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Trip Report - Paris October 2014 - Part 2

Ok - this will cover Paris proper. We rented a lovely apt in the Notre Dame area. Once the hired car had dropped us off, we decided to wander around and get our bearings. First on our list was finding a grocery named "Naturalia" as my wife is Gluten-Free, and it was one of the places our pre-trip research had identified. Nearest one was about 10 minutes away by foot, so we went for a stroll. Not a large selection, but enough to add to the iron rations that we carry around. We later found that Monoprix (Target style store, just south of Notre Dame) also had GF food, and at better prices.

  1. Notre Dame area - lots of stuff. I'm going to concentrate more on what we found around there that was useful for the traveler. There are multiple metro stops all around the area. We found that St Michael was the most useful for us. That was both Metro and RER. From that stop we went to Les Invalides/Rodin, the Musee de Orsay, and out to Versailles. We walked to the Louvre along Rue de Rivoli (10 minutes) intending to use the Carosel mall entrance, but discovered that we could get in just as easily via the Pyramid (YMMV, depending on how busy - we did use the Carosel Mall to leave). At the Hotel De Ville (government offices just north of Notre Dame) there is a post office. We went there on the last day to mail out some postcards. Should have gone there much earlier, as the french PO also sells cell phones, etc. Would have been a lot handier then scrounging for WiFi, cause we could have gotten a french SIM card with voice and data plans, rather than roaming on our Ireland (from earlier in the trip) one.

  2. Louvre. Lots of fun, highly crowded. Lots of pictures. Had one of the most expensive hamburgers I have ever bought (25 euros) in the cafe downstairs, but we were starving.

  3. Rodin museum. We arrived just after some group was having a protest across the street. There were about a bazillion riot cops on the street outside. Later discovered it was a protest about Pharmacists not wanting Monoprix and similar stores to be able to sell medications. On that note, there is a Pharmacy just north of the Hotel de Ville government bldg that is open 7 days a week. Google for Pharmacy of the Archives if you need to find something medical. They tend to cluster, look for the green cross neon signs.

  4. Les Invalides/Army Museum. Big. Army museum has a wonderful collection of medieval armor, similar to the Tower of London. Just across the street from the Rodin, short 5 minute walk. We used the Les Invalides metro station for both.

  5. Versailles. RER from St Michael. About 10 minute walk from the station once you get there. Avoid the trinket sellers. Full tour will take several hours, includes a lot of stairs. If you have mobility issues, ask for the lifts. The train tour outside is nice, but goes over cobbles, and is extremely bumpy.

  6. Musee de Orsay. Can't remember if this was Metro or RER, but was from St Michaels. Its only a couple of stops from St. Michaels. We did this on the way to the Effiel Tower and the Arc de Triophe. Went on "free" day, which turned it into one of the most crowded places we had been all week.

  7. Musee Nationale de Moyen age (Medieval). This is in the latin quarter just south of Notre Dame. 15 minutes walk. Just down by the Sorbonne and across the street from the Monoprix we found. We really enjoyed it, but we have a personal interest in the time period. Lots of tapetries, including the Lady and the Unicorn series.

  8. Tower and Arc. Went to see them at sunset, when they turn up the lights. Magical.

  9. Montmatre. Was a rainy day, so we didn't do much wandering. Saw the Dali museum, as well as Sacre Coure. Good prices on the touristy gee-gaws, as compared to other locales we had seen.

k. Thats everything I can remember. Will add more detail if I can think of it.

Posted by
2262 posts

The Pharmacists strike was interesting. The industry is protected in what they sell, which we began to figure out after having to go to a pharmacy for contact lens fluid and other items that we would normally find at a supermarket or Target store. It seems that there is a push for non-pharmacies to sell some of these items, like aspirin!
Also interesting that pharmacies are, by law, spread rather evenly in neighborhoods, with the idea being that no neighborhood should be without one.
I will say that we have found customer service in pharmacies in France to be exceptional.

And Glenn-I have to ask-how was the burger at the Louvre?

Thanks for the report!

Posted by
2030 posts

Glenn,
did you get your hamburger at Cafe Marley by any chance?

Posted by
61 posts

Gotta admit, it was the tastiest 25 euro burger I've ever had. :) Had to ask for some moutard (mustard for y'all english speaking folks) to go with it. Wife had a tasty salad. We didn't have as much problem with GF while we there, had printed out a little card that we gave to waiters, who usually passed it along the chef. They would then come out, and ask what she wanted, and then would adjust accordingly. Would that US places have that level of care!

Also, lots of folks have wondered about chip and sig cards - worked pretty well everywhere in Paris, and even managed to buy a "carnet" book of 10 Metro tickets using it. Had a few folks who tried swiping it and then discovered it had the chip. Once they put it in the card reader, it would spit out a receipt for signature, and all was good. I was using a BofA travel card, but I also had a traditional magnetic stripe only card for backup, never used it.

Not sure of the name of the cafe, it was on the ground floor (basement of subfloor if you want to be techincal), but not sure which of the wings it was closest to.

Posted by
21221 posts

The Café Marly is above with a terrace overlooking the Pyramid. Too bad, their cheeseburgers are only 20 euro. But then you might have been tempted to order the caviar, foie gras, and truffles for just a little bit more.

Posted by
7995 posts

Hi Glenn-sounds like a great trip with lots of experiences. Kudos on getting to Versailles by train - last time, in 2008, we eventually got there, after first getting on a wrong train heading in the opposite direction :-(

Glad your wife's dietary needs were met so well - your pre-trip preparations undoubtedly helped make that successful.

Your mention of the "Museum of Paris" confused me, but then mentioning the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, I know you were at the wonderful Musée de Cluny-National Museum of the Middle Ages. As I recall, the restrooms are downstairs, at the bottom of what might be the longest staircase in Paris.

Free days at musuems definitely draw big crowds -- were you able to see what you wanted to see at the Orsay, without excesive delays and elbowing your way thru the crowd?

Also, just wondering what kind of weather you faced on your October trip?

Cheers!

Posted by
61 posts

Weather was warm. Much warmer than we expected based on the forecasts. We discovered that us desert rats can't really handle high 70's in Paris as well as we thought. Turns out exceptionally high humidity and 80 degrees and walking are a combination that we hadn't prepared for. We should have packed more tshirts, and less long sleeve shirts. :)

Also, I would mention we had followed Rick Steve's advice as not to wear tshirts and sneakers so as not to scream loudly "American Tourist". I would have gladly screamed that and been more comfortable - it only cooled down the last 2 days we were there (one of the days we went to Montmarte and rained on us) making us very sad to leave. Had much the same experience in Ireland the week before - just an unusual hot spell, I guess.

Also, good sturdy walking shoes are a must. We walked everywhere, and while there must be some metro stations that are handicapped accessible, everywhere we went, there was at least 2 flights of stairs to navigate. Once we got into the metro there might be escalators or a lift, but never at ground level in our experience. My wife occasionally uses a cane, and one of our traveling companions had some issues, but was able to managed. However, if you use a walker or wheelchair, don't plan on using the public transport. I can only compare to London, where most of the underground has at least some options for Lifts or Escalators even on the older lines - guess that Paris is still catching up in that regard.

Also, timing is everything. Do not attempt to travel during rush hour on the metro if you are at all claustrophobic.....it gets all kinds of friendly in there. Sardine type friendly. I think all citiies have that issue, but it was liking watching those videos of the Toyko subway.....just with berets and baguettes.

Glenn