Paris 2012
Many of us have stated that we are going to Paris this year, either to celebrate the end of treatment or for some other reason, many "just cuz!"
Let's talk about our upcoming trips - which airline, hotel, what to see and do, where to eat, etc.
If you've been there before or if you live there, we really would like to hear your thoughts.
And if this trip isn't in your immediate future but you'd like to live vicariously through us, come along...the more, the merrier!
We have booked our airline tickets...Boston to Paris on Air France, departing May 25th and returning June 4th. Our two grown daughters are coming along, too. One just graduated from college and this is also her "graduation gift/party."
We are seriously considering taking the train to London for a couple of days.
And that is as far as our plans have progressed. Definitely need to get the hotel lined up soon.
Who's next?
Michelle
Comments
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What fun! We went to Ireland and London with our two girls (17 & 19) in November. ENJOY.
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Went to Paris a few years ago. LOVED IT! We're leaving for Hawaii next Tuesday to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary!
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We took to the train from Paris to London, had a fantastic time. My husband does all the planning, I just pack my bags. We're flying up to Philly to meet our friends who are going with us, from there we all fly to Rome on March 16, stay for 5 days then taking trains to Paris for 5 days.
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This was one of my favorites pictures I took.
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Heather - that is a spectacular picture! I can't wait to get my own shot of the tower. Even better yet, how about an apartment or hotel room with a view of it???
Anyone have any suggestions on nice hotels or apartments. I'm thinking how we really need two bathrooms with 3 women!
How important is A/C at that time of year?
Yorkiemom - I've been to Hawaii about five times...just love it. Which island(s) will you visit? I think our favorite is the big island of Hawaii, with Kauai a strong second.
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LuvRVing, for the price why don't you look into a apt? I don't know what your budget is but I would think with the size of your family it might be a better deal. Our hotel was great, extremely small room but it was just the 2 of us and just being in Paris was enough for me, as long as it was clean and came with a breakfast buffett in the morning, I was happy. We would eat a large breakfast and just get something small during the day. One of my favorite days there was completely unplanned, we just started walking along the siene and stopped to grab a fresh crepe, like you would a hot dog in NY.
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Heather - that's what I was thinking. I've started looking at VRBO and I suspect we could get something reasonable. I love the idea of more space because even DH and I don't get up at the same time, never mind four of us crammed into one hotel room. We all love one another, but that might be too much togetherness...lol.
I don't care so much about the breakfast buffet...I think I want to eat from patisseries and drink coffee, outside hopefully, at little shops. Crepes - oh yes, and then a few nice meals with local farm-fresh ingredients with some good wine. I am diabetic so loading up at one meal doesn't work so well for me. I like to graze!!!
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Hope you have a wonderful trip. Not going that far, but my significant other and I are heading to Key West for Valentine's Day for seven days. He says the trip is to celebrate my recovery. I say it is to thank him for being there!!
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There was a bakery at the corner of our block. We would walk up there and get fresh baguettes and Pain de Chocolate, I'm sure that's spelled wrong but they were warm and so delicious. There was also this little shop that sold everything from fruits, wines and cigarettes. We got some brie and bottle of wine one night, ate it on the baguette, best meal we had. You'll have so much fun. We're very excited to go back we really haven't been giving Rome any thought.
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mccrimmon - DH and I went to Italy in '09 to celebrate his retirement from military active duty. One thing I would recommend is the guided tour of the Vatican Museum. We did it the first night we were there - invaluable insights from your guide. You put on headphones and they take you around and explain all the art and antiquities to you. It was the only organized tour type thing we did but it was awesome. I made those arrangements from home before we left, printed out the tickets from my home PC. Mass transit is easy to use in Rome, same system as in Washington, D.C. We were surprised by how casually Romans view the ruins - I guess because they have been ruins for so long! There was not much in the way of supervised official stuff - like park rangers, or federal police. Even in the Vatican when we went in to St. Peters the guards were reading the paper instead of looking at the x-ray screens. We could have totally taken guns, bombs and knives into the cathedral. Also the airport when you are coming in looks kind of third world, they never even looked at my DH's passport! Italians are pretty relaxed! Going home it was chock full of shopping with all the high-end Italian designers having stores. Weird!
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SpecialK, I think we're going to skype with our friends this weekend and discuss the tours we want to see, I will definitely bring that up. I know we got both the Paris Pass and the London Pass last year so I'm think we'll most likely get the Rome Pass if it's offered.
LuvRVing - you'll want to check into the Paris Pass. You pay for a pass that gives you entrance to tons of museums and sites as well as free public transportation. I think it's well worth the money.
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mccrimmon - the tour ends in the Sistine Chapel, which was a highlight. I was really impressed with the tour guide's depth of knowledge combined with her casual delivery - it really was great. I hope you all have a wonderful trip - goodness knows you deserve it. That goes for luvrving too!
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LuvRVing, thanks for starting this thread. I am going to London, Paris and Italy and will arrive in Paris on 24 May. I am in the process of arranging accommodation through a travel agent.
I have a link to a US site that can arrange accommodation in Paris. I will post it later. I too am looking for a larger apartment but my travel agent said there aren't too many in Paris and prices are high. However, she will give me some recommendations early next week. The other option is to book adjoining rooms in a hotel.
I am going with my sister and we will be deciding on our tours this weekend.
By the way, we are going to Loudres. We are Catholic and with my BC I am seeking healing. Plus I will do a pilgrimage for all on BC.org.
I will post more later! -
The Paris Pass looks like a great idea!
Racy - you are arriving in Paris two days before us. Lourdes looks beautiful!
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I think we've found a hotel. After looking at dozens, we have reservations at the Hotel Saint-Jacques in the Latin Quarter. Anyone seen this one? I want this room:
And I think we've decided to stay in France the whole time except for one day when we'll get up early, take the fast train to London, spend the day and return that evening. It will be a long day, but it seems easier than changing hotels. and will get us to a couple of the major sites. Has anyone tried to do this? My DH really, really wants to take that train.
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LuvRVing. That looks beautiful and we walked around the latin quarter last year. Think that was my husband's favorite day. He can't wait to get back there.
We did do 1/2 our time in Paris and 1/2 our time in London, definitely loved Paris more but you should really go see London and take the train. It's fun. We reserved seats with a table between us and the 4 of us played cards for a while until everyone but me fell asleep. Before you go into the tunnels its amazing to see how fast your traveling.
Also, if you do London, look into the London Pass for a day, it may be worth it. We really enjoyed taking the bus and the Tube.
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Thanks, Heather! My DH really wants to experience the speed of the train. My youngest DD wants to go to Disneyland Paris, so I guess we'll spend one day doing that, too. I wouldn't mind getting a car one day and touring the countryside, there's so much more to France than Paris. And my DH also wants to go into Belgium as he was stationed at NATO headquarters there when he was in the service (some 40 years ago...lol). He used to go horseback riding from Mons to Paris, a two-day trek, with his service buddy.
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Both my husband and I really want to do the Normandy tour, it's expensive and I believe a two day trip? I can't remember now, but how many more times are we going to get the chance? How cool that your husband was able to have the experience. Then to be able to share it with his family. My grandfather was stationed in Hawaii during WWII, and just fell in love with it. I always get a kick out of hearing him tell us about how he and his buddies used to sneak into the pineapple fields and just feast on them.
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I am going to Paris from the 1st to the 13th of Feb. This is my second trip. My daughter did a year of undergrad there 07-08. I went with my son and husband to visit. We had a small apt. hotel suite...bedroom, living area with sleeper couch and full but small equipped kitchen, and bath. I will dig out the info if anyone is interested. Travel agents sometimes have access to rates that are not available to the public...My daughter returned to teach English culture to French HS students for a year after graduating and is now back, living in an apt. and doing her internship for grad school. I am going by myself this time....little mother daughter time..
I will return with more info and details of places that we enjoyed.
Make sure to reserve the train to London ahead of time..sometimes the train is more expensive than a flight to London my daughter said...
My husband is retired military..we lived in Italy for three years and I went to Palma Majorca Spain, Dubrovnik Yugoslavia, Canne and Nice, Florence, Rome, The Amalfi Coast of Italy, Much of Southern Italy, Tuscany, Several places in Germany...
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Joining in please. DH taking me to Paris this year. No date yet, but my task to plan it all.
Teresa
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Welcome Nowords and Fitzdc!
Nowords - you have some recent experience and I suspect you are the first of this little group to be going. Where are you staying this time? Can't wait to hear all about your trip and your advice!!!
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LuvRVing, Your trip sounds great. The london pass is a good idea. There are so many things to see and do. We want to go to Pairs also but DH wants to see Ireland so we will probably do that this year. Will keep reading this forum for all the great ideas you all have.
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The hotel bedroom photo is loverly, luvrving! What fun! Ptdreamers- Ireland is lovely at the right time of the year. My DH is from Ireland so we visit family every year and do not recommend the winter. Our Paris trip time frame is narrowed - August (but not looking forward to August heat and crowds) to celebrate our anniversary. Will combine with a trip to London, too (and maybe hit Ireland, too).
Teresa
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Mccrimmon, just looking at my France brochure. You can do Normandy in a day out of Paris. It's 14.5 hours and costs from $270 AU.
We are planning day tours to Champagne, Burgundy, Versailles, Giverny and maybe Loire. France is not cheap though. Some of these trips are up to $300 pp. For a larger group it would be more economical to hire a car. Which side of the road do they drive on? -
They drive on the right side of the road. We were looking at car rentals and the prices are not too bad. I think we could get a mid-sized car for 9 days for about $350. Gas is expensive, though. But still, with 4 of us, a car may be the way to go.
From Paris, can you get to the Mediterranean and back in one day? Really want to visit the French Riviera.
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I loved visiting the village of Giverny, especially Monet's home & gardens. I've always been a fan of the impressionists, so this was heaven for me. It's in Normandy, so for those who want to visit Normandy, a worthwhile stop. We visited Giverny & Versailles on the same day, easy day trip from Paris.
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Makes me think about how long it might be before I can travel again. Hopefully some day!
LuvRVing, You might consider flying into Pariis and out of Nice or Marsielles. Sometimes it doesn't cost much more to do so. You could take the train from Paris to the south.
There are packages that end up pricing a lot lower that include hotel, airfare, some tours, etc. For example, US Airways Vacations or Virgin Vacations. I know that a lot of people use travel agents with so much available on the internet, but you might consider it. We have friends that own travel agencies... with the right travel agent, you can end up spending less and/or getting amazing upgrades and access that you can't get on our own, plus really great advice from someone who has been there many times.
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Thanks for the tips, Jenlee. We have already purchased our air tickets on Air France to and from Paris. Great tip to visit Versailles and Giverny, I love the Impressionists, too.
We watched "Midnight in Paris" last night - was a fun movie to watch knowing we'll be there in a few months.
Has anyone done the Moulin Rouge? It looks like it would be a fun thing for four adults.
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LuvRVing, We did not do Moulin Rouge but the first night we arrived in Paris, hubby and I took a short walk just to get out and look around. After about 5 min. I happened to look up and we were standing right in front of it. Had no idea we were that close.
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My DH is getting "into" this trip and found a 4 hour Segway trip. He said he's making an executive decision and we're doing it on the first day. He doesn't usually plan anything when we travel, except for his golf tee times! He's reading TripAdvisor and getting all kinds of ideas...lol!
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That sounds fun!! My husband is completely addicted to trip advisor. To the point that I don't want to hear about it any more, just tell me what the weather is going to be like so I know how to pack.
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