It's Still Paris
Written: Jun 27 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Why do people continue to come and pay the ridiculous prices? It's still Paris!
Cons: See the ridiculous prices, noted above.
The Bottom Line: Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow.....
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| gfg12's Full Review: Paris |
If you're going to Paris and have the option of choosing your airline, choose Air France. The food is still free (and edible, as opposed to the food you pay for if you fly on a U.S. carrier), the champagne is free and very pleasant, and the staff are---dare I say it---polite (even though they are French, and therefore rude and anti-American, if you believe Cheney, Bush and their ilk).
If you arrive at Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) at any reasonable daylight time, expect it to take an hour to get to your hotel, wherever it is in the center of Paris. Use that hour to make friends with the taxi driver and you just might learn something useful. Our driver was Raj, an immigrant from Mauritius, and therefore an advocate of Madame Royal, who ended up losing the Presidential election to Monsieur Sarkozy, the more conservative candidate favored by most natives of France.
When we told Raj which hotel we were going to (Victoria Palace, on the Left Bank), he told us about a nearby street that is full of creperies. What could be bad?
So upon arrival we asked our concierge, Aurore, what her favorite nearby creperie was. As it turned out, she was from Normandy, where crepes originated (I think), so she had definite opinions. Her recommendation was so terrific that we ended up going there twice during our four days in Paris. We had crepes with trois fromages, with smoked salmon, caviar and lemon (exquisite!), with ham, egg and cheese, with chicken and spinach, and of course, a dessert crepe with chocolate. In case you go, it's called Le Petit Cafe de Josselin, on Rue Kiev, I think. And the espresso---oh my!
Our hotel was quite near St. Germain de Pres. We took a walk in the gorgeous neighborhood and went into a local florist to buy a bouquet for a friend we were meeting for a drink. Her husband had taken her to Paris to celebrate a special birthday, and unbeknownst to her, he had arranged to fly her closest family members over from the U.S. to surprise her. We were in on it, so we arranged to meet up with the whole family at a certain corner at a certain time. We presented our friend with a giant bouquet (for only 10 euros!), and then took them all out for a drink. Since this was Paris, the drink was Champagne at a sidewalk cafe. All in all, a wonderful afternoon.
As evening sneaked up on us we took a Batobus ride on the Seine (it's a boat that acts like a bus), and got off at the Eiffel Tower stop. We didn't even care that it was raining. Then we tiptoed through the raindrops to a nearby brasserie for an informal dinner, and took a taxi back to the hotel.
The Victoria Palace was a little expensive, but it was our honeymoon, so we were in a splurging kind of mood. I'm pretty sure it's our final honeymoon, so what the hell? The rooms were actually roomy, as opposed to the normal Parisian hotel room. And we had a floor to ceiling window that opened up on a small street with a bistro directly across from our room.
The next morning we leaped out of bed at 1 PM (jet lag, you know), and got on with the day. Had a French fast food breakfast (espresso, quiche, croissant and fresh-squeezed orange juice) and made our way to the nearby Rodin Museum, which I had been looking forward to. We live in Philadelphia, where the only other Rodin Museum exists, but the one in Paris so far eclipses our own that it cannot even be compared. We spent an entire afternoon of precious Paris time there---it was that good. The Thinker, The Burghers of Calais, etc. Magnificent work by a true genius. Catch it if you can.
Dinner that night was a pre-planned reservation at a Michelin-starred restaurant on the Left Bank called Le Violon d'Ingres, owned by Chef Christian Constant, a disciple of Alain Ducasse. To start, after a glass of Champagne, pan fried foie gras au canard and marinade of dorado. UMMM!
Then a great bottle of French white (Vigonier), and the main course, lobster mouffetard with mashed potatoes and caviar of many colors, and for me, almond crusted striped bass with capers. Yeah, baby!
For dessert, chocolate torte and raspberries in cream. To die for. 150 euros for the two of us, but well worth it. Did I mention this was our final honeymoon?
Back to the hotel via taxi for a nightcap (VSOP). Totally unnecessary, but fun.
We left a wake-up call for 8:30 AM the next morning, but stayed in bed till 10 AM. You're not surprised, are you? Not after the night before.
The next day we went to L'Orangerie and saw the amazing Monet exhibit of Water Lilies. This museum (which was closed for renovations the last time we were in Paris) also has some work by Picasso, Modigliani, Renoir, and Matisse, among other favorites. Buy a Musee Pass--it allows you to skip right to the front of the line, which can save you a valuable hour or so in Paris. Then we took the Metro to the Cluny Museum and saw the Medieval tapestries that made it famous--the ones with the unicorns.
We followed that up with a walk to the Sorbonne and the Pantheon in the Latin Quarter. After rejecting the screechy shills who begged us to enter their shlocky emporiums to buy worthless souvenirs, we trekked over to the St. Germain District again for a sidewalk cafe dinner of escargots,steak and frites with a local Bordeaux, and did the people watching thing that is de rigeur on Election Day. Sarkozy won.
Next day we stumbled out of bed and chugged some more fabulous espresso, then took in an outdoor art show that was pretty cool. My wife bought three cotton jackets of a stylish cut for $100. Then we took a taxi to the Champs Elysee for a walk with the rich guys. It's the only street I've ever seen that has a Lamborghini dealer, a Mercedes dealer and a Jaguar dealer on the same block!
Took some pictures at the Arc de Triomphe (couldn't resist), and then back to the hotel to pack for our flight to Marseilles. See my next review for some experiences in Provence.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
gfg12
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Location: Philadelphia
Reviews written: 65
Trusted by: 31 members
About Me:
If we're treading on thin ice, then we might as well dance. (Jesse Winchester)
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