Pont de L'Archeveche

At the eastern end of Ile de la Cite, Pont de L'Archeveche connects the island to the Left Bank.

It is a popular place for lovers to leave a lock. We found a spot, left a lock and threw the key into the Seine.

Some go overboard with giant locks.

The other bridge that had locks was Pont des Arts. This was not as picturesque because the locks have been covered with plywood. To make it worse, it was sprayed with graffiti.

2015 02 02

Notre Dame

The Notre Dame sits on the Ile de la Cite in the center of Paris. Construction was begun in 1163 and finally finished in 1345. The church is dedicated to "our lady" (notre dame) and features Mary cradling God in the center window. 

There's often a line to get in--enter through the doors on the right and exit through the left. When we arrived on Monday afternoon, surprisingly, there was no line. Entrance to the church is free. Climb the bell towers for a fee--find the line to the left of the church.

Gargoyles, which serve as rainspouts, dot the facade. This one is the most photographed--a bored gargoyle.

One of the famed rose windows. 

Point Zero, located just outside the church. This is the point from which all distances are measured in France. 

View of the Notre Dame from Pont de L'Archeveche. Notice the flying buttresses which support the roof. 

We discovered that on Good Friday and the 1st Friday of the month, the crown of thorns is presented at the 3 pm service. Attend the service and you can see the relic. We happened to be in Paris on the 1st Friday of the month and went to the Notre Dame to see the crown of thorns. This time, there was a long line to get into the church. Hard to believe this is 2015 years old.

2015 02 02

Hotel de Ville

It was Monday afternoon. We had finally arrived in Paris and our stomachs were full. It was cloudy but there was no rain in sight. We decided to do Rick Steves' Historic Paris tour and took the Metro to Hotel de Ville to start the tour.

The Hotel de Ville is Paris' City Hall. The Renaissance-style building was begun in 1533 and finished in 1628. On the facade are statues of famous Parisians.

There were reminders of the massacre at Charlie Hebdo.

Nearby is a carousel and an ice rink.

There was even an ice rink just for the kids.

2015 02 02

Bistrot Renaissance

Just down the street from the apartment were several bistros. We decided to try Bistrot Renaissance.

Bistrot Renaissance, located at 19 rue Rene Boulanger

One of the specials of the day--Pave de Rumsteak, Sauce Echalote, Pommes Sautees--€12.50. The steak was on the tough side but it had a nice shallot sauce. The fried potatoes were very creamy.

I chose the Confit de Canard Maison, Pommes Sautees--€13.80. The duck was tender but it still had a lot of fat on it. Perfectly made confit has no fat and is crispy on the outside. I'm not a potato fan but I love the French potatoes. They are so creamy.

2015 02 02

In Beau Paris

I found our apartment on vrbo.com. It was managed by In Beau Paris. They were easy to deal with online and it was easy to pay by PayPal.

We rented a studio in the 3rd arrondissement, near Porte Saint Martin, one of the original gates into Paris. It was also a 5-minute walk to Place de la Republique.

Our apartment building, located just a few minutes' walk from the Metro. There was a keypad to access the building and a lockbox to pick up the keys to our apartment.

We were located on a predominantly pedestrian street so it was quiet at night.

The apartment was a large studio with a double bed. Most of the studio apartments I found online had a pull-out sofa bed and I didn't want to sleep on a sofa bed for an entire week. Linen was included.

The kitchen was typical European--small refrigerator, 2 burner stove but it did have a full oven and a dishwasher. There was a table for 4.

Ir was a bright apartment with 2 large windows, sitting area with couch and small TV. There was cable and we were able to access English channels. Wi-fi was available.

An even bigger bonus was a washer and dryer. It did take 3 hours to do a load of wash but it was nice to have the option.

Overall, it was a nice apartment--large, safe, centrally located and inexpensive. Cost was €510 for 6 nights + €69 for cleaning. The only problem we had was lack of hot water on a couple occasions but it wasn't too bad.



2015 02 02

Thursday Night Dinner

Here's last night's dinner at Flavor Bistro:

Guazzetto--Day Boat Scallops, Jumbo Prawns, Mussels & Calamari Served in Heirloom Tomato Brodetto Di Vino Bianco with Saffron Aioli, paired with 2013 Calera Wine Company Chardonnay, Central Coast. The aioli was garlicky and delicious.

Quaglia Arrosto--Stone Oven Roasted Quail Served in Cannellini Bean Ragoût with Petite Pasta, Organic Escarole, Candied Garlic & Sugo D'Erbe, paired with 2012 Tenuta Sant'Antonio Scaia Corvina I.G.T., Veneto, Italy. I still love the quail. It is so flavorful and tender.

Stracotto Di Carne--Slow Cooked Center Cut Short Rib Garnished with Olive Pesto Risotto, Sweet Peas & Carrots in Barolo Wine Sauce, paired with 2012 Sean Minor Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles. The short rib was fork tender.

Dolci Assortiti--Point Reyes Blue Cheese & Candied Walnuts with Petite Chocolate Tart Topped with Chocolate Mousse, paired with 2009 Easton Wines Zinfandel Obscura "Late Harvest", Rinaldi Vineyard, Fiddletown, Amador. This was a relatively new dessert. The blue cheese was creamy and salty and the chocolate tart was rich and decadent.

Hard to believe you get all this for $24.95.

2015 02 12

CDG & RER

After a brief delay at DFW for another mechanical issue, we finally arrived at CDG (Charles de Gaulle airport) in Paris, 24 hours later than scheduled. It was now Monday morning. There were no landing cards to fill out and Customs and Passport Control were a breeze. Our luggage arrived as soon as we got to Baggage Claim.

We took the RER B to Paris. Since we travel light, it was easy to hop on the train.

We arrived at Terminal 2. It was an 8-minute walk to the RER station. Just follow the signs. Once we arrived at the RER station, we took the escalator downstairs and went into the glass room to purchase our tickets. There are machines but I had read that you need a chip on your credit card and a 4-digit pin to access the machines. The line inside was quick and I asked for an "aller simple" (one-way ticket) to Paris. Cost was €10.

We followed the signs to the platform. There was an express train leaving in 3 minutes. First stop was Gare du Nord, which was what we wanted.

The ride into Paris took 25 minutes and we passed through the outskirts. I was shocked to see shanty towns and graffiti.

At Gare du Nord, we transferred to the Metro. We took M4 to Strasbourg/Saint-Denis, just 3 stops away. The ticket for the RER also covered the metro ride.

It was one of the most efficient and smooth ride from an airport to the center of town--1 1/2 hours after landing, we were at our apartment.

Here are instructions in case you arrive at a different terminal at CDG:

If you’re landing at Terminal 1, you’ll have to take a shuttle train called CDGVAL to Terminal 3/Roissypole in order to catch the RER train.  The name of this station is “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1“. Don’t mistake the “1″ in the name as meaning “Terminal 1." It’s simply the first of the two train stations at CDG Airport.  Just follow the signs for the CDGVAL tram within Terminal 1.

Terminal 3 is located between Terminals 1 and 2, so traveling from west to east across terminals you’ll hit Terminal 1, then 3, then 2. Keep in mind that the CDGVAL tram stops at parking stations in between Terminals 1 and 3 (Parc P-r), and Terminals 3 and 2 (Park P-x), so don’t get off CDGVAL too early. There will be voice announcements at each stop in French and English to help guide you.

At the CDG 1 station there is a large ticket window with 3 SNCF employees that will be selling individual tickets for the RER.



2015 02 02