Travel Notes, France
See “Travel Notes, Paris,” and “Travel Notes, Normandy,” below.
Or jump to…
Travel Notes, Burgundy
Travel Notes, Lyon
Travel Notes – Paris
Getting from Charles de Gaulle Airport, (CDG), to “Centre Ville”
As noted in the Paris “Arrival” post, if you have any interest at all in saving a euro or two, the Les Cars bus option is worth checking out. There’s always taxi option, of course. The difference in price is probably on the order of fifty euros. Just be aware of the more luxurious rides into town, lined up as if at a taxi stand, that will run quite a bit more. I’ve never tried the train option. I enjoy train travel in France, but with baggage, not so much.
Pick a Neighborhood and Make it Your Own
Our favorite way to visit Paris is to pick a neighborhood, then make that neighborhood the focus of our visit. Each neighborhood has its own character, special restaurants, markets, and fun things to discover. There are well-known neighborhoods such as the Latin Quarter, the Marais, and the Opera District, but lesser-known Parisian neighborhoods, (at least to outsiders), also have a lot to offer.
Renting an Apartment in Paris
We wanted to stay in an apartment this trip, so I researched numerous options on-line. I narrowed it down to two companies and contacted each. The one we went with, “Special Apartments,” seemed to be the most professional. They proved to be an excellent choice.
http://www.specialapartments.com/47_st_sauveur.html
Montmartre
We had been to Montmartre before, so on this trip we just went to get reacquainted and to have lunch in Place du Turtre, but there’s much more to Montmartre than that. One could easily make a day of it. But if you take the Metro to get there, be sure to have a map and a plan to get from the Metro to the top of the hill. In other words, be sure you can find the funicular.
Our go-to restaurant in Montmartre is Au Cadet de Gascon. It’s as touristy as it can be, but we’ve never had a bad meal there, and something about it keeps pulling us back. We like eating outside under the “tents.” Always fun.
Eating Out in Paris
If you enjoy eating in “local” Parisian restaurants, plan ahead. Do some research on-line, and make a list of places you’d like to try. At least this way you’re not starting from scratch when you arrive. Be prepared to make reservations to ensure getting in. If you’re french phone shy, wander by during the lunch hour and make a reservation for dinner in person.
Our favorite restaurant-related resources for this trip were:
David Lebovitz’s wonderful website, http://www.davidlebovitz.com/.
Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City’s 102 Best Restaurants, by Alexander Lobrano.
Le Troumilou
We had lunch at Le Trumelou after our boat ride on the Seine. It’s a casual place specializing in southern French cuisine. They have all the classic dishes there. Our lunch was great. We especially liked the down-homey feel of the place. Totally non-touristy. Not much english spoken.
Wine Tasting — O Chateau
We had a thoroughly enjoyable — and educational — evening at a wine bar called O Chateau. It’s a wine bar, but much more. They have a number of options for wine and food-related experiences. We opted for a wine tasting session with an added cheese plate. We’d do it exactly the same way again.
For another opinion, take a look at Mom Mom’s Apron. This is a foodie blog more than a travel blog, so be forewarned if you have foodie tendencies. There’s a lot to see there!
Foodie Tour
We went on a foodie tour provided by Paris by Mouth. We opted for their tour that takes place in the Marais neighborhood. Our guide was Deniz. It was a great tour. Just enough, but not too much food and information. Deniz did an excellent job. There are quite a few of these types of tours in Paris. We were glad we chose this one.
Spoiler Alert – The End of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”
In the post about The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I didn’t want to spoil the ending for anyone who didn’t want to know, so I’m putting it here. So, continuing where we left off, we have a situation. Esmeralda is imprisoned in Notre Dame for her own protection. Quasimodo is taking care of her and protecting her.
But then the Parisian authorities decide that her sentence to be hanged must be carried out to its end. They muster troops to come and get her. Esmeralda’s rag-tag friends get wind of it, and decide to rescue her first. They show up as a mob with torches and battering rams. Then the troops show up. The battle is on!
Meanwhile, Gringoire, (of all people), with some assistance, manages to sneak Esmeralda out to safety. But it was too good to be true. She was soon discovered and put on the gallows again. This time she wasn’t saved.
The gallows were right in front of Notre Dame, so Quasimodo had to watch the whole thing from his perch high up in the bell tower. Oh boy, that was a pretty sad part of the story. After that day, Quasimodo was never seen nor heard from again. Phew. Kind of a tough ending, eh?
Travel Notes – Normandy
D-Day Beaches
Our guide told us more way than I can remember about the events on and after D-Day, and she inspired me to find out more on my own. Three books about D-Day that I can recommend are the following:
D-Day, The Battle for Normandy, by Antony Beevor
D-Day, by Stephen Ambrose
Voices from D-Day, by Jonathan Bastable
Lunch in Rouen
When we were in Rouen, we had one of those wonderful meals that seem only possible in France. The restaurant was Les Maraîchers, located at La Place du Vieux-Marché. It’s easily recognizable by it’s red awning. We sat in the covered patio in front of the restaurant. It’s just two doors down from the the famous “La Couronne,” but next time I’m in Rouen, I’m going to Les Maraîchers first.
Photo Credit: Paris Houses, Freeimages.com/Alan Voorhees
