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Misc Paris Thoughts

By on April 23, 2007 in Art, France, Paris, Travel

I’m so over the Sixth.

I got my first glimpse of Paris years ago when we emerged from the Metro at Saint Michel and walked down St. Andres des Arts to our hotel near Rue de Buci. I loved it, and have been slow to accept that it’s no longer my favorite part of Paris. This trip our hotel was in the same neighborhood except on a street that should have been quieter, but was still noisy all night long. About the time the parties ended, the garbage collection started. And the streets were packed with kids all day long. It’s just not my scene. Next time we stay elsewhere!

The Orangerie.

I’ve wanted to visit the Orangerie for years, checking before every Paris trip to see if the endless renovations were complete and it was finally open. Finally this time it was, and we were able to visit the two rooms with huge Monet waterlily paintings and the long narrow galleries in the basement (sort of reminiscent of being down in the tunnels of the Metro). A couple of the Monets were magnificent, the others I thought were mostly just big, but not his best efforts. Definitely not my favorite Paris art museum.

Jet lag.

My doctor startled me a few weeks ago by chortling and rubbing his hands and saying “Have I got a jet lag cure for you!!” when I asked for Ambien to get over the rough spots of jet lag. In addition to the sleepy pills, he gave me something called Provigil to keep me awake and alert through the first day when we arrived. It worked—I felt wide awake all day but not jittery and slept as well as could be expected through the parties in the street outside my window. A couple of days later, I’m realizing it didn’t prevent the jet lag, just delayed it. Ho-hum.

I LOVE Paris.

I realize this sounds grumpy, but don’t misunderstand me. Even though we just stopped over two nights and one day in Paris this trip, I loved it. It was the most perfectly beautiful spring day you could ever imagine, and we walked all day long. And the Laduree macarons were perfect!

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Why is this the best trip ever?

By on April 17, 2007 in France

Because we’re going to three fabulous areas in France, because it’s spring, and just because it’s the next trip. Our worst trip to Europe was our first one, when jet lag, sleeplessness and the fact that we’d just quit smoking made us both semi-psychotic and hateful. Every trip since then has gotten better, as we’ve learned more about what what makes us happy and what doesn’t.

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3+ weeks in France!

By on April 16, 2007 in France, Travel

I started planning this trip when we left France the last time, in October 2005. Finally, it’s here, and I’m just sure it will be the best trip ever!

2 nights in Paris

Just enough time to get over the worst of the jet lag. No museums or major sightseeing. We’ll walk along the Seine, sit in cafes and watch Paris, and eat well. We’re trying a new hotel, Hotel le Jardin de l’Odeon. It’s reasonably priced and in the Sixth near Saint Germain, where I wanted to be. I hope it’s not awful.

4 nights in the Loire Valley

We train to Tours, pick up our car and drive to our little stone cottage at La Barauderie near Montrichard. A few years ago we stayed in the smaller cottage at the same place and loved it. The location is amazing, out in the country among the wheat fields, just a short walk from the Montrichard Forest. Lots of birdsong and unbelievable stars at night.
We’ll have dinner with Karen and Craig, the owners of La Barauderie, on our first night.

The only other definite plan for our remaining three days is to have lunch with ckenb from the message board and his partner, who live in St. Aignan, a few kilometers up (?) the river from Montrichard.

This is our third trip to the area, so we’ve seen most of the big chateaus. We’ll spend the rest of our time meandering around our immediate neighborhood, maybe even in concentric circles.

7 nights in the Dordogne

From Montrichard, we’ll drive south to Sarlat, where we have an apartment for a week. This is entirely new territory for us, and I’m sure we’re going to wish we had much more time. We’ll go to Lascaux II to see the prehistoric cave paintings for sure. Maybe another cave painting site or two, maybe not. I’ve always hated caves, so maybe I’ll just find a café to hang out in while Frank visits caves. Castles, gardens, beautiful drives, nice walks, good food!

9 nights in Provence

We drive from Sarlat to St. Saturnin Les Apt for two nights at Le Mas Perreal, Kevin Widrow’s B&B. Then to Lourmarin for a week at Les Olivettes. In Provence, we’re meeting Kathy and Charley Wood for dinner and going on the inaugural hike of the newly formed C.I.R.P. (Informal hiking club of the Luberon) organized by Kevin. Markets, beautiful drives, good food, more walks, time to just sit and enjoy Lourmarin, one of my favorite places in the world. Probably one day in Aix.

Final night at the Paris Hilton

We’ll take the train back to Paris on the final afternoon for our flight home on Sunday morning.

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