ATG in Gay Paree (that would be Paris) - with a day trip to DLP!

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Who the heck am I? A relative newbie - longtime lurker and Lurkyloo stalker (she's making me do this TR, I swear).
Where are we going? On a fabulous 5th anniversary trip to Paris! With a day jaunt to DLP! Score!
When are we going? We're back already (frown)! The trip was April 28th-May 4th.

Let's get crackin'!

Day one of our adventure (Forgive me for not starting out with DLP). Arrive, bedraggled and frazzled into Charles De Gaulle airport at crazy O'clock in the morning. Stumble down to baggage claim and then off to find the trains into Paris. At CDG, for those of you who've not yet been, there are fun shuttles to the different terminals with the trains for Paris being in terminal 2. We were, of course, in terminal 1 (no photos of this. Did I mention the crazy o'clock?).

We found the place to purchase tickets and snagged our Navigo passes. These would give us unlimited rides on the Metro, the bus, or the RER inside Paris for the week. The cost for this bounty? Around 17 euro. The one catch was that the Navigo wouldn't get us from the airport to Paris, for that, we'd need a separate RER ticket. This sounds much more complicated than it actually was! The only tough part was finding the destination nearest our hotel La Manufacture (beware, the website blares the "Pink Panther" theme. Le sigh.

We managed to get lost - We hopped off the train at Gare Austerlitz - which they said was the closest stop to our hotel. And it was...for the train. So, DH and I are lugging our suitcases up and down flights of stairs (no photos, was busy lugging) until a kindly Metro employee asked us if we needed assistance. We showed her our Hotel name and address. She scratched her head, having heard of neither. Gulp! After phone calls to friends, and one internet search later, we were on the Metro (yay, Navigo!) to Place d'Italie

So, THIS is our stop?! It's not the one 15 minutes away? Silly ATG!

Unpacking finished, nap taken (it was crazy o'clock when we arrived!), it was time for lunch!

Time for yummy French food! Or, as the French call it - food.

This is cheese, wrapped in crispy goodness, topped with some kind of fruity sauce, and placed on a sprinkling of lettuce. Also known as, I'm doomed!

My main plate - braised beef with the butteriest mashed potatoes known to man - topped with herbed garlicky goodness. Did I mention the doom?

DH's plate of pork with potato gratin and green beens. My potatoes kicked the crap out if his potatoes!

Buttery potatoes AND a glass of booze = happiest ATG Evah! Keep her fed and watered and you have a friend for life.

Waddling out the door, we headed out to have some kind of adventure before the sun went down. Can't waste our very first day! Quickly, to the Metro!

 

[disney_princess_85]

Ooh, great so far! Can't wait for more!

 

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Our hotel recommended the Bateaux-Mouches for our day one adventure:

We thought this was a capital idea! Sit on a boat as it cruises down the Seine, snapping pictures and taking in the sights as we slowly digest the feast we had imbibed. Brilliant! The clerk at the hotel said the bus would be the best way to get there, you get to see more of the city, and it's included in the Navigo pass. She said the stop was on the way to our restaurant. Easy! HA! We walked up and down the street looking for the 83 bus stop with no luck. Finally, ready to pass out from walking and digesting, I begged DH to take the Metro. We staggered down the stairs of the nearest entrance (Les Goeblins) and took the 7 Metro. We got off near the Petite Palais - not too far from the Place Concorde.

Turning right we walked down this little alley way until we found the boats. We already had tickets, thanks to our hotel! So we skipped the line and hopped right on board.

It was wicked hot that afternoon - turned out to be the sunniest, hottest day of our stay! I'm wearing black (genius!) and brought along my crocheted hat to keep me warm (in my neck of the woods, it get freezing out on the water), needless to say, I nearly passed out from the heat. I think I drank a billion bottles of water (I had a water bottle which didn't last, DH had to buy extra water to keep me going)!

Onto the sights!

Looking at these, I took a lot of pics of bridges and the stuff on said bridges. Huh. Must have been the heat...

We also took about a bajillion pics of the Eiffel Tower as we passed it. Seriously, it would make you weep.

Here's our first attempt at a picture of the two of us with the tower as a background:

This will not be our last attempt...

After that, it was nap time, again. We followed that with a frantic search for a decent place to eat that was open at 10:30p - oops. DH found a sandwich shop and just pointed to random things to be placed on our sandwich. There is no picture, as we wolfed it down before I could think to grab the camera.

 

[lurkyloo]

Hooray! You're doing a trippie! I love how your dress coordinates with the subway tunnel in that first pic.... OK, I haven't read the rest yet—I was so excited to comment.

Back to the top...

 

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Thanks Lurkyloo & Disney Princess! My first evah comments on my first evah trippie!

 

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Oops...

I KNEW I had a few more from that dang Bateaux cruise...

The Louvre! Notice how I framed it with a Bateaux? Channeling the Roots!

The statue of Le Vert Galant on the Pont Neuf

Don't know if you can see it but, there's a kitty painted on that building. I lurve kittehs.

There is a car hanging from this boat. They've got all the bases covered - water? Gotta boat. Road? Gotta car. All set!

..and we're back to bridges! Tomorrow I get a massive headache from staring at incredible art! Oh boy!

 

[Cyrano]

Great report and photos Keep it coming

 

[stargatebarbie]

great report ,ive done that boat and those bridges keep it going loving the pics

 

[MinnieMe67]

I too am a loyal Lurkyloo trip report follower... let me just say, your first trippie is really great! Love the pictures and comments! Right now I can only dream of Paris (and Japan), but who knows... someday!

Debbie

 

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Day 2! We woke up fairly early and headed downstairs for our pastry breakfast - why did I never snag a photo of said breakfast? Likely because I was cramming it quickly into my pie-hole.

We decided today was the day to tackle the Louvre! So we put on our comfiest shoes and walked a whole half block to the Metro. We hopped on the 7 towards La Courneuve and stopped at the Palais Royale, Musee du Louvre. It was ridiculously easy to enter the museum!

The swanky Metro signs in front of the museum!

First up, the oldest part of the museum!

 

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The Sully wing was our first stop! It houses the Medieval Louvre - the remnants of the fortress that the Louvre later grew up around. It was GORGEOUS!

Here, you see a bit of turret.

The museum was having an exhibit in this space. An artist had quotes (in French) written in neon on the walls - a way to blend the old with the new. I grabbed the flyer but, haha! I managed to misplace it.

The Sully exhibit also holds the Egyptian exhibits on multiple floors.

I was really looking forward to this part of the museum, as I read a lot of stuff about ancient Egypt - and then discuss it with my dad! We're such history nerds. It was just so completely overwhelming! I couldn't really process this part of the museum so we ditched it and headed out for lunch in the Richelieu wing. My "Rough Guide to Paris" said the cafe in that wing was the best spot to eat in the museum, and the book has NEVER steered me wrong.

Next up: FOOOOOOOOD!

 

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Pretty, pretty building!

When we arrived at the cafe, there was a sign on it that is was closed for another 30 minutes. DH and I stood there, stunned for about a minute, until I finally turned to ask him where else he'd like to try. As we stood there discussing our options, a very handsome waiter stopped in front of us and asked us a question. I have no idea what he said, as it was in French. I apologized and told him I didn't really speak French (I said this in the most horrid CD French imaginable). His response? "English?" we nod. "Excellent!", says the waiter. "Would you like to come in?", he asks. I look at him, puzzled, "I thought you were closed...". "No, come in, come in.", he waves us to a table outside. It's GORGEOUS! On the second floor, overlooking the pyramid. It's covered with big umbrellas to keep us in shade. Heavenly. He gives us the menu and explains that since the kitchen isn't open yet, he can get us pastry or cold sandwiches. I love him! DH and I are perusing the menu when the waiter returns with our drinks.
"I can also do this.", he says, pointing to a hot menu item.
"We'll take two", is my reply.

Melty cheesy goodness! The Croque Monsieur!

Time to walk off that lunch!

The Richelieu wing holds some beautiful renaissance tapestries AND Napoleon III's old apartments (that would be Napoleon I's nephew, for non History nerds).

I'm going to do my dining room exactly like this one, you know, just for entertaining a few close friends...

After this was the Denton wing and then? SHOPPING!!

 

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Hey, there's priceless art all around us! Let's snap a picture...of us...

Behind my GIANT head, is a tiny, very famous picture!

We hit the "Masters" wing to oogle the Mona Lisa and some other stuff until my legs said "Stop it! We hate you!" and my brain stopped working. It did! It just couldn't process the stuff I was seeing. I could just stare at things and drool. Not good.

We left, and decided to walk in the sunshine - until I could find a place that would serve me coffee while I sat down. Enter, Cafe Verlet on the Rue St. Honore.

A.K.A the prettiest iced coffee I've ever seen! I literally said "Aww!" when I saw it!

We continued up the street, and window shopped all the way up it.

We went into Goyard to pet the pretty trunks.

Goyard opened a year before LV. They have purty stuff.

We stopped here for tasty treats! We'd be back here again...

Nappy's column.

One last stop and then it was back to the hotel!

Some shopping was done.

Once we got back to the hotel, I took a nap (Ha! I crashed so hard, I didn't move for HOURS!). DH finally woke me up to tell me it was after 9Pm but, I apparently ignored him and continued sleeping. He, starving, finally gave up waiting and went back to the sandwich place to grab us a late dinner. He says I ate some of it but, I don't remember. I was really, really tired!

Next up, we go WAAAAAY into the air, and I finally meet a rude person in France!

 

[Becx N Gav]

I'm enjoying your report so far - we've only ever been to DLRP in Paris I've seen a few other places in France though

It's interesting to see how much time you spent doing stuff too - I can imagine an all day museum trip would be a lot to take in for most people, I found that in Rome building after building and I just wanted to sit down

You seem to be coping ok with the jet lag - when we come back from WDW (or anywhere in the states!) it takes us a week or so to feel 'normal' again.

I'm sorry you met a rude French person - I hope that was the one and only time!

Looking forward to more

 

[zinderella]

I'm really enjoying your report - very well written with lovely pictures!
Can't wait for the next instalments.......

 

[Jayney73]

Really enjoying your trip report..your photos are fab!! Cant wait to see your adventures in DLP!!

 

[burly]

I think i will join in on this one. You are very witty!
Enjoying the pictures also.

 

[Disneygrl36]

Enjoying your pictures of Paris.....a place I dream of going some day. It just looks like every direction you turn in has something beautiful to photograph. How many pics did you take in total?

I love the pic of you guys in front of the Mona Lisa.

 

[A-T-G]

I'm enjoying your report so far - we've only ever been to DLRP in Paris I've seen a few other places in France though

It's interesting to see how much time you spent doing stuff too - I can imagine an all day museum trip would be a lot to take in for most people, I found that in Rome building after building and I just wanted to sit down

You seem to be coping ok with the jet lag - when we come back from WDW (or anywhere in the states!) it takes us a week or so to feel 'normal' again.

I'm sorry you met a rude French person - I hope that was the one and only time!

Looking forward to more

Thanks! I'm glad it looks like I'm dealing well with the Jet Lag - it's all an act! I was exhausted for most of it.

I was also really worried that it looked like I sat down the entire trip! It felt like we'd get someplace and I'd have find a seat (those Metro steps were a killer!) or, we'd wander for a bit, and I'd call for a coffee break! You can't imagine my giddy glee when DH said he needed a break as his feet were numb (that was later in the trip).

And, sorry, I wasn't clear. I didn't meet a rude FRENCH person (not a single one on the trip!), I met a rude person in FRANCE. It was a scream!

 

[A-T-G]

Enjoying your pictures of Paris.....a place I dream of going some day...How many pics did you take in total?

I love the pic of you guys in front of the Mona Lisa.

I hope you get there, Disneygrl! It's a fantastic place! I took over a thousand photos - but, not all of them turned out that great. DH took about 500 but, he didn't like all of them. Still, it's a LOT of pics to wade through.