Paris Journal - How I spent a little over a week!

A Little Over A Week in Paris – Alone and with Family and Friends

Day 1 - Friday

Back in Paris after 4 days in Brittany and check into a hotel for one night. My sister and her family will arrive tomorrow evening.

I went to Centre Pompidou to see the paintings of Vassaly Kandinsky and Jackson Pollack, but the floor they were on is closed. I walked through the third floor galleries and then stopped in the gift shop and bought some post cards.

I walk through the Marais and stopped for a glass of wine. Then as it was getting late I wandered back to my hotel and found a nearby restaurant for dinner, then settled in my room for the evening.

Day 2 - Saturday

In the morning I check out, but was able to lock my bags for the day. I made arrangements for a taxi to pick me up at 1:30 to take me to the apartment.

I bought a croissant for breakfast and ate it on the way to the Metro which I took to Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie to try and visit the planetarium. When I arrived I found out that I would not have time to visit the planetarium, because it took and hour and the first show wasn't until 11:15 and I needed to be leaving by noon at the latest to be back at my hotel in good time.

I visited the astronomy and space exhibits and really enjoyed them.

I could not find where to get on the Metro when I left, so I caught a bus. I was watching for recognizable names or signs as we went, and eventually got off near a metro station, that would get me back to my hotel. This being my first time in Paris, it was a little bit hard to figure things out.

I had a light lunch, and returned to the hotel to await my cab. It was only about 5 minutes ride to the hotel to the apartment. Oh well, I didn't know and I would have had to drag my bags, so it was all right to take a cab until I learn a little more.

I had trouble getting into the lobby of the apartment, I didn't have the right code. But a woman let me in and I was able to ring the apartment. The caretaker was still cleaning, so I just waited in one of the finished rooms until she was done and able to show me around.

The apartment was rented through Perfectly Paris.com and it is fantastic! The pictures were good on the website, but this place is beautiful.

I was given a tour of the apartment and was shown how appliances work, where there were extra keys, and shown a book that the owners put together to help visitors.

When we finished, I looked in the book and found information on a nearby market, so I headed out to get some goodies for dinner for us all. I found the market and bought apples, strawberries, avacados, tomatoes, cheese and several bagettes. Then I went in search of olives and wine. There is a Franprix grocery store next door to the apartment, so I got a few other items.

I returned to the apartment and started a load of laundry while I waited for my sister and her family to arrive.

My sister, her husband and my two neices arrived about 6. So I helped them get all there luggage inside. Selected bedrooms and then ate and talked. Eventually we all drifted off to bed.

I was awakened by loud music at 1:30 am, from the bar below, and there is a lot of traffic on a Saturday night. The street traffic was pretty busy as well. Eventually I drifted back to sleep.

Day 3 - Sunday

My 6 year old niece has learned a little French, so we went down to the patisserie across the courtyard and got a baguette and some croissants for breakfast.

We went to Montparnasse to the Sunday Art Market and strolled through there. My sister and family made a couple of purchases and then we walked to a cafe for beverages and a snack. We were all able to sit and enjoy our first sidewalk cafe experience in Paris.

For there we wandered around, and eventually ended up at the Luxemburg Jardins. It was a real nice day, and a Sunday, so there were lots of people in the park. We strolled along and looked for the play area for the kids, but you had to pay to get into the playground, so we decided not to do that. We did take the girls to the carousel and they enjoyed that.

We stopped and got the girls hamburgers, did a little shopping, and continued to wander. We passed the Pantheon and headed down a side street. We could see the steeples of Notre Dame, so we walked in that direction. Then continued walking along the Seine and crossed Ile de la Cite and up past Centre Pompidou and finally hopped on the Metro and went back to our apartment, stopping to get pizza for the girls.

We adults enjoyed wine, bread, cheese, tomatoes and avocados for dinner

Day 4 - Monday

By mid-morning everyone was up and rested from jet lag. We went to a nearby cafe for hot chocolate and coffee and juice for the girls. Then took the Metro to La Defense.

La Defense Grand Arche is a government building in the shape of a picture frame. It is very interesting architecture. Dave and I are both working for engineering companies, so this is of special interest to us. Then have had to construct some "tent-work" in the center of the "frame" because in the past there had been some falling debris. There is a metal elevator shaft that looks like a pole in one area of the "frame".

This whole area is filled with modern buildings and is a business center. There is a huge Esplanade (pedestrian mall), a hotel and a variety of shops, sculptures, fountains and another carousel. The girls got to ride this one, too. They were grinning from ear to ear, and really enjoying themselves.

We saw a homeless man and a little girl, the man was passed out, so my niece and I went and bought sandwiches for the little girl. I think she was happy to have something to eat.

You can stand at La Defense and look right down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde and the Obelisk. It is quite a view! I must say the view from Place de la Concorde is quite spectacular as well.

We caught the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe which my 2 year old niece pronounces like the "Arc de Treestump".

We stopped in a cafe for lunch and then went up in the Arc. Not only were we able to enjoy the great views, but there was a photography exhibit of the first color photographs. There was part of a collection of over 1000 photos taken from 1914 to 1918,. most of the photographs are scenes from World War I. Because the process was new, all the photos were posed, and without movement. This was a surprise exhibit and I really happy we saw it!

Emma, has her favorite stuffed animal Eeyore (a present from me) with her, and we are finding quite a few photo ops for his travel adventure. They have taken pictures of him at the airport, at La Defense, and again at the top of the Arc de Triomphe. With more adventures for Eeyore to come!

We stopped by the Eternal Flame under the Arc before strolling down the Champs Elysees to the Obelisk. On the way we stopped for ice cream, it was good.

After we walked around the Place de la Concorde and a good look at the Obelisk, we took our aching feet and tired little girls back to the apartment via the Metro. Emma was in the stroller, but Olivia walked with us. I think we probably walked 6 miles today. That is a lot for a 6 year old!

Day 5 - Tuesday

We walked through the Jardin de Tuileries this morning, I had a great chance to look at all the sculptures. We continued on past the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel to the glass pyramids of the Louvre and then across Pont Neuf and down to Square du Vert-Galant.

We stopped for sandwiches near the Palais de Justice and sat on benches in the courtyard nearby to eat.

Then we went to St Chapelle. This is a beautiful church, with wonderful stained glass windows. I actually felt like there was more glass the wall. Amazing!

I had a very bad headache, so after a little more wandering, we returned to the apartment. I rested for a while and my sister and her husband got ready to go shopping and out for the evening while I stayed with the girls.

The girls colored for a while and then we played cards, and because the girls had been good they got to watch a DVD before bed.

Mary Kay and Dave came back about 10, they had a good time. They brought me a T-shirt from the Budda Bar.

Day 6 - Wednesday

Mary Kay, Emma, and I went to Fouchon and bought a few treats and then took the Metro to La Promenade Plantee. The Promenade was really nice, an old elevated railway that has been converted into a paved walk, with benches and flowers. The roses were blooming and they were very pretty.

On the way to the Promenade, we had seen an Antique Market, so we went through it. That was a lot of fun to look at the different things being sold.

We then returned to the apartment, and Dave and Olivia said they had walked to Sacre C'ur and through the cemetery at Montmarte.

We had an hour before we were leaving to meet another family of 4 and friends of my sister who were arriving from London. They were staying in a hotel, and then on Saturday we would all take the train down to Nimes and drive out to the house we have rented.

I decided to spend that hour walking to Sacre C'ur and Place du Tetre. I didn't spend a lot of time at either, just long enough to say I'd been there. Scare C'ur is so white, wow!

As soon as I returned we were ready to leave and meet Tracy and Larry and their girls. We went to their hotel, and after some discussion, decided to get food and return to the apartment, so the girls could play and we adults could have a nice visit.

We got chicken from a Fouchon outlet and a strawberry tart, plus we had wine, cheese, avocados and tomatoes, our staples. We had a great dinner and good conversation. It was a fun evening.

Day 7 - Thursday

Today is my museum day. I was up and out of the apartment by 8:45 and arrived at the Musee Rodin just before it opened. I purchased a one day Museum Pass giving me access to the three I was visiting, and many more if I had the time. The other nice thing about buying the pass is that you don't have to wait in line, there is a separate entrance for pass holders. This saved me a lot of time, since I'd decided to only have one day on my own to visit the museums.

I walked through the garden first. It is really nice. There are flowers, trees, a fountain, and sculptures all around. I also had great weather, which made it wonderful to be outside. The roses are blooming! Rodin even has a rose name after him.

Inside, I found out that the room dedicated to Camille Claudel, my favorite sculptor is closed because her exhibit is on tour. I was disappointed, but what can you do. I know that she also worked on some of the pieces signed by Rodin, so a wandered through all the rooms.

I was even more impressed by Rodin after seeing all of these pieces. He is probably third on my list of favorites, now. This is definitely my favorite sculpture museum!

I left there for Musee D'Orsay, this is an awesome museum! They did a beautiful job of converting the old train station. The space is beautiful and I really like the way it is laid out with galleries of paintings (primarily) around the perimeter and sculptures on the main floor and 2nd floor terraces.

I saw "Whistler's Mother", paintings by Renoir and Van Gogh, works by a variety of sculptors, several pieces by Rodin, and then L'Age Mur by Camille Claudel! This piece is incredible! I absolutely love it!

I had lunch at a cafe with a view across the Seine to the Louvre. It was a warm day so I sat out on the sidewalk and enjoyed the views.

Then, I crossed over for my visit to the Louvre. I had planned my visit carefully, because the museum is so large, and I definitely wanted to see specific things. My choices were the Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo, Winged Victory, and Michelangelo's Slaves

Many people had warned me that the Mona Lisa was small, but I didn't care, and when I saw it, I didn't mind at all. So much has been said about this piece, I was just glad I got a chance to see it.

Michelangelo is my second favorite sculptor. I have now seen the Slaves and Venus De Milo, in Paris, Prisoners and David in Florence, Italy, and the Pieta in Rome, Italy. His work is outstanding!

After leaving there, I went to Place de Alma, where there is a memorial to Princess Diana, who was killed in the tunnel below. They added a plaque to honor her, to a replica of the flame of the Statue of Liberty, which was already there.

Next I went to Ile St Louis and found the house where Camille Claudel lived. There is a plaque with her name on it at the location.

I walked across the bridge and around Notre Dame, before deciding to go to a bookstore we had passed the other day that had books in English. I found a paperback version of the DaVinci Code.

Ready for a treat, I stopped at Angelina's for their African hot chocolate, which is really good!!!

I bought a scarf and picture frame for my daughter and a new shoulder bag and shirt with the Metro map on it for myself. (I have one of the London tube map, too.)

I got back to the apartment, and no one was around, so I did up the dishes, then walked down by the Metro station, to a cafe, for dinner. While I was eating, I say my sister and family and their friends walk by heading to the apartment. When I returned, we had a similar evening as the last, with more great conversations as we shared our day.

Day 8 - Friday

I awoke at three in the morning with a very sore throat and stuffy nose and ears. Then at 6 am the truck came to unload supplies for the Franprix next door and the dolly on the metal ramp was very noisy, and I'm a light sleeper.

When we all were ready to go for the day, my first stop was to a pharmacy to get some throat lozenges.

We met our friends at their hotel and headed for the Eiffel Tower. We waited in line for 45 minutes, but it was worth it to go to the top. What a view!!! Then we waited in line to come back down.

Just west of the Tower, we caught a Batobus for a cruise on the Seine. We decided to get off at Ile St Louis and go to Berthillon for ice cream. That was absolutely, without a doubt the best ice cream I have ever eaten!

Tracy and Larry and their girls got back on the Batobus, and we went to the BHV so my sister and her husband could look for some cups for their house.

I was really tired from the lack of sleep the night before, and my back hurt, so I was glad when we got back to the apartment. But, we still had to pack and clean for our early departure to catch the train to the south of France.

It was almost 7 by the time we got back, but by 9 I had cleaned and packed and was in bed.

What a great week this has been in Paris! I will never forget it, and I will definitely come back again! So much to see and the week flew by.