Paris - October 16, 2008
20081016 – Paris: Seems like we go to bed later each night. It was 1:45 before I climbed in between the sheets and Robin was later. Up at 8:30 this AM. Still gray and cold and rained over the night.
I did laundry before embarking on my computer stuff. Well, all that travel underwear and socks are still damp this AM. And the t-shirts? Ha.
Stuff:
* Showers here are only partially enclosed. Wall only extends about 3 feet on side you get it. And this is typical of Europe. So you have to be really careful or there will be water everywhere, as I learned the first morning.
* There are no wash cloths, and this also is usual. Sandy gave me one from his supply. Gotta have a wash cloth.
Had nice conversation over iChat with Marian last night. Good to see/hear her. Ah, the wonders of the modern age. And another one with Tracy this AM (was 1 AM in LA).
I had breakfast in the cellar around 10:30 and then we headed out. Robin picked up a long roll she thought had raisins in it, but it turned out to be chocolate chips. She ate the whole thing along with a brioche. We got on the Metro to Concorde and then on the RER to Rive Gauche-Versailles. It took about 45 minutes or so.
It was a raw, blustery day when we got there. Spitting rain and cold. We walked from the station a few blocks through town and then up toward the chateau. Wandered through most of the building. Koons sculptures are in several rooms. Interesting on one level but not a biggie given how wonderful the surroundings are. We went into living chambers, saw the chapel, hall of mirrors, etc.
When we were done in the building, we wanted to go out into the gardens. It was now raining steadily and blowing cold. We huddled under an arch until it got semi-bearable and then headed out. We walked down the main canal, went through into the wooded area where I got a panini and café crème. Panini here are long rolls filled with meats and cheeses and nicely grilled.
Out of the woods, we headed down the waterway some more and then took a right and the long walk to the Gran Trianon and Petit Trianon. The gardens around both were wonderful. We liked the Petit Trianon the most with its different small buildings at the end of paths in the gardens. The Queen’s Theater is a wow!.
It was getting late. Around 4:00 or so we headed back for the long walk to the chateau and into town for the train. Took the train and got off at Tour Eiffel. Was getting cold again. The highest we could go was the second stage since they were overbooked and jammed on the third (summit). But it was high enough and the sun was getting low and the view was great. So we took lots of pictures and headed down.
We crossed the main street there to a crepe stand and both had cheese crepes. Hit the spot. And then the lights started on the tower. First a series of strobes and then just light as it was sunset. We walked along the waterfront, crossed over the Seine, and headed east toward a Metro station where we took the #1 train to Saint-Paul (near us) and went to our room for a quick washing/bathroom stop. It was now 8:00 PM and we had reservations for that time around the corner.
Went to la tete ailleurs (yes, lower case). Robin started with a salad of chevre that had a crispy outside and grilled tomatoes. She followed that with penne with mushrooms and truffles. I started with zucchini flowers over greens and followed with a wonderful flaky fish over onions and fennel (very sweet) with a tomato-based sauce. Then I ordered the lemon tart which was very tart and dense and wonderful. So, Robin had some and loved it. Chocolate and dessert all in one day. Will wonders ever cease?
Had a long conversation with a Parisian couple on one side of our table. The very young couple on the other side spent most of their meal kissing and cooing. Guess it aids digestion. We struck up a long conversation with them (not the kissing ones). He spoke fluent English and translated for her. They are liberal and are tooting for Obama. We discussed American politics, right to bear arms, how nice all the French we have met have been, etc. Very nice people. He works for an American company based somewhere outside of NYC.
Got back to the hotel a bit before 11:00. Long day. Writing this. Will download pix from al three cameras (I took over 300 pictures today and don’t know how many Robin took yet). We hope to get up fairly early tomorrow and go to Saint Chapelle, but we shall see. And we had fun on an iChat with Marian along the way this evening.
I did laundry before embarking on my computer stuff. Well, all that travel underwear and socks are still damp this AM. And the t-shirts? Ha.
Stuff:
* Showers here are only partially enclosed. Wall only extends about 3 feet on side you get it. And this is typical of Europe. So you have to be really careful or there will be water everywhere, as I learned the first morning.
* There are no wash cloths, and this also is usual. Sandy gave me one from his supply. Gotta have a wash cloth.
Had nice conversation over iChat with Marian last night. Good to see/hear her. Ah, the wonders of the modern age. And another one with Tracy this AM (was 1 AM in LA).
I had breakfast in the cellar around 10:30 and then we headed out. Robin picked up a long roll she thought had raisins in it, but it turned out to be chocolate chips. She ate the whole thing along with a brioche. We got on the Metro to Concorde and then on the RER to Rive Gauche-Versailles. It took about 45 minutes or so.
It was a raw, blustery day when we got there. Spitting rain and cold. We walked from the station a few blocks through town and then up toward the chateau. Wandered through most of the building. Koons sculptures are in several rooms. Interesting on one level but not a biggie given how wonderful the surroundings are. We went into living chambers, saw the chapel, hall of mirrors, etc.
When we were done in the building, we wanted to go out into the gardens. It was now raining steadily and blowing cold. We huddled under an arch until it got semi-bearable and then headed out. We walked down the main canal, went through into the wooded area where I got a panini and café crème. Panini here are long rolls filled with meats and cheeses and nicely grilled.
Out of the woods, we headed down the waterway some more and then took a right and the long walk to the Gran Trianon and Petit Trianon. The gardens around both were wonderful. We liked the Petit Trianon the most with its different small buildings at the end of paths in the gardens. The Queen’s Theater is a wow!.
It was getting late. Around 4:00 or so we headed back for the long walk to the chateau and into town for the train. Took the train and got off at Tour Eiffel. Was getting cold again. The highest we could go was the second stage since they were overbooked and jammed on the third (summit). But it was high enough and the sun was getting low and the view was great. So we took lots of pictures and headed down.
We crossed the main street there to a crepe stand and both had cheese crepes. Hit the spot. And then the lights started on the tower. First a series of strobes and then just light as it was sunset. We walked along the waterfront, crossed over the Seine, and headed east toward a Metro station where we took the #1 train to Saint-Paul (near us) and went to our room for a quick washing/bathroom stop. It was now 8:00 PM and we had reservations for that time around the corner.
Went to la tete ailleurs (yes, lower case). Robin started with a salad of chevre that had a crispy outside and grilled tomatoes. She followed that with penne with mushrooms and truffles. I started with zucchini flowers over greens and followed with a wonderful flaky fish over onions and fennel (very sweet) with a tomato-based sauce. Then I ordered the lemon tart which was very tart and dense and wonderful. So, Robin had some and loved it. Chocolate and dessert all in one day. Will wonders ever cease?
Had a long conversation with a Parisian couple on one side of our table. The very young couple on the other side spent most of their meal kissing and cooing. Guess it aids digestion. We struck up a long conversation with them (not the kissing ones). He spoke fluent English and translated for her. They are liberal and are tooting for Obama. We discussed American politics, right to bear arms, how nice all the French we have met have been, etc. Very nice people. He works for an American company based somewhere outside of NYC.
Got back to the hotel a bit before 11:00. Long day. Writing this. Will download pix from al three cameras (I took over 300 pictures today and don’t know how many Robin took yet). We hope to get up fairly early tomorrow and go to Saint Chapelle, but we shall see. And we had fun on an iChat with Marian along the way this evening.
posted by Bud Hirsch at 4:57 PM
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