PARLEZ-VOUS THING THROWER? A request from one of our faithful readers, a friend of mine since days of yore--they are planning a trip to France for approximately two weeks in October, flying into and out of London, and then making their way across the Channel. Paris and Normandy are definitely on the itinerary, and they are open to potential other locations in France or elsewhere (they'll rent a car for at least part of the time). Museum, restaurant, tourist-y site suggestions are all more than welcome. My suggestion would be to spend a day or two in London, take the Eurostar through the Chunnel, spend some time in Paris (where you decidedly don't need a car), and wrap up with a few days in Normandy, ideally returning the car and taking the ferry across the Channel, but I'm sure y'all will have far more expertise in the matter.
This was many years ago, but we visited Versailles on a Sunday, and got there early enough to attend the town's market, and then headed out to see the castle. The market was lovely and charming and well worth the effort to see it. I stood in long lines for both fresh bread and fresh pastries.
ReplyDeleteLast in Paris in 2001, so take all with a grain of salt, because it all could be different now. But we were there for a week and used our feet and the Metro and other rail service the whole time.
ReplyDeleteWe stayed at a B&B (Hotel Relais du Louvre) between the Louvre and the Pont Neuf, which turned out to be a great area to use as our base. Versailles was an easy train ride (we were there in February and the weather was a bit grim and the gardens not yet in full bloom, but I'd imagine October would offer a different look). Other than Versailles and the Louvre, and walking along the Seine, we spent most of our time just checking out different parts of town and taking it all in: the Marais/Centre Pompidou/Jewish Museum, Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame, Tuileries/Place de la Concorde/Champs Elysees, Faubourg-St. Honore (fashion district, window shopping), Left Bank/Eiffel Tower/Musee d'Orsay. Only thing we really missed on our personal checklist was Montmartre/Sacre Coeur. No really fancy dinners come to mind - we just picked places that looked authentic and interesting and that didn't require reservations.
I should also say: I took French for 5 years in junior high and high school, but was by no means fluent conversationally. Was not a problem - I knew enough to get by, and found the stereotypical description of French reactions to English speakers not to be true. That said, I always believed it was worth making the effort.
Although I cannot vouch personally, this company has a lot of half-, full-, and even multi-day tours/events in much of Western Europe. I plan to use them next year in France. http://www.viator.com/
ReplyDeleteBe careful when leaving France, famous actors may get inspired by their Holy Grail depicted ancestors and urinate in your general direction...
ReplyDeleteIt has been my experience that the French are exceptionally nice to non-native speakers if you're not there during the tourist season. They were miserable to me in August but lovely during a September and a November trip.
ReplyDeleteI need to preface this by saying that my comments below make me feel like a totally pretentious cliche but it's my life.
I had the opportunity to go as the companion of a very generous foodie, so we went to L'Esperance in Vezeley, which was lovely and the food was amazing, and L'Hotel Bernard L'Oiseau in Saulieu. Those were my only experiences in the countryside but it was lovely to drive through the rollign hills and little villages. We did a day trip to Dijon as well and it was beautiful--the church especially.
In 99, I back-packed around Europe, staying in Nice and Paris. I loved Nice--it's so laid-back and beautiful. A day trip to Monte Carlo is super easy by train. There's a beautiful Russian Orthodox church there and the beach was lovely for sunbathing in October. We got back to Paris in November and it was rainy and chilly, but the usual haunts are always amazing: I loved the Musee D'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower is worth it. Place Igor Stravinsky, next to Pompidou, has fun fountains, Notre Dame and Sacre Couer are lovely. But I'm a fan of wandering so Champs Elysee, Tuileries, Luxembourg Gardens, Left Bank, etc are not to be missed. Myself, I didn't care too much about the Louvre. It's immense and I didn't want to spend a whole day doing it justice, but that's how I am.
Watch out for Icelandic volcanoes. That's what I learned the last time I went to Europe.
ReplyDeleteIf you want a long walking tour for a small group of people try Context. They were great.
ReplyDeleteVersailles is great on Sundays - that is when they turn on the fountains.
Also check to see what day the Louvre is free - I believe it is first Sunday. Enter underground from the tube station - not from the pyramids above - the line is much shorter underground.
Hang out on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower at night - bring some sandwiches and watch the show.
If they go to Normandy, visit Mont Saint-Michel. Very pretty.
If they want a smaller museum, Musee de l'Orangerie is very pretty and has the Monet waterlillies.
Also lovely is the Cluny Museum for its tapestry collection.
Rue Mouffetard market ... and take your goodies to the Tuileries or Jardin de Luxembourg for consumption & people-watching. Oh, I want to go back to Paris ...
ReplyDeleteThe Museum d'Orsay was my favorite when I visited Paris in Nov 2008. It's in an old train station, so really an interesting space. They had a lot of great art...a whole Picasso collection at the time where he interpreted a single piece by another artist over and over. Great stuff (but probably a different collection will be there now).
ReplyDeleteFirst, you should take the Chunnel one way and then the ferry the other way. Definitely worth trying both methods of transport.
ReplyDeleteIn France- Musee D'Orsay, Versailles, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame (even if not religious), Left Bank and well, just sitting at cafe and taking it all in. Take the Paris metro, too!
I am jealous!!
The only place of the three where you'll need a car is Normandy, and even there you could probably make do. I've used Auto Europe to reserve cars in Italy and France, and it works a treat.
ReplyDeleteI'm more up on Paris than London--I've only been to London once but to Paris a few times, most recently two years ago. Andrea's right that Mont Saint-Michel is worth seeing, and to get a really good idea of just how hard the Allied troops had it on the beaches at Normandy, head to the American Cemetery: http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/no.php Walking down those steep hills riddle with bunkers to the beach below, and then looking back up...I swear I couldn't have gotten out of the boat; I would have been shot where I sat.
The Rodin Museum is my very favorite thing in Paris. It's small; it's easy to get to; I love his work so much. It's not fancily displayed, but oh, you can get right up close to all of it. Bronzes in the garden! Of the "big" museums, d'Orsay is my favorite, too. You wouldn't think you could beat the beauty of the palace of French royalty, but the d'Orsay's setting has it all over the Louvre.
It seems it may be overrun with tourists now, but I've been to Bistrot Le P'tit Troquet, at 28, rue de l'Exposition, every time I've been in Paris and I love the place. The suggestion of the Rue Mouffetard market is a good one, and in the 2nd there's also the Rue Montorgueil: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rue_Montorgueil
I went up the towers of Notre-Dame my first time there, and I really liked it. Also note that around the back of Notre-Dame, not only can you get rockin' pictures of the flying buttresses, but there is also a little parklet. A sweet place to sit. Just near there, too, is the Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation.
Another favorite food place: Le Bar a Soupes. Mme. Bley is a lovely woman, and yep, she definitely knows what she's doing when it comes to soup. The restaurant isn't particularly near anything, and about a kilometer from the nearest Metro stop, but if you feel like having a wander down a street without tourists and with some pretty good window shopping, it could be worth it.
What fun! Super-jealous here, too.
I went on a a guided tour type trip a quite a few years ago and loved Mont St Michel http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/en/accueil.htm, I think near Normandy. We also visited lots of chateaus in the Loire Valley in France, the best was this one http://www.chenonceau.com/.
ReplyDeleteIf you're planning on doing a lot of museums/touristy things, I would highly recommend getting a Paris Museum Pass.
ReplyDeleteOh, if you're looking for additional destinations, go to Geneva for the Red Cross/Red Crescent museum. I was last there in 96, so, again, it's been a while, but it was a remarkable museum. And the Jet d'Eau! And mean swans.
ReplyDeleteI can't vouch for France, but was really happy with Viator for a recent trip to Spain and for a Vatican tour in Rome - both times we had a knowledgeable and friendly guide. I thought both tours were worth the price.
ReplyDeleteGuest was me.
ReplyDeleteFor a fun lunch either before or after the Louvre or a Walk in the Tuilleries, I recommend Le Souffle (36 Rue du Mont Thabor, 1 block off Rue de Rivoli). You can get savory and/or sweet souffles - they even have a three course souffle prix fix menu).
ReplyDeleteI second the Rodin Museum - the gardens are lovely - and if you're a Monet fan, L'Orangerie to see Water Lilies in the round.
If you're a podcast person, Rick Steves has podcast walking tours of the several sites and neighborhoods - they are pretty informative and hit a lot of the high points.
I agree. My French is mediocre at best and I've always been treated with kindness and patience by the French while in France and attempting to speak the language.
ReplyDeleteSome London suggestions:
ReplyDeleteShakespeare at the Globe. Brilliantly acted and such an experience to be there in situ.
Borough Market. Good food-buying and eating.
Tate Modern. A really great museum experience.
War Horse. It apparently must be seen.
Hampton Court. I really enjoyed doing this -- it's fun to take the train out to the suburbs and it's a good way to connect with Tudor history, if you're into that sort of thing. Plus there's a hedge maze out in back.
London Walks. I think that walking tours are a really nice way to get your footing in a new city. This company is good and they offer lots of options. I enjoyed the Westminster tour, which covers Parliament, etc.
Fun fact: the Geneva train station had the nicest showers of any of the places I stayed in the two months I was traveling. It was worth every one of those 10 Swiss francs.
ReplyDeleteAgain, an opportunity (which I should have taken in my original comment above) to praise Rick Steves and his guidebooks. If you're not using a tour company and trying to plan your trip yourself, we've always found his recommendations about what to do (and what not to waste your time on) to be gold.
ReplyDeleteGet out of Paris and head to Champagne or Burgundy (or both)!
ReplyDeleteI agree on Rick Steves. I love me some travel books, and Rick Steves has a knack for giving you really useful information about how to maximize your time. (I like Lonely Planet, too, because it gives more context and detail even about the places that aren't necessarily highlights.)
ReplyDeleteTwo food recommendations in Paris:
ReplyDelete- Les Papilles: a restaurant with only one menu each night, as they go to the market and cook what is good. During the day it is a wine store, and you can purchase bottles off of the wall to drink with dinner at a minimum corkage fee. The kitchen is the size of a closet; what comes out is outstanding.
- Berthillon: pricey but worth it ice cream on Ile St. Louis. Do not go to the imposters that line the street near it, make sure you go to the original shop. Best flavors are pamplemousse, caramel, poire.
Super excited about this post and comments. My partner and I are planning a trip for April-- two weeks to France, definitely going to spend some time in Paris, interested in suggestions on what else we should do. Keep these suggestions coming! Thanks to everyone who has already commented.
ReplyDeleteThe Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris is a little out of the way, but it has a fantastic collection of Monet paintings--including the one that Impressionism is named for--and fascinating things like Monet's palette.
ReplyDeleteMt. St. Michel is definitely worth visiting, and the D-Day Museum in Caen is amazing and moving.
Sainte-Chapelle near Notre Dame in Paris is beautiful. Its stained glass is mesmerizing.
I tend to think that is often true. When a friend and I were traveling in Italy, the fact that we were stumbling along with phrasebooks earned us brownie points. This also led to this conversation:
ReplyDeleteFriend: Why do you think that everyone keeps asking if we are either English or Canadian?
Me: Maybe because we are obviously English speakers, but we're actually trying to use Italian, which rules out being American?
Food in Paris: Breizh Cafe in the Marais for insanely delicious Breton crepes, L'As du Falafel on Rue d'Rosiers (the one with the line outside - it's worth the wait), perfect chocolates and fancy tarts at Jacques Genin. Oh, and picking up a picnic lunch from the market at the Bastille metro stop - everything is great, but especially the chicken and potatoes. And it's not seasonal right now so may not be around as much, but anything having to do with marron glace. Honestly, for Paris food, I would just spend a lot of time reading David Lebovitz's blog (www.davidlebovitz.com) and working up an appetite.
ReplyDeleteI fifth or sixth the Orsay. I'm very partial to the Orsay because saw my first paintings by several artists who are now among my favorites there, and the space itself is just gorgeous.
Oh, and in London, the Imperial War Museum -- fascinating place. Probably a couple hours' time, not a whole day, if you're in the area.
ReplyDeleteSince the London suggestion thread is kinda buried now, I wanted to jump in and thank everyone for their suggestions. My wife and I have printed copies of the comments thread that have been very useful for planning purposes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the terrific suggestions -- I am now officially excited about the trip! :)
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things to do in Paris is to stand at the top of the stairs inside Ste Chappelle and watch people's faces as they come up the stairs and see the stained glass for the first time.
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