€6.5 Coke Another Dan birthday, another trip. Air France's seats are made for people with just a torso. We have no leg room, and are sitting next to Mr. Nose Pick who later become's Dan's snuggle buddy. Otherwise an uneventful flight - always a good thing - to Paris. While waiting for our room to be ready we get our first little sticker shock with Dan's €6.5 coke! Still waiting for the room after lunch so we take a tour of Paris on the Bateaux-Mouches where we learn all about the Legion of Hhhhhonor, and the 'ouse of Yves Saint Laurent! We walk back to the hotel thru Quartier Latin, which seems more a Quartier Grec to Dan. We get sandwiches from one of the many stands… Yummm.
Gaston de Fondue, Colette de Tarte Maison After a 17-hour sleep we are ready to be super-tourists in Paris. First off, a typical french breakfast of croissant and baguette on Boulvarde Saint-Germain. The a long day of walking start. We walk to Arc de Triumph and climb it. Views are great. Then walk to Tour Eiffel, and climb to the second level to catch the elevators to the top. The views are not superb! And so on for the rest of the day: walk and explore Paris. A dinner of fondue, onion soup, tarte maison & mousse au chocolate caps our day.
Armed with our Carte Oranges - with the best photos ever - we are off to Sacré Cœre de Montmartre. Dan finally experiences Paris's metro, aka the public bathroom for the bums. Can't say he's pleased! We walk around the basilica and get yelled at for taking photos, watch the artists around the square, eat lunch, walk down to Le Moulin Rouge, etc.
Josephine & Jean-Luke The next morning Dan's not feeling too well. And it is raining. Doh! Maybe it is time for some culture. Museé d'Orsay has huge lines so we decide to go down to Museé Marmottan Monet to see Monet's water lilies. Assana tries to get directions from the policeman in French. He keeps replying to Dan, and in English! Whatever. The museum is wonderful and the paintings are fabulous! We are done early enough that we decided to give Museé d'Orsay another try. The crowds are thinner so we get in and enjoy the afternoon with works of art. We have dinner plans with our friends Leslie and Derek, aka Josephine and Jean-Luke! By dinner time it is pouring rain! We meet up, and follow Derek to our first stop, which is small bar called Fubar! After drinks we bundle back up and again follow Derek, on foot in the pouring rain, to the restaurant he's picked for us. By the time we get there we are soaked and cold, and sitting by the door didn't help! Food is great, except that Assana's comes topped with some sort of blood sausage. Ick.
Sour Cream The next morning Dan continues to feel unwell; we cancel our plans with Josephine and Jean-Luke. Over-counter drugs don't work, so our hotel sends us to a doctor around the corner. His office is in his house and it is full of Apple products. We talk about Apple while he casually tells us that Dan has Salmonella! What?? Yeah, shouldn't have slathered his sandwich with sour cream at Quartier Latin! Interestingly enough the doctor's appointment, plus the drugs all put together costs less than our deductible. Nice. Dan spends the rest of the day in bed while Assana goes for a walk by the Seine. Later, we spend the evening watching Dirty Harry in and a british snooker tournament in Frnech. Not knowing or understanding the rules, where we make up our own: "No! Not the black Ball!".
Rodin Prescription drugs do the trick. Dan's feeling better, we are back out and about. After yummy breakfast at Paul's - the chocolat chaud is really melted chocolate! - we start with Museé Rodin. Then Rue Saint Honoré, Place de la Madeleine with all of its expensive stores, Fauchon, Panthéon, Jardin des Plants, Rue Mouffetard, and another €9 coke on the Champs d'Elysées.
Versailles With Dan feeling much better, and us being done with Paris, we are brave enough to venture out of town. We hop on the RER and head to Chateau de Versailles. The chateau is so ostentatious that even Dan feels like beheading someone! The gardens are nice, and huge, and we spend as much time outside, albeit very cold, as inside the chateau.
Polidor Tara has recommended Restaurant Polidor to us… all we have is a name and no address, but it turns out that the restaurant is half a block from our hotel! We head over and the food is every bit as good as Tara said. Small, very french, and homey, Polidor has been around since 1845! We love it. After our last night's dinner we decide to take another boat ride on the Seine. Paris is magical at night and we definitly want to experience it. It is super cold, but the sights warm us up. And what better way to spend the evening than with a sparkly Tour Eiffel?
