PARIS: 2007, 2015
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Both Paul Sr and I had visited Paris, individually. Work required Paul Sr to travel to Paris in July, 2006. But, wouldn't you know, the one day he had off was Bastille Day, when everything was closed! I had gone to Paris for a weekend in 1969 (on my way to Geneva). So, in 2007, we decided to "do Paris together" on a Rick Steves "Paris in 7 Days" tour. We arrived four days earlier than the tour began, which gave us time to visit Chartres, tour the Rodin Museum, visit the Galleries Lafayette and the Paris Opera. By the time the tour started, a general strike was underway and all transportation was stopped - no taxis, no subways, no boats on the Seine. We were lucky to have the Rick Steves' busses and an absolute pro - William - for a tour guide. Even though our time at most venues was limited due to the traffic in Paris, William never made us feel rushed, had a wonderful sly sense of humor and a "c'est la vie!" attitude.
Paul and I walked everywhere in 2007. Rick Steves had really talked up the organ at St. Sulpice, so one morning we started out in the direction of St. Germain from our hotel near the Eiffel Tower. We found a church (eventually) with an organ (don't think it was St. Sulpice) but did find lots of fashion houses!
Paris is my favorite city, so I paid it a return visit in 2015. A planned four days on my own to begin, with visits to the Grand Palais for a Picasso exhibit, the Musée Jacquemart Andre, the Marmottan, and a Paris by Mouth food tour; then I joined a Road Scholar group traveling from Paris to Rouen, Giverny, Bayeux, Mont St. Michel, the Normandy beaches, and Honfleur.
I read several books in the months prior to travel to prep for the 2015 trip: Elizabeth Bard's "Lunch In Paris" and "Picnic in Provence", David Mc Cullough's "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris" and Jill Jonnes' "Eiffel's Tower." But my favorite piece on Paris was written by Ray Bradbury, who, each time he visited Paris would buy a copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender Is The Night." He would then spend a day walking across Paris, from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame, stopping to read in cafes and parks, sipping coffee and aperitifs, and drinking in the people and the city. Sounds like a perfect day in Paris to me.
