I%26#39;ve been back form Paris for a week. I want to preference everything I write by stating I had a FANTASTIC time. I just wanted to share my experience a bit. I arrived in Paris on 5/22. CDG being the airport. In all honesty I advise anyone to take a taxi,shuttle, or some other form of transportation from the airport. It%26#39;s a pain in the a** trying to find your way out of the airport for the RER or Metro.
After finding my way to the shuttle to the RER stop. I was told by one of the staff at the station I should by The Carte Orange pass. I was a little skeptical, but what we he have to gain by me buying the pass? It turned out to be the best advice I recieved the whole trip! If you arrive on a Mon or Tue. Trust me. It%26#39;s worth it. A friend who arrived the day before was told she could%26#39;nt buy one because she did%26#39;nt live in Paris. I don%26#39;t know what that was about.
I asked the very helpful person at the station about getting to my hotel. He wrote the metro connections down on a map and made sure I understood the route. He was very helpful. The metro system is very easy and understandable to use. Once you discover if you%26#39;re going the RIGHT direction! I struggled with this initially, but I chalked it up as part of the experience. I made it to the station that would connect me to the #8 line to the marais. A french woman went well out of her way to help me find the train. Sadly, she did more for me than I would have done for her in the same situation. This was a recurring theme through out my time there. Parisians were very kind and friendly.
I arrived at my hotel. The Du Marais. It was a small hotel in the heart of the marais. Single room, small: but well attended and cleaned daily. No complaints about The Du Marais. The marais area is pretty cool. Shops,musuems(Picasso), and plenty of resturants. My first meal was eaten at Chez Omar. The food was plentiful and good. Great people watching spot. La Perle and The Lizard Lounge were the two lounge/bar spots I frequented. This isn%26#39;t a complaint, but the Parisians are more clique oriented than some of the residents in other places in Europe i%26#39;ve been. Just an observation.
The Marais did provide me with a funny story for my friends. I was in La Perle one nite and a guy hit on me! I know it%26#39;s a very lifestyle friendly part of town, but I was still caught off guard. The Lizard Lounge is a place to go if you want to feel more at %26quot;home%26quot; A lot of Americans were there. Mainly students. It%26#39;s a cool place. Inexspensive for the most part.
The sites in Paris are just awe inspiring! The first musuem I saw was The Orangerie. It was closed on the Mon of my arrival, but opened on Tue. This was the reopening that had been bandied about a few times on this site. Wonderful musuem. The Monets%26#39; were just beautiful. I loved The D%26#39;orsay,Picasso,Grand Nationales Palais, and the photography musuem in The Tuliries. Pardon any mispellings by the way. I%26#39;m trying to think,remember and type at the same time.
I did see The Davinci Code in Paris in VO. The Parisian movie crowd were quiet! A luxury not often afforded in the states during a film. It was one part of the experience that might require a second viewing of the film. It was in English with French subtitles, but the parts were french was spoken. No subtitles. Afterward I went to The Louvre. Words can%26#39;t describe this marvel of artistry. One thing I was curious about Paris when I arrived was why people were wearing raincoats and carrying umbrellas on clear,sunny days? I found out pretty quickly why. When it rains there. Their are no sprinkles or drizzle. It just opens up! Even if there is not a cloud in the sky.
The rest of the trip included time spent on Champs,The Latin Quarter,Montmarte,Pigalle,Opera and the area around Notre Dame. Wonderful city, people and experience.
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Thanks for your trip report, sounds like you had a great time.
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Glad you had a wonderful time...I was afraid from your topic that you%26#39;d had a breakdown in Paris! Glad it was a good experience for you.
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ffwew, for a minute there, I thought you%26#39;d had a breakdown while in Paris (as in %26#39;emotional%26#39;).
So glad it was the opposite.
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I thought the same thing, and kept reading to find your breakdown. Good headline to keep people on the hook!
Glad you had a good time, though, thanks for sharing the details of your trip. I agree about the RER -- I don%26#39;t know how anyone can manage the train with luggage, if you can even find the train station once you land. A taxi is expensive, but after a long flight, well worth it IMO.
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philly - technically the Carte Orange is only for residents but a large percentage of the clerks at the ticket windows don%26#39;t enforce the rule. Occasionally you will find some who refuse to sell them to tourists. Other than that it sounds like you had a wonderful time. I%26#39;m envious that you got to see the L%26#39;Orangerie... been waiting since 2000 and have no idea when I%26#39;ll be getting back.
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The rain that you experienced is more typical of March than May. Mainly it just drizzles here. Sounds like you had a nice time!
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