Teddles.com

I really don't want to dwell on this day. It was long. It was long and hard.

We met Karina this morning at 8:30 to check us out of the apartment, and had a cab waiting for us at 8:40 to take us to Charles De Gaulle airport for our check in and flight.

Everything went smooth. We waited. We boarded. We sat in a plane while it flew for 10+ hours across the Atlantic to Dallas/Ft. Worth.

We got off, got our bags, went through customs and immigration. We waited. We boarded. We sat in a plane for another 3 hours while it flew us to San Diego.

We got our bags again, got a cab -

...and got to come home and see our dog Buster and our cat Namale! Yay!
Hugs and kisses, more hugs and kisses
A shower, bed.

G'night. It was fun though. Worth every m.......zzzzzzzzzzz

Having been out so late the night before, we slept in until 8:30. That's very late for me, but I did sleep later than normal on this trip.

After some coffee and pastry we decided to head out to the Bastille area of Le Marais. I had heard there was some trendy shopping and fun things to see. We didn't find much good shopping but did happen on an art show that had some bad, but some good art. Steve ended up buying a painting from a comtemporary abstract artist. I found an artist who had a painting I liked, but since I had already purchased an impressionist painting, I decided to think about it and contact him by email if I had to have it. I think I will forego it for now.

We had lunch at a place that Chuck and Dierdre had recommended, the Fountain Sully. We, well I, had a wonderful lunch, mine an omelet and Steve, for some reason, had chicken nuggets. Commercial, formed chicken nuggets. He said it was what he wanted but in France?? Oh well. Not my job.

We walked for a few more blocks down Rue De Rivoli and then caught a cab to the Latin Quarter. We went to Boulevard St. Germaine and Boulevard St. Michelle. I realized while shopping that I had been in the neighborhood before, the last time in Paris. I remember asking directions at the cash desk at this very store. Funny how things come back.

I bought a pair of cool jeans and we headed back to the apartment. Again, in an area as busy at that the cabs were hard to come by, but with patience and finding the correct corner we scored.

We relaxed and watched a bit of Animal Planet French style, napped, and just lazed around for the last evening in Paris.

We decided to try another restaurant touted by my friend Ethel, Leo le Lion, but there was no outside dining and we really wanted to eat on the street our last dinner out.

We found a nice corner place on Rue Cler and had a wonderful meal. Steve had sea bass and I had roast chicken and risotto. OMG it was wonderful. Grey Goose as an aperitif and no dessert. Stuffed and happy.

We walked back to the apartment to start the packing ritual. It went fast and easy. Steve is great at packing, other than forgetting the sport coats in the hall closet. Oh well. They went in easily.

It has been a wonderful experience in Paris I have fallen in love with the city. The people, contrary to all that we have heard throughout the years, were wonderful and helpful. They all had a sense of humor with us, and as long as we said "bonjour" they were always willing to try and help us.

The cabbies were all great and many tried to speak English and I tried to understand their French. It all worked and we always got where we wanted to go.

Shop keepers were all gracious and the restauranteurs were all attentive and happy.

It was such a great time. I hate to leave. Yeah, Palm Springs and San Diego are not too bad, but Paris......I hate to leave. But Palm Springs .... yeah.

This morning was another lazy one. I went to Rue Cler and got some more Pan de Chocolat to get the morning started. We are tired from all the running but we don't want to miss anything so we keep going as best we can. Steve's back is holding up pretty well. We have to stop and rest fairly often but we are making everything as you have been reading.

We called for cancellations at The Moulin Rouge and got some tickets for the 11:00 show. We decided we had to see the Can-Can before we really had seen Paris. Score.

Today we had to go and get more Euros. I was floored to find out that most French banks don't change money from US to Euros. We had to find a money changer. They are not on every corner. We could get money from a cash machine, but I brought some US cash that I needed to use. A nice customer in the French bank told me there were many changers on the Champs Elysee. We walked the 2 blocks to the Seine, crossed it by the Grand Palais and cut over the the Champs Elysee. Luckily in the first block of businesses I found a Barclay Bank and they could change US for me. YAY

Then it wasn't a far walk back to the Seine to jump on a Batobus, a sightseeing water taxi, for a journey through town on the Seine.

First stop was the Eiffel Tower which is beautiful from any perspective. An amazing structure. From there we went back past the Champs Elysee to the Ile de Cite and Notre Dame. We took pictures from the water but just wanted to stay on the boat and not walk around too much this morning.

The next stop was the Paris City gardens, called the Jardin de les Plantes. Beautiful from the water and I'm sure it would be a joy to walk through them. We just need another week.

Next stop I think was the Louvre which we had already done. There was one other stop, but like I said, we just wanted to see Paris from the Seine.

We got off again at the Champs Elysee and walked the 3 blocks to home at 26 Rue Fabert.

After resting a little bit and regrouping we headed up to the Arc de Triumphe at the head of the Champs Elysee. We decided to walk down the avenue instead of up. We stopped and had a good late lunch/early dinner at an Italian place on the sidewalk. It was fun to see the people strolling and scurrying down the Champs Elysee. It is all that I had heard. The couture salons, the junk, just about anything. But everyone had style. Including the gypsies, who looked just like gypsies, complete with head scarves. Lol. No blending in. In fact, in the middle of the crowd there was an old gypsie crone giving direction to the others as to how to scam the tourists. No wonder France is sending them back to Romania. I can't blame them.

We went back to the apartment to take a nap, considering we would be out very late. The Moulin Rouge show started at 11:30, we had to be there at 10:30, so we figured rest was in order.

At 10:00 we caught a cab for Monmartre and the Moulin Rouge. We had decent seats, not counting the princess bitches sitting at the table next to us who didn't appreciate that they had great seats and had to try to make our evening lousy (they failed miserably).

The show was, well, the show. It had great costumes and some wonderful specialty acts while costume changes we made, but the show itself? Not a lot of good dancing, but LOTS of boobs and glitter. I could see me at Halloween playing an aging, fat Moulin Rouge dancer. LOL. OMG. Not. No more fishnets and thongs for this guy. Maybe....

A cab was hard to get and we actually had to avoid a fighting drunk to get one, but we managed and got home at 2:00 AM. Whew.

I am usually an early riser, but I'm finding here in Paris that I am sleeping in until at least 8:00 AM. I think it is because the windows of the apartment all face an inner courtyard and it stays darker in the room. It's fine but hard to get a jump on the day. Not that we are lacking in activity.

Today was Monmartre. We caught a cab to the funiculaire, a cable car on tracks, and went up the hill to Sacre' Coeur. It is a beautiful cathedral architecturally and all done in white stone. The view of the city is magnificent. The city is laid out before you, with one exception. From the area of the cathedral you can not see Le Tour Eiffel.

We went to Monmartre to find a painter that had a gallery behind Sacre'Coeur. I had seen his work the last trip to Paris and had wanted one of his works ever since then. As luck would have it Jacque Chardon was still at his gallery. His works are very evocotive of the Paris experience, even to Paris in the rain. I found one I loved of the Champs Elysèe and purchased it. Steve isn't wild about the impressionist style, as we both love abstract, but it will always remind me of our trip, and the colors are fantastic. I'll find a place for it in Palm Springs.

We wandered around the little shops and decided to try to find the Moulin Rouge to see if we could get tickets for the show. Well, after MUCH wandering, we finally found it. My, it's in a seedy district! Lots of strip shows and dance halls. A busy area however. We checked the box office and they said to call in the morning to see if there were cancellations.

So we caught a cab back to the apartment to drop off the painting. We went around the corner to the Recruitment Cafe for a small bite, a sandwich, and the rain started again. This time it came down in buckets, but for a short time. We were eating outside under an awning but the rain still blew in so Steve just raised his umbrella and all was fine.

We decided to go to the apartment for a rest before trying another bistro down the street for dinner.

We seem to be eating very late here, as is the habit of most of Paris. About 8:30 we headed down towards Tour Maubourg to the Cafe l'Esplanade. We had seen many people there during the day and the place looked very nice with orange velvet chairs and shiny laquered tables with crisp starched linens. As it turns out, it is a very popular place for dinner. We should have known with the cars double parked out front. And by cars I mean Bentleys, Lambourghinis, Mazeratis, etc.

While we should have made reservations for dinner, they were able to fit us in. Thank goodness as just then the skies opened up again. Dinner was another great epicurean experience. Steve's steak and my spicy Lobster pasta were incredible. (One thing I must say, here in Paris they are incredibly stingy with their vodka. Thimble size with ice is what they call a drink. But we have survived on this, for now.) After a small and delicious dessert, we strolled back to the apartment in the now dry night.

Another memorable day;

Today is the first rainy day. We knew a storm may come through, but we didn't know when. It's today.

So that means it's a great day for museums. We decided to hit the Louvre. We arrived and headed through the cavernous mall beneath the museum and including beneath the I.M. Pei pyramid. I was watching for a store owned by our nieghbors in Palm Springs called Perico, but didn't find it.

We decided to head up, with the rest of the world, to see the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and Venus De Milo. I have seen so much Greek sculpture in Greece and the London Museum, that I had no desire to see any more. We saw some of the Italian paintings and sculpture, our three main objectives and ran as fast as we could out of that hot, overcrowded and impossible museum. Steve's legs were hurting and my patience was gone. Bye. And the rain had stopped.

We decided after getting out in the nice, cool, fresh air to stroll down through the Jardin des Tuileries. It was beautiful and a good place for Steve to rest his legs and back. Till the rain started. Oh well. We had umbrellas. It didn't rain very hard or for very long, but enough to make mud.

We decided to skip the next planned museum, the L'Orangerie and head for lunch. We had decided on yet another recommendation by Ethel. This time it was a small cafe, very chic and old, called Le Souffle. It was only a block from where were by the Jeu de Paum, at 36 rue Mont Thabor. They graciously seated us without reservations, which I would consequently recommend.

The specialty there is, of course souffle. I had leek and scallop souffle while Steve had ham and cheese. YUM!! And, of course a Kir Royale for me, vodka for Steve. (He's allergic to wine!) What a delicious and elegant lunch on a rainy day.

Catching a taxi in the rain in Paris is not easy! It took several corner placements before we found the right spot, and still a bit of a wait until an available cab came to our rescue. Whew. But we made it home again.

Dinner tonight was quite spectacular. I had made reservations at the Jules Verne restaurant on the second level of Le Tour Eiffel. Oh my God what a view! Of course I was terrified at first with my fear of heights, but soon calmed myself and truly enjoyed the magnificent view of this gorgeous city. We saw it from day through dusk and into night. An incredible experience in itself.

But the meal. I couldn't believe that food could be so perfectly prepared, so beautifully presented, and with the most perfect service I have ever encountered. Everything was so perfect so as to almost seem unreal. But it was real.

The Tournedos of Boeuf with Pate de Foie Gras and Anna potatoes was amazing. And did I mention the view? And dessert. I had something chocolate that was so incredible it was absurd. Steve had a georgous tart with hand made ice cream. Then they brought us both a small shot glass of creme with raspberries, small chocolates, and macaroons. Divine overkill.

We were in the dining room long enough to see the light show of le Tour Eiffel sparkle right out of the window beside us. It was so amazing to feel a part of it, being so close.

It was the most incredible evening ever. I hope I never lose this memory.

We had them call for a taxi and reluctantly went home. I found it hard to sleep thinking about what we had just enjoyed.

I woke up early-ish and decided to head for Rue Cler, one of the oldest markets in all of Paris. I wanted to see what was there and I found a boucherie where I could get some Pate de foie gras. We already had the pain de chocolat so we didn't need anything else so I headed home. But I got to see what it was all about.

I came back, made coffee in the press and got Steve starting the day.

We decided to go to two museums today. First we walked to the Musee Rodin. It was really interesting to see the original bronzes of things you have seen all your life such as The Thinker, and the Gates of Hell. Beautiful setting and many things to see.

From there we headed to the Musee D'Orsay. Oh my. From the moment we entered the door we were enchanted. The juxtaposition of the very old structure and contemporary walls around the exhibits was magic. And we got to see works by Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Renoir, Gauguin, Van Gogh and so many others. What a joy.

But we got tired of standing and walking so we decided to take a break, rest, and head shopping!

We hired a taxi (the resting part) and headed for Galleries Lafayette near the Opera. While they had four floors of men's wear, all I found was a resonably priced man purse, while Steve just refused to pay the high prices of all of the clothes.

So we headed down the street to C&A. It's a more reasonably priced department store and he found a well styled hoodie sweatshirt to his liking. I was really happy that he found something.

For dinner we decided to try another favorite of Ethel's called Chamade Cafe on Le Suffrens, near le Tour Eiffel. We were warmly greeted by the owner Dominique when we mentioned Ethel's name. The food and the service were spectacular, as we followed Dominique's suggestions and had pate du foie gras and the Duck Breast l'Orange. That and a Kir Royale for me and a vodka for Steve and we were really happy. And tired.

We had Dominique call a taxi for us and headed past the Tour Eiffel home to Les Invalides and our wonderful apartment.

We slept in a bit, like 7:30. I had an engagement at the Meurice Hotel with my friend Joan to do her hair. I caught a cab and was there at 8:30, had a bit of coffee and a pain de chocolat, and came back to get the day going. I must say, the Meurice is quite a lovely hotel.

Today we went to the Money exchange in the St Germaine area. From there we decided to go find Bon Marche to buy some fragrances for gifts. What a beautiful store. It was partially designed by Gustaf Eiffel and is the oldest department store in Paris. Gorgeous, and expensive!!! We left before I could go broke!!

Looking at the map we decided that it didn't look too far to just walk home. Guess what? I could have done it easily, but for Steve's back it was too far! Probably 6-7 miles. We stopped for coffee along the way for a rest but there was tired folks who fell into the apartment when we got here.

We took a nap and woke refreshed. We decided that we needed some things at the market to stock the fridge. We needed Vodka, Cranberry juice, oh yeah, some crackers and cheese. It eventually took 3 trips to the store and boulangerie to acquire all of the pain de chocolat, croissant and assorted other things we "needed". LOL.

For dinner we decided to try a place just down the street that we had seen several times. It's called the Recruitment Bistro, and was very decent. Better Vodka than we had been served other places, if that is a good comparison. LOL. The food was delicious and the service was decent, only having one server and one bartender for a fairly busy joint! We laughed and had a good time, and it was one block from the apartment.

Another day done. We will sleep very well tonight.

First of all, the journey was an easy one. The flights were on time and the connections easy. And for us to be where we are supposed to be at the same time is phenomenal. But we were and we are here.

We arrived at the apartment and were met by Fred, one of the members of Paris Vacation Apartments. He explained how everything worked and procedures for everything, like the washer and dryer and the dishwasher, windows, shutters etc. That took an hour. Then we were on our own.

We decided to go to a flea market that we passed on the way into town. It was a hefty taxi ride but we had a great time. There was all different kinds of things, from furniture to antique clothing, to antiques themselves. Lots of midcentury, since most of the midcentury designers were European. Loved seeing that stuff.We bypassed several other flea markets of clothes, a mistake, because we were tired and needed to get back to the apartment to rest.

(By the way, if you find mistakes in the spelling here it is because this is a French keyboard and some letters are in a different place, such as the a and the w and the m. Very difficult.)

We ate at a restaurant that my friend Ethel recommended called Le Suffren. It was a wonderful first dinner in Paris, as it was easy. We took a taxi there and then decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower park just to see it. We thought we'd get a cab from there, but no such luck. LOL . We ended up walking back, and with a minor setback by a wrong turn, we finally made it home to the apartment. Exhausted.

G'night all...

Yep. Today is the last day of work before tomorrow's takeoff on an adventure in Paris. Not that I am excited but....YAY!!

It's been a hard week at work, and moving the motorhome and our "stuff" to the new park didn't help. My trainer will have his hands full today getting me loosened up. Hamstrings are tight, low back is tight, mid back is tight. LOL.

We are almost packed. We really only want to take 2 rolling cases so we have to cut a bit of stuff. Tonight will tell if we have to take an extra case. I hope not. We will only be gone 8 days including travel days. We'll see.

Many friends have been helpful, giving me things to do like museums, restaurants, galleries. It promises to be a busy but enjoyable time. The weather looks mixed. It may rain parts of 3 days on us but only one day of storm. Good day for museums.

I didn't sleep well last night. A diesel truck parked out on the street and idled for 1/2 hour at 3:00 AM. I couldn't really get back to deep sleep after that. There are an amazing amount of nighttime noises. So I'm starting a long hard work day tired.

I guess I will sleep well tonight.