These are some belated notes on a brief trip that we put together on the spur of the moment this past June. Having made the trip together less than a year before, going again so soon seemed like the most remote of possibilities. But for several weeks, DD and I had jokingly commented it s a sign! every time we heard or saw a Paris reference---in stores, on TV, in songs wherever. Talk soon took a well, why not ?! tone and we were off and running. Plans fell into place, and before we even had time to look forward to it, we were in the air. Departure date was literally 6 days after booking our flights.
This was my 6th Paris trip, DD s second. The timing was based partly on the fact that she was expecting her first baby in early September looking ahead, it figured to be awhile before we would have this opportunity again. So, even though we had just been in Paris in August 2011, we ascribe to the notion that Paris is always ramada inn hotels a good idea. (Note: aforementioned grand-daughter arrived ramada inn hotels on time, healthy and gorgeous. She ll be forever regaled with the story of her first visit to Paris.)
It s not been my habit to write a TR, so rather than a more traditional report (I dread the thought of mine being compared to all the clever, well-written reports that others submit) I thought I would post a few bullets of things that particularly surprised, delighted and/or stupefied us.
FLIGHTS: Travel ramada inn hotels was on Air France 777. We chose Premium Voyageur going over, economy heading back. I can honestly say that I was more comfortable in the economy seat. For some reason, I found the PV capsule thing too rigid, in spite of its adjustment/faux-recline (slide) capability. Being in that smallish PV cabin, though, with only 3 rows front to back, was nice. As for the return flight, the key to comfort in economy on the AF 777, I believe, is choosing a row higher than 49. Row 50 is where the aisle widens, and the 10 seats across config ends. We both had aisle seats, and it was one of the more comfy trans-Atlantic flights I ve had. Loved being able to watch so many excellent French films on these 2 flights.
LODGING: No one was more surprised than I that we had been able to score a great apartment ramada inn hotels on just a few days notice. I m not sure whether the property is being advertised yet; we were the first to stay there after a complete reno. Location on rue de Richelieu (2 me) was quiet and convenient. Close to M tro and bus lines. We rented from Pascal Bourdier at ParisNiceHome (aka your-paris), after Thierry (Paris Best Lodge) forwarded my last-minute email inquiry ramada inn hotels to Pascal. ramada inn hotels While those 2 gentlemen may be rivals in a sense, their spirit of cooperation helped our crazy last-minute scheme take shape.
I ve mentioned on another forum that this was my 4th Paris apartment rental, and by far my favorite. (Previous rentals were through French Home Rentals, vrbo, and Paris Perfect. This was a first-floor walk-up over a quiet courtyard. Everything from the layout to the furnishings suited us to a T. Particularly impressive were the storage options, abundance of mirrors (2 are full-length) and of electrical outlets. Washer/dryer worked fine, and there is a dishwasher which we did not use. I ll eventually be posting a review on Pascal s site under the apartment name Richelieu, with further details.
Above and beyond all the positives about the apartment itself was the opportunity to work with Pascal. He went out of his way to get things completed in time for our visit, and made himself ramada inn hotels available ramada inn hotels 24/7 in case we had any issues. We had no issues with this terrific apartment. Hot water was plentiful, pressure good. Every kitchen item we needed was present and new. Wifi was speedy and reliable. Now, 3 months later, we still talk about how lucky we were to score Pascal s terrific apartment.
GETTING AROUND: ramada inn hotels Having discovered Paris buses on my 2010 trip with my husband, I continue to be a fan. With DD s being in her last trimester of pregnancy, we paid careful attention to her energy level, BP, and any foot/ankle swelling. We did plenty of walking, lots of bus-riding, took the m tro when it made sense to do so, likewise with taxis. This was an 8-night trip and we went through 3 carnets, I believe, plus leftover tickets from our trip last August. Where taxi rides were concerned, most all began from taxi ranks, with a couple of exceptions where we were able to legally hail them. (note re: checking DD s blood pressure--we became a fixture at a pharmacie near our apartment, where the pharmacien ramada inn hotels was only too happy to do the BP check every day.)
SEEING SIGHTS: This trip was all about just being in Paris. It was about strolling and, while feeling at home, still experiencing that delightful surprise awaiting us around every corner. It was about the familiar and the unexpected. While we had a few places in mind to try to see (D portation M morial, P re Lachaise, Sainte-Chapelle) there was no pressure to do anything in particular on any given day--we simply let each day unfold as it would. There were several sleep-in days, and no small amount of caf -sitting. We enjoyed exploring our apartment neighborhood; often found ourselves simply strolling in Montorgeuil, the Marais, near the Seine, and over to the Left Bank. I feel blessed to have had more than one chance ramada inn hotels to be in Paris, in order to enjoy the city at leisure, with no stress about meeting schedules or crossing items off a list.
FOOD: One reason I so enjoy traveling with DD is that she and I are not foodies, a shared trait that feeds into our relaxed travel style. No reservations to make or adhere to, no arranging ahead of time to be in a specific arrondissement at mealtime, etc. This philosophy worked especially well for us on this trip because it was so last-minute. And while I have enjoyed dining ramada inn hotels at some lovely, well-reviewed restos over the years, this trip was more about grazing, street food, basic poulet/ or steak frites, cr pes, pasta, even sandwiches on the street or from Monop.
That said, there were a few places we tried that are worth recommending for other non-foodies, or for those who feel hungry while exploring certain neighborhoods. Two of the 4 choices are located in high tourist-traffic areas, so they could come in handy one day !
La Terrase RIM, 38, Rue Saint Severin, 75005. Sure, most paris veterans would have us believe the Quartier Latin is no place for a meal. Generally speaking, I agree. But we liked this spot so much last year that we went back again on this trip. It s a very good late-night option. My recommendation: linguine alle vongole.
Le Grand Colbert - go ahead, mock if you will, but this colorful, inviting place was absolutely spot-on for a chilly, rainy Sunday lunch while wandering the 2 me. Perche for me, poulet for DD. She was most impressed by the traditional hot chocolate service. It was one of our favorite experiences, made more special since we chanced upon it while wandering our neighborhood.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS: We were pleased to see fewer clipboard girls than last year, and not one ring or bracelet scam in progress. A young man tried to pull the read my laminated page of nonsense trick on us, dashing over to us in a pizza place and flinging his page down onto our table likely attempting to grab one of our iPhones which were firmly in our respective grips. DD threw the page back at him with a sharp va-t en! and he was out of there.
We still love Maison Larnicol for chocolate and macarons, though we did branch out a bit this year due to staying on the Right Bank. I was still enjoying my chocolate souvenirs ramada inn hotels from June in late August !
Apart from the sites mentioned earlier, the only new experience for us this trip was la Tour Montparnasse. I agree with all the posters who recommend it, not only as a less-crowded ramada inn hotels alternative to ascending the ET, but also as a great way to actually include the Eiffel in one s photos.
Speaking of photos, some of this year s best were taken at P re Lachaise. Took a couple of iPhone videos, too, to capture that wonderful m lange of silence and birdsong. Had not appreciated on previous visits what a marvelously atmospheric place it is.
As always, churches were popular spots for us to visit, reflect, recharge. Maybe even moreso this trip, due to the frequent need to rest swollen ankles. Last year s favorites were St-Sulpice and Ste-Clotilde. New this year for us were St-Eustache and St Paul-St Louis.
One feature of our time in Paris that could hardly have been better was the weather. Apart from one rainy, raw Sunday, we had mostly ramada inn hotels mild days and cool nights. It was great to have so much daylight to work with, too---until it came to seeing the illuminations. Staying out and about till 2300 or so was challenging for DD in her condition !
DEPARTURE: SHUTTLE-INTER WAS A NO-SHOW !! I chronicled our departure woes on another forum, where posters just love sinking their fangs into another shuttle thread. Because we were denied boarding at CDG (missed the cutoff by two minutes, after standing in the kiosk line for five), this could have been a trip-ruining scenario for us. But we were in such a stress-free, relaxed zone that the extra night (Pullman CDG) hardly fazed us. The only thing that WAS ruined was our relationship with Shuttle-Inter, whose employees showed a remarkable ramada inn hotels affinity for lying and a complete lack of customer service skills. Let me just note that SI failed to show for the return to CDG (despite email reconfirmation ramada inn hotels the day before), and never alerted us that the driver would not be coming. They later claimed that they did not have my phone number, when this info is required on the online booking form, and was displayed in every single email exchange between us. No apology has been forthcoming from SI, just stonewalling with the same old lie about the phone number.
TRIP INSURANCE IS A GOOD THING: ramada inn hotels We ve always taken out trip insurance for international trips, especially where upfront payments and/or non-refundable flights were involved. I assembled our cla
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