Advertisement
Published: October 23rd 2012
Lion Eats Niece!
Amy should be old enough to know you can't bait a giant cat; even in Paris!The lights of Paris shine on couples and lovers; but the city of lights holds its allure for girls who want to have fun sans le man! Having 7 days in one spot is a treat. We six female relatives got to know our neighborhood and explored others. We did the obvious landmarks and monuments; but found that "drive bys" on busses or the bateaux often served the purpose. We actually did walk toward the Arch de Triomphe on Champ des Elysees and I now understand thoroughly why two tour busses on previous trips didn't make it a designated stop. Crowded with stores found in malls at home and in many cases the equivalent of our mall rats pounding the pavement. Our actual plan for this area was the #9 bus and a drive through; alas it was Sunday - #9's day off. These are the sorts of details that are easily missed and require a nice and nimble ability to change course.
We started most days on Rue de Martyrs with a croissant or other pastry from a neighborhood bakery and cafe au lait. Then we would head out - sometimes together - sometimes with separate plans - I
Chapeau
Anne bought berets for all of her girls! really liked the togetherness; but always appreciate that individual interests could lead us to different destinations. We gathered together back at the hotel before dinner.
A big find, thanks to Zita, was the Rue Clare, a pedestrian street located in an upscale section of Paris. The various food markets and boutiques, ethnic restaurants and even a hardware/variety store were interesting and fun. The Ile St. Louis and St. Domique sections were likewise attractive, upscale and hard to resist. These locales were where we saw that Parisienne stylishness in everyday and casual wear that wasn't much in evidence in our working class neighborhood. Viva couture!
Back up Montmartre, we happened into Sacre Coeur during a driving rainstorm and stayed to hear heavenly chanting by the nuns. We stood into a line to get into Notre Dame and heard Sunday mass accompanied by a wonderful choir and grand organ. We paid 3e to see the Notre Dame treasury and found it well worth the money. Musee Orangerie with its large format Monet’s was on my "must see" list and did not disappoint. A return trip to Musee D'Orsay was wonderful, but we ran out of time. A combo
Bending Over Backward to Get the Shot!
We were walking from Pont Alma to the Eiffle Tower when we saw a building covered with living plants. ticket to these two museums is not only a bargain; but in our case also got us into a quick line at D'Orsay when others were standing in the rain. Personally I wished for more time at D'Orsay, there was a costume show that corresponded with much of the collection. Couture and art! The D’Orsay costume exhibit had been used by Dior during French Fashion Week. Little gold bamboo chairs with red upholstery were the only evidence of the show.
Saving more about a wine fest on Montmartre, the estate of a horse-loving prince in Chantilly, what we ate, and more for subsequent blogs in this series.
Travel Hint: Check the day of the week and openings and closings when planning your daily itineraries. We know of people who went all the way out to Chantilly to find the estate closed for the day; others who went to various museums on their dark days; our own #9 bus issue (never on Sunday); and again in our case going to Chantilly on a Monday (when the estate was open) only to find that most of the restaurants and lovely shops (porcelain and lace) take Monday
Bateaux Mourches
Great way to see the city! off!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.073s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 6; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0519s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
