Two further tips about Mont Saint Michel (MSM): definitely walk the causeway and don't take shuttle. The walk is not that long at all and it gives you the opportunity to enjoy the views both ways. Don't eat at MSM--our daughters had ice cream and they said it wasn't good and the restaurants don't look that great. Pack a picnic or eat off of MSM. Day 7: From MSM we drove to Chateau Chenonceau in time to tour it starting around 12:00/12:30. We had tickets for 1:00 but you can tour the grounds before entering the Chateau. We then drove to our hotel, which was Chateau du Pray. This was a great hotel and has a pool that is heated to about 82 degrees Farenheit and is big enough that one can swim for exercise-it is not 25 meters but still big enough to swim. We ate at the hotel restauant and the meal was incredible as was the wine. Day 8: We visited Chateau Chambord in the morning and then headed to Paris for our second week. Chambord is definitely worth visiting even if just to get a sense of its size and to see the double helix staircase and the outside of the towers, which are quite dramatic. But we all agreed that we much preferred Chenonceau. We made the mistake of returning our car to CDG rather than to one of the rental places at one of the Paris train stations. The traffic getting to CDG from Chambord was horrible. Moving on to Paris: We rented a charming apartment through VRBO so we would have more space. Note that if you rent an apartment within the historic parts of Paris, it will most likely be a walk-up so pay attention to what floor the apartment is on. Because there is so much to do and see in Paris, I am only going to mention a couple of tips, dining recommendations, and reviews of two tours we did. Tips: (1) bring toilet paper with you when out and about as the bathrooms, even in museums, would routinely be out of TP; (2) Louvre tips--(a) we had each person choose their top two items they wanted to see in the Louvre. We mapped out our route in advance to see those items, along with the Mona Lisa. We used the Louvre audio guide for commentary regarding the items we saw. We ended up seeing about 6 items (two of the items we wanted to see were not on exhibit) and this still took us about three hours. (b) go early--we had 9:30 tickets; by the time we left around 1:00 p.m. the number of people were at least quadrupled if not more. (c) by 12:00, lines for women's bathrooms are at least 15 to 30 minutes so factor that time into your plans as well; (3) Eiffel Tower--the stairs to platforms 1 and 2 are not that bad at all and beats waiting in line for the elevator. And get advance tickets- we arrived before our slotted time but were able to start climbing before our entry time and had no lines other than a small secrurity line. So, if no mobility limitations, take the stairs. (4) Metro tickets--not all metro stations sell the metro passes so as soon as you arrive check metro stations as you walk through to Paris to buy the metro passes. Dining recommendations: Semilla was delightful and on the lighter side; our server at Semilla was excellent and we had the best Paris Brest ever. Persil is great if there are vegetarians in the group or if you need some lighter food but the menu is very, very small at Persil. Reservations a must at both restaurants. Paris Tours: Fat Tire Tours of Versaille--got to see so much more of the grounds of Versaille and our guide was full of interesting facts. Secret Food Tours of Paris--this was a wonderful tour, full of not only food history but also the history of Paris. We did the St. Germain one and we would would recommend that you do this tour earlier in your visit to Paris rather than later in case you want to revisit some of the shops you stop at.
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