Nov - Dec 2021: Strasbourg - Colmar - Paris

We stayed at the Best Western, about 3 blocks from the train station. Having an elevator made it easy for my mom. We spent the first day strolling around Strasbourg and the market area, saving shopping for our last day. The Strasbourg Cathedral was very nice & they had a display showing the angel visiting Mary to the birth of Christ. On day two we headed to Colmar for the afternoon & evening. It was great returning there, my last visit was in 2016. Enjoyed strolling all through the center of town & the multiple market areas. It was busy, but not as crowded as I have seen in the past on previous YouTube videos.

On our return to Strasbourg we missed our train. We spent over an hour stuck in the elevator between the track level & walkway tunnel. After I rang the alarm for a minute security showed up and said they would call for help. After 15 minutes no one returned. The cleaning lady said she would find out what was going on, she did return and said it will be about 40 minutes, they had to call in the maintenance person. So my mother and I watched everyone heading to and from their trains. We also had a clear view of the monitor, so we could see our train approaching, arrive & depart. The cleaning lady returned 3 more times to check on us, but the security person never returned. Folks coming and going would see us and ask if they needed to call for assistance for us. That was nice. The maintenance man showed up after our train departed, it took him about 5 or so minutes to get us out. No one from the station was there while he was getting us out. I went in to see if I could get a voucher or replacement ticket for our return to Strasbourg, but the line was long at the window & only one staff member. There was only 2 remaining trains that evening to Strasbourg, so I just purchased new tickets from the machine & got us on the train leaving in 10 minutes. After that my mom said no more elevators at train or metro stations, she will take her time on the stairs instead.

During our time in Strasbourg & Colmar there where snow flurries three different times and the rain did not interfere when we were out & about, the same for our time in Paris. It would rain while we were either inside eating or in a museum, so we really only had to deal with the cold, crisp, cold & sometimes cold breezing air. Did I mention the cold, 30s – upper 40s, where I live in California it doesn’t get that low during the daylight hours.

Our train ride from Strasbourg to Paris was uneventful, seeing the green countryside & small towns was nice, it rained off & on during the ride. Since we were staying 8 nights in Paris, the apartment rental came with a free pick up or drop off, I chose the pick-up from Gare de l’Est. We stayed at Apartments du Louvre, https://www.apartmentsdulouvre.com, Le Marais – So Chic apartment. Their two buildings have elevators, so I went with them over Cobblestone Paris Rentals whom I normally rent from. The 2 bedroom & 1 bath place with a balcony that ran across the living room & both bedrooms was perfect for our time. Clean, quite & having the extra room was great. My niece visited from The Hague for two nights

My mom has only done about 1 or 2 night stops in Paris, she is usually heading someplace else, so this was her chance to see the city & sites, this was my fourth visit in the last 7 years. Having made all the site reservations ahead of time was easy. We visited The Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Fontainebleau, Eiffel Tower, Picasso National Museum, Palais Garnier & Sainte-Chapelle. Our visit to Les Invalides & the military museum where put on hold due to a protest/demonstration taking place in front of Les Invalides. Mom did not want to deal with trying to get through the crowds. So we had a nice long lunch & strolled Rue Cler. My mom enjoys cabaret shows, so I got us tickets to the Paradis Latin show, which was fun and enjoyable.

Each day we strolled in a different Arrodissament, viewed the window displays at the department stores, visited churches, parks & headed out in the evening to enjoy the city & neighborhoods all lit up & decorated. We also attended mass at St. Eustache which was pleasant. The longest line we waited in, about 45 minutes, was to get into Sainte-Chapelle. The trial was going on for the individuals involved in the attacks a few years ago. But once past security, it was quick & easy entering Sainte-Chapelle.

If I ever return to France or Europe in general during the late fall months I definitely will bring a down-jacket. I dressed in layers, shirt, sweater & my Navy P Coat, but a down jacket would have been even better. Gloves, hat or beanie & a scarf was the normal attire for most folks. My mom complained about having to wear a hat every time we went out, but she enjoyed its warmth while walking about. Many folks were wearing masks while walking about, we did for the most part since it added warmth to the face. Folks on the trains & metros had them on, restaurants required them while walking to & from the table. Our Pass Sanitaire was checked at every restaurant/café & site we went into.

Four days before our departure back to LA, Delta & Air France emailed & text me that the COVID test had changed from 3 days prior to less than 24 hours prior to departure. During our time in Paris there were tents set up all over the city as well as outside of multiple pharmacies. There were four different testing sites within walking distance from our apartment, I chose the one outside of the pharmacy. In & out with a printed hard copy of our results in less than 20 minutes & our Pass Sanitaire was updated immediately as well.

The only issue with our processing through CDG was getting a wheelchair for my mother. The email & texts from Delta & Air France both stated to come earlier than the normal recommended time of 3 hours, so we got there 4 hours prior to our departure. Again we had all our paperwork in order & the line at check in was not busy, the staff member had us wait in the seating area for the wheelchair. After 20 minutes I went back up to ask what the status was and was told since we are early we had to wait for folks leaving before us. After an hour I went back up and this time was sent to the supervisor, she called on the radio and within 5 minutes someone was there.

We spent our time in the Air France lounge, which was nice. At the gate Air France was handing out the Attestation Form for those that did not have them, amazing how many folks did not have the form. So that was a cluster at the boarding zones. The form had to be completed & turned in prior to boarding the plane, luckily I had ours already completed. Arriving into LAX was easy, especially with the Global Entry, only one other person ahead of us and there where 6 scanning stations set up. It took longer to get to Passport Control from the plane then it did to process through.

I won’t be back in France until after 2025, I have to decide for 2023 will I be heading to Ireland or Budapest & Northern Croatia. When I do return to France, I will be focusing on Provence area or going through the lists of the Most Beautiful Villages of France, I have a few already that I want to visit. Of course, I will have to add a few days in Paris prior to returning home.

Thanks for posting- it was an enjoyable read . Safe travels in the future!

Thank you, brushtim!

Is there a way to do the required Covid forms online or did you print yours out ahead of time?

I like the way you roll. Cut your losses and keep moving forward.

Really enjoyed you report, thanks for posting. We are heading to France in Paris and taking the train from CDG to Strasbourg and Colmar. We are wondering how difficult it is to find the train station after arriving in Terminal 2E. Did you purchase your tickets on line ahead of time?

Trob: We lucked out and had the Pass Sanitaire prior to departure. However, we had our hard copies of our CDC vaccination cards, a print out of the QR Code from France, & a print out & signed copy of the Amber Statement of Honor for entering France with our passports. Prior to leaving the U.S. I had printed out the U.S. Green & Amber Attestation Forms and had them with us. That way we could complete them prior to heading to CDG and were set if the U.S. changed between Green or Amber. Air France was collecting the U.S. Attestation Forms just prior to having your boarding pass scanned & loading on the plane. This added a cluster for many individuals did not have the form with them, AF staff was handing them out.

Sevenhart_51: I sent a message directly to you. Easy to get to the train station within CDG, plenty of signage.

If I may, if you use a carte Avantage for your train tix keep it handy, the conductor on the Paris-Strasbourg train put me through the wringer. If using Gare de l'Est look around before boarding for a kiosk to See if you need to get a wristband after showing your PS.

The attestation form Delta asked me online to use was 10 pages long full of irrelevant questions, the form they gave me at the airport was much shorter.