Sorry, this is coming back up to the top because tinypic deleted my pictures--I just replaced them.
I had that phrase in my head all last week when DH and I spent our 8 days in lovely Paris. It was HOT. Most days it was around 90 farenheit, and HUMID. The one day it cooled to around 80 it was raining. The weather really did slow us down, but we still had a fantastic time. This was the first trip for DH, second trip for me. Last trip for me was in February so I was stunned at how Paris changes with the seasons. It was like a whole new city! I must say I really enjoyed the damp, cool, empty Paris of winter, but the splendor of the gardens in June makes all the heat, the smell, the crowds, and the overflowing trash cans worthwhile.
Someone once said that going to Paris with a girlfriend is a much different experience that going with your husband. So true! Paris has so many faces, and things that caught my attention when I was with Becky (usually storefronts!) went unnoticed this time, and vice versa.
With my two Paris experiences, I can now see how one can go to Paris over and over and over and see a new city each time. DH was surprised at how much he enjoyed Paris, and he talks about going again with family or friends, so I'm hoping we have many more Parisian experiences to come.
Our apartment
We stayed in an apartment in the 16th, on Rue de Passy. What a steal this place was! It's a fairly new listing on vrbo, and the owners must be getting good feedback from all their clients because they are raising their prices for 2006. We were there 8 nights and it cost us 80 Euros a night. It's 45 square meters (a little over 500 square feet, I think) in a gated, secured, quiet apartment complex. Our windows and balcony overlooked the large, beautifully landscaped courtyard. We had hardwood floors, modern, comfortable furniture, and a separate room for the toilet. There's a shower, but no tub. There's also a washing machine. There are wooden shutters that go on the outside of the windows that we could pull down for privacy and to keep the place cool while we were gone. With the oscillating fan they provided, it never got uncomfortably hot inside the apartment.
This apartment is owned by a young couple who lived there until recently (he's English, she's French but fluent in English). From what I gather, they started a family and decided to move out to the country. Despite being out of town, Michael was still Johnny-on-the-spot. One day there was an intense rain/hail storm (I'm from Oklahoma and this was REALLY intense). Somehow the rainwater backed up and came through a newly uncapped pipe in the kitchen, flooding the kitchen floor. We called the building caretaker, who immediatedly came up and assisted with damage control. We then called Michael, who was there a couple hours later to apologize, finish cleaning up, and cap the pipe. It's easy to be a good apartment owner when everything goes smoothly; the test is how they handle it when something goes wrong, and we were very impressed with Michael. We would (and might) stay here again.
Here's a link to the apt (I think this apartment is no longer available):
www.vrbo.com/47620
The Passy neighborhood is wonderful. It's pretty, with lots of upscale shops and restaurants, and is served by metro lines 6 and 9, and RER C. We felt like the only tourists in the neighborhood, which we liked, especially this time of the year. DH and I are both somewhat claustrophobic, so the sheer numbers of people on the streets in the more touristy neighborhoods seemed suffocating at times. It was nice to come "home" to our quiet little corner of Paris in the evenings. The only downside is that there are very few major attractions within walking distance, so we used the metro a LOT. Having said that, if you haven't hung out by the Trocadero in the evening, it is quite a spectacle!
Segway Tour
How fun was this!!! We went through Fat Tire Bike Tours, which is an American owned company. Ryan was our guide, a student at Texas A&M, in Paris for a summer job. Needless to say, he wasn't an expert on French culture, but still knew enough to give us a rough overview of the sights, and he was a fun guy to hang around with. We were with four other people and had so much fun navigating the streets of Paris on Segways. Other tourists were taking our picture as we zoomed by. This was DH's favorite activity and is now trying to fabricate and excuse to buy a Segway. It was I think 95 American dollars per person, but it was definitely worth it. The whole process, including getting used to riding the thing and lunch in the Tuileries, was 4-5 hours. We were hoping to do their nighttime bike tour later in the week, but we never seemed to have the energy.
Jocelyn P on a Segway. Yes, I'm wearing shorts (gasp!)
Paris Walks
We had planned on taking two of these tours: one on Friday for Hemingway's Paris, and another on Sunday for Montmartre. We so enjoyed Friday's tour that we added the Marais on Saturday. For both Friday and Saturday's tours, our guide was Peter Caine, the owner of Paris Walks and a published author (one of his books is "Paris Then and Now"). I cannot say enough good things about Peter. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable, but he has a true gift for storytelling. He's like the college professor that all the students want to get; his "lectures" are interactive, entertaining, and utterly fascinating. We hung on to his every word and felt so fortunate to have spent time with him. Sunday's tour was with a different guide. She was okay, but the 10 Euro fee didn't seem like the bargain it did with Peter's tours. After spending just a few hours with Peter, I can see how having a all-day guide like Michael Osman would be such a treat, and we may try to hire Michael next time around.
Metro
As I said previously, we used the metro quite a bit. I debated getting a Carte Orange and trying to figure out the bus system, but decided to keep it simple and just get carnets. Baby steps, you know. We did witness some Americans being denied a Carte Orange at an adjacent ticket window, so I was happy with my decision. Anyway, we had the darndest time with our tickets. If we bought the carnet at the Passy metro stop, they'd always work there, but only about 25% of the time at other stations! We tried buying a carnet at another stop with the same result. Not that big a deal, as we could go to the window to exchange the ticket, but it got tiresome after awhile. The last day or two, we bought individual tickets and STILL had the same problem. We weren't doing anything different from station to station, so what was up??
Giverny
Wanting to beat some of the crowds, I figured it would be worthwhile to get up early early to catch the 8:20 train to Vernon. We managed it, grabbed a taxi to Monet's house, and got to the ticket window 5 minutes before it opened. We still had plenty of company. While standing in line, I whispered to DH that we were going to "go long" as soon as we got in. "But I have to go to the bathroom" he says. Aarrgh! Those 3 minutes really cost us. We got caught up in the slow-moving line and inched our way over to the water lilies pond. It was still glorious, with the sun sparkling on the water. We made two slow laps around the pond, taking lots of pictures. What a treat for any Monet lover! I only wish I could have seen it at sunrise/sunset, or in solitude. I'm sure everyone else there felt the same way. As we came back by the entrance later in the afternoon, we realized it was still a good idea to come early, as there was a long line to get in.
We strolled over to the Hotel Baudy for lunch at their cafe. What a beautiful place! We were a little early for lunch, so we got to explore their rose garden. Most of the flowers were bloomed out, but it still smelled heavenly, and we were the only ones there at the time. We then sat in a gazebo under a cherry tree to shade ourselves from the sun until the cafe opened. The outdoor cafe was across the street, overlooking the green, rolling hills--just a perfect setting. We had a very pleasant lunch there.
Hotel Baudy rose garden
Versailles
Who cares about the palace, as those gardens are spectacular! We spent hours wandering through the wonderful maze, finding fountain after fountain. It felt nice and cool in the gardens and we enjoyed every minute of our time there. We stumbled on a cute little cafe and had a decent lunch in a magnificent setting.
Sidenote: I was walking down a steep hill on a dirt path, distracted as I often am, and my shoe caught a big rock and down I went, headfirst! Now here's a good argument for wearing shorts instead of a skirt! My hand and knee were scraped up pretty badly, and I still have massive bruises on my knee and hip. Back at the apartment, my surgeon hubby used a safety pin to dig out pebbles from under the skin in the palm of my hand. So, watch where you're going! Oddly enough, that evening as we were out strolling around after a big rain storm, we were going down a hill, DH stepped on a metal grate, and UP he went! He landed on his shoulder and elbow. I had to keep reminding him through dinner to not put his elbows on the table so he wouldn't get the white tablecloth all bloody. Funny, I don't remember seeing that in any etiquette books, but I'll bet that's a good rule of thumb...
Serendipity
Of course we visited the museums, churches, and sights that most people visit when they go to Paris. But I was hoping for something more. I wanted for us to stumble onto something unique that we didn't plan for. Wow, did we ever!
We had no idea that every June 21 the entire country celebrates the summer solstice with a music festival. That was the day we went to Giverny. We got back to our apartment in the afternoon, rested up, then metroed out to the Latin Quarter, just to stroll around and find something interesting for dinner. We would then catch a sunset river cruise.
We came out of the metro station along Blvd St. Germain and my first thought was "Wow, this area sure is more lively during the summer!" The sidewalks were packed, and on just about every street corner there was a band playing some sort of music. There was rock and roll, new age, bagpipes, and even a mash pit! We kept wondering if this was a typical summer Tuesday night in the Latin Quarter, lol.
We grabbed some gyros, then waded our way through the crowds to the Luxembourg Gardens for a break from the action. Ha! Turns out this was the centerpiece of the festival, with a huge Brazilian percussion band entertaining in the gardens. We somehow got a spot along the railing, so we could look down and see the 50ish(?) member band walk along the path, with hundreds of people surrounding them, dancing. What a sight! By this point we figured there was something special going on. We stayed and watched for a long time, then slowly made our way to the Pont Neuf for our river cruise. There were countless bands set up along the quais, so as we lazed down the river we got to hear the different bands and watch all the locals have a great time.
Band in Luxembourg Gardens
By the time the cruise was over, the party was really starting. The crowds had spilled out into the streets and Blvd St. Germain was impassable by car. We had a heck of a time trying to get back to a metro station, but we eventually did, and made it back to our quiet Passy neighborhood. Walking back to the apt from the metro station we came across one folksy band, with about 4 spectators. We were laughing, saying we were staying in the right place.
Of course there may have been some goings-on that we didn't see, but we were so impressed that with that many people partying out in the streets, we didn't witness any violence or situations getting out of control. The mood was festive and people were just out having a good time. What a great way to experience the spirit of this great city.
Food/Wine
We both love to eat, but neither of us are huge fans of French Cuisine, so we spent a lot of time perusing the vast array of ethnic foods that Paris has to offer. Generally we'd have breakfast in our apartment. I'd run across the street to the bakery (La Flute Enchanté, which was fabulous) to grab some bread and/or pastries, then we'd supplement with juice, fresh fruit (the cherries were in season), yogurt, ham, and cheese. Not a bad way to start the day. We'd usually have one meal a day in a cafe or bistrot, then Italian, Greek, Lebanese, or North African for the other. This was all supplemented with plenty of Berthillion ice cream. In case you were wondering, bitter chocolate and pear go together beautifully.
Although we enjoyed most of our meals, the only restaurant I feel comfortable recommending with gusto is (this is what the business card says) "Le Bois de Vent, Fourchette d'Or de la Gastronomie Libanaise," not far the the La Muette metro stop in the 16th. DH and I love Lebanese food, and this was probably the best we've ever had. They had a special dinner for two, where they'd bring out 4 cold dishes, then 4 hot ones for 42 Euros. It was more food than we could handle and everything was absolutely fantastic. The staff was so welcoming! I had the feeling they don't get a lot of tourists, as they seemed surprised to see us and we were treated like kings.
My husband, who is not a big wine drinker, is now hooked on Kirs. I'm having a hard time convincing him, though, that it's not just an expensive wine cooler. We had them every which way: the traditional cassis, peach, raspberry, you name it. Since I'm sadly coming to the conclusion that I don't like Bordeaux, we both had Kirs with almost every meal.
I had that phrase in my head all last week when DH and I spent our 8 days in lovely Paris. It was HOT. Most days it was around 90 farenheit, and HUMID. The one day it cooled to around 80 it was raining. The weather really did slow us down, but we still had a fantastic time. This was the first trip for DH, second trip for me. Last trip for me was in February so I was stunned at how Paris changes with the seasons. It was like a whole new city! I must say I really enjoyed the damp, cool, empty Paris of winter, but the splendor of the gardens in June makes all the heat, the smell, the crowds, and the overflowing trash cans worthwhile.
Someone once said that going to Paris with a girlfriend is a much different experience that going with your husband. So true! Paris has so many faces, and things that caught my attention when I was with Becky (usually storefronts!) went unnoticed this time, and vice versa.
With my two Paris experiences, I can now see how one can go to Paris over and over and over and see a new city each time. DH was surprised at how much he enjoyed Paris, and he talks about going again with family or friends, so I'm hoping we have many more Parisian experiences to come.
Our apartment
We stayed in an apartment in the 16th, on Rue de Passy. What a steal this place was! It's a fairly new listing on vrbo, and the owners must be getting good feedback from all their clients because they are raising their prices for 2006. We were there 8 nights and it cost us 80 Euros a night. It's 45 square meters (a little over 500 square feet, I think) in a gated, secured, quiet apartment complex. Our windows and balcony overlooked the large, beautifully landscaped courtyard. We had hardwood floors, modern, comfortable furniture, and a separate room for the toilet. There's a shower, but no tub. There's also a washing machine. There are wooden shutters that go on the outside of the windows that we could pull down for privacy and to keep the place cool while we were gone. With the oscillating fan they provided, it never got uncomfortably hot inside the apartment.
This apartment is owned by a young couple who lived there until recently (he's English, she's French but fluent in English). From what I gather, they started a family and decided to move out to the country. Despite being out of town, Michael was still Johnny-on-the-spot. One day there was an intense rain/hail storm (I'm from Oklahoma and this was REALLY intense). Somehow the rainwater backed up and came through a newly uncapped pipe in the kitchen, flooding the kitchen floor. We called the building caretaker, who immediatedly came up and assisted with damage control. We then called Michael, who was there a couple hours later to apologize, finish cleaning up, and cap the pipe. It's easy to be a good apartment owner when everything goes smoothly; the test is how they handle it when something goes wrong, and we were very impressed with Michael. We would (and might) stay here again.
Here's a link to the apt (I think this apartment is no longer available):
www.vrbo.com/47620
The Passy neighborhood is wonderful. It's pretty, with lots of upscale shops and restaurants, and is served by metro lines 6 and 9, and RER C. We felt like the only tourists in the neighborhood, which we liked, especially this time of the year. DH and I are both somewhat claustrophobic, so the sheer numbers of people on the streets in the more touristy neighborhoods seemed suffocating at times. It was nice to come "home" to our quiet little corner of Paris in the evenings. The only downside is that there are very few major attractions within walking distance, so we used the metro a LOT. Having said that, if you haven't hung out by the Trocadero in the evening, it is quite a spectacle!
Segway Tour
How fun was this!!! We went through Fat Tire Bike Tours, which is an American owned company. Ryan was our guide, a student at Texas A&M, in Paris for a summer job. Needless to say, he wasn't an expert on French culture, but still knew enough to give us a rough overview of the sights, and he was a fun guy to hang around with. We were with four other people and had so much fun navigating the streets of Paris on Segways. Other tourists were taking our picture as we zoomed by. This was DH's favorite activity and is now trying to fabricate and excuse to buy a Segway. It was I think 95 American dollars per person, but it was definitely worth it. The whole process, including getting used to riding the thing and lunch in the Tuileries, was 4-5 hours. We were hoping to do their nighttime bike tour later in the week, but we never seemed to have the energy.
Jocelyn P on a Segway. Yes, I'm wearing shorts (gasp!)
Paris Walks
We had planned on taking two of these tours: one on Friday for Hemingway's Paris, and another on Sunday for Montmartre. We so enjoyed Friday's tour that we added the Marais on Saturday. For both Friday and Saturday's tours, our guide was Peter Caine, the owner of Paris Walks and a published author (one of his books is "Paris Then and Now"). I cannot say enough good things about Peter. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable, but he has a true gift for storytelling. He's like the college professor that all the students want to get; his "lectures" are interactive, entertaining, and utterly fascinating. We hung on to his every word and felt so fortunate to have spent time with him. Sunday's tour was with a different guide. She was okay, but the 10 Euro fee didn't seem like the bargain it did with Peter's tours. After spending just a few hours with Peter, I can see how having a all-day guide like Michael Osman would be such a treat, and we may try to hire Michael next time around.
Metro
As I said previously, we used the metro quite a bit. I debated getting a Carte Orange and trying to figure out the bus system, but decided to keep it simple and just get carnets. Baby steps, you know. We did witness some Americans being denied a Carte Orange at an adjacent ticket window, so I was happy with my decision. Anyway, we had the darndest time with our tickets. If we bought the carnet at the Passy metro stop, they'd always work there, but only about 25% of the time at other stations! We tried buying a carnet at another stop with the same result. Not that big a deal, as we could go to the window to exchange the ticket, but it got tiresome after awhile. The last day or two, we bought individual tickets and STILL had the same problem. We weren't doing anything different from station to station, so what was up??
Giverny
Wanting to beat some of the crowds, I figured it would be worthwhile to get up early early to catch the 8:20 train to Vernon. We managed it, grabbed a taxi to Monet's house, and got to the ticket window 5 minutes before it opened. We still had plenty of company. While standing in line, I whispered to DH that we were going to "go long" as soon as we got in. "But I have to go to the bathroom" he says. Aarrgh! Those 3 minutes really cost us. We got caught up in the slow-moving line and inched our way over to the water lilies pond. It was still glorious, with the sun sparkling on the water. We made two slow laps around the pond, taking lots of pictures. What a treat for any Monet lover! I only wish I could have seen it at sunrise/sunset, or in solitude. I'm sure everyone else there felt the same way. As we came back by the entrance later in the afternoon, we realized it was still a good idea to come early, as there was a long line to get in.
We strolled over to the Hotel Baudy for lunch at their cafe. What a beautiful place! We were a little early for lunch, so we got to explore their rose garden. Most of the flowers were bloomed out, but it still smelled heavenly, and we were the only ones there at the time. We then sat in a gazebo under a cherry tree to shade ourselves from the sun until the cafe opened. The outdoor cafe was across the street, overlooking the green, rolling hills--just a perfect setting. We had a very pleasant lunch there.
Hotel Baudy rose garden
Versailles
Who cares about the palace, as those gardens are spectacular! We spent hours wandering through the wonderful maze, finding fountain after fountain. It felt nice and cool in the gardens and we enjoyed every minute of our time there. We stumbled on a cute little cafe and had a decent lunch in a magnificent setting.
Sidenote: I was walking down a steep hill on a dirt path, distracted as I often am, and my shoe caught a big rock and down I went, headfirst! Now here's a good argument for wearing shorts instead of a skirt! My hand and knee were scraped up pretty badly, and I still have massive bruises on my knee and hip. Back at the apartment, my surgeon hubby used a safety pin to dig out pebbles from under the skin in the palm of my hand. So, watch where you're going! Oddly enough, that evening as we were out strolling around after a big rain storm, we were going down a hill, DH stepped on a metal grate, and UP he went! He landed on his shoulder and elbow. I had to keep reminding him through dinner to not put his elbows on the table so he wouldn't get the white tablecloth all bloody. Funny, I don't remember seeing that in any etiquette books, but I'll bet that's a good rule of thumb...
Serendipity
Of course we visited the museums, churches, and sights that most people visit when they go to Paris. But I was hoping for something more. I wanted for us to stumble onto something unique that we didn't plan for. Wow, did we ever!
We had no idea that every June 21 the entire country celebrates the summer solstice with a music festival. That was the day we went to Giverny. We got back to our apartment in the afternoon, rested up, then metroed out to the Latin Quarter, just to stroll around and find something interesting for dinner. We would then catch a sunset river cruise.
We came out of the metro station along Blvd St. Germain and my first thought was "Wow, this area sure is more lively during the summer!" The sidewalks were packed, and on just about every street corner there was a band playing some sort of music. There was rock and roll, new age, bagpipes, and even a mash pit! We kept wondering if this was a typical summer Tuesday night in the Latin Quarter, lol.
We grabbed some gyros, then waded our way through the crowds to the Luxembourg Gardens for a break from the action. Ha! Turns out this was the centerpiece of the festival, with a huge Brazilian percussion band entertaining in the gardens. We somehow got a spot along the railing, so we could look down and see the 50ish(?) member band walk along the path, with hundreds of people surrounding them, dancing. What a sight! By this point we figured there was something special going on. We stayed and watched for a long time, then slowly made our way to the Pont Neuf for our river cruise. There were countless bands set up along the quais, so as we lazed down the river we got to hear the different bands and watch all the locals have a great time.
Band in Luxembourg Gardens
By the time the cruise was over, the party was really starting. The crowds had spilled out into the streets and Blvd St. Germain was impassable by car. We had a heck of a time trying to get back to a metro station, but we eventually did, and made it back to our quiet Passy neighborhood. Walking back to the apt from the metro station we came across one folksy band, with about 4 spectators. We were laughing, saying we were staying in the right place.
Of course there may have been some goings-on that we didn't see, but we were so impressed that with that many people partying out in the streets, we didn't witness any violence or situations getting out of control. The mood was festive and people were just out having a good time. What a great way to experience the spirit of this great city.
Food/Wine
We both love to eat, but neither of us are huge fans of French Cuisine, so we spent a lot of time perusing the vast array of ethnic foods that Paris has to offer. Generally we'd have breakfast in our apartment. I'd run across the street to the bakery (La Flute Enchanté, which was fabulous) to grab some bread and/or pastries, then we'd supplement with juice, fresh fruit (the cherries were in season), yogurt, ham, and cheese. Not a bad way to start the day. We'd usually have one meal a day in a cafe or bistrot, then Italian, Greek, Lebanese, or North African for the other. This was all supplemented with plenty of Berthillion ice cream. In case you were wondering, bitter chocolate and pear go together beautifully.
Although we enjoyed most of our meals, the only restaurant I feel comfortable recommending with gusto is (this is what the business card says) "Le Bois de Vent, Fourchette d'Or de la Gastronomie Libanaise," not far the the La Muette metro stop in the 16th. DH and I love Lebanese food, and this was probably the best we've ever had. They had a special dinner for two, where they'd bring out 4 cold dishes, then 4 hot ones for 42 Euros. It was more food than we could handle and everything was absolutely fantastic. The staff was so welcoming! I had the feeling they don't get a lot of tourists, as they seemed surprised to see us and we were treated like kings.
My husband, who is not a big wine drinker, is now hooked on Kirs. I'm having a hard time convincing him, though, that it's not just an expensive wine cooler. We had them every which way: the traditional cassis, peach, raspberry, you name it. Since I'm sadly coming to the conclusion that I don't like Bordeaux, we both had Kirs with almost every meal.
