Day 19 - Sunny Paris

A beautiful day in Paris! Finally the sun came out after our first couple of cloudy days here, and since it was Sunday the streets were full of families enjoying the day. So many adorable kids on scooters!😊

First up we headed to the Pompidou Center. That’s a huge Modern Art Museum here in an inside-out awesome building. The good news is that a number of the museums here are free entry the first Sunday of the month - including the Pompidou. The bad news is that the lines to get in are quite long- but we were patient and made it in in 45 minutes. Worth it!

I love the juxtaposition of the very old and very new across from each other. Pompidou on the left, Old Paris on the right.

The front of the Pompidou. Bottom left - Picasso. Lots of great interesting art inside.

Next up lunch at a cute place in the Marais.

Best quiche I’ve ever had!

Something that has been on my list to visit here but never had the time to get to is the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. It’s in the 11th arrondissement so a bit away from the central historic core most visitors spend their time in, but is the permanent home to over 70,000 Parisians including many famous ones. So we hopped on the Metro and headed there to find some of the famous graves. Is it weird to say a cemetery was awesome? I thought it was! It’s surrounded by this cool stone wall and has cobblestone walkways between the numbered districts. Lots of beautiful trees, park benches, a chapel and crematorium. They have a large listing of the “famous” people buried there, and it’s kind of like a scavenger hunt to find them in the 100 acre cemetery. They are still “accepting” new residents, but I can’t imagine where, as the graves are right on top of each other. But we did see new ones wedged in so it is possible.

One of the main entrances.

Most of the gravestones were huge! Top left just one example of what we saw. Quite dramatic! Bottom right one of the new modern additions.

One of the most famous and sought out graves is Jim Morrison of the Doors. There is a fence around his site but people obviously jump over it to leave their gifts. Note the whisky bottle and half filled glass!

Lots of gifts for Chopin too.

The Impressionist artist Seurat.

Many cobblestone walkways. Lots of people there but still so peaceful.

We took our time walking back from the cemetery and enjoyed the nice weather. Another action packed day coming up so check back soon!

Day 18 - More Paris!

Have I mentioned that I love Paris? I pinch myself every time I’m here that’s it’s real. Walking the streets and looking at all the amazing and historic buildings never gets old. We are here for 8 days and since Julie and I have both been here a number of times and seen all the most popular sites like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Versailles etc - our goal is to see the things we haven’t seen that you just can’t fit in on a 3 or even 4 day visit. And my personal goal is to slow down and enjoy more of the delicious food - which means taking the time to make dinner reservations at the great small local restaurants versus just grabbing a bite at a brasserie or cafe when I’m hungry. Those places are fun too and sitting outside offers wonderful people watching. So we have a plan for our time here but we’re keeping our options open and staying flexible.

In Nice, Avignon and Lyon we stayed in Airbnb’s, but in Paris we are in a small boutique hotel in the Marais. A nice benefit of being in a hotel is that breakfast is included, but since one of my favorite things in France is starting the day with a cappuccino and great croissant that I normally run out to the neighborhood boulangerie to pick up, I was apprehensive that it would be a disappointment. So you can imagine my delight when I came down to the breakfast the first morning and saw an incredible array of amazing items including perfect croissants and a coffee machine I would cut off my arm to have in my loft! The coffee machine first grinds the beans and then makes whatever you want. Espresso, cappuccino, latte, you can add extra hot milk, an extra shot of espresso etc. Fresh squeezed orange juice is also very big in France so they have a machine that does that as well. Meats, cheeses, muffins, regular croissants, chocolate croissants, even macarons - because it’s never too early to start eating cookies here😊

Good morning Paris!

Our hotel is conveniently less then a block away from 2 different Metro trains which makes it so easy for us to get anywhere in the city. Paris has one of the best if not the best public transportation systems in Europe, and as Rick Steves says - learn to use it! Plus it’s really inexpensive. Best to buy a carnet which is 10 individual tickets each good for a ride on a bus or the metro train. Easy to share with a companion as the tickets are all individual. Costs about 15 euros which makes each ride about 1.5 euros. If you buy the tickets individually they are 1.9 euros. So much cheaper then Uber or a taxi and much faster to get where you want.

Our first stop was the Cluny Museum. The Cluny is Middle Ages art in a very cool very old building in the 6th arrondissement that was a Roman bathhouse. It contains fine goldsmithing and ivory carvings from the 13th century along with stained glass windows from Saint-Chapelle and exquisite tapestries. Part of the museum is under renovation so it only cost 5 euros for entry and was well worth it.

Bottom left was from a collection of what they call caskets. Amazing handmade wooden boxes that had secret compartments in the lid. Many had beautiful art work decorating the insides. Middle pic is stained glass from Sainte-Chapelle.

From a set of 6 tapestries called “Lady and the Unicorn”

Next up a little shopping. We headed in the direction of one of the most beautiful department stores called Galleries Lafayette. Along the way we just happened to walk past Norte Dame and Saints-Chapelle, and I realized I had never seen Sainte-Chapelle from the outside. I’ve been inside a number of times to see the beautiful stained glass, but always been in such a hurry to get to the next site had never looked up to see the outside. It is surrounded by other buildings so you have to be in just the right spot to see it. The beauty of having extra time😊

Sainte-Chapelle is a Must See when in Paris!

Galleries Lafayette is a huge gorgeous department store that you could spend an entire day exploring. I’m not a huge shopper but it’s fun to browse, grab a delicious meal in their great cafeteria, and people watch.

The most beautiful Tiffany glass ceiling is over the enormous cosmetic department, and they added a clear walkway accessible from the 3rd floor to walk into the center of the dome and have a perfect view up and down. The line is quite long to do it as they only allow so many people on it at a time. They have bars, coffee shops and dessert places on every floor. Herme macaron anyone? I’ll take a caramel!

Next up after a stop at the hotel to freshen up - dinner at Cafe Des Musees. Suggested by a friend I had made dinner reservations here and it was as good as the recommendation. I can’t even tell you the last time I had beef to eat, but the menu said they had the best beef bourguignon in Paris - so we had to try it. Amazing! And the mashed potatoes were to die for. We called them whipped butter with a little potatoes thrown in - because that’s how they tasted. It was so warm and inviting inside, and the staff was so friendly and helpful. Don’t believe it when someone tells you the French are not friendly. We have had the total opposite experience.

The dessert tray was all so tempting we couldn’t decide. The 4 French people at the table next to us willingly gave us their opinion. Another example of how friendly the French really are😊

And the winner is…….lemon meringue to share! Magnifique!

A leisurely walk back to the hotel and another great day in the books. Pinch me! I’m really here💕

Day 17 - Lyon to Paris💕

Paris! Probably my favorite city in the world💕 We took a very uneventful train ride 2 hours from Lyon, and this time had reserved seats - yeah! We even scored putting our carryons on the luggage rack as we are smarter now about getting on the train as fast as possible. When we were getting off the train there was still a huge pile of luggage at the door but a young man getting off just moved some of it out of the train so hopefully those passengers found it outside.

We took the Metro to our hotel easily. Have I mentioned that the public transportation in Paris (and actually Lyon too) is excellent and easy to use? I have a previous blog post on my top tips for Paris so consider referring to the archive to find it. I have tips on what works best for me and maybe you too!

In an example of what a small fun world it actually is Julie had friends from Chicago in Paris for the day, so we headed out to meet them for a late lunch. They are actually vacationing in London, but took the Chunnel from London to Paris for the day. We met them at a legendary brasserie in the 6th arrondissement called Brasserie Lipp.

Julie and Molly in front of the restaurant looking like two French girls in their cute hats. A selection of cheeses to share for starters, Niçoise salad for me, and a dessert to all share that was amazing.

Julie and her fun friends! Libby, Linda and daughter Molly who is studying abroad in London. Our devilish waiter who admitted to be smirking since he was trying to grab an ankle😊

We said goodbye as the ladies were heading off to see a museum before heading back to London, and Julie and I went a little exploring in the 6th which is a beautiful arrondissement.

One of my favorite things in Paris are the incredible doors you see everywhere. I love the blue ones best!

One of the main historic buildings in the 6th is St. Sulpice Church. It is right on St. Sulpice Square and is the second largest church in Paris after Norte Dame.

Beautiful fountain on St. Sulpice Square.

The church is massive. And because it is right on the square there is no way to get a picture of the entire church so here are a few from the beautiful inside. With the fire at Norte Dame much of the activity is being done at St. Sulpice instead.

St. Sulpice modeled after St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Next up a visit to the spectacular Luxembourg Garden. Jardin du Luxembourg is a lovely 60 acre garden that makes you feel like you are in a Monet painting. The Luxembourg Palace is on one end and it’s filled with lots of pretty light green chairs where the French enjoy the beauty on a regular basis. You see lots of people visiting or reading and it’s perfect for just sitting and people watching. And that exactly what we did!

My Friday night view💕

We took our time walking back to the Marais which is the 3rd arrondissement where we are staying, and just enjoyed the buildings, fountains and statues that are everywhere you look.

St Michael statue and fountain.

We crossed the Seine right by Norte Dame, so here are current pictures of the renovation that has begun post fire. Still so heartbreaking but it will return.

Norte Dame

Norte Dame from the side. So much different since I was here in May shortly after the fire. Now the intricate scaffolding is everywhere and the entire area is full of construction buildings. I’m amazed that they even knew where to begin!

We had a big late lunch so just stopped at a cafe for a glass of wine and light bite before heading to bed. The snack was pea croquettes which sounded super weird but actually weren’t bad. Julie reprimanded me strongly for forgetting to take a photo to post, but they actually looked just like a croquette. Who knew you could make them from peas?

Lots more to see and do here in Paris so check back again. Mais je suit a Paris pour le moment et je vis!

Day 16 - Lyon

We had a great day in Lyon! I didn’t really know what to expect coming here, but it has really exceeded my expectations. The weather has been beautiful, chilly but sunny and blue skies all day. We are here two nights and basically a day and a half for site seeing - which turns out to be perfect. We covered all the main areas and with another day would probably do a museum or two, but not on the must see list. Lyon is very hilly! I wasn’t expecting that but consequently it’s even prettier then anticipated because in many spots you have a beautiful panoramic view of the town and two rivers that divide it making one section really an island.

One of our views today walking up a huge hill. That’s one of the rivers - the Saone.

First stop after walking up a huge hill to the Fourvière Hill area was the Roman Theater. Built in 43 AD it’s amazing that it’s in such great shape, and is actually still used for concerts and dance performances.

Top right - that’s me way at the top! Julie in a more relaxed pose bottom right.

Next stop the Notre Dame Basilica which was almost right next door. Construction was began in 1870 as a tribute to the Virgin Mary, and I think it might be the most beautiful church I have ever seen. Just my opinion of course, but spectacular mosaics everywhere.

Notre Dame Basilica. The smaller building on the right has a beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother on top and it is a chapel that is 500 years older.

Inside the Basilica. Floors, walls and ceilings are all mosaics. Love the alter with the beautiful statue of Mary and Jesus.

We headed down the hill and across the river to the posh Presqu’île area where there are lots of upscale restaurants and shops. First stop….lunch!

Cafe des Jacobins - in business since 1906! Since we’re having a big fancy meal tonight we just wanted salads. This one had goat cheese on toast to top it and was delicious. Our waiters didn’t speak much English but when we told them we were from the US they asked us to marry them and take them home with us! So cute😊

We spent the rest of the afternoons walking the streets and window shopping.

Passage de l’Argue. An Old World covered shopping passage from the 1800’s.

The most famous dessert in Lyon - La Tarte a la Praline. An almond and cream dessert that is everywhere. Rumor has it it’s very sweet so I haven’t tried it…..yet!

We walked up to another area called La Croix-Rousse. Very hilly and bohemian.

So hilly and it just went forever! But very cool buildings, shops, restaurants and street art.

Love these two businesses! One a restaurant and one a great store with amazing clothes. And a super sweet sales lady that told us the history of the area. Thank you Caroline!

So many quirky things in Lyon. Random statues on buildings and how can you not laugh at this one?!!

Back to our neighborhood to change for our amazing dinner.

One of the things Lyon is best known for is amazing food, so we made sure to plan for a great dinner. We found a restaurant very close to our Airbnb and it was a Michelin Star restaurant winner for the past 3 years so we made a reservation for dinner and decided to splurge. I’m not an expert on food but we both loved our meal at Daniel & Denise. Julie had shrimp and she said it was the best she ever had in her life, and would dream about it. I had amazing roasted chicken with mushrooms and it was excellent. We shared pan roasted potatoes and penne pasta in a bechamel sauce - incredible! We shared the special dessert which was pot au chocolate. When it came it was actually two pots and two madeleines. When we asked why one dessert comes with two pots our waiter told us because one is never enough! Almost true but plenty for us because we were so full. Totally worth the splurge😊

So happy!

A last walk to the river to say goodbye to Lyon.

I’m so glad we got to make this stop and spend a few days in Lyon. So easy to get to on the train and a beautiful fun city. Next up off to the city of lights - Paris! I can never be there too often💕

Day 15 - Avignon to Lyon

We are tired! But we made it to Lyon! Everything went smoothly as far as making our trains and getting to our Airbnb on the metro, but the train ride itself was like a Saturday Night Live skit. We didn’t have seat assignments because when we bought the tickets it wasn’t an option. It was just get on the train and find a seat. So we thought that would be the case for everyone. Not so. We roamed through a number of cars quite full with people that had reserved seats, so every time we found a vacant seat and started getting settled in someone would come up and say it was their seat. Well at least that’s what we thought they were saying because hardly anyone spoke English. I get it. We’re in France. We can’t expect them to speak English. Luckily the train ride wasn’t super long as we ended up standing for part of the ride. We weren’t the only ones. And then don’t get me started on people with suitcases as big as their bodies! When we were getting close to our destination we started making our way to the doors, as the train doesn’t stop long and you have to get off fast so the people getting on can get on. When we got to the area between the cars where the doors are people had piled up their humongous suitcases and totally blocked the exits. So that the people needing to get off had no where to go. They literally just dumped their suitcases there and took their seats. At that point my patience was a little thin so I was tempted when the doors opened at the station to just push all the suitcases out the door. So that’s why my number one rule for travel is to travel light. Nothing bigger than a carryon!

I took this picture of the huge suitcases piled up at the doors. It was ridiculous! But somehow we managed to get off. Welcome to Lyon!

Lyon seems cool, but today we took it easy and got a little settled and headed out to get our bearings. It really feels like fall here. We went from shorts to wearing our jackets today, but we planned for it so no worries. Lyon is considered to be France’s most historic and culturally important city after Paris. It’s also really known for amazing food! We can’t wait to try it! We ate a very late lunch. At 4 o’clock is it considered an early dinner?

Amazing quiche and salad. Lyon is known for local red wine made with Beaujolais grapes so we tried it. Good!

St Jean Cathedral. Beautiful stained glass dating back to the 13th and 14th century. And an amazing medieval astronomical clock from 1383.

Bonaparte Bridge. Most famous bridge in Lyon but not that old. All the bridges in Lyon were destroyed in WW2 but this one actually at least looks old. A great place to view the whole city from.

A Traboule. Passageways in Lyon that link the old town’s three main north-south streets and provided shelter from the elements when unfinished silk goods were being moved from one place to the next. Lyon has a long history of silk production since the 1800’s. There are a number of them still in existence and we managed to find the longest one which connects 4 buildings.

Notre Dame Basilica - looks amazing! Saving that for tomorrow.

My favorite picture of the day! Pretty Lyon! I can’t wait to see more tomorrow.

I’m feeling kind of delirious so heading to bed early. We have a full day planned tomorrow in Lyon - and that includes food! Thanks for coming along😊