About 2 years ago I suggested to a friend of mine that since we were both turning 60 in 2006, why not give ourselves a birthday gift of a trip to Provence and Paris during that year … she readily agreed having never been to France before. This would be my third trip to Paris, my second trip to Provence, and her first for both. As time went on, our two travelers became seven! Five would turn 60 in 2006 and the other two in a couple of years. We had great fun planning the trip -- I did the research, got information on B %26amp; B%26#39;s in Provence and apartments in Paris, rented the van, and ordered the TGV tickets. We had fun get-togethers to make decisions on where we would stay in Provence and what apartment(s) in Paris. I am a firm believer that planning is sometimes more fun than the trip itself! Our itinerary in Provence used the markets as a base and then did our sightseeing around that particular town each day. We planned a fairly loose itinerary of what we were doing in Paris on a daily basis so we didn%26#39;t have to waste time figuring out our focus while there. For our time in Paris, it was made clear that everyone could spend all their time with the group or could go off and do what they wanted to do -- no rules and, thus, no disappointments! We were a fairly fluid group -- sometimes all would do things together, sometimes a group of three would be together, and sometimes a group of four would be together. Sometimes all of us ate together and sometimes not. If someone wanted to get going earlier and some of another group were ready, they%26#39;d go together and the rest would do something different. That %26quot;fluidity%26quot; worked well for our group.
In Provence, we stayed 8 nights at %26quot;Le Lavandin,%26quot; a guesthouse/B%26amp;B in Pernes Les Fontaines owned by an American, Georgia Perrin Ball. A couple of years ago I had read an article about Georgia on the Bonjour Paris website about how she found the property and developed it into the little piece of Heaven it is right now!! I thought to myself then that it sounded like someplace I would love to go someday! The website is www.lelavandinprovence.com. In Paris we stayed in two %26quot;Paris Perfect%26quot; apartments -- 5 of us in the Sancerre and 2 of us in the Champagne - www.parisperfect.com. Both places absolutely exceeded our expectations and what you see on their respective websites is EXACTLY what they offer and much, much more! The %26quot;Yellow Book%26quot; that is in the Paris apartments has more information that one could possibly imagine - how to use the dishwasher, washer/dryer, Nepresso machine (Yum!), places for manicures, hair salons, boulangeries, take-out, dining, markets, transportation, etc., etc. The %26quot;neighborhood%26quot; was really great - anything you wanted or needed was within steps, be it coffee, wine, bread, pastries, restaurants, cafés, shopping, pharmacies, Picard for every type of foodstuff in a frozen condition (LOVED IT!), clothing, jewelry, etc., etc.
We departed Chicago O%26#39;Hare about 6PM on June 21st and arrived in Paris on Thursday, June 22nd, about 9:30AM. We had made reservations for the TGV to Avignon for 2:04PM that day, but hoped that all luggage would arrive, all planes would be on time, etc., to enable us to perhaps get on the 11:20A TGV to Avignon. However, that train was full, so we enjoyed lunch in the area of the TGV station at CDG. We arrived in Avignon about 5P, picked up our brand new 7 passenger automatic transmission van (which took some time and research to get!). I wondered how the van would navigate through the small perched villages, but since we all wanted to be able to travel together, we went ahead and rented the van. We had absolutely no problems except once trying to turn around on a small street in Cassis!
We arrived at LeLavandin to a jaw-dropping gorgeous property - lavender fields, cypress trees, oleander bushes, huge hydrangeas, roses, herbs, etc., etc., - just a lush gorgeous property! Georgia is the consummate hostess -- personable, informative, gracious, lovely, etc. There are four rooms in the guesthouse -- two up and two down. We expected to have all four of those rooms, but two of our gals had the studio (very chic with kitchen facilities). The other 3 rooms had 2 twin beds, a LARGE closet with shelves in the middle for storage, and a separate bath with huge shower with a rain showerhead, sink area, and toilet. A chair and desk were also in each room and we never felt crowded. Both the up and down rooms have terraces with chaise lounges. There was also a large terrace outside the %26quot;salon%26quot; with a large table and umbrella where we enjoyed dining on our market purchases by candlelight after the sun went down in its glory! It turned out, much to our delight, that LeLavandin had been featured in the June 2006 issue of the French %26quot;Art %26amp; Decoration - Mediterranee%26quot; magazine! We, obviously, each purchased a copy to bring home. What a wonderful memento!! Breakfasts were wonderful! -- fresh juices, yogurt, fresh fruit (white peaches with fromage blanc!), strawberries, melons), Muesli, a wonderful egg casserole one day, a delicious fruit tart one day, baquette, pain au chocolat, sweet brioche, croissants, soft boiled eggs in the shell with bacon (egg soldiers?) -- all gave us the energy to go about our day! Each day the outdoor %26quot;breakfast%26quot; table was set with different beautiful linens and dishes.
We had a large list of places we wanted to see while in Provence but still enjoy Le Lavandin, the landscape, villages, markets, etc. (such a conflict!). However, when Georgia saw our daily itinerary, she quietly and eloquently told us, %26quot;Don%26#39;t push the river - enjoy what unfolds and leave something to come back for,%26quot; Fortunately, we listened to her advice and, although loosely using our itinerary, we just let the days unfold how they would. I will say that while we were in both Provence and Paris, the temperatures were in the high 80%26#39;s/low 90%26#39;s. The heat was also a deterrent in our running from place to place!
On that first Thursday evening, we enjoyed the most fabulous pizza any of us had ever had at L%26#39;Industrie in L%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue. I believe it was the %26quot;Savoyarde%26quot; with the best cheeses any of us had ever tasted - very creamy and very delicious. That pizza kept %26quot;calling us%26quot; but we never were able to find the time to get back to L%26#39;Industrie for that pizza. Another trip?!?
Friday, Day 1: Drove to Bonnieux, stopped at the Cave, enjoyed a winetasting, and bought 2 cases of wine for the week. The fields of lavender and sunflowers were breathtaking! Walked around the gorgeous village of Bonnieux, on to Lumiere for a leisurely walk around and to see Georgia%26#39;s friend, Edith Mezard%26#39;s %26quot;atelier;%26quot; however, she was closed, so on to Menerbes for a leisurely walk and to visit Sacha Decoration, another friend of Georgia%26#39;s who has a great shop in Menerbes, and back to our %26quot;home.%26quot;
Saturday, Day 2: Drove to gorgeous Roussillon. Took lots of pictures, shopped, enjoyed the colors, had lunch on the square (a wedding was taking place), drove through Joucas (sweet little village), Gordes (what can I say about Gordes that others haven%26#39;t said?!? ), walked around, shopped, saw another wedding (great old wedding car decorated with lots of white flowers), sat in a church and listened to music that brought tears to our eyes, had a Peche Kir at the La Bastide Hotel/Spa on their terrace with a view over the valley that wouldn%26#39;t end, on to Abbaye de Senanque to see the lavender (which was not blooming yet - very disappointed!), and on to %26quot;home%26quot; through Venasque and St. Didier (would like to come back here some day - looks very cute!).
Sunday, Day 3: To the L%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue market to shop! We found the %26quot;chicken%26quot; vendor (ordered 2 rotisserie chickens, potatoes, and rice to pick up at the end of the market to take home for dinner), the %26quot;soap%26quot; vendor whose fragrance is throughout the soap, and the taupe/ivory linen vendor that Georgia had recommended to us. We made several purchases of soap and beautiful table toppers, runners, skirts, tops, sundresses, paper products, lavender, etc., etc. Very lovely! We all thought the market was extremely crowded, but according to the vendors, it was not! I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d want to be there when it IS crowded! We could hardly walk as it was. The market is great fun and L%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue is so charming with the water wheels, the water flowing through the village, and the winding streets through the town. We all purchased things to eat for dinner on our terrace that night - tomatoes, haricots vert, greens for salad, various cheeses, fruit, bread, the chicken, etc., tarts -- the greatest picnic makings around! Back to LL and we just enjoyed the afternoon around the pool drinking wine and so totally enjoyed our market dinner sitting on our outdoor terrace with the candles lit listening to the chant of the cigales! Doesn%26#39;t get any better than that!! Before we started eating, however, we heard the bells of the goats that %26quot;live%26quot; up the lane from Le Lavandin. %26quot;Robere%26quot; was taking them for their %26quot;afternoon%26quot; walk so we all ran to the gate and were able to meet Robere and then had fun watching the goats stop for a bite of grass or a nibble of a leaf on a tree (the taller ones standing on their hind feet) and then watched the dogs herd the goats back to their home. What a fun surprise!
Monday, Day 3: Stopped in St. Saturnin les Avignon at Tissus Gregoire for a shopping expedition. The most fabulous fabrics, wash mitts, placemats, tablecloths, napkins, dish towels, etc., etc., We spent perhaps 2 hours there! Very reasonable prices. The French are the most creative, imaginative, beautiful designers of fabric in the world!
Decided not to stop in Avignon for the Palais du Papes and walking about, but instead drove through (after stopping just inside Avignon for lunch) to Pont du Gard. What an amazing piece of history! I was not able to see that gorgeous place when in Provence in 2002, but am so glad we got there this trip! Great photo ops! Watched the teens jumping off the rocky outcroppings into the water -- it would have been very refreshing on a 90 degree day!
Tuesday, Day 4: Drove a route Georgia mapped out for us through the sweet perched villages up to Vaison-la-Romaine for the market and the vineyards. We shopped the Vaison market for about 1 1/2 hours, drove over to Domaine Le Crestet (a guesthouse/B %26amp; B where one of our group had stayed a couple of years ago), came upon Maison Chaloin, a %26quot;Chocolatier Artisanal%26quot; just inside Le Crestet, where we enjoyed wonderful chocolats and ice cream (had my first taste of lavender ice cream -- DELICIOUS!), and walked around Domaine Le Crestet - a beautiful lush setting in a vineyard -- would be a great place to come back to and stay! Decided to stop in only two villages on the way back home -- Seguret and Gigondas -- great choices! Seguret is a precious village with cobblestone narrow streets curving up, around, down, with surprises of window boxes and pots of flowers around every turn! We all LOVED Seguret. Gigondas is a very cute village where we had two wine tastings, did a little shopping, and just sat in the square and listened to the cigales!
Wednesday, Day 5: To the market in St. Remy. We spent the morning at the market buying up what we missed at L%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue! We had lunch at a bistro/café in St. Remy that had wonderful crepes along with the wonderfully refreshing rosé wine. Walked about St. Remy to the Joel Durand chocolat store! The romarin (rosemary) and lavande (lavender) chocolat are to die for! We acted like the typical tourists and had Messr. Durand sign our purchases! I also bought the cocao poudre to make hot chocolat this winter! Stopped in Cavaillon on the way %26quot;home%26quot; to each buy an additional suitcases at Auchan as we all had purchased so many wonderful things! That evening after dinner on our terrace, the gals presented me with a %26quot;thank you%26quot; gift of a large santon of a goat herder carrying a baby goat and his hook. I was so surprised and became quite emotional with such a great gift! I promptly named him %26quot;Robere%26quot; after our local goat herder who we met a couple of days after arriving at Le Lavandin.
Thursday, Day 6: Were planning to go to Aix and just quickly run through the market and then drive to Cassis. However, we apparently missed a turn somewhere and ended up in Marseille instead and so drove on to Cassis from there. Cassis is a sweet little harbor village on the Mediterranean. Many shops and restaurants line the waterfront. We found a great spot for lunch on the water (but under an awning out of the sun!) - another very hot day! We took the boat ride out along and among the Calanques which is a %26quot;must do.%26quot; These high white calcium cliffs with various strata line the banks of the Med and every now and then you%26#39;ll spot a small beach back inside one of the Calanques. Apparently, the boats will drop you off at a beach and then pick you up later in the day on their boat run. The chocolate brown that runs through the white of the Calanques downward was very interesting. After the boat ride, we stopped at a café/restaurant on the waterfront for some wonderful ice cream creations! Shopped a short time and then had to leave this little spot of Paradise! We took the Autoroute de Soleil back to our %26quot;home%26quot; in Pernes and finished eating wonderful leftovers from the week.
We had purchased a coffee-table book about lavender for Georgia as a %26quot;thank you%26quot; for our most wonderful time with her. One of our gals who is very creative and a great singer made up a song using the melody of %26quot;Everyone Knows It%26#39;s Windy%26quot; but substituting %26quot;Georgia%26quot; for Windy and made up fun lyrics about Georgia. Georgia had been to dinner with her friends and arrived home after we had finished our dinner. We had practiced our %26quot;song%26quot; earlier in the evening and sang to her, presented her with the book, and thanked her for the most lovely time we had as her guests. She was very surprised and thanked us for being her guests. The children loved the celebration and joined us in our song!
Spent several hours packing and taking our luggage down to the van so we could get an early start the next morning for the trip to Avignon to go to Paris.
Friday, Day 7: Travel to Paris on the TGV from Avignon. What a circus! The van and Georgia%26#39;s car were stuffed to the gills! The morning of our departure, we left in what we thought was plenty of time to get to the TGV station in Avignon with Georgia leading the way. However, we had to stop for gas so we could drop the van with a full tank and many other people were also lined up for gas! Next, just inside the entrance to the TGV station property, a gendarme stopped Sharon in the van for a look at their papers to make sure all was legal! And the minutes are ticking away! We knew we had to get approximately 20 pieces of luggage and ourselves onto the TGV in a 4-5 minute time slot!!! In the rush and stress of the morning, I forgot that I had given the TGV tickets to one of the other gals in the car, and when we arrived at the station, I FRANTICALLY started searching for our tickets to Paris. The stress and heat totally emptied my brain of any productive thought and memory! It was as if they just disappeared from my tote bag! Again, time is ticking away, all the luggage is in the station, and the other gals are trying to get the information as to train number, track number, etc. Finally, one of the them realized what I was doing in panic mode and told me that the tickets were in safe hands! Thank you, God!!! We started the massive transfer of luggage upstairs to the track (7 women traveling with beaucoup luggage!), lined it up at both ends of where we expected our car to be, and as soon as the train stopped, people got off, two of us hopped onto the train at both ends of the car and the others on the platform started feeding us the luggage. We had asked track personnel to assist us, but they firmly stated that everyone had to get their own luggage onto the train. However, in the end, they relented somewhat and did assist us in a small way. Finally, after finding our seats, we were all able to take a deep breath, sit back, relax, and enjoy the 2 hour 40 minute fast trip and scenery to Paris. However, we then had to go through the entire drill again taking the luggage off the train, finding our way through Gare Lyon, out to cabs, and onto the apartments!
The restaurants in Provence where we had dinner were as follows and all had been recommended and reservations made by our wonderful hostess Georgia:
L%26#39;Industrie - L%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue - Great pizza as described above.
Lou Soloy du Luberon - L%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue - A cute little place on the water basin by the Belle Vue restaurant. When we arrived at the restaurant and were seated, they advised us that they had just lost their electricity! Dinner was just okay. However, the ambience and location more than made up for the food (the wine helped!). We sat outside above the water basin and after perhaps a half an hour, a rain shower came up which refreshed us all. However, we were protected enough that we didn%26#39;t get totally rained on. The diners at the tables on the little bridge-like structure over the water had to move from their wonderful seats! Very cute spot. The little bridge over the water holds about 6 to 8 tables and I%26#39;m sure they are the first tables to fill!
La Maison Gouin - Coustellat - Very delicious dinner. Retro tablecloths and retro mismatched glassware and dishes were so fun to use! They had the greatest wallpaper border around the ceiling of the porch dining room -- probably 12 inches high with a black background and various yummy looking fancy desserts - very cute! I can%26#39;t remember what we had (don%26#39;t have my journal with me), but I know the entire evening was a wonderful dining experience! In addition to a delicious dessert, I had the cheese course - yummy! However, several of us had one that was extremely strong and would not have again! We sat on their enclosed porch area with all the windows open. A lovely night.
Dame l%26#39;Oie - Pernes les Fontaines - Wonderful little restaurant just off the main street in Pernes les Fontaines. Georgia had recommended this and said if the rabbit with lavender was on the menu, that we wouldn%26#39;t be disappointed! Fortunately, for us, it was on the menu and it was simply wonderful. The foie gras was like silk in your mouth!!! Desserts were wonderful!
LaBergerie - Maubec - A very charming pizza/café-type restaurant with a view of the church and a small vineyard! We ate on their outside terrace. The food was wonderful - gourmet-type brick oven pizzas and wonderful salads and desserts to die for! The inside of the restaurant was very cute - ochre golds and a good red. A large fireplace inside would be a wonderful addition to a winter evening with a big bowl of soup -- very inviting!
Several nights we dined on the terrace at LL and enjoyed our most delicious wines and the fresh bounty we had picked up at markets. After our long days, it was refreshing to sit on the terrace with the candles burning eating fresh strawberries, melons, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, wonderful mixed greens for salads, various cheeses, breads, olives, etc., etc.
Our lunches were %26quot;wherever we were%26quot; and mostly consisted of refreshing salads in the heat of the day, glasses of wonderful rosé, and very delicious desserts! What more can you ask for?!?
We found the driving very easy. Georgia would plot our course every morning and we would be off. We put 1009 km on the van (or 625 US miles) on our various daytrips.
We absolutely loved Le Lavandin and Provence and would go back in a heartbeat!
*************
After spending 8 nights in Provence, we left Avignon on Friday, June 30th, and arrived in Paris about 12:30 or 1:00 P.M. As stated above, we had a TON of luggage as we all had to buy an additional suitcase to bring back all the fabulous stuff we bought in Provence! An English-speaking %26quot;angel%26quot; appeared when we got off the TGV at Gare Lyon, got a huge cart for our luggage, took us out to the taxi queue, and found 3 taxis for us!. We had arranged for 2 apartments from www.parisperfect.com -- the Sancerre and the Champagne They were both absolutely stunning!! They were just as they appeared on their website and were even better in person! We loved being able to purchase fruit, cheeses, rotisserie chickens, flowers, breads, olives, wine, etc., etc., at markets or at take-out places on Rue Cler, Rue de Grenelle, or in %26quot;our%26quot; rue St. Dominique neighborhood and dine in the apartment with the Eiffel Tower almost close enough to touch! It just doesn%26#39;t get any better than that! Watching the Eiffel sparkle several times each night is enchanting!
Day 1: Friday, 6/30: We dropped our luggage at the apartments, had an in-service of all the appliances, keys, codes, etc., and then went to a nearby café for lunch, after which we did a short walk of our %26quot;neighborhood,%26quot; which was very close to Champs du Mars and the Eiffel Tower. It was the actual birthday of one of our gals and I had emailed www.atyourservice.com (a concierge service recommended by the Paris Perfect staff) for a recommendation of a restaurant with outdoor dining in the Place Victor Hugo area and she suggested Café L%26#39;Homme at the Trocadero instead (which was closer to the apartments). It is perhaps the best outside table in Paris! You are sitting on a fabulous terrace with fabulous food looking straight on at the fabulous Eiffel Tower all night!!! Our kir royals, dinners, desserts, and wine were absolutely wonderful! I%26#39;m sure that birthday will never be forgotten!
Day 2, Saturday, 7/1: Woke up to a beautiful sunny day -- however, Paris was HOT pretty much the entire time we were there! High 80%26#39;s/low-mid 90%26#39;s certainly slows you down! Two of us walked to the Saxe-Breteuil market and had such a great time picking out great foodstuffs for our apartment! I LOVE the markets of Paris and love that concept! The flowers were magnificent as were all the cheeses, sauccissons, seafood, fruit, vegetables, breads, prepared foods, etc., etc. A great French market! On the way back, we stopped for our first citron presse which was SOOOOO delicious and refreshing. I spent the rest of the day in the apartment catching up on my journaling and just taking a breather from the week in Provence. Sensory overload is saying it mildly!
Day 3, Sunday, 7/2: Walked to the Batobus at Eiffel and bought 5 day passes. What a great mode of transportation. We used the Batobus pretty much each morning and evening to get where we were going if it was out of the immediate area. We were all very intimidated by the Metro and actually preferred the slowness of the Batobus. Our first stop for the day was the Bastille market on Blvd. Richard Lenoir. We took the Batobus to Jardin des Plantes and walked from there past the Bastille Opera (a pretty contemporary styleless structure) and onto the market. Again, a very fun market -- more clothes and jewelry and souvenir-type items, but also the fabulous flowers, cheeses, breads, olives, seafood, vegetables, etc., etc.. From there, we wandered to the Place des Vosges, Beauborg fountains, and over to I%26#39;lle St. Louis to Berthillon for ice cream. The salted caramel is to die for! However, I found their small scoops to be a disappointment! Met 2 of our gals at the jardin behind Notre Dame and went to Kiosque Flottant for a drink. It is across the Seine from Notre Dame and is a floating bar/restaurant/café that is just too cool! Four of the gals had left to go back to the apartment earlier and the 3 of us took the last Batobus back to the Eiffel landing and walked %26quot;home.%26quot;
Day 4, Monday, 7/3: Started out walking with the 6th arr. as our destination. It had totally left me that we were on the western edge of the 7th and to get to St. Germain would be a major trek. However, we enjoyed our walk stopping at Rue Cler (I also was not aware that many stores were closed on Mondays. That certainly protected our debit/credit cards!) and onto Rue de Grenelle with a short stop at the sweet Square Ajaccias just past the Invalides. Walked down Rue de Pre aux Clercs (everything closed!), stopped for lunch at a café on Rue de Bac for the best quiche we%26#39;d ever had!, stopped at Laduree for a most delicious %26quot;Religieuse Rose,%26quot; %26quot;Choux pastry, rose petal flavoured confectioner’s custard.%26quot; I still dream of the flavor - rose petals and raspberry! A perfect decadent pairing! I had originally ordered an Ispahan but when the waiter came back and told me they were out of those, I ordered the %26quot;Religieuse Rose%26quot; instead. However, in reading the menu, it didn%26#39;t seem that there was too much difference between the two. I can see now why I%26#39;ve read about the Ispahan on the various travel boards! We ended up at a café on Blvd. St. Michel and the River. We originally just stopped for a cold drink as, again, it was very HOT! We rehydrated with ice water, moved on to rosé, sat and visited, and then decided to order dinner! Joyce and I decided to walk over the bridge to St. Chapelle and purchase our tickets for the Vivaldi concert on Thursday evening. That was another %26quot;God%26quot; thing because when we got there and asked for tickets for Thursday night, they told us the concert was Tuesday evening -- not Thursday evening as we had previously read! We walked back and enjoyed our pasta, pizza, salad, and more wine! Cabbed back to the apartment.
Day 5, Tuesday, 7/4: Stopped by Le P%26#39;Tit Troquet (rue de l%26#39;Exposition - 7th) on our way to do some shopping on Rue Cler in stores that had not been open on Monday. We made a reservation through the window with Dominique, the lovely, sweet wife of the chef and owner of the restaurant (the restaurant was closed at the time and she couldn%26#39;t locate the keys for the front door!) for 9P that night as we were attending the Vivaldi 4 Seasons concert at St. Chapelle.
We discovered 2 great table linen-type stores, one on Rue Cler and one on Rue de Grenelle, and went back to the one on Rue Cler as it was closed on Monday, but we could see things from the window that we wanted! There were two sizes of makeup bags (white waffle weave) with blue and silver embroidery on each that said %26quot;Weekend in Paris%26quot; that so had my name on them. It has been fun using those since I%26#39;ve been back! We then took a cab to St. Germain as we were on a hunt for the cute little expresso spoons (which we found). We strolled around St. Germain for a time and then took a cab up to Montmartre. That is such a fabulous place even though it%26#39;s mobbed with people It%26#39;s so fun to walk around Place Tertre (the art is so much better than it was in 1979 when everyone was doing Paris in pastels!!) We had lunch in a creperie (had to have a Nutella crepe!) and had our first rude waiter -- where do they get off with the ATTITUDE?!? He wasn%26#39;t even French! We strolled the area, went into the magnificent Sacre Coeur, and just enjoyed the ambience of Montmartre. I would love to spend more time there on my next trip. It began to sprinkle (THANK YOU, GOD!) -- we were hoping that the rain would break the heat wave we had experienced, but there wasn%26#39;t enough rain to fill a thimble! Took a cab back to the apartment to get ready for the concert as we wanted to be at St. Chapelle at about 6:15P when the doors opened for the concert. Our cabdriver was a female and on our trip to the apartment, she told us (after our questioning her) about the test the cab drivers have to take to get a license. It is not an easy thing!! There are two different tests they must take to get their license and if they don%26#39;t pass one of them, they have to wait and take BOTH again!
Back at the apartment, we showered and got ready for the Vivaldi 4 Seasons concert. It was my personal highlight of the trip!!! The music that came from 7-9 instruments was heavenly!!! And in the gorgeous St. Chapelle with the light streaming through those wonderful windows?!?!? WOW! The concert master played about an hour and a half without one sheet of music and did his fingers and bow fly!!! We%26#39;re going to load our collective photographs onto a CD with the concert CD playing in the background -- that was suggested by a couple we visited with before the concert and who sat close by! Fabulous idea!
Dinner at Le P%26#39;Tit Troquet was just wonderful! Kir royal, foie gras, duck with honey/blueberry sauce, wine, and crème brulee were simply to die for! We strolled home in a music/food stupor hoping the feelings would never end!
Day 6, Wednesday, 7/5: Walked to the Arc de Triomphe. I had been up top at the Arc on a previous trip, so waited for the rest and just people/traffic watched. Strolled the Champs, went off a couple of blocks for a delicious (less expensive!) lunch of au gratin onion soup (delicious even in the heat!!) and salad. Cute little husband and wife bistro! Strolled Rue du Fauborg St. Honore past Elysees Palace, %26quot;window-licked%26quot; all the designer stores, and then 2 of us kept walking while the other 3 went back to the apartment. On to Catherine for the perfume buy-out, had a café crème and people watched on Rue de Rivoli, shopped for soccer shirts for various grandsons, picked up hot chocolate mix at Angelina%26#39;s (YUM!), and strolled through the Tuileries (trying to ignore the %26quot;carnival%26quot; stuff!). I was somewhat disappointed in the flowers -- expecting more varieties and more color. Found a cab back to apartment. The ones who went back earlier had shopped for a fabulous dinner at home and all 7 of us had a great time %26quot;grazing%26quot; on the wonderful food and wines they purchased. Kir Royals, wine, various tapenades and spreads, foie gras, salad, baguette, stuffed red peppers with chevre, olives, tomatoes with mozzarella and basil, and 3 kinds of ice cream for dessert! It is such fun being able to shop and then eat all the great things in your own apartment!
Day 7, Thursday, 7/6: We originally had planned to go to Giverny for at least part of the day. However, the more we thought about the logistics of getting up early, getting to the train early enough to get to Giverny before the tour buses, the heat, etc., etc., we decided to go to lunch at Palais Royal and then on to the l%26#39;Orangerie for the Monets there. Wise decision. While four of the group went to the d%26#39;Orsay in the morning (as I had been there during my last trip to Paris), I stayed at the apartment and started packing (I wanted to make certain I didn%26#39;t need to purchase YET ANOTHER suitcase to come home with and wanted to get a headstart on that ugly process of packing!). We had a 1P lunch reservation so I left the apartment about 12 noon, found a cab fairly quickly, and just strolled the Palais Royal gardens taking pictures. The group finally arrived about 1:30 or so (table still open for us!) after having trouble finding a cab and having to walk in the heat with sore hips/feet, etc. While I was sitting on a bench in the gardens waiting for them, a youngish couple arrived separately (probably from work to enjoy their lunch hour) and proceeded to engage in a most sensual public display of affection I%26#39;ve ever seen for the entire hour+ of time they were there. I don%26#39;t know how they could work the rest of the afternoon! On to lunch: It was sooo refreshing and delicious!! A cold tomato soup with a fabulous mousse on top, and then a %26quot;green%26quot; (vert) risotto that was so creamy rich with several green vegetables either julienned or just presented on top. The French are the most creative and beautifully luxurious whether in the presentation of food, flowers, cheese, gifts, or any other products! We should all learn from their creativity and love of beauty.
Strolled through Gallerie Vivienne and the adjacent area and back through the gardens at Palais Royal. Some of the group still needed to get some last minute gifts on Rue de Rivoli and also wanted to get to Catherine. When we finished that, we walked to l%26#39;Orangerie and saw the Monet %26quot;les Nympheas%26quot; (water lilies) which were over the top gorgeous! Two large oval rooms on the main floor display four HUGE panels in each of the ovals -- we just sat and drank in the colors and coolness of the art! On the lower level was a fairly good sized display of various artists which was very enjoyable. The gift shop was closing just as we got to it so no purchases were made. Being so close to Rond Point and all the traffic, it was impossible to find a taxi, so we ended up walking back to the apartment. As we crossed Rue La Tour Maubourg, Rue St. Dominique curved slightly and the Eiffel Tower was standing tall behind the buildings. What a great surprise!! However, in a quick stop in a women%26#39;s store on Rue St. Dominique, two of our group kept walking (albeit slowly!) and the other two of us got separated from them. Long story short, they stopped at Café du Marche on Rue Cler for dinner and the two of us walked to Fontaine de Mars and had a most wonderful dinner (very close to our apartments).
We listened to all the festivities after the soccer match and knew we wouldn%26#39;t be able to get to sleep with all the singing, cheering, horn honking, etc., so we watched the new Steven Martin %26quot;Pink Panther%26quot; DVD until about 2AM! It was so fun seeing things that we had seen in the last several days in Paris (plus it was a roll on the floor laughing type of movie!).
Day 8, Friday, 7/7: We had made reservations several months earlier for lunch at Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower on our last full day. We spent most of the morning with the other gals packing and I finishing mine. We got ready for our 1P lunch reservation and walked over to the Eiffel, were whisked up the private elevator and were ushered into this beautiful open restaurant. Suffice it to say, lunch was more than fabulous! One of our waiter started out with an attitude, but warmed up to us as we progressed through lunch. We watched a small rain shower move in from the west up and over Sacre Coeur and on east which was very interesting to watch. By the time lunch was over and we had eaten our last bite of dessert (and the additional complimentary desserts!) (3P! or later), it had started to lighten up and we strolled back to the apartments to shop the neighborhood for awhile. We ran into 2 of our group who had appointments for a haircut and a pedicure right after our lunch and who had finished with the great hairdo and pedicure, so we continued to shop Rue St. Dominique, and then went to %26quot;our%26quot; café on the corner for café crème and some had ice cream! I purchased a Cafés Richard cup and saucer at Comptoir Richard on rue St. Dominique (where we bought our fabulous coffee for the week) to enjoy my coffee at home to continue the Parisian dream with! Why didn%26#39;t I buy coffee to bring home!?!?!?
Day 9, Saturday, 7/8: Up early to get ourselves ready, clean up and clean out the apartment, close up suitcases, and get them downstairs to the lobby area. %26quot;Victor%26quot; (the cabman) and a second driver were at the apartment before 9A to transport five of us and all our luggage to CDG for the 12:00 noon flight back to Chicago. Two of the gals had an earlier American flight so they left a couple of hours before we did. It was an easy drive to the airport, transferring luggage was fairly easy, and the flight was very smooth back to Chicago.
However, we all, either for the first time, or the third or fourth time, left our hearts in Paris and Provence!! Although we did a lot (even in the 90 degree heat!!), there are many things that are still on my list for the next trip(s)! I have loved Paris and everything French for many years and added Provence after the trip there in 2002. However, next trip will be in the spring or fall when the temperatures are a little more tolerable!
It was such great fun both planning this trip and then actually seeing everything come together and everyone have a good time and want to return!!!
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What a wonderful, wonderful trip report! I%26#39;ve just now discovered it and it has brought back fantastic memories of our Provence/Paris trip this fall. We, too, thoroughly enjoyed our time in both places and I have now bookmarked your report for our next visit. Thanks so much!
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Sounds like you had a faboulous time, the Band B in Provence was certainly a %26quot;find%26quot;. If you had to do it again , would you do it with such a large group, I mean it does sound like it worked out very well, but how on earth could you fit all the luggage in the mini van. ( P.s. you seem to be an award winning shopper, LOL ) .
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Thanks for resurrecting this! I always love reading everyone%26#39;s trip reports, but not sure how many others enjoy these long reports!
No, I must say, I don%26#39;t think I would travel with 6 others plus myself again. Unfortunately, we had to split up into two apartments in Paris(2 in 1 and 5 in the other). It just turned out that the two and sometimes 1 other would hang out together and then sometimes it was the 2 and the 5. I think there may have been some slight hard feelings about that, but no one ever brought it up -- just something I maybe felt? Also, some wanted to stop and look/buy children%26#39;s clothes as both were expecting new grandchildren and others didn%26#39;t, so some were waiting for others fairly often. I just think it might be more manageable for 4 persons. However, I want to emphasize that we all got along great, no one was a %26quot;princess%26quot;, and we all still get together for photo swapping, saw %26quot;A Good Year%26quot; together, and once in awhile get together at someone%26#39;s house just to drink some wine, reminisce, and laugh!
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Loved your trip report!! We are a family of 4: two adults and two kids ages 3 and 5. We are also planning on spending time in Provence and Paris. However we have only 12 nights to do both. Are there things that you think can be skipped? Or in other words, what should not be missed?
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Wow, I was so surprised when getting my French %26quot;fix%26quot; on TA this morning to see someone had found my trip report! Thanks for bringing it to the top!
I%26#39;m not even going to try to say what to miss in Paris. That%26#39;s a more compact area and you can decide what to see and do. There are many parks in Paris where your little ones could run off lots of energy. The Tuileries has a great area for children with carousels, etc.
Frankly, I don%26#39;t know what to tell you to miss in Provence. Maybe doing three markets like we did may not be necessary. However, I could be wrong -- maybe you%26#39;re all shoppers! Cassis was probably an hour and a half drive from where we were and that was kind of a long day. However, it was a highlight for us. Pont du Gard may not impress your 3 and 5 year olds. I guess only you can decide what your kiddies would be happy with and for how long because that makes mom and dad happier!
Enjoy!
joy/luvparee
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