Blogs from Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe - page 6

Paris is like a new friend who you want to spend more time with, but there’s others you know you need to go and be with. I want to go home, but it would be nice to stay. I think it’s called escapism. It’s mid afternoon in the Shakespeare and Co. Cafe, at Rue de la Bucherie on the bank of the Seine. My window faces Notre Dame Cathedral, and tours led by yellow umbrellas, mysterious looking men I presume to be French, walking in slow motion, and the constant sound of motorcycles , ambulance sirens, and car horns, are all overshadowed by this church. The cafe is warm from the smell of savoury snacks and sweets, and berry crumble that you can get with a coffee for €7; don’t ask how I know. It feels ... read more

Paris is slowly crawling into winter. It’s still a month away, but the cool chill in the wind, and the turning of the leaves to red and amber, tells me that winter is close. The leaves are holding onto branches for as long as they can, before floating to the ground, only to be trod into the damp paths, kicked around and played with by children, or scooped up by the many workers vacuuming the streets and parks, keeping Paris clean. Like Spaniards, the French love a cigarette, and happily drop the still burning butts at random, continuing an age old French tradition. You are never far from the smell of cigarettes or diesel fumes in Paris. Even the smallest cars are often diesel powered, adding to that fragrant, toxic cocktail of Paris. On a brighter ... read more

Paris has great transport options. It is also a great city to walk, and we did a lot of it. We took the metro down to the Musee d'Orsay. It was not overly crowded, and was a fun experience. Like I said before I am hit and miss when it comes to art, but I liked this museum. Before leaving we had a snack. We then walked to the Cathedral Notre Dame. We hung out there an hour or so and then walked towards the Louvre. Along the way we stopped and had lunch at a place called Au Vieux Chatelet which was pretty good. Once we got to the Louvre, we relaxed on some chairs in the Tuileries Gardens until sunset. We took a few photos and watched the sunset views of the Eiffel Tower. ... read more

Arrival into CDG airport was routine. We cleared immigration, and went down to get the RER to the city. It was a packed ride, and it was hot. I couldn't wait to exit the train. Once we got to Gare du Nord, we then rode the metro to the Brochant station, which was close to our hotel. The hotel was Hotel Mirific. Even though it was early, the staff were wonderful, and they had a room ready for us. We put up our stuff and changed then went across the street for some lunch. The place was called Kashmir Good Chicken, and well, it was good. We then walked all the way to the Sacre-Couer. We walked so that we could get some sun and exercise. We had never been to the site and seen the ... read more

Here is the last blog for quite a while. Not that we don't travel, but nobody needs 5 blogs about the same places over the years! September and October are pretty moving months...started in Costa Rica, little overnight stop in New York, home, Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, Malta, Paris, Lubumbashi, home, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Phuket, Bangkok....home...and to finish October, I hope my 158th country visited! So hopefully, the next blog will only come early November! So I could have done more than one blog about this little French escapade....but i guess you have suffered way too many blogs since the middle of July. So here it is, all in one, Chateau de Chantilly, Musee Picasso and Le Marais, Chateau de Versailles, the Sunday at the Ryder Cup...and a Monday in Montmartre...truly romantic program! This week-end, there is ... read more