Paris (7-25 July 2017) – The Chicken Scratches

Continuing our adventure that started in Singapore, moved to Copenhagen, on to Hamburg and now, on to Paris…

Our AirBnB was located about halfway between Sacre-Coeur and the Louvre. Great location.

P7080610 - The entrance to 18 Rue Cadet — The entrance to 18 Rue Cadet

pDSC01052 - Inside our AirBnB (1) — Inside our AirBnB (1)

pDSC01053 - Inside our AirBnB (2) — Inside our AirBnB (2)

IMG_8749 - Courtyard view from our window — Courtyard view from our window

Observations on Paris:

Rue Cadet was a good place to stay, as it was about equidistant from many of the sites we want to see.
Pastries are wonderful
A large cup of coffee isn’t (see photo below). If you want a large coffee, order an Americano or better still go to Starbucks or McDonalds
Good city for walking
Crowded with tourists
Most French beer is bland
People speak English and most restaurants have menus we could read (one exception)
Transportation is good. Bus and subway fares are ride-based, not distance-based
Mostly we ate in Cafes, Bistros and Brasseries – but food choices were generally similar in each. Spend more, eat better – the 2 places we ate that cost over $60/each were very good. Others, just okay. Exception is bakeries!

RLW-20170709080659482 - Large coffee – untouched — Large coffee – untouched

IMG_8803 - Large coffee – not easy to hold with the tiny handle — Large coffee – not easy to hold with the tiny handle

Our first full day was topped off with dinner on the Left Bank. We had found a listing for a restaurant we wanted to go to, that didn’t open for another hour, and we were hungry. Continued walking to another restaurant that was on our list, l’Avant Comptoir. This is the place that didn’t have an English menu.

It was both crowded and good. One advantage to not having an English translation of the menu – I ordered something I would never have tried had I known the translation. I saw the work “porc” and knew it meant “pork”, so I ordered it. Then I got out Google Translate and entered the first 2 words for this item – “pied porc” – which translated to “foot pork”. Not what I would have ordered. Pat said she would trade me for her steak tartar, but once I got my order, it was wonderful! I then translated the entire menu entry. What I actually ordered was “Pork loin and panes, potatoe puree”. We both enjoyed a glass of white wine (AOC Saumur 2015 from Domaine Bourdin, Th. Chancelle).

IMG_8795 - Pat’s steak tartar — Pat’s steak tartar

IMG_8792 - A look at the interior and my head — A look at the interior and my head

Michelle (daughter) and Claire (15-year old, granddaughter) arrived Sunday, July 9, having ridden the train in from Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Gare du Nord. Pat and I met them at the station and walked the short way to our flat.

After a short rest, off we went to Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur. This is the same walk, Pat and I did the evening we arrived. We thought this would be a good place to go to see an overview of the city.

We also had dinner in a restaurant recommended in a food guide in Paris – the Cafe du Theatre. Recommended for their couscous. We had a very good meal. Worth finding.

Over the next week that Michelle and Claire were with us we walked over 54 miles!

We visited many of the typical tourist sites, although we didn’t go in (or up) in some of them. The major sites we visited the first week:

Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur

rlw-20170709174722186 - Michelle and Claire at the steps up to Sacré-Coeur — Michelle and Claire at the steps up to Sacré-Coeur

p7080604 - What a beautiful sky! — What a beautiful sky!

img_8776 - Many cities in Europe have a Merry-Go-Round — Many cities in Europe have a Merry-Go-Round

IMG_8775 - View from Sacré-Coeur, looking south toward the Seine — View from Sacré-Coeur, looking south toward the Seine

IMG_8772 - Another view toward the Seine — Another view toward the Seine

Galeries Lafayette – just a short walk from our flat, this department store has a beautiful dome and a roof-top observation area and loads of high-end merchandise. Needless to say we window shopped.

dsc0117_100717 - Michelle and Claire on the roof top — Michelle and Claire on the roof top

P7100619 - Saving memories from the top of the Galeries Lafayette — Saving memories from the top of the Galeries Lafayette

Jardin du Luxenbourg, one of the most popular parks in Paris.

IMG_8819 - Claire in front of the Sorbonne — Claire in front of the Sorbonne

RLW-20170710152737609 - Luxembourg Palace — Luxembourg Palace

As we were leaving the gardens, we passed a building where there was a display of Thomas Ostoya‘s incredible wooden art that could be touched and moved around. So very cool.

Notre Dame (inside and up in the towers)

P7100630 - Waiting in a long line to enter Notre Dame — Waiting in a long line to enter Notre Dame

pDSC01063 - This spot in front of Notre Dame is the point at which all distances are measured in Paris — This spot in front of Notre Dame is the point at which all distances are measured in Paris

dsc0151_100717 - The guy holding his head is St. Denis — The guy holding his head is St. Denis

IMG_8838 - One of the more famous gargoles — One of the more famous gargoles

dsc0169_100717 - In the door leading up to the bells — In the door leading up to the bells

P7100653 - One of the bells being touched by my belle — One of the bells being touched by my belle

pDSC01139 - There goes Claire up to the bells — There goes Claire up to the bells

pDSC01142 - Michelle climbing the stairs in the bell tower — Michelle climbing the stairs in the bell tower

pDSC01158 - Looking out over the city — Looking out over the city

P7100658 - Sacre-Coeur in the distance — Sacre-Coeur in the distance

dsc0194_100717 - Looking down on the Seine — Looking down on the Seine

Shakespeare and Company – While waiting for our time-slot to go up in the towers of Notre Dame, we walked over to this famous bookstore. I went in, but almost immediately turned around and went out – too crowded for me.

dsc0155_100717 - Resting before crossing the river to get to Shakespeare & Company — Resting before crossing the river to get to Shakespeare & Company

dsc0159_100717 - The Shakespeare & Company Cafe is on the corner

P7100638 - See how crowded? — See how crowded?

Arc de Triomphe

P7110686 - What a staircase — What a staircase

dsc0017_110717 - So many steps to go to the top — So many steps to go to the top

P7110687 - At the level just below the top is a window looking down on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers — At the level just below the top is a window looking down on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

P7110701 - The Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers — The Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

Eiffel Tower – we didn’t go up because the line for security was longer than the line for the elevators. We voted there was more interesting things to see and do then wait in line.

Louvre – none of us wanted to join the crowds inside, so we enjoyed the plaza in front

RLW-20170714122141121 - All of us together — All of us together

Walking tour of the Marias

P7120760 - Our guide, from the U.S.A. — Our guide, from the U.S.A.

P7120762 - In the plaza outside the Pompidou Center, where we started the tour — In the plaza outside the Pompidou Center, where we started the tour

P7120771 - Outside the Pompidou Center — Outside the Pompidou Center

P7120766 - Looking down from near the top — Looking down from near the top

P7120793 - We stopped for a macaron — We stopped for a macaron

RLW-20170712184900168 - The park inside the Place des Vosges — The park inside the Place des Vosges

RLW-20170712201351072 - The tour ended on the Left Bank at the Place Saint-Michel — The tour ended on the Left Bank at the Place Saint-Michel

Versailles (Michelle and Claire, only)

Musée d’Orsay (Pat and me, only)

Pompidou Center (Michelle and Claire)

Sightseeing cruise on the Seine

Avenue des Champs-Elysees (way to crowded for any of us to enjoy)

Place de la Concorde to watch Bastille Day fireworks at the Eiffel Tower (with our son-in-law, Tom Morgan, and grandson, Drew Morgan). Tom and Drew had come to Paris from Budapest to attend the Rubik’s Cube Convention and meet Erno Rubik. They were filming a documentary about Drew’s love of the RC and had arranged to meet the inventor, Erno, at the convention. They stayed three nights in our flat, making it quite crowded, but lots of fun.

RLW-20170714221029249 - Michelle and Claire have found a good spot — Michelle and Claire have found a good spot

RLW-20170714221038132 - Tom is filming Drew for his documentary as Pat and Claire look on — Tom is filming Drew for his documentary as Pat and Claire look on

RLW-20170714221547674 - As the sun sets, the Eiffel Tower is lit — As the sun sets, the Eiffel Tower is lit

dsc0015_150717 - Tom contemplating the Eiffel Tower — Tom contemplating the Eiffel Tower

IMG_8931 - The Eiffel Tower is lit — The Eiffel Tower is lit

IMG_8948 - As the fireworks light up the sky around the Eiffel Tower — As the fireworks light up the sky around the Eiffel Tower

Michelle and Claire left early on Sunday. Late Sunday evening, Alessia and Ksenia, our Ukranian exchange student and her friend arrived on a flight from Warsaw.

IMG_8967 - Pat, Ksenia and Alessia — Pat, Ksenia and Alessia

While Alessia and Ksenia were with us, we visited many of the same sites we had been to with Michelle and Claire. In addition to those sites, the primary addition was the Paris Catacombs and a walk along one of the canals near the Bastille area. Our pattern with them was to have breakfast, walk to various sites until about noon, then Pat and I would go off together, while the ladies went off on their own. We would then meet for dinner. Below are photos of our times together.

P7170746 - Alessia gets a kiss from a statue — Alessia gets a kiss from a statue

P7200813 - A passage in the Catacombs — A passage in the Catacombs

P7210849 - Walking along the canal — Walking along the canal

P7210865 - Alessia had found this colorful street of pastel buildings — Alessia had found this colorful street of pastel buildings

IMG_9098 - Our last dinner together — Our last dinner together

- Alessia boarding the bus to the airport to head back to Odessa — Alessia boarding the bus to the airport to head back to Odessa

While Pat and I were on our own during the two weeks, we did many things we enjoy: lots of additional walking, went to the Orsay Museum and the Pompidou Center and did some geocaching.

IMG_8782 - Our second night without guests, we opted for a home picnic — Our second night without guests, we opted for a home picnic

P7120710 - One of the abandoned railway bridges on a section of the Petite Ceinture — One of the abandoned railway bridges on a section of the Petite Ceinture

P7130588 - Sign outside Sainte-Chapelle — Sign outside Sainte-Chapelle

P7130616 - Outside the Musée d’Orsay — Outside the Musée d’Orsay

P7130617 - Inside Musée d’Orsay (1) — Inside Musée d’Orsay (1)

- Inside Musée d’Orsay (2) — Inside Musée d’Orsay (2)

P7130625 - As a child, I remember our having decks of playing cards with this image on the back — As a child, I remember our having decks of playing cards with this image on the back

P7180785 - One of the really interesting things we stumbled on – the Montmartre Cemetary — One of the really interesting things we stumbled on – the Montmartre Cemetary

RLW-20170718120212933 - This is the tomb of Emile Zola — This is the tomb of Emile Zola

P7180791 - The last surviving winery inside Paris — The last surviving winery inside Paris

P7200835 - Inside the Pompidou Center — Inside the Pompidou Center

P7200837 - The Stravinsky Fountain, next to the Pompidou Center — The Stravinsky Fountain, next to the Pompidou Center

P7200840 - One of the covered arcades we wandered through — One of the covered arcades we wandered through

IMG_9112 - We got a geocache! — We got a geocache!

P7230893 - Inside Saint-Eustache church to hear organ recital — Inside Saint-Eustache church to hear organ recital

P7230894 - Organist has on red socks — Organist has on red socks

RLW-20170723175657722 - Marcel Dupre’s Three Preludes and Fugues, Op 7 — Marcel Dupre’s Three Preludes and Fugues, Op 7

IMG_9119 - Le Palais Royal — Le Palais Royal

IMG_9120 - Reflection of Le Palais Royal — Reflection of Le Palais Royal

IMG_9127 - Geocache near the Bastille monument — Geocache near the Bastille monument

Flight to Charlotte

Pat & Ray Whyde

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