What was supposed to be an uneventful ride home has turned into a full and exhausting day. We took the metro to Charles de gaulle only to learn in route that the workers are strking and service is interrupted. So just getting to the airport was a bit messy. The flight to Atlanta was thankfully without real incident except for the gal sitting next to me who called for a flight attendant when she couldn't find her iPod figuring that I had taken it. It was in her seat cushion not my pocket. - sigh. On the flight from Atlanta to Indy we traveled with the coffin of a local fall marine. It was very emotional and moving to watch his coffin being moved to a herse under honor guard. It was a poignant way to reenter our country.
We are tired, missing the kids and happy to be home but wouldn't have missed it for the world!! Mike and I will always have Paris!!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Finale
Tired
Monday dawned early and Mike and I are actually worn out and really missing the kids. But fearlessly we headed out. We went first to the Pantheon. This is the final resting place of greats like Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas and Marie Curie. The architecture is, of course, amazing. This was a fun spot in many ways because the crowds we're very light and so we could actually see the neat paintings and inscriptions.
A fixture along the river banks are the book sellers. I guess there have been book sellers along there since revolution times when they would secretly hand out incendiary material. Everything was in french so I didn't buy anything but as a life long bibliophile it was great to just browse.
Next we hoofed it to the the Hotel des Invalides which is basically their va hospital. But of course it old, ornate, and very grand. In the dome rotunda Napoleon Bonaparte is entombed. It is the biggest coffin in the world surrounded by marble pillars, statues, and ornate halls. It was just about what you'd expect from someone with a "Napoleon" complex.
From there we walked passed the Grand and Pettit palais. These were built for a world exposition and now are museum spaces. By this time Mike and I had nearly walked our legs off so we did not stop for a visit. We headed back to our room to rest before dinner.
For dinner we chose a restaurant whose chef is the inspiration for Gusteau in the movie Ratatouille. It was very gourmet. Mike braved the snails and actually liked them. Our meals were beef filet and cod. These were delicious. In between courses our waiter kept bringing little samples of things. Crackers with exotic toppings, a fish stick and sauce and little dessert samplings. The most fun was my dessert. I had carrot sushi. It was sweetened rice wrapped with carrots served with meringue "chop sticks". It was fun to look at and very fun to eat. Hopefully the pictures will do it justice.
We headed next for a night view of the city from Sacre Cour. This was a let down because most of the student populations of Paris was doing the same thing and with enough alcohol to kill a moose. And you couldn't even see the Eiffel Tower from the hill so we quickly exited the intoxicated crowd and headed for the other intoxicated crowd at the base of the tower. The tower shimmers for 5 minutes on the hour which was fun to watch. We hailed a cab, did a little turn around the arc de triumph and headed home. We had a fun cab driver who seemed to find joy in showing us where Princess Diana was killed and where he was at the time. Each to his own.
Monday dawned early and Mike and I are actually worn out and really missing the kids. But fearlessly we headed out. We went first to the Pantheon. This is the final resting place of greats like Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas and Marie Curie. The architecture is, of course, amazing. This was a fun spot in many ways because the crowds we're very light and so we could actually see the neat paintings and inscriptions.
A fixture along the river banks are the book sellers. I guess there have been book sellers along there since revolution times when they would secretly hand out incendiary material. Everything was in french so I didn't buy anything but as a life long bibliophile it was great to just browse.
Next we hoofed it to the the Hotel des Invalides which is basically their va hospital. But of course it old, ornate, and very grand. In the dome rotunda Napoleon Bonaparte is entombed. It is the biggest coffin in the world surrounded by marble pillars, statues, and ornate halls. It was just about what you'd expect from someone with a "Napoleon" complex.
From there we walked passed the Grand and Pettit palais. These were built for a world exposition and now are museum spaces. By this time Mike and I had nearly walked our legs off so we did not stop for a visit. We headed back to our room to rest before dinner.
For dinner we chose a restaurant whose chef is the inspiration for Gusteau in the movie Ratatouille. It was very gourmet. Mike braved the snails and actually liked them. Our meals were beef filet and cod. These were delicious. In between courses our waiter kept bringing little samples of things. Crackers with exotic toppings, a fish stick and sauce and little dessert samplings. The most fun was my dessert. I had carrot sushi. It was sweetened rice wrapped with carrots served with meringue "chop sticks". It was fun to look at and very fun to eat. Hopefully the pictures will do it justice.
We headed next for a night view of the city from Sacre Cour. This was a let down because most of the student populations of Paris was doing the same thing and with enough alcohol to kill a moose. And you couldn't even see the Eiffel Tower from the hill so we quickly exited the intoxicated crowd and headed for the other intoxicated crowd at the base of the tower. The tower shimmers for 5 minutes on the hour which was fun to watch. We hailed a cab, did a little turn around the arc de triumph and headed home. We had a fun cab driver who seemed to find joy in showing us where Princess Diana was killed and where he was at the time. Each to his own.
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday was our only day of cruddy weather. In fact, we only had a couple of hours of drizzle and fog and clouds and it happened to coincide with our visit to the eiffel tower. So we headed to the top of arguably the most recognizable landmark in the world and could not see a thing. We were socked in clouds, covered in drizzle and haze and slipping up and down iron steps. However, the tower is so impressive even the weather couldn't damper our enthusiasm for the adventure. I never realized just how massively tall it is and just how big the footprint is. It is a sight to behold.
Since the weather was still wet we decided to head for Versailles hopping to ride out some of the rain on a train. It worked for the most part and we enjoyed yet another amazingly opulent residence and this time an over the top garden. We we're in time for the music and fountain show which just means that they blast music over the garden while and fountains are going off. They kind of have to blast the music because the fountains are so big and there is so much splashing noise it's rather loud.
We headed back to the city and took a Seine River cruise. This was a fun look at a bunch of the bridges in Paris. Some of them are so old it is amazing to think what kind of action they've seen. It was another great view apt the city.
We decided to head back to our room and attempt to eat in. This is easier said than done. Most things close early on Sundays which is really nice for families but hard for tourists. But the Chinese always seem to come through when you need food at odd hours. Mike found a great little Chinese dive and got us some takeout that we enjoyed in the room. It was actually really great. A yummy change.
Sunday was our only day of cruddy weather. In fact, we only had a couple of hours of drizzle and fog and clouds and it happened to coincide with our visit to the eiffel tower. So we headed to the top of arguably the most recognizable landmark in the world and could not see a thing. We were socked in clouds, covered in drizzle and haze and slipping up and down iron steps. However, the tower is so impressive even the weather couldn't damper our enthusiasm for the adventure. I never realized just how massively tall it is and just how big the footprint is. It is a sight to behold.
Since the weather was still wet we decided to head for Versailles hopping to ride out some of the rain on a train. It worked for the most part and we enjoyed yet another amazingly opulent residence and this time an over the top garden. We we're in time for the music and fountain show which just means that they blast music over the garden while and fountains are going off. They kind of have to blast the music because the fountains are so big and there is so much splashing noise it's rather loud.
We headed back to the city and took a Seine River cruise. This was a fun look at a bunch of the bridges in Paris. Some of them are so old it is amazing to think what kind of action they've seen. It was another great view apt the city.
We decided to head back to our room and attempt to eat in. This is easier said than done. Most things close early on Sundays which is really nice for families but hard for tourists. But the Chinese always seem to come through when you need food at odd hours. Mike found a great little Chinese dive and got us some takeout that we enjoyed in the room. It was actually really great. A yummy change.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Unexpected surprises
Saturday started with with a metro ride to Saint Chapelle. It is one of the oldest churches in Paris and is known for its amazing stained glass windows. They depict the bible from the creation to the ressurection of Christ. It was very impressive. Whatever king commissioned the church also paid for pieces of the cross, pieces of the crown of thorns and a few drops of Christ's blood to be keep at the church and worshiped. These are not on display. Afterward we made our way to Notre Dame. It is epic. However, we arrived as they were doing mass so we did not get to see most of the building but hearing the organ and the singing more than made up for it. I could almost see good ole Quasimoto swinging from his bell rope. We then picked up the le car rouge - an opened top double decker tour bus - and headed for the Paris Opera House. Just when you think the buildings can't get any more opulent they raise the bar. This building is over the top. I think Mike took enough pictures that we could literally reconstruct the building and make a mural of it on a wall at home. The building is actually used for ballet now and the Paris opera is at a different and somehow bigger building.
Now we headed for the arc de triomphe. We reached it on the tour bus by heading down the champs élysées. The champs élysées is the big tree lined boulevard headed to the arc. It is full of shops and shoppers. The arc was very impressive and the climb to the top was...invigorating. The view over the city was fun. The weather was clear and although a little windy it was comfortable. Twelve street radiate out from the arc so it is really the world's largest round-about.
We went next to a smaller museum called l'orangerie. It houses a collection of Monet's waterlilys. Before you enter the Monet exhibit, the artist purposely design a space through which you have to pass that is a completely white walled room. It is supposed to be a "decompression" space to help you shed the city and prepare to view the traquil lilies. I thought that was a fun idea.
That night we ate, as promised, at Roger the Frog. I started with a roasted goat cheese salad. Mike ordered a pate but said later it was basically duck spam. We each got a frogs legs meal. Mine were in a cream sauce and Mike's in a garlic and basil sauce. Yum. Really they were very tender and mild tasting. However, there are a lot of small bones so it was a little labor intensive. For desserts I had a chocolate cake and Mike ordered Baba a Ruhm. This is basically a cake with rum POURED all over it. The waiter actually left the rum bottle at the table so Mike could help himself to more. I gobbled up my dessert and poor Mike just nibbled and said his tongue had gone numb. He didn't exactly like the frogs legs either. The idea was a bit unpalatable for him. So my meal was great and his was a bust.
We decided to head up to sacre cour after our meal. It's a church on a hill and the view is supposed to be great for night. There were a TON of people also headed that way so I was getting pretty excited about our adventure. With this many people headed that way it must be incredible. The crowds got thicker and thicker as we neared the church and then there was a tremendous boom and fireworks began shooting off. The way to sacre cour was completely barred and we were in the middle of a gigantic crowd watching fireworks for the next half hour. They were louder than loud but so amazing. Most people were drunk or headed that way and cheering and smoking. It was a sight to behold. Well we worked our way through the wine festival which was the cause of the fireworks, we think, and after being stuffed like sardines in a throng of drunk parisiennes we gave up the quest for the church and headed home.
Now we headed for the arc de triomphe. We reached it on the tour bus by heading down the champs élysées. The champs élysées is the big tree lined boulevard headed to the arc. It is full of shops and shoppers. The arc was very impressive and the climb to the top was...invigorating. The view over the city was fun. The weather was clear and although a little windy it was comfortable. Twelve street radiate out from the arc so it is really the world's largest round-about.
We went next to a smaller museum called l'orangerie. It houses a collection of Monet's waterlilys. Before you enter the Monet exhibit, the artist purposely design a space through which you have to pass that is a completely white walled room. It is supposed to be a "decompression" space to help you shed the city and prepare to view the traquil lilies. I thought that was a fun idea.
That night we ate, as promised, at Roger the Frog. I started with a roasted goat cheese salad. Mike ordered a pate but said later it was basically duck spam. We each got a frogs legs meal. Mine were in a cream sauce and Mike's in a garlic and basil sauce. Yum. Really they were very tender and mild tasting. However, there are a lot of small bones so it was a little labor intensive. For desserts I had a chocolate cake and Mike ordered Baba a Ruhm. This is basically a cake with rum POURED all over it. The waiter actually left the rum bottle at the table so Mike could help himself to more. I gobbled up my dessert and poor Mike just nibbled and said his tongue had gone numb. He didn't exactly like the frogs legs either. The idea was a bit unpalatable for him. So my meal was great and his was a bust.
We decided to head up to sacre cour after our meal. It's a church on a hill and the view is supposed to be great for night. There were a TON of people also headed that way so I was getting pretty excited about our adventure. With this many people headed that way it must be incredible. The crowds got thicker and thicker as we neared the church and then there was a tremendous boom and fireworks began shooting off. The way to sacre cour was completely barred and we were in the middle of a gigantic crowd watching fireworks for the next half hour. They were louder than loud but so amazing. Most people were drunk or headed that way and cheering and smoking. It was a sight to behold. Well we worked our way through the wine festival which was the cause of the fireworks, we think, and after being stuffed like sardines in a throng of drunk parisiennes we gave up the quest for the church and headed home.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Vive le France!
Our first full day start full and ended very full!! We took the metro over to collect our ParisPass and thought we'd start with a bang and began at the Louvre. Words cannot express the scope of this building. It was huge beyond reason and so stuffed full of art it is busting at the seams. We fairly flew through most of the halls and saw some amazing treasures. The Mona Lisa was even better than I expected it would be. Although thronged with tourists, it is so beautiful, colorful, serene and masterful. It was epic! (thanks shawn) other fan favorites were the Venus de Milo, winged victory, and the raft of medusa. All awesome. We discovered a far off little hall with my favorite, Alfred Sisley. There wasn't a lot of the French Impressionism I love because the d'orrsay has it all. So after walking our legs off and because it was sprinkling outside we headed for the said Orrsay. Knowing we only had a second I headed straight for the impressionist exhibit fairly crying with joy. Lo and behold the largest collection of impressionist paintings IN THE WORLD is not on display because of refurbishment of the space. My arg could be heard round the world. Darn! So a little disheartened we headed back to the room to prepare for dinner.
On the recommendation of a friend of Mike's we ate at le coupole - a Paris landmark. It was amazing!!!! We arrived "early" at 7:30p and not long after we were seated it completely filled up. You sit side by side with people you don't know and the atmosphere was bright and cheerful. We chatted with the gentleman on our right and the couple on our left. Both spoke English. Our server look a liking to Mike and they were practically hugging as we left. Mike started with a French onion soup and I had an avocado, crab meat with citrus slices. Yum! Mike then had the house lamb curry and I had the chateubriand. Mike had mango soup for dessert and I had the creme brûlée. We ate slow, visited, laughed, watched the wait staff sing happy birthday to several patrons and had a grand time. The couple near us gave us some ideas for dinner so tomorrow we are eating at Roger La Granouille. That is Roger the frog in French. Yes my friends, frog legs.
Can't wait!
On the recommendation of a friend of Mike's we ate at le coupole - a Paris landmark. It was amazing!!!! We arrived "early" at 7:30p and not long after we were seated it completely filled up. You sit side by side with people you don't know and the atmosphere was bright and cheerful. We chatted with the gentleman on our right and the couple on our left. Both spoke English. Our server look a liking to Mike and they were practically hugging as we left. Mike started with a French onion soup and I had an avocado, crab meat with citrus slices. Yum! Mike then had the house lamb curry and I had the chateubriand. Mike had mango soup for dessert and I had the creme brûlée. We ate slow, visited, laughed, watched the wait staff sing happy birthday to several patrons and had a grand time. The couple near us gave us some ideas for dinner so tomorrow we are eating at Roger La Granouille. That is Roger the frog in French. Yes my friends, frog legs.
Can't wait!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Gay Paris
We left Mont. St. Michele this morning and headed for the Norman coast. This was in our little rental car, trusting the good little GPS box. The roads are well marked and we went mostly by freeway. We traveled first to Omaha beach. It is a beautiful spot. It is a 4 mile long sandy area that saw the most horrific action. We drove to the American Cemertary overlooking the beach. This was a big change from the other museums we saw. A lot of the villages have small museums of artifacts and are trying to get tourist money, but the cemetery was very well done, free and very moving. It was obviously an American endeavor. After the cemetery we drove to a portion overlooking Juno beach and the German strongholds that are still there.
We then headed into Caen to return the car. This is a large city and traveling around was tricky but Mike was a pro. We returned the car, boarded the train and traveled into Paris. We traveled by taxi to our new hotel in the St. Germaine district of Paris. The ride over was a quick little tour - effiel tower, champs élysées, Madeline church.
We ate dinner at a nearby cafe. It had an omelette and a cheese plate. I learned I don't like camembert. So far though I have really liked French food. Last night I had a galette which is a crepe with ham, cheese and egg. Then I had a caramel butter apple crepe. Yum! The croissants with chocolate are delicious!
We are trying to get pics online but are having a hard time finding a computer to do this on. My iPad doesn't have an SD slot, a definate design flaw.
We then headed into Caen to return the car. This is a large city and traveling around was tricky but Mike was a pro. We returned the car, boarded the train and traveled into Paris. We traveled by taxi to our new hotel in the St. Germaine district of Paris. The ride over was a quick little tour - effiel tower, champs élysées, Madeline church.
We ate dinner at a nearby cafe. It had an omelette and a cheese plate. I learned I don't like camembert. So far though I have really liked French food. Last night I had a galette which is a crepe with ham, cheese and egg. Then I had a caramel butter apple crepe. Yum! The croissants with chocolate are delicious!
We are trying to get pics online but are having a hard time finding a computer to do this on. My iPad doesn't have an SD slot, a definate design flaw.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Viva la France!
Today we started at 3:30am waking up and getting to st. Pancreas station to take the train under the Chunnel. The Chunnel was anticlimactic since we both must have closed
our eyes to rest for the twenty minutes you are underneath. The next thing you know....you are in France.
We got into Paris and had a quick transfer to get on the train for Rennes and we got there around noon. We rented the car and then the journey around rural France began. Our car is some Nissan brand that I have never heard of. We got out of Rennes and up to
Mont St. Michel in good time.
Mont St. Michel is amazing!!!!!! Worth the trip out of Paris to see.
our eyes to rest for the twenty minutes you are underneath. The next thing you know....you are in France.
We got into Paris and had a quick transfer to get on the train for Rennes and we got there around noon. We rented the car and then the journey around rural France began. Our car is some Nissan brand that I have never heard of. We got out of Rennes and up to
Mont St. Michel in good time.
Mont St. Michel is amazing!!!!!! Worth the trip out of Paris to see.
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