Paris 🇫🇷

Our first visit to Paris!

We arrived in the afternoon – 3 a.m. to us. Coming into France, the countryside was a patchwork of brown, green, and bright yellow. According to AI, the bright yellow is “rapeseed (colza in French), a common crop in northern France that blooms vibrantly yellow in spring. It’s used for cooking oil and biofuel, creating stunning, vast seas of gold visible from the air or roads near the city.”

The weather

It was unseasonably warm while we were there, and I had to ask for “more air” in every Uber. I guess the French don’t need air conditioning like Americans do.

The hotel rooms were also tricky. I brought my small rechargeable fan, and it was a lifesaver. While we could open the windows at night, that didn’t offer much relief and the traffic was noisy. At one hotel, the coolest we could set our room was 21 Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit). It was still stuffy. I asked the nice front desk attendant about making it cooler, and she finally mentioned that she could adjust the rooms individually from the front desk. I think she agreed to set it to 19 Celsius (66 Fahrenheit). 

Sights and Activities

Luxembourg Gardens
Both our hotels were near the gardens, so we ended up here several times. Lots of people were out enjoying the warm weather. We saw groups of kids, a watercolor class, people jogging, walking, lounging, reading, and picnicking.

There were lots of statues, beautiful flowers, and expertly trimmed trees. What we didn’t see was trash. Another interesting observation: some of the chairs were not bolted to the ground or chained to something permanent. I guess the park doesn’t have to worry about people stealing them in Paris.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame had recently opened after the 2019 fire. When we arrived, Pope Francis had died a few days earlier, and there was a nine-day mourning period where the church held special services. The line snaked around the building. We ended up going back later in the trip, to avoid the congestion.

We listened to the end of a mass service and lit candles (for a donation) in honor of someone who has died. The huge stained glass windows were gorgeous. 

Pantheon

We visited the Pantheon, a quick walk from one of our hotels. It was built in the 1700s by King Louis XV. The architecure was intricate and delicate.

Inside was a crypt where you could see the graves of Victor Hugo, Marie Curie and other famous leaders. Also inside is the Foucault Pendulum, used to visually demonstrate the earth’s rotation.

Shakespeare & Company

We spent time in Shakespeare and Company, a famous bookstore in Paris.

I bought Truman Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and off course, you have to get the famous stamp!

Siene>Tulleries Garden>L’Orangerie

We visited the Seine River several times. There were huge moorings attached to the walls that were used to tie up barges and boats years ago.

We took a boat sightseeing tour on the Siene too. The tour was narrated in several languages. They played some American music like R-E-S-P-E-C-T by Arethan Franklin and the Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta duet “You’re the One that I Want” from “Grease,” After the boat ride, we walked over near the Louvre and Tuileries Gardens.

On the Tuileries Gardens property we waited about 45 minutes to get into the L’Orangerie museum. Inside were Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series, which I didn’t realize was a series and how big they were!

Monet was inspired by his gardens at his Giverny estate. Each version was different based on light and what the gardens looked like that day. It was quiet, restful and soothing in the galleries.

Monet designed every detail about how to present his art, down to the way they would be hung, size, and shape of the room, lighting, etc. They’ve been at the museum since 1927, a year after he died.

Eiffel Tower

We took pictures on the Trocadero, a plaza that looks directly onto the Eiffel Tower. Everyone else was doing the same. We walked a little on the grounds and park nearby. The trees were blooming and smelled so nice!  No water in the fountains yet, though.

Sc and I had never been to the top – the others had. We crammed into a tiny capsule and noticed the signs warning of pickpockets. The 2024 Olympics were in Paris, and there were still reminders of the event.

We picked the best time to be at top – at sunset!

There was also a little museum at the top. The first short wave radio was sent between the Eiffel Tower and the Pantheon in 1898. Sc had to use that bathroom at the top, just to say he did.

We watched a short movie about the tower, the designer, and the mechanics of the elevator, plus enjoyed a glass of wine and a pastry. At the bottom we stayed to watch the tower sparkle at 10 p.m.

Montmartre and Sacre Coeur

We took an Uber to Montmartre, mainly to see Sacre Coeur. The driver dropped us off at the bottom of the famous stairs – 300 of them! We climbed the stairs, taking lots of breaks along the way.

At the top, it was packed with people.

We decided to skip the hours-long line and instead walked around the cute village, saw vendors and artists set up in the town square, and stopped for drinks and a bite to eat. We found the “Love Wall,” where “I love you” is written 311 times in 250 languages.

Arc de Triomphe

From Sacre Coeur, we Ubered to Arc de Triomphe, a monument commissioned by Napoleon to honor French military victories and serve as a national symbol. Wonderful views from the top – including watching the crazy traffic weaving around the traffic circle. There appears to be no real traffic laws or rules in Paris. Cars speed by, honking at those who dare to drive slow. Motorcycles drive in between cars, and it doesn’t seem to matter that buses take up more than one lane.

Cluny museum>Rue Moffetard

We visited the Cluny museum, which included the ruins from Roman baths (Gallo-Roman Thermes de Cluny). The ruins date back to the 1st or 2nd centuries AD. It’s on one of the largest ancient remains in northern Europe. The walls, stairs and some baths are still visible. The Cluny museum also included art, household items and weapons from hundreds of years ago.

I was more interested in the back of the museum – an old mansion.

You could still see the old horse and carriage hook ups, and exterior of the mansion.

After the Cluny, we walked down Rue Mouffetard, one of the oldest streets in Paris.

Small little markets dotted the avenue filled with fresh produce, meats, cheese and wine. We bought a carton of strawberries and they were the best strawberries I have ever tasted.

Normandy/Bayeux

We took the train to Bayeux for a tour of Normandy. We met our tour guide, Gilliam, at the hotel and he drove us to Normandy. We paid for a private tour, which was perfect for the six of us. 

Gilliam was a terrific tour guide. He was knowledgeable, friendly and had a binder full of pictures and maps to help us understand D-Day and what happened during WWII. We saw Omaha Beach, the American cemetery, Pointe du’Hoc, Utah Beach, the Airborne Museum in Saint Mere Eglise (I think), and the the German cemetery.

I was not thinking Omaha Beach would be a “regular beach,” but it was! There were people walking and playing with their dogs. It was cloudy and chilly the day we were there.

Slideshow:

I learned the Big Red One (out of Fort Riley, KS), along with the 79th and 101st airborne were the first to arrive on the beach that day.

Where we stayed

We spent the first few nights in the Latin Quarter at Les Fontaines du Luxembourg, near the Luxembourg Gardens.

Just as I remember from our trip to London, everything is smaller in Europe. I had paid extra for a king size bed, so our room was relatively spacious.

The elevator was tiny – two of us could comfortably fit without luggage. I did love the lobby – very cute with snacks, drinks, and cozy seating.

Our window overlooked the street below. 

Breakfast was in the basement in a somewhat dark and hidden room.

Most of the time, breakfast was a “serve yourself” setup with cereal, eggs, coffee, fruit, nuts, and pastries. I was able to tell the attendant our room number in French – that’s about all I remember from my two years of French in high school. My French speaking consists of numbers up to 20, a few colors, a few common foods, and phrases like “my name is” and “what time is it.” I definitely can read it better than say it.

In Bayeux, we stayed at Hotel Churchill, right in the center of town. Our room was in the very back area, located through the hotel, back outside and up some stairs. But it was nice and had a towel warmer in the bathroom!

After returning from our Normandy tour, we stayed at the Hotel Elysa. The breakfast was also in the basement and very similar to the other hotels. Serve yourself: fruit, cereal, eggs, oatmeal, coffee, fruit juice, vegetables like cucumber and tomato, yogurt.

We spent the last night in the Airport Hyatt to avoid the morning traffic. We enjoyed drinks out on the patio as we waited for the restaurant to open. 

Wine and Laundry

One evening, we walked to a Laundromat to do laundry. It’s a good thing there was an English speaking person there, because we had a hard time figuring out how to buy detergent and run the washers and dryers. While we waited for our clothes, we drank warm wine we had bought from the store next door. 

Outside the laundromat.

Shopped

There are so many shops in Paris, down little hidden streets.

Some of us wanted to see what a “normal” store looked like, where regular Parisians shopped. Plus, I was on the hunt for hair conditioner.

Unlike American hotels, French hotels have shampoo, but no conditioner and my hair had been wrecked the whole time we’ve been in Paris. I asked a sales associate one of the first days we were in Paris, but because of the language barrier, I ended up with more shampoo! 🤣

Monoprix is similar to the American Target but a lot smaller and more crowded. About three days before we left, I finally located “American” conditioner.

Here’s a good place if you need a pair of shoes and a bottle of wine.

In Bayeux, we bought scarves from a cute little shop. We had to ask the sales person how to tie them!

Eating in France

We ate outside regularly as the weather was mild. Even with the traffic nearby, it was relatively quiet. The buses were electric  and did not smell like diesel. 

I ate a lot of pizza, salad, wine, croissants, pastries and chocolate. Drank coffee and champagne too.

Paris feels like the place where it’s acceptable to drink champagne whenever you want. #WhenInParis

The pizza did not come pre-cut, which was interesting. Crepes were also popular. I had chocolate and banana crepes and some other flavors, but crepes are not my favorite. The boys tried “savory” crepes.

In Bayeux, we ate at a cute little restaurant just a few doors down from our hotel. We sat at a table in the back. The wine was flowing and the laughing became loud. 😁 Mom took a picture of the sparkly toilet seat in the bathroom.

After we left, we decided we wanted dessert, but apparently you can’t just “get dessert” just anywhere. We ended up back at the same restaurant!

One thing I learned is that in France, there’s not a lot of opportunity for customizing orders. Definitely not like in America. One morning at breakfast I asked if I could have my eggs scrambled instead of poached – the answer was no. End of story. Sc ended up eating the egg. I did eat the pancakes, which were delicious!

Another time, we placed our order, but then 30 seconds later we requested our eggs be prepared “well done.” The waiter seemed irritated – “no, already placed order.”  And that was that! This restaurant did have cute individual jars of jelly.

We remarked how the servers looked at us strangely when we asked for “dressing on the side.” However, the dressing used on most of the salads was so light and delicious, that it really didn’t need to be “on the side.” Another difference between America and France.

Also – it’s well known that drinks do not come with ice, unless you order Perrier. Several times we ordered Perrier, just for the ice. When I asked for ice at the hotel, this is what I got. A bowl of ice.

Traveling around

Paris is an easy city to get around – we either walked or Ubered.

The bathrooms at Gare St. Lazare train station were way down at the end of the station, seemed confusing (at least to us), and cost 1 Euro. 

On the train, we had trouble figuring out which carriage (cabin) we were supposed to be in. We had assigned seats, but the numbers were not on the outside. We only had a few minutes to board the train. We did end up with seats together.

We had to pay to use the bathroom almost every place we went. Usually 1-2E. The bathrooms were usually dirty, despite having an attendance there.