Holy mackerel what a day. Chateau, opera singers, vows, tears, two roast piglets, and Wife and I dancing to 2AM!!!!
I will get more to you hopefully tomorrow.
My baby is wed!
Last one gone.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Clarification
The Girl gone Wild post was strictly done to poke some fun at various people who evidently read my blog but never comment. It was done with full knowledge and approval of the wonderful woman, wife, mother, and friend to my daughter. As usual I should know that one should be more careful about what is posted on the internet as someone will take it out of context.
My apologies.
My apologies.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Welcome to Tortuous Tours
The newest subsidiary of the Pathetic Travel Group is Tortuous Tours, "If you can still walk, we haven't done our job".
After the "Bataan Death March" tour of the Marais and Left Bank, it was time for the "Trail of Tears" guide to 'all the rest of the major landmarks in Paris". So after breakfast we headed out taking a train into central Paris. We walked across the Ile de la Cite, then headed along the Left Bank to see the the full profile of the Louvre. Unfortunately they are doing some major renovation to it so it looks like a factory with a big crane!.
Past the Pont Neuf and down the river and back again to the Right Bank where we came into the courtyard of the Louvre and saw the I.M Pei glass pyramid on one hand and the small Arc de Triomphe on the other. It is hard to imagine the massive size and scope of the Louvre unless you see it.
Through the Tuillerie Gardens and up to the Place de Vendome. Here we see where Napoleon was wed to Maria Theresa. In fact you see all sorts of stuff related to Napoleon all over the city. Now it's close to lunch and we are fully in the chi-chi high rent district of Paris. I'm worried that lunch is going to be really expensive. But we find a small bar-brasserie that has fresh made sandwiches to go for a reasonable price. It's a real small whole in the wall. Looking at the menu and prices, I suspect this is where all the hotel and shop workers go for their meals. As with so many of my experiences, the guy serving us is friendly and very tolerant of my halting French.
We went to the end of the Tuillerie overlooking the Place de la Concorde. Of historical note, the Place de la Concorde has a major building where Louis the XIV signed the treaty with Benjamin Franklin while just a few meters away is the spot where a number of years later his head was chopped off during the French Revolution.
We moved on after lunch up the Champs Eylisee from the Grand Palace to the great Arc du Triomphe. We take some side roads to get the full breath of the high end neighborhood experience (lots of very fancy shops with virtually no inventory and fewer customers - lot's of restaurants packed to the gills with very, very well dressed men and women).
Then we head back toward the river to the Trocodero and on to the Eiffel Tower where we are accosted by more African and Middle Eastern vendors of schlocky tower models than one can imagine. Finally done and we take the Metro back to the hotel.
In order to get this all done there is no time for cafe breaks. We were gone from 10 AM to 4 PM. I'm not sure how far it is though I guess it is somewhere around 10 miles.
But at least 1A got to see all the name sights of Paris.
After the "Bataan Death March" tour of the Marais and Left Bank, it was time for the "Trail of Tears" guide to 'all the rest of the major landmarks in Paris". So after breakfast we headed out taking a train into central Paris. We walked across the Ile de la Cite, then headed along the Left Bank to see the the full profile of the Louvre. Unfortunately they are doing some major renovation to it so it looks like a factory with a big crane!.
Past the Pont Neuf and down the river and back again to the Right Bank where we came into the courtyard of the Louvre and saw the I.M Pei glass pyramid on one hand and the small Arc de Triomphe on the other. It is hard to imagine the massive size and scope of the Louvre unless you see it.
Through the Tuillerie Gardens and up to the Place de Vendome. Here we see where Napoleon was wed to Maria Theresa. In fact you see all sorts of stuff related to Napoleon all over the city. Now it's close to lunch and we are fully in the chi-chi high rent district of Paris. I'm worried that lunch is going to be really expensive. But we find a small bar-brasserie that has fresh made sandwiches to go for a reasonable price. It's a real small whole in the wall. Looking at the menu and prices, I suspect this is where all the hotel and shop workers go for their meals. As with so many of my experiences, the guy serving us is friendly and very tolerant of my halting French.
We went to the end of the Tuillerie overlooking the Place de la Concorde. Of historical note, the Place de la Concorde has a major building where Louis the XIV signed the treaty with Benjamin Franklin while just a few meters away is the spot where a number of years later his head was chopped off during the French Revolution.
We moved on after lunch up the Champs Eylisee from the Grand Palace to the great Arc du Triomphe. We take some side roads to get the full breath of the high end neighborhood experience (lots of very fancy shops with virtually no inventory and fewer customers - lot's of restaurants packed to the gills with very, very well dressed men and women).
Then we head back toward the river to the Trocodero and on to the Eiffel Tower where we are accosted by more African and Middle Eastern vendors of schlocky tower models than one can imagine. Finally done and we take the Metro back to the hotel.
In order to get this all done there is no time for cafe breaks. We were gone from 10 AM to 4 PM. I'm not sure how far it is though I guess it is somewhere around 10 miles.
But at least 1A got to see all the name sights of Paris.
Girl Gone Wild???
One of #3's oldest friends from back in NM who lives in Denver now, decided to make the trip to France for #3's wedding. M arrived a day after us in Paris.
M is married with two young children and this is her first time out of the US. I was all worried because I thought here is poor M all alone in Paris and maybe we should take her under our wing and make sure that she at least sees something while in Paris. Well M had already made plans to go on a bicycle tour and headed out as soon as she got to the hotel in the morning from her overnight flight.
Oddly enough while we were doing our touring we saw the bicycle group below us at the Place de la Concorde. We notice M really enjoying herself with a couple of very nice looking men.
We ran into M when we got back to the hotel in the evening and invited her to dinner. But she said Henri, the tour guide, had insisted that she be his guest at the night time ride. So off she went.
We got up with her the next morning to catch our train into the country. She just gave us a wry smile and told us Paris was a very friendly place.
M is married with two young children and this is her first time out of the US. I was all worried because I thought here is poor M all alone in Paris and maybe we should take her under our wing and make sure that she at least sees something while in Paris. Well M had already made plans to go on a bicycle tour and headed out as soon as she got to the hotel in the morning from her overnight flight.
Oddly enough while we were doing our touring we saw the bicycle group below us at the Place de la Concorde. We notice M really enjoying herself with a couple of very nice looking men.
We ran into M when we got back to the hotel in the evening and invited her to dinner. But she said Henri, the tour guide, had insisted that she be his guest at the night time ride. So off she went.
We got up with her the next morning to catch our train into the country. She just gave us a wry smile and told us Paris was a very friendly place.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Thoughts on Being in Paris Again
I lied - I still had time to get this post in before we left the hotel.
This is the first time I’ve been to Paris since 1992. So I was wondering what my impressions were going to be.
Coming here is like putting on some comfortable old cloths. It just feels very good and easy. I slip back into being able to get around town, talk to people, move and communicate. There is a familiarity as opposed to disorientation.
I think a big part of this is the neighborhood we’re staying. It’s not a tourist area at all. You can tell this when you walk around and stop in the various cafés, bistros, and brasseries. So there is a relaxed feeling unlike the high tourist areas we visited during the day.
Paris seems to be softer. The same city but with some of the sharp edges sanded off. The attitude toward English is one biggie. In the old days, they would ignore you rather than make any attempt at dealing in English. And they would correct every word of French spoken to them. Now there seems to be an acceptance and not a begrudging one either. And when I speak we as often as not end up with some conversation that includes both French and English in an easy kind of way. Certainly no one was keeping me from speaking in French.
No more old Frenchmen in blue cleaning the streets. Now there are gangs in green with lime green safety vests and they are most often of immigrant derivation (Africa and North African).
The food actually seems to be a bit better. When we were here in the 90’s there was comments about how things were deteriorating. But we were very pleasantly surprised. And as I’ve reported, we’ve found numerous places with real old school stuff.
I still love walking around Paris – truly an artwork of a city and a feast for the eyes.
Paris Pictures
Here's the Place de la Nation where our hotel was near. A great very non-touristy neighborhood.
A Street near our hotel
Huge shoulder of lamb that 1A and I shared night one
#1 and 1A at first dinner
Place des Vosges in the Marais
Every once in a while Tail of Tears Touring allows its guests to have a rest (more on this in a later post)
Notre Dame de Paris
The Second Dinner
Wife's Dorade
#1's mussels
1A's sausage and aligot (the cheesy potatoes)
My tete de veau (not for the squeamish)
Gothic tower in center of downtown Paris
Looking down the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower
The I.M. Pei pyramid at the center of the Louvre courtyear
L'Arc du Triomphe
Photo Wife on the hunt
#1 and 1A sneaking in another rest stop at the Eiffel Tower
More Wife work
From top counter clock wise
1A, 1, Wife
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