanical garden. The sun was out today and there were many people relaxing on the lawns and children playing in the playground

Jardin Des Plantes

Here’s a poisonous plant –


The Oldest Tree in Paris

Next stop was for tea at a Moroccan place – La Mosquee’ which used to be a Mosque. The tea was sweet but very good. The birds were flying free

It’s hard to imagine Paris before Christianity, but there are still Roman ruins in the city.  Today people are playing boomerang, a bit of soccer (which also looked like volleyball with your head) and what looked to be Bocce.  The Arenes de Lutece was once a Roman theaterand they still have movies and shows there today.

More Information on Arenes de Lutece