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Thursday, July 29, 2010
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Eiffel Tower, Orsay, Monet's Home and Gardens, Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Seine River Cruise, Mona Lisa, Orangerie, Rodin, and More
EAT PRAY LOVE - See the Movie then Visit TravelingProfessor.com
You may not be able to take a year off to fulfill your dreams but we can all do a week in Paris
Paris With the Traveling Professor in September/October - Click HERE
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May
21
Written by:
TravelingProfessor
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Trip Report
Paris – May 1 to May 7
We arrived at CDG Paris airport on Friday May 1 which was a holiday in Europe equivalent to Labor Day in the USA.
We took the Air France shuttle to Porte Maillot and from there walked to our hotel - Hotel Residence Foch. We received a warm reception and a welcomed cup of coffee.
Day 1 - Friday
Upon check-in and dropping our bags off at our room we headed out on our first adventure in Paris - A walk from our hotel to the Eiffel Tower using the Travelingprofessor.com tour provided to us. We stopped at our first Patisserie to pick up some lunch, a jambon and gruyere on a deliciously sweet baguette. Along the way we passed the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs-Elysees, passing the well noted high end boutiques and other retail establishments. We walked along the infamous Seine to reach the Eiffel Tower. After taking in the magnificent site of the Eiffel Tower we headed over to Fat Tire Bike Tours for their Day Bike Tour. Little did we know the meeting point for the bike tour was at the South Leg of the Eiffel Tower. We walked back to the Eiffel Tower for our introductory history lesson of the Tower, then back to the office again to sign up and get our bikes. Finally we were off our feet and riding. The bike tour was a great overview and perspective of the city. It was an exhilarating experience! Here we were riding through the Paris traffic and seeing the sites. One of the rules of navigating the traffic was to stay together; there were approximately 20 participants on the tour. Our first marathon day was coming to an end as we headed back to our hotel. Dinner tonight was very simple since we were beat. We ate at a restaurant near the hotel called Del Papa. To our surprise it was a delightful.
Day 2 - Saturday
After a relaxing breakfast at the hotel we headed over to the Metro for our inaugural trip To Il de la Cite. Here we met up with the imposing Notre Dame. What a site! We had downloaded four podcasts from Rick Steve’s website and used his Classical Paris podcast. Although it was helpful for the tour of Notre Dame, we found it a little confusing following the rest of the tour. For lunch we ate on Ile Saint Louis at Creperie Au Lys D’Argent, very French. We enjoyed the charm of Ile Saint Louis and vowed to return. After lunch we ventured over to the Right Bank and visited The Marais using the Travelingprofessor.com tour of the Marais. This was a special day (Catherine’s Birthday) and dinner was at Le Marche on Place du Marche Ste-Catherine in the Marais. We were seated in a cozy corner and we were both taken by the special setting at Place du Marche Ste Catherine. Another long day in Paris had come to an end as we travelled back to the hotel on the Metro.
Day 3 – Sunday
We started our day at the corner bakery on Avenue Malakoff. It was nice seeing the local residents queuing up for their daily fix of croissants and baquettes. After breakfast we hopped on the Metro for the start of our day’s journey. Today being the first Sunday of the month offered free admission to the museums. We were going to steer clear of the museums but at the last minute decided to try the Orsay. We immediately knew this was a mistake, since the queue was rather long. We went to plan B. We picked up with the Travelingprofessor.com tour of the Latin Quarter. Our starting point was the Buci Marketplace. Following the tour past the Patisserie Viennoise (closed on Sunday) we reached our first museum destination, the Cluny Museum, a real hidden treasure. We were then onto the Pantheon. The Pantheon is not considered a museum (they called it a monument) so it did not have free admission. We paid our way in and enjoyed the guided tour including the incredible views of Paris from the dome. Next was lunch at the Luxembourg Gardens. It was not the nicest weather but everyone still seemed to be enjoying themselves. We especially enjoyed watching the children sailing their boats on the pond. Rue Mouffetard was next, we did not find the Rue especially interesting, maybe being from NYC had something to do with it. Our exploring was through for the day as we journeyed back to the hotel. Maybe the days were catching up to us at this point since we both were a little tired. A nap was in order. Upon awakening we stayed local for dinner at Relais de Venise, a restaurant I picked up from an article in the NYTimes on best steak frites in Paris. Normally the line is out into the street but since we arrived on the late side we did not wait too long. Another very French experience and an enjoyable end to a most productive day.
Day 4 – Monday
Since our corner bakery was closed today we continued a little further on Rue Pergolese where it intersects with Avenue de la Grande Armee. Another great bakery. I guess they are all good! We were not able to find one we did not like. After acquiring our emporter breakfast and lunch we were off again to get serious about the museums. Back on the Metro to Chappelet to begin our day. Today we purchased a 2 Day Museum pass since that seemed like the best option for our particular schedule. We purchased the pass at the Conciergerie (no line) and visited Ste. Chapelle next door after a wait of about 45 minutes to get through security. We continued on to the Pompidou Center just to see the exterior and had lunch at the abstract sculpture pond. From here we again did the Marais, visiting The Picasso Museum, passing the Musee Carnavalet (closed today) which looks very interesting and ending with an obligatory falafel at L’as du Fallafel. What a treat! On the way to the Picasso Museum we did stumble across a lovely small park where we rested briefly. Today concluded with our long awaited visit to Musee du Louve and we were not disappointed. A breathtaking backdrop to a majestic site. This in my estimation is probably the most beautiful museum anywhere. We used the Rick Steve’s podcast which took us on highlights of the Denon Wing. Dinner tonight was at Bistro Saint Ferdinand by the hotel. This was recommended by the hotel and was not our favorite. Good value but not special.
Day 5 – Tuesday
With Museum Pass in hand we set out on our final day of touring Paris since we allocated our last day to visiting Versailles. Our breakfast location today was at Boulangerie Bechu on Avenue Victor Hugo. The Avenue Victor Hugo area is one we would like to explore more on our next visit. Bechu is an award winner from an article in T&L Picks: Paris Feb 2007. Our Pain au chocolat orange and coco banana with café crème was superb. A little pricier than other bakeries. Continuing on towards the Trocadero and Eiffel Tower we were on our way to Rue Cler. We found Rue Cler to be the type of market street we had pictured. Lunch was at Café du Marche on Rue Cler. Now the pressure was on, last afternoon and much to see. First up was Musee de l’Armee and Napoleon’s Tomb which was quite fascinating. Continuing on to Musee Rodin where we found the gardens to be the highlight and finishing our day at Musee D’Orsay. At the Orsay we used the Rick Steve’s podcast which worked out well. With tomorrow being our last day and traveling to Versailles we opted for a quick light dinner at Boulangerie Bechu.
Day 6 – Wednesday
With grand crème and various pastries in hand we travelled to Versailles. The RER trip from Porte Maillot took less than an hour. We purchased the All Day pass which gave access to the Chateau as well as Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon and gardens. Versailles is clearly the most magnificent palace in the world. You can see why the starving French citizens had their Revolution. Along with the opulence of the Chateau we enjoyed visiting the Grand and Petite Trianon as well as the Queen’s Hamlet. The last decision facing us was where to have our final dinner in Paris. We chose to go back to Ile Ste Louis for dinner at Auberge de la Reine Blanche. We skipped dessert at the restaurant to have Berthillon ice cream. I would say that this restaurant was our favorite and quite fitting to be our final dinner in Paris.
Day 7 – Thursday
Returning home. After 6 days of touring Paris we felt fulfilled as to what we accomplished and realized that although this was our first trip to this fascinating city it will not be the last. We awoke at the crack of dawn and walked to the Porte Maillot to catch the 5:45 AM Air France Shuttle back to CDG for our flight home.
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| Italy Video Blog - A Tour of Florence
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Florence, know as "Firenze" in Italy, is a fascinating city. It is unique in its abundance of artwork, religious significance, wonderful markets, and great food. Please enjoy this Italy video blogpost and enjoy a short tour of the city of Florence, Italy.
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Ask the Professor a Question About Paris
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Paris Budget Hotels
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Paris Classified Ads
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To register and get your free copy of The Traveling Professor's Guide to Paris, click HERE |
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| The Traveling Professor's Guide to Paris
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