Paris France TR for first two days

Continuing on

The Cluny

I have been doing a lot of walking looking for the Toot Bus or Big Bus stop. Saw the buses quite often but could not find a stop. Only late afternoon today did I find a Toot Bus stop. Will take it maybe Saturday.

However I have been discovering

Today I went to the Cluny and loved it. What a wonderful museum, loved it I got there early afternoon no line walked right in but when I left later afternoon, lines were forming.

Notre Dame

Went back to hotel and took a nap. Woke up very late afternoon and walked to Notre Dame. It was after 6 pm I approached a guard to ask him where St Chapeller was and he asked me if I wanted to visit Notre Dame he took down the rope for me and there I was entering Notre Dame no line whatsoever.

Sometimes old with a limp and cane is a plus

I was in Notre Dame when there was some sort of service and there was some beautiful singing or chanting. Not enough. I wanted more. Perhaps it was the equivalent of Evensong for The Church of England.

Was very spiritual.

Later today, my Paris Greeter is supposed to meet me and walk me around for one or two hours

Saturday, I hope to take the Toot Bus.

Thus far, I am greatly enjoying my time in Paris. It is going better than expected

After all the pre travel worry, your enjoyment of Paris is coming through loud and clear! Thanks for posting! I'm upset that even though you absolutely did everything right with the taxi, they managed to take advantage of a senior solo traveler. Shame on their 20 euro overage. I'm glad others are extending you extra courtesy. Look forward to reading more!

Oh Phil, you crack me up. Glad your being old with a cane helped you get into Notre Dame.
Just an FYI, if you visit the Arc de Triumph, use your age and cane for a ride up in the elevator. They don’t advertise it, but they have one. It doesn’t take you to the roof, but it goes high enough for beautiful views from inside.
I’ll be following along.

BP

Enjoy your trip. We’ve never had a problem, other than once paying in dollars rather than in Euros on our credit card, when one merchant asked which we would prefer. Always pay in Euros for the best exchange rate. Your own credit car company will be kinder to you than the merchant’s. By quite a bit.

Sorry to hear the taxi driver ripped you off. So, remember …

1. Stay alert. Clarify when needed, so … “I am sorry, did you say ——?” Be clear. Be assertive. Keep your eyes (and ears) open.

2. Keep valuables where they belong and cannot be easily pickpocketed. Use your hotel room safe for extra valuable items that you don’t need on your person, eg, a spare credit card or extra cash. LATE NOTE. Make sure you wear your purse cross body and not just off your shoulder. Keep track of your bag, in hand or firmly under your arm.

3. Always be polite, even if firm. Remember to always begin with a cheery Bonjour or an Excusez Moi (Es-coo-zay … Mwa.). And a cheery Bonne Journee or Bonne Soiree (good day; good evening) on departure, as appropriate.

Enjoy this trip. Amusez vous bien.

Who does not get lost? In Paris i have gotten lost numerous, numerous times, but so what, as long it's day light.

Getting lost now in Paris is not an issue anymore, basically I don't care ; using the Navigo ticket (it's always loaded and reloaded) for the Metro and bus lines is even easier, far more reliable than it was with Metro paper tickets.

You heard right , the price was 65 Euro. It is 65 Euro or 55 Euro (the 2 set prices) depending on the location of the hotel.

Don't get stressed out, regardless of the reason, no need to, be attentive to your surroundings, be polite but firm, and don't hesitate to be rude or brusque either. You'll see tourists, especially Americans and Asians totally clueless as to their surroundings in crowded situations, eg, at Notre Dame, the Louvre, etc

I'm so glad to hear you're having a good time. I know from your previous posts that you tend to take cruises, this is definitely a big step to travel to Paris independently, well done! By the way, if & when I'm overcharged, as long as I don't lose something valuable, I just look at it as a learning experience, it won't happen again when you're leaving Paris. (Ask the concierge how much the taxi should cost, let them book it for you.) Being treated kindly as someone with a disability and getting better access is really heartwarming to hear.

Getting lost can be part of the charm, as long as you're not too tired by the time you get to sit down. How about grabbing a seat in a cafe, resting, ask the waiter how to get back to the hotel? I always carry the hotel business card in my bag, worst case you can just hand over the card & get a taxi back.

BTW, St Chapelle is about a 9-minute walk down at the other end of the same island as Notre Dam, though it does sound like you had a great experience there, loved that you heard some music. Perhaps look it up on Google Maps before you leave your room - Did the hotel give you a tourist map? You could ask them to point you in the right direction for that bus & St Chapelle before you leave the hotel. I think St Chapelle really needs a pre-booked ticket during the day to see the stained glass in all it's glory, totally worthwhile, & a completely different experience, it's a much smaller space. Hope you continue to have a wonderful trip!

So thrilled to hear this trip is going well. I think many of have a taxi overcharge story somewhere in our travel log.

Looking forward to following the rest of your trip.

Yeah, I can picture where you’re walking & how wonderful to hear the music at Notre Dame! I love those unexpected pleasures!

Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you for all of your caring responses.

TR Day Three

Today was a mixed bag

I met my Paris Greeter who was a very nice man and very kind but unfortunately I had had a poor sleep. I was afraid of something like this happening.

We walked for almost two hours and it was challenging for me.

He walked me around the Sorbonne which I actually had very little interest in but did not say anything because he was enthusiastic about the Sorbonne. I had already seen the front of it. We walked up several steep steps and a long street that was uphill.

But we did make it to the Pantheon. Friday was a patriotic holiday in France Flags were being displayed and there were crowds going into the Pantheon There must have been a ceremony because staff was breaking down. There was a huge police presence due to the holiday.

We then walked to a church behind the Pantheon I can not recall the name of the church and because I am on my iPad, I do not want to look it up until after I finish posting this if you are familiar with Saint Genevieve, it is said that a relic or bone is buried in the church.

My Greeter encouraged me to walk around but I did not due to some fatigue . Now I greatly regret that I did not I did not realize that there was some sort of memorial to St Genevieve.

Then we walked to Jardins of Luxembourg. Again I may be spelling this wrong and will edit later Beautiful but I was tired and ready to go back to the hotel My Greeter wanted to show me around but I was feeling too tired.

We had been walking around for well over an hour.

I regret that I was not able to see more of zthe Gardens. ,

My Greeter was so nice and I feel sad that I was experiencing fatigue. I have his email and plan to thank him for his great help and apologize for my tiredness

However I could not always understand him he spoke good English but with a thick accent. I have a slight hearing loss and we were walking side by side. He was giving me so much good information but there were times that I could not understand what he was saying. Sometimes I said excuse me and he repeated but other times, I pretended to understand He also had trouble at times understanding me.and I had to repeat.

It was a hiccup but I was glad for this person some of the problem could have been my fatigue.

But after getting back to my hotel, I needed to leave again because housekeeping needed to pick up my room without me there there was a huge street sale along St Michel and St Germaine. A lot and I mean a lot of vendors had set up tables with stuff for sale. You might call it a flea market. I looked at a lot of stuff and did not see anything I needed or wanted. The streets were packed with merchants and shoppers

This street fair went from morning until night.

I do not know if this market occurs every Friday or if it had to do with the holiday.

I went back to my hotel and after a refreshing nap, attempted to go out for a walks the streets were so packed. That I returned back to my hotel.

For food, I have discovered a supermsrket a few doors from my hotel.

This is fun reading your report as you go. According to google, the church behind the Pantheon is Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.

Continuing with TR Day 3

The name of the supermarket is Intermarche. It seems to be more of an everyday supermarket, not one like Whole Foods.

I got a lot of food for 14 euros. I got sushi, cream, a sandwich, tabouli and Cole slaw. And the food is good however I also wanted fruit and fruit was expensive. There was a small melon at a good price but I did not know how I could cut a melon in my hotel room.

I did attempt another walk . I went to a candy shop and bought a small amount of candy costing about 5 euros I tried to pay but was told that it was on the house. Nice,

I walked some but the crowds were so boisterous and still large that I wanted to go back to my hotel. It was now dark

But there is now a crisis. I have three emails and cannot accesss yahoo. There was some issue and I needed to input my password but can not remember my password, I tried to recover but there was a glitch and I think I am now locked out I might not be able to cottect the situation until I get home. Other times, I have taken passwords with me when I traveled. This time I did not.

Today is now Saturday. I am hoping to be able to take the Toot Bus.

After I post this, I am going to go back and edit.

Thank you CD.

I am not going to have to look it up

Continuing with TR Day 3

As said I was thinking of taking the Toot Bus today but if that does not work out , I might walk back to the church which houses a relic of St Genevieve and the Jardins de Luxembourg . When my Greeter walked me back to my hotel, I discovered that these sites are just up the street from my hotel. It is a long but straight walk

I also want to visit at least one more if not two more museums before I leave.

Following along, enjoying your trip vicariously so far!

Lavandula

I love all the serendipitous moments you are having! I am sorry that fatigue caught up with you, but you’ll still have the memories to savor when you get home. Thanks for the tip about St. Genevieve. - the Pantheon is on our list for our upcoming trip but St Genevieve was not. Luxembourg Gardens is on our list too, but I need to figure out where the Medici fountain is in the garden. I really want to see that this time.

Patty, the Medici fountain is in the northeast corner of the Luxembourg Garden. (That garden is my favorite in Paris.)

It's lovely to follow along with your adventures.

I regret that I was not able to see more of the gardens.

Travel can be so tiring! We’re 70 & quite fit, but sometimes we just need to say stop. We have a lie down almost every afternoon in our hotel, & then go out later, unfortunate your room wasn't ready for you. And your Greeter sounds like fun, you learned some things and will get back to the church and the gardens. I LOVE how kind everyone is being to you! Candy on the house, wow!

I’m so glad you are having fun!

The church the greeter took you to is indeed Saint-Etienne-du-Mont. It houses a reliquary to Saint Genevieve who is the patron saint of Paris. It also has a fabulous carved rood screen with double helix stairways to a walkway that is from the 15th Century. Most were destroyed but this one survived.

For fans of the movie Midnight in Paris, the steps on the left side are where the time traveling taxi picks up Gil, Owen Wilson’s character.

These sights are just uphill from you and you can easily get up there. I know there is a Toot Bus stop by the restaurant Le Rostrand which is across the street from the Luxembourg Gardens.

You can add a “cheat sheet with passwords” to your packing list!

Patty

The story of St Genevieve is very interesting

Suggest you visit the church behind the Pantheon

I am thinking that I might go back to Luxembourg Gardens and the church where a relic of St Genieve might be resting on Monday

My Greeter introduced me to these places and I might want to explore further

Glad you are having a good time. On our last two trips, I found I had to rest much more often than on previous trips. Regular short rests of just 3-5 minutes, plus a longer rest at lunch, seemed to work for me to prevent exhaustion. I hope you will find what works for you. Of course a good night’s sleep also makes a big difference.

I’m glad you liked the Cluny. Aren’t the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries amazing?

Thanks for all your responses

I am going to write a trip report for today, Saturday.

I tried but lost it and a too tired to try again

Here is a preview of what to expect

I took the Toot Bus and got into The d’Orsay.

And I have fixed Yahoo email.

To be continued

So glad you have the email situation fixed.

On our second trip to Italy, we were walking with a local (an American but Italian resident) to a mutual friend’s home. The walk was not too long, but it was definitely not flat. My husband commented that he was amazed how so many people that were older than him were walking long distances up and down the hills. Our friend looked at him and told him to stop and sit, enjoy the view. Then he said once we felt like it to continue on- that we, nor the locals, were in a race and that we just needed to stroll and rest.

I look forward to the continuation of your trip report and hope you can see most of what you want to see. We were in Paris last spring and the Luxembourg Gardens were wonderful. We sat in the green chairs for quite some time. Also, as I recall Saint Sulpice and its wonderful organ are nearby.