POST-PANDEMIC international trip … FINALLY

We rented an AirBnB that was 1.5 miles from the Seine and Notre Dame Cathedral. It was an old-world apartment that was furnished with lovely art and antiques that I would have never left unguarded. Pierre-Yves, the owner, was thoughtful and responsive and that is all you need in the AirBnB world. I’ve added photos but you can access the link for this apartment below. It had 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. A full kitchen and foyer plus armoires in each room for storage of clothes and such. It was located at 46 Port Royal Boulevard. If you wanted to cook in this apartment it had all the accoutrements. The apartment had a lift, as most old European buildings do, but it was unreliable. Luckily the lift worked the day we arrived so we did not have to walk our luggage up three flights. The bad news: it was broken every day after that and so we needed to carry luggage down. Not the biggest deal in the world, but I mention for those who cannot climb stairs easily. I was happy at that point that Mikey was not with us since it would have been painful for him.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2385154?source_impression_id=p3_1637523316_izd9Lqku76utM%2BpN

We were centrally located although not as close to the Seine as I would have wished. As mentioned we had a 1.5 mile walk to get to the Seine, but each morning we woke with a determination to get out and started. The walk became easier each day as we learned the streets to get up to the Seine to start our sightseeing. We had some restaurants closeby where we could get breakfast or as one owner told us–not open yet but “I have bread and coffee if you like” and that was fine with us.

ARRONDISSEMENTS

To get a sense of the layout of Paris you should know it is divided into arrondissements which are simply administrative municipalities similar to the zip codes in United States. The AirBnB was in the 5th ARR which is at times called the Pantheon district since that structure is there. Parisiennes consistently use the arrondissements on street signs such as Eiffel Tower belongs to the VII^e arrondissement. So good to know which arrondissement you are staying in and for directions while you visit.

GETTING AROUND

MAJOR SITES OF INTEREST

As you can see The Seine runs in a semi circle around the major sights and there is access from boats as well as walking. If you never travelled to Paris there are some must-see sights which I’ve circled on the map: Eiffel Tower, Musee Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Musee du Quai Branly and Cathedral of Notre Dame [currently closed]. There are many other museums beside what I have listed but we didn’t have enough time to visit all listed or all others.

To give some perspective to distance, it is about 3 miles from the Cathedral of Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower with many museums, parks and palaces in between and of course the Champs d’Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe just north of Eiffel Tower.

CATHEDRAL OF NOTRE DAME

On 15 April 2019 Parisians were horrified as they watched a fire destroy major facets of Notre Dame Cathedral including the collapse of the spire and total destruction of the roof. It will take billions to restore the Cathedral to its former state and estimated timings say it will not be done until 2024. I have been to Paris before and fortunate to have toured this magnificent cathedral. I was sorry not to be able to visit again. Here are some pictures of the reconstruction efforts.

THE LOUVRE

The Louvre museum is located inside a Palace of the same name, in the center of Paris, adjacent to the Tuilleries Gardens. It opened on August 10th, 1793 exhibiting 537 paintings–the museum is now home to more than 38,000 objects of art including the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace, a marble Hellenistic sculpture dating back to about 2nd century BC.

I suggest you look at the exhibits before entering the Louvre so you can decide which ones you want to visit. Then have a map to get around.

We left the Louvre and walked through the Tuileries Garden. Since it was November, there were limited flowers but the serenity of the gardens is quieting. Although many people are walking through it is a beautiful path that took us from the Louvre to the Champs de L’Elysee. There are markets there at some times of the year and I imagine the Christmas market must be very special.

We walked along the river on both sides where you can purchase posters, books, records and other souvenirs.

Champs-Élysées

The Champs-Élysées is a large avenue that leads up to the Arc de Triomphe. It is known for cafes, luxury stores and theaters. People watching also fun. It was busy the day we walked the length of the avenue up from The Louvre, through Tuilleries Gardens and then on to the Champs-Élysées. The day before was a French holiday marking the armistice signed at the end of World War I. Every year President Macron is in attendance to put a wreath at the Arc.

MUSEE DU QUAI BRANLY

Linda and Laurie wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower; I chose to go to the Musee du Quai Branly. The display for the current exhibit intrigued me, but unfortunately I did not see that particular exhibit. It was worth every penny of the small admission fee. The architecture of the museum is special since it is outside and inside. There are exhibits that are grown around the courtyards of the museum. The major collections are indigenous art and cultures of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas–and they are amazing. The curation of the museum is outstanding giving lighting effects when encased in glass exhibit cases or on the floor with ample space to enjoy it from every angle. Hopefully my pictures will tell the story of how special this museum is. The first two pictures were painted on the windows of the museum advertising the exhibit “Arts of Fighting in Asia”–the one I didn’t see.

EIFFEL TOWER

The Eiffel Tower is a beautiful latticed structure designed by Gustave Eiffel who is also the engineer for the Statue of Liberty. It can be seen from many parts of the city. I took as many pictures as I could. Enjoy! BTW: I have never been up the Tower. The fascination for me is viewing it from afar. Linda and Laurie assured me the view is spectacular from the second level but they both agreed that walking the stairs down was not such a great idea.

restaurants

Restaurants abound in areas of interest and you can walk into any and get a good meal at a reasonable price. We frequented some walk-ins for afternoon cocktails or some small meals but ate at two outstanding places that Laurie found for us.

You might remember Le Grand Colbert restaurant from “Something’s Gotta Give” starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Laurie knew this place and made us reservations for a late lunch. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and service was great. We had the price fixed lunch that was excellent and covered all French staples: duck, steak, turbot and other savory dishes. The onion soup was yummy, as was the chicken I ordered. Be careful if ordering martinis, you might believe that a “white martini” is the one you are looking for, but it is not. It is vodka but has some very sweet vermouth as half the volume. If you are a wine drinker, every wine is good in France–I have never had a bad glass. If you are interested in a martini, just order the vodka, shaken and up. There are interesting cocktails as well in most places. You can always get an Aperol spritz in France.

Another more modern restaurant that I loved was Market. Located on the right bank off the Champs de l’Elysee and open for lunch and dinner. Very different from the traditional French restaurant, Market is modern, well-lighted and delightful. These were two of the appetizers we shared. Burrata with fresh figs and a wine sauce and French version of sushi wrapped in a light pastry. The sauce for the sushi was delicious.

BEARS, BEARS AND OTHERS

As we walked around Paris, we consistently ran into teddy bears sitting in cafes along the Seine and elsewhere. I asked one of the restaurant owners what the bears signified. He simply said “love.” We found some in Bordeaux as well.

TRAVELING TO BORDEAUX

On Sunday morning we got up early to check out of the AirBnB and continue our adventure with a train ride to Bordeaux. As mentioned before the lift in the apartment was unreliable and we needed to maneuver our luggage down a circular staircase for 3 floors. We wanted to be quiet since it was early in the morning but proceeded to laugh our way down the stairs with heavy luggage in tow.

Laurie had purchased the tickets in advance but you could do it with OUIGO [and isn’t that the cutest name ever: “yes” in French and “go” in English and pronounced “we go.” The cost of tickets differ based on when you buy them. We purchased seats as well to assure we were accommodated but I don’t believe that is necessary on small trips since every train I’ve taken has had plenty of seats.

Bordeaux St-Jean is the train station and about 1.6 miles from Bordeaux’s City Center. The station is crowded especially with folks getting off the Paris to Bordeaux train. We chose to take an Uber and realized that taxis and Ubers are expensive in Bordeaux. Every time we did the trip it was about 20 Euros for the mile and a half. There is a tram that runs from the City Center to the station and you purchase a ticket in a kiosk. We did it once and it was easy. I think with luggage it might be more difficult though many had luggage on the tram. We were not in Bordeaux long enough to learn all the ways to get around.

We stayed at the Hotel Majestic which is one block off the city center so easy to get places. The rooms were small with a really nice, modern bathroom. Most European hotels have small bedrooms and larger baths. The hotel offered a breakfast for 12 Euros. I felt it was worth it. It was the normal European breakfast with cheeses and meats, hard boiled eggs that could you make yourself, yogurts, cereals and of course delicious bread and jams.

shopping

There is a lot of shopping in Bordeaux. The streets and plazas that surround the City Center are wide cobblestoned walkways with every imaginable store available. There are no cars allowed but you do need to take care watching for skate boarders and bicycles. There are high end stores as well as reasonably priced clothes. Linda and Laurie are both good shoppers; I am not; but I learned quickly. I actually purchased two coats while in France and had to get rid of a pair of sneakers to fit in the luggage.

ST. ÉMILION

On our last full day in Bordeaux we travelled by train to the commune of St. Émilion in Southwestern France. It was about 45 minutes by train and it gave us the opportunity to take that tram from the City Center to St. Jean train station. The ride was lovely through the countryside of France. As soon as you leave Bordeaux you are in the country.

St. Émilion’s population is a little under 2,000 people. It is a medieval city located at the crossroads of Bordeaux, Saintonge and Perigord. It is famous for its vineyards and wine making. Unesco made it a World Heritage site in 1999 to recognize its long history of wine making. The streets are hilly and cobblestoned.

We walked from the train about 1 mile up the hill to the town. There were some large wineries that we passed as well as vineyards. The grapes were already picked since it was November but we found a few unpicked and were delighted with the sweetness of the grapes. It was very quiet since it was a Monday and most of the shops were shuttered. Wine tasting venues and restaurants were open. Here are some of those pictures.

TASTING SOME WINE

Michael and I have been to St. Émilion before and have frequented the wine store ETS Martin. Michael has kept in touch with Ben who runs the store and has ordered wine based on Ben’s recommendations over the years. I knew Michael was disappointed about not coming to Bordeaux so we called him from the store as we did the wine tasting. In this way he would hear our comments and then worked with Ben to put together a case to have shipped home. We tasted about 6 red wines and some excellent whites. Pics indicate we loved the wine. Ben was the perfect host for this wine tasting.

CATCHING THE TRAIN

After a very full day of walking, lunching and wine tasting we started back to the train. At least in this direction it was all downhill. We had purchased tickets at the St Jean station for a two way trip and that is recommended. If the kiosk is broken at St. Émilion you couldn’t buy a ticket. It doesn’t matter which train you catch. We had to wait about 1/2 hour at the station and had time to sit on a bench and reflect on our day.

FINAL DINNER IN BORDEAUX

We went back to the first restaurant we ate in when we arrived. The staff were lovely and the food delicious. Here are our meals that night. We had a mixed seafood grill, some scallops and I indulged in a steak that was great and typical of French restaurants. They are called “entrecôtes”–boned steak cut off the sirloin. I must mention that there was a restaurant at City Center Bordeaux that had a line outside every night. Literally about 50 people lined the street and around the corner at all times waiting to get in. We chose not to wait in line to eat there.

RETURNING HOME

The next morning Laurie left for St Jean to catch a train to Nantes. She will remain there until January. Linda and I left later to catch a train to the Paris airport. As we sat in the crowded station waiting for the train, we were surrounded by 3 families with many children–I think they might have had a dog as well. Linda and I figured we were in the clear when we got on the train of the noise and commotion many excited families can make–but these families were on the same train, in the same car and surrounded the seats we were in. Oh no, we thought — but besides being excited, the children were pretty well behaved. They got off the stop before we did.

When the train arrived at Terminal Two in the airport, we were able to catch an airport transit which took us about 5 minutes and landed us 2 blocks from our hotel. We were booked at the ultra-modern hotel called Moxy. The check in desk was ensconced in a large bar area.

Flights to and from Paris were only about 1/3 full–if that. We were easily able to spread out and be comfortable. If you are a movie watcher, there must have been at least 100 movies available for viewing. I always get antsy for the last couple of hours on a long flight and so I selected a movie and time quickly passed until we had landed in Newark.

Look forward to hearing about your adventures when traveling. Voyager en route sécurité — safe travels.