Friday, May 1, Labor day and all museums were closed, so we decided to do a day trip. We considered either going to Chartres or Vaux-le-Vicomte (a chateau outside of Paris). Since Versailles was also closed, and since I had gotten some feedback on this site that because of the holiday weekend Versailles would probably be extra crowded Sat. and Sun. we opted not to do Versailles. Again both my mother and I had been there before, and so we chose to go to Vaux-le-Vicomte to give my sister-in-law the %26quot;chateau experience%26quot;. The plan was to meet up with my daughter at Gare de Lyon Friday morning to catch the 10:05 train to Melun. Unfortunately, I forgot my cell phone, and the station being quite big, we were unable to find each other in time to make that train. Eventually I figured out that my credit card would not work in the pay phone since it doesn%26#39;t have the necessary chip in it, so then I had to find somewhere to purchase a phone card, and we were finally able to connect. It was a small hiccup in our plans, but a learning experience for me. It was a 25 min. train ride to Melun (we took the transilien train, not the RER) Upon arriving at Melun station, we took a taxi to the chateau (about 24 euros). The chateau does run a shuttle on the weekends as well as public holidays, but for some reason, they do not meet the 11:05 train that we ended up taking.
There were more people there than I expected, maybe because of the holiday, so we had to wait in line to get tickets for about 15 minutes. This was a more intimate look at chateau life, and you really felt like you were going thru someones home. I would recommend getting the audioguides. We didn%26#39;t and I felt they would have been helpful. The gardens were beautiful,with ponds, canals, etc. Unfortunately we were there just a little too early in the season because no flowers had been planted yet. Also, none of the fountains appeared to be up and running yet for the season. It was a gorgeous day and also a nice respite from the crowds in Paris.
That evening we ate at La Creperie de Josselin, 67 rue du Montparnasse, metro Edgar Quinet/Montparnasse-Bienvenue. That street was filled with creperies, and there were tons of people waiting to get into these places. We ended up being seated outside on the sidewalk, not ideal because it was getting a little cool, and you had lots of people standing around waiting to be seated. I had never had a savory crepe (galette, made with buckwheat)before, and I found them to be quite tasty. We had the traditional breton cidre as well. I still prefer the sweet crepes, and our dessert crepes were to die for. We shared a lemon and honey crepe, and a praline/caramel with vanilla ice cream one. Yum!
We ended the day with a Seine cruise with Vedettes de Paris. I had printed off the discount coupons online before we left, however they would not honor them, I think because of the holiday? The ride was a little disappointing, mostly because the commentary given by the young woman(college student) was very canned and very difficult to understand. It was quite cold and windy, and eventually my mother and sister-in-law went below. We did get to see the Eiffel Tower twinkle twice during our cruise.
Saturday, May 2: We started our day at the Rodin Museum gardens. We loved seeing his work in the beautiful garden setting. From there we walked to Le Bon Marche Grand Epicerie where we picked up some great food items to take home as gifts (spices, truffle oil, teas, mustards, chocolate etc.) We walked thru the main store, but quickly realized things were very much out of our price range..but everything was so beautifully displayed, not jam packed full of clothes racks like many of our american department stores. I got a sense that quality not quantity reigned supreme. We did some more window shopping as we headed to the Luxembourg Gardens. It was another beautiful day and the gardens were full of people. We strolled, people watched, watched people play boules (it was the first time I had ever seen women play boule in all my trips to France!) This is one of my favorite spots in Paris.. and my lucky daughter lives just a 5 minute walk from there. It is one of her favorite places as well.
We spent Saturday evening with a french family we know. My daughter did an exchange program as a 6th grader and spent 3 weeks with this family. She is still close with the entire family, and when ever we are in Paris we visit them. It was a lovely evening, and a chance for my mother and sister-in-law to really get to see how a french family lives. Of course they remembered that my daughter%26#39;s favorite meal was blanquette de veau (veal stew) and it was as good as she remembered it to be.
Sunday, May 3: Our last full day in Paris. We started our day with a visit to the Opera Garnier with its magnificent grand staircase, and oppulent auditorium and foyer. From there we visited the free Fragonard museum on Rue Scribe, and we picked up a few small gifts there. AT noon we headed over to Place de la Bastille for the market. We paused to watch a group of musicians entertain the crowds, and then strolled the market which was very crowded. Loved the smells, sounds, and colors....wished we could have lingered longer. But it was on to the Place des Vosges, and the Marais. We stopped in at the Carnavalet Museum (free) to use the facilities, and I made a note to visit it on our next trip to Paris. The Marais was hopping with people, and we stopped at the famous L%26#39;As du Fallafel for lunch. I had a schwarma(sp?) which was quite good, but for me it was one of those %26quot;been there, done that%26quot; experiences. Glad I tried it though. Our stroll through the Marais was very abbreviated because we wanted to get back to Notre Dame for its free organ concert at 4:30. We didn%26#39;t make it to the Pompidou Center/Stravinsky fountains like I had hoped, but oh well...The organ concert was amazing, the accoustics unbelievable. Because there were tourists milling about visiting ND during the concert, I just closed my eyes and tuned everything else out. It was an amazing experience.
We returned to our apartment to pack for our early morning departure before heading out for dinner. We had reservations at Les Fables de la Fontaine, 131 rue St. Dominique, metro Ecole Militaire. This is a tiny seafood restaurant, one of Chef Christian Constant%26#39;s four restaurants. There was no menu (prix fixe meal) so we ordered a la carte. There were about 4 or 5 appetizers, main courses, and desserts to chose from. This was probably our best meal..the flavors, presentation, sauces etc were to die for. (cost for 1 appetizer, 4 main courses, 3 desserts, and 1/2 bottle of wine was 195 euros) It was a perfect ending to an amazing trip. Again, interestingly enough, there were a lot of Americans there.( although it was a larger table of them and they tended to drown out the other smaller tables, which could have been locals..not sure)
Monday, May 4: Our driver arrived to take us to the airport and we were on the road by 7:30 am for our 11:30 am flight. Took about 45 minutes to get to CDG, and I was in for the shock of a life time. All my previous experiences with CDG have been horrible...mass confusion, mobs of people, long disorganized lines etc. Our driver dropped us off right in front of our hall at Terminal 1, we were the only ones checking in , we walked right through security, and were at our gate within 1/2 hour. Unbelievable!
It was a great trip! I always travel with my husband and this %26quot;girls trip%26quot; was a first for me. I am the travel planner in the family, so everyone was counting on me to show them Paris. I spent a lot of time researching and I was happy with the way the trip went. We got to see almost everything I had hoped to get to with a few exceptions. I know my husband and I will be back again soon, so that doesn%26#39;t bother me..however I did want my mother and sister-in-law to see as much as possible. And, it was awesome to spend time with my daughter, who is living out her dream in Paris. I am so envious, but thrilled for her.
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Thank you for posting, it sounds like a great trip.
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I agree with you about CDG. We have always flown home on Sunday and the airport has been a nightmare. This year we left on a Monday and had the same experience you describe. I will try to avoid Sundays at CDG from now on.
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Thanks for sharing, i enjoyed reading about your trip!
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Thank you for taking your time and share with us your great trip.
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Glad to know a Monday return is less hectic than the weekend. My last return from CDG was a nightmare. I%26#39;m booking my return this October for a Monday anyway, so that was good news.
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