Blogs from Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe - page 352

Day, 9 Saturday May 13, 2006, Paris Woke up around 10:15 for breakfast. Got ready met everyone in the lobby. We were off to a different part of Paris today. They kept calling it the Market. We left the Hotel and went opposite the direction of the bus. Then made a right, walked a couple long blocks. At a confusing corner we came to a stop to figure out which way to go. Just then an elder Frensh Woman with a smile on her face, yes a French person with a smile, stopped and pointed out the way. We said thank you and made a left crossed the street and we were there. There were Fruit stands, Cafes, pastry shops, deli's, Clothing Shops, Cheese Shops, etc... We stopped at the first fruit stand and wanted ... read more

OK, got up and abused the breakfast buffet for the last time then jumped in a cab to Waterloo Station in readiness for 10:10am Eurostar train trip. Was hoping we could check our baggage so I wouldn't have to cart it around but to no avail had to stow it myself once we boarded. Took the first class option and was worth it - had 4 seats to ourselves (2 facing 2) and room for the monkey child to jump around. Had a nice cooked breakfast (again) and hit the bar for a couple of celebratory welcome to France drinks. Very smooth and airplane like ride but better because you have something to look at and can hang around in the bar if you get sick of sitting in your seat. Even the toilets are airplane ... read more

Well I was at home for too long. My fingers started to feel itchy… had to travel a bit. I booked a ticket to Paris. And since this blog of mine tells my travel tales, I’ve got to tell this one too (even if a bit late). I’ve been in Paris before. I’ve been there many times and I didn’t expect to see new places. I wanted to see my family there, and to see whether my passion for France will come back, after Australia took my heart big-time. First miracle this weekend: I did see new places. Someone told me about a rising quarter called “Butte Aux Cailles”. It’s in the 13th arrondissement, south of Place D’Italie, and if you’ve never been there - go. It’s like a village within Paris. See the pictures. You ... read more

I hope this entry finds you all well in your corners of the world. As many of you know things have been a little unsteady in my family as Mary Anna has developed a rather large and stubborn kidney stone. So that has been first on everyone’s mind for the past few weeks. Things are looking up there (thankfully!) and so here is what has been going on over on this side of the pond. After my glorious adventure to Morocco I hopped a train down to a little town outside of Valence, France to see Colette and Léopold (my adopted French parents) for a few days. Their home, Huston, is right at the foot of the pre-Alps and in the center of the 800-person town. It was an enchanting few days. My hosts continued to ... read more

Ok...so what can you really say about Paris. It's pretty much the most amazing city in the world. We entered the madness of France just before 10am after sleeping through our entire flight from Budapest...the 3am wakeup call and breakfast of chips was not sitting so well with us, so we were definitely lacking in the rest department. We managed to navigate through the Paris metro system with relative ease and made it to our hotel just as Emma was waking up. It was so very refreshing to see a new face, and especially to experience things through the eyes of someone who had not been on the road for a month already. Emma has the attitude that we had not so long ago: appreciation for quaint neighbourhoods, architecture, and the general european feel of everywhere. ... read more