Europe Trip ................................. (France + Italy) November 2007

Day 1: Paris CDG Airport Metro/Train Station Empty From Strike - Paris, France

2007-12-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

11.15.07 – 9:00am - Thursday
Arrived at CDG, no bag for Randy abt. 9.45am
Went to Air France baggage dept. to file a claim – received a claim
#CDG AF 89704

It was kind of like a ghost town, like something you'd see in a movie where there's some kind of a scare or end of the earth type of situation. The rest of the airport was pretty busy but this area was not!

Milled around the airport looking for a place to clean up – went to AF lounge using Platinum card, but we were denied access; so went to a restroom to shave and freshen-up. Had a coffee and looked for a way to get to our hotel because the Metro and rail systems were not working due to a strike.

We took a cab to the hotel.

Le Jardins Du Marais And Bastille Neighborhood Shots - Paris, France

2007-12-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

Walked around the Bastille for a while and took photos here and there. We discussed how we were going to plan our trip out. The weather was really cold ... about 28 or so degrees so Randy was really cold. I was in my really WARM coat but Randy thought naa it wont be cold. Boy he was wrong so we decided to go get a drink and then go buy a coat for him before it got cold since he didn't have any warm clothes as his suitcase was still missing.

Some neighborhood photos around the hotel we stayed at, Les Jardins Du Marais on Rue Amelot.

View From Le Bastille - Paris, France

2007-12-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

Randy At Le Bastille - Paris, France

2007-12-21T14:22:00.000-08:00

First Empty Glass Of Beaujolais Nouveau - Paris, France

2007-12-21T14:21:00.000-08:00

We arrived on the third Thursday of November and that's usually the day France celebrates Beaujolais Nouveau so we certainly had plenty of it and it was pretty good! Some interesting info about Beaujolais Nouveau below.

Into Wine Article About Beaujolais Nouveau

Wikipedia Article About Beaujolais Nouveau

Red Chairs - Paris, France

2007-12-21T14:20:00.000-08:00

Place de la Bastille - Paris, France

2007-12-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

Every little corner has history in Paris so def. this place does. Read the article below on Wikipedia!
Place de la Bastille On Wikipedia

Bastille At Sunset - Paris, France

2007-12-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

We didn't do much else as we were bummed about the lost suitcase and I started to feel really sick because we hardly had any food or water all day, dehydrated, tired etc etc. We were also looking for a restaurant or Bistro and our timing was off or something either some places were not open yet or just not going to open. We finally found a mussels restaurant chain and thought we should just go and eat and go back and sleep. Leon's was the place, so so I really couldn't finish my meal as I felt quite sick!

mK2 Bastille - Paris, France

2007-12-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

Gastronomie/Charcuterie - Paris, France

2007-12-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

This place was right down the street from our hotel and across the street from La Vache Acrobate. Amazing foods were displayed in the windows and the boy they looked tasty. I like the writing on the windows, the stickers, the entire structure all of it! Had to snape pics.

Day 2: The View From Our Hotel Room - Paris, France

2007-12-20T12:08:00.000-08:00

I thought our view was pretty nice, isn't it? I'm feeling much better today and really hungry!! Have to go get some food in my stomach real soon. Like maybe a pain au chocolat or quiche Lorraine.

Au Peche Mignon - Paris, France

2007-12-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

Looked like a fun place ... I especially love the picture of Salvador Dali!

A Walk On The River Seine - Paris, France

2007-12-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

Our first morning walk we were really interested in getting going and do some shopping!

Café Louis-Philippe - Paris, France

2007-12-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

This looked like a great restaurant like any other in Paris so had to snap a picture of it. This I liked especially because of the colors - the white and the green combination. They have a Web site so check out the menu and read a little about it.

Café Louis-Philippe

Restaurant Chez Julien - Paris, France

2007-12-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

This was such a beautiful building and the restaurant looked great! Wanted to eat everywhere but you just can't! I actually shot this pic just a little too late as the girls kissed and it would have been perfect to have gotten that shot but oh well, Ces's La Vie! Some info on the restaurant at the link below.

Restaurant Chez Julien

Les Diners Lyriques - Paris, France

2007-12-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

Looked like a beautiful restaurant!

Hôtel de Ville From Different Corners - Paris, France

2007-12-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hotel de Ville is France's City Hall this of course being the Paris city hall. I like the building as it's quite massive and very old. I have two shots above from two different side corners. The lighter side is very close to the river and the other side is right across from the BHV store in the Marais. Read the history below on Wikipedia as it dates back to 1357. OLD!

Hôtel de Ville Article on Wikipedia

BHV, Nespresso & George Clooney - Paris, France

2007-12-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

Kind of interesting that George Clooney is promoting Nespresso in Europe. I saw the ad on this BHV store in the Marais and had to snap the pic. BHV stands for Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville and is owned by Galeries Lafayette.

Galeries Lafayette - Paris, France

2007-12-20T10:25:00.000-08:00

We always love going to Galeries Lafayette because we love to shop and love to shop in Paris. It's always fun! This time it was great to see the Christmas decorations throughout the store! The picture below in the menswear store is when we took a break as there's a champagne bar and decided on a couple of glasses of bubbly. It was quite nice! A link to the Galeries Lafayette Web site and a link to Wikipedia about the history is below. Check it out!

So basically today we shopped a lot ... we had to buy some clothes for Randy as he didn't have any. We love shopping!

Galeries Lafayette

Galeries Lafayette Article On Wikipedia

La Vache Acrobate - Paris, France

2007-12-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

Great place and was recommended by one of our business contacts as one of the better bistros and it was half a block from our hotel on Rue Amelot so we decided to meet with him there and have beaujolais nouveau and do dinner and what a great tasty dinner it was. Randy had an amazing foie gras with figs and I had the chicken salad with epinards which was yummy as well. Too good!
Great recommendation Thierry!!

Map and directions below in case you go...

La Vache Acrobate Map/Directions

Le Tabarin - Paris, France

2007-12-20T08:08:00.001-08:00

We kept walking by this place many times but we never stopped in. It looked like a great restaurant but so many great restaurants in Paris and not enough time to try it all. Next tim!

Bastille Street Scenes - Paris, France

2007-12-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

La Kabyue Restaurant Hotel - Paris, France

2007-12-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

Le Bastille - Paris, France

2007-12-19T06:14:00.000-08:00

Seems a little touristy but it's really cute especially at night.
Le Bastille Brasserie

Place De La Bastille - Paris, France

2007-12-19T06:10:00.000-08:00

Beautiful at night ... don't you think?

Les Jardins Du Marais Restaurant/Bar - Paris, France

2007-12-19T05:52:00.000-08:00

Very modern ... after a cold night we decided to come back to the hotel and have a drink at the bar.

Les Jardins Du Marais Courtyard At Night - Paris, France

2007-12-19T05:47:00.000-08:00

I was walking around the courtyard and found this window. I took the photo because I saw the reflection of those items behind the window and I think this pic turned out quite nice.

Day 3: Up The Stairs - Paris, France

2007-12-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

Well not exactly just right after we walked up the stairs we saw this little motorcycle parked so nicely with the trees in the background and the sun shining even further behind it.

Boulangerie At 28 Boulevard Beaumarchais - Paris, France

2007-12-18T05:38:00.000-08:00

We kept frequenting this little boulangerie. Very nice lady at the counter always. I kept having these little mini quiche lorraines and of course I'd get a pain au chocolate as well and Randy as you can see in the picture was trying the sardine mini pizza/quiche. Yum, yummy!

L'Europeen Brasserie - Paris, France

2007-12-18T05:34:00.000-08:00

I like the name, the font/graphic and the lighting this morning so I had to snap this pic. It's a brasserie in Paris right across from the Gare de Lyon.

Check it out here ...
L'Europeen Brasserie

Gare de Lyon - Paris, France

2007-12-18T05:17:00.000-08:00

Gare de Lyon is the station that we catch the TGV to go to the South Of France. It was my first Paris train station experience in Paris, France (not this trip in 2006) and it's one of the real beautiful ones.

The photo of the stairs above is the stairs to Le Train Blue restaurant. Most recently it was featured in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday. Cute movie but targeted to kids as my nephew loved it. It's always nice to see Paris and the South Of France on Film though!

Gare de Lyon On Wikipedia

Le Train Bleu on Wikipedia

Mr. Bean's Holiday On IMDB

In case you want to purchase Mr. Bean's Holiday here's a link to it at Amazon.

Mr. Bean's Holiday

Gare Saint Lazare - Paris, France

2007-12-18T05:04:00.000-08:00

Some history and info on Gare Saint Lazare on Wikipedia ...

Gare Saint Lazare On Wikipedia

Metro Signs Everywhere - Paris, France

2007-12-18T05:02:00.000-08:00

I just love these old metro signs at the Gare St. Lazare station.

Shadows And Light - Paris, France

2007-12-18T04:59:00.000-08:00

Loved the light and shadow combination here at the Gare St. Lazare and so I snapped several pictures. I think these turned out good. Don't you think so?

Metro Pod - Paris, France

2007-12-18T04:54:00.000-08:00

Interesting looking metro entrance/exit. Sort of looks like a space age pod or something. Had to snap these pics. It's right by the Gare St. Lazare. Luckily we were able to ride the metro at least once on our 5 days in Paris.

Even McDonald's Can Be Cute - Paris, France

2007-12-18T04:50:00.000-08:00

We'll in Paris they dcan beo! This one's kind of cute in a Madonna Inn kind of way. Madonna Inn in San Louis Obispo ...

Madonna Inn

Hotel Concorde St. Lazare - Paris, France

2007-12-18T04:41:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful art deco hotel. We stopped in as we like to stop into hotels and check out their lobbies. This was classic but noticed they had the clear plastic furniture mixed in with the classic, art deco pieces. Interesting. I didn't realize how big it was until I saw their Web site. Check it out here.

Rue De Magador - Paris, France

2007-12-18T04:19:00.000-08:00

I love the street signs so I have to take as many as I can. Here's one for Rue De Magador.

Printemps - Paris, France

2007-12-18T04:05:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful store from the outside to the inside. You've got a mens store, of course a womens store and a store dedicated for items for your house. It didn't feel like spring when we were there (printemps means spring) as it was in the 30's but once inside it was quite fun looking at all the clothes etc and the busy shoppers.

Printemps

For the history on wikipedia and it's interesting click here...

Wikipedia Article

Gites De France - Paris

2007-12-18T03:57:00.000-08:00

Was interested in this place especially since it was nicely framed with the dark part which I think makes the picture quite nice. Turns out it's a bed and breakfast or the offices for a bed and breakfast chain. Couldn't really figure it out but here's the link.

Google Search To Gites De France Paris

Hôtel Langlois (Hôtel des Croisés) - Paris, France

2007-12-18T03:34:00.000-08:00

Hôtel Langlois Link

Used to be called the Hôtel des Croisés but later changed the name to Hôtel Langlois for the film The Truth About Charile which was a remake of Charade the old film starring Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn and Walter Matthau. At first watch The Truth About Charlie is a bit too much to understand but I did some research on the remake and read about what it's really supposed to - it's basically a tribute film about the French New Wave film movement. Once I read that it totally makes sense. I've rewatchd several times since and I love the film and has an amazing soundtrack. I've never stayed at this hotel but the way we found out about it was right before the remake came out. Randy and his family stayed here and they actually liked it.

Check it out here ....

IMDB Article About The Truth About Charile

Also a link to the DVD here. It comes with both Charade the original and the update. It would be great to compare and watch one after the other.

The Truth About Charlie

And a link to the soundtrack.

The Truth About Charlie Soundtrack

La Trinité church - Paris, France

2007-12-18T03:30:00.000-08:00

It was under construction but was able to capture this picture. It's a beautiful church I think and I've wanted to go inside but haven't now for the second time I've been to Paris. Next time!

Here's some info about it.

Wikipedia Article

MEA - Paris, France

2007-12-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

Nice to see that MEA flies into Paris! I flew on it from Beirut to Athens. Only one time. It's the Lebanese national airline! It's got a nice looking logo with the big green cedar tree famous from Lebanon!

MEA

MEA On Wikipedia

Poilâne Bakery - Paris, France

2007-12-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

World famous bakery ... has been featured on many travel/food related shows from Martha Stewart, Giadda DeLaurentis and Samantha Brown and more. So wanted to go there and get there raisin bread. My gosh was it good! Yummy! Randy bought these butter cookies and I think it's the best I've ever had in my life. Not to sweet but very tasty! Worth going to check out at least and buy a couple of items. Sad story though the owners recently were killed I believe in a car accident so the place is run by their daughter.

If you feel like it you can mail order your bread and it will be shipped via fed ex to you from Paris! Check out their site. Also read the Wikipedia article about Lionel Poilâne the guy who started the bakery. Interesting stuff.

Poilâne

Lionel Poilâne On Wikipedia

The Centaur (Man Horse) Statue - Paris, France

2007-12-17T09:13:00.001-08:00

Was an interesting looking statue - half man, half horse. Worth a shot! It's right down the street from Poilane.

Headless Mannequins - Paris, France

2007-12-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

When I saw these I just had to snap some pics ... they just looked so nicely positioned together and deserved a couple of pictures. Don't you think? Unfortunately I do not remember the name of the place. Darn!

Les Deux Magots - Paris, France

2007-12-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Les Deux Magots is a historic and famous place so I was glad to have gone there and sat outside to enjoy the life there. Very nice and very popular so it was quite crowded!

Wikipedia Article On Les Deux Magots
Les Deux Magots

Menu ....

This woman seemed pretty cold but she still was enjoying her experience at Les Deux Magots.

The view from Les Deux Magots ... pretty busy!

Day 3 Continued: St Germain Church - Paris 6th, France

2007-12-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

The oldest church in Paris is the St. Germain right across from the famous Les Deux Magots cafe.

Wikipedia Info On St Germain

Librairie Ancienne & Moderne - Paris, France

2007-12-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

The cutest little shops ... just had to snap a pic of it!

240 Boulverad Saint Germain - Paris, France

2007-12-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

Le Saint Germain Brasserie - Paris, France

2007-12-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

Alexandra Sojfer (Boulevard Saint Germain) - Paris, France

2007-12-17T07:33:00.000-08:00

For all your winter needs, umbrellas, mits etc you can pick them up at this store. I thought it was fun looking so I had to snap a picture. Obviously they are really ready for the winter months!! Some information below on quality of the umbrella's and how they are made and a link to their site.

Michel de Guilhermier's Blog On Alexandra Sojfer's Umbrella's

Alexandra Sojfer Web Site

Le Buci - Paris, France

2007-12-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

Restaurant Alcazar Paris - Saint Germain des Prés - Mezzanine et club - Paris, France

2007-12-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

I knew about Restaurant Alcazar Paris from the CD's they've released (volume 5 available now) and we happened to stumble on to it on our walk. We walked in. Quite fancy! Had a couple of cocktails!

Restaurant Alcazar Paris

In case you feel like buying the CD's here's a link to AMAZON. They're all really good and if you like Buddha Bar, Hotel Costes CD's you'll definitely like these CD's.

mezzanine de alcazar

Or we could have gone to Hotel Costes to hear Stephane Pompougnac spin his mix of jazzy downtempo and loungy world beats ...

Hotel Costes

Or maybe Buddha Bar?

Buddha Bar

All of these clubs/restaurants release awesome CD's and are all worth owning! Great comps! Buddha Bar has 10 already and has been releasing them since the late 90's and I believe Hotel Costes has 10 as well. Links to CD's below.

In case you feel like buying the Buddha Bar and Hotel Costes CD's check them out here at Amazon.

Hotel Costes

Buddha Bar

Le Balto On The Corner Of Guénégaud - Paris, France

2007-12-16T22:32:00.000-08:00

Love the way this picture turned out, love the lighting!

Walking The Streets At Night - Paris, France

2007-12-16T22:18:00.000-08:00

Couple Making Out Behind L'Institut de France - Paris, France

2007-12-16T22:01:00.000-08:00

I love this picture even though it's quite dark the picture looks nice. I was glad to have captured that couple making out there.

Institut de France - Paris, France

2007-12-16T21:50:00.000-08:00

Didn't know what this place was when we walked past it but just found it online after looking at a map.

Institut de France On Wikipedia
Institut de France

Seine River Boat Captured At Slow Shutter Speed - Paris, France

2007-12-16T21:43:00.000-08:00

I love the way this came out! Experimenting is always fun, don't you think so??

Assemblee Nationale - Paris, Frace

2007-12-16T21:35:00.000-08:00

Assemblee Nationale

Bridge On The River Seine - Paris, France

2007-12-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

Tour Eiffel Diaspora - Paris, France

2007-12-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

Love this shot!

Tour Eiffel - Paris, France

2007-12-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

Tour Eiffel Glows - Paris, France

2007-12-16T21:19:00.000-08:00

The Eiffel Tower was all ready for the holidays as you can see here it's glowing! I love these shots because the glowing lights look quite festive, don't you think?

Day 4: Yellow Vintage Citroen - Paris, France

2007-12-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

I love this bright yellow vintage Citroen. I like seeing these old cars on the streets of Paris! Wish I had one to drive around in the streets of Paris! Could be fun! Check out the history of the Citroen car at the link below.

Citroen Wikipedia Article
Citroen Web Site

Bloody Mary - Paris, France

2007-12-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

Every night this place was buzzing, filled with locals drinking, smoking gossiping! Was a popular spot!

Office Depot In Paris?

2007-12-15T21:03:00.000-08:00

I guess they have them in France too!!

Seafood At The Farmers Market - Paris, France

2007-12-15T20:59:00.000-08:00

Lot's of choices here it's the best place to get the best selections of seafoods!

La Ferme De La Brie - Paris, France

2007-12-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Rotisserie Chicken At Farmers Market - Paris, France

2007-12-15T20:55:00.000-08:00

Farmers Market With View Of Place De La The Bastille - Paris, France

2007-12-15T20:52:00.000-08:00

Toilettage - Paris, France

2007-12-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

Parked Traffic - Paris, France

2007-12-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

Sogetrans - Paris, France

2007-12-15T18:13:00.000-08:00

Sanitaire - Paris, France

2007-12-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

Plomberie Saint Gilles - Paris, France

2007-12-15T18:09:00.000-08:00

Ten - Paris, France

2007-12-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

Restaurant Le Sevigne - Paris, France

2007-12-15T17:20:00.000-08:00

Picasso Museum - Paris, France

2007-12-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

Didn't physically visit this place but wanted to. Next time!

Big Green Door - Paris, France

2007-12-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

I love doors!!! I also love taking pictures of them!

Rigal Mecanique Generale (Marais) - Paris, France

2007-12-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

Hommes (Marais) - Paris, France

2007-12-15T17:08:00.000-08:00

Old Door (Marais) - Paris, France

2007-12-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

Open The Door To Modern - Paris, France

2007-12-15T16:57:00.000-08:00

Was really of intrigued with this place. I liked how old and beautiful this place is and how the modern mirrored sculpture stands out. Love stuff like that ... don't you?

Centre Pompidou And Nearby - Paris, France

2007-12-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

I like it whatever anyone says. It's a work of art like any other building in France! Link below if you want to check it out.

Centre Pompidou

Near The Notre Dame- Paris, France

2007-12-15T16:44:00.000-08:00

Lion's Head Fountain - Paris, France

2007-12-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

Architecture Around The Pantheon - Paris, France

2007-12-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

La Dame Blanche - Paris, France

2007-12-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

I loved the look of this store - a record shop that sells out of print music. Very cute and perfectly situated right before the Pantheon. I wanted to go inside and browse but rant out of time. Maybe next time though. Turns out they have a Web site so check it out below.

La Dame Blanche

Pantheon From The Outside - Paris, France

2007-12-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

Building Just Outside Of The Pantheon - Paris, France

2007-12-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

Inside The Pantheon - Paris, France

2007-12-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

Pantheon Wikipedia Article

Pantheon History

Randy Photographing Inside The Pantheon - Paris, France

2007-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

Victor Hugo's Resting Place - Paris, France

2007-12-15T08:59:00.000-08:00

And someone else who I can't remember now. Very creepy place but worth a visit for sure!

Closeups Of Pantheon Architecture - Paris, France

2007-12-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

Architecture And Street Scenes Around Latin Quarter - Paris, France

2007-12-15T08:53:00.000-08:00

Bach, Brahms, Chopin & Farinelli - Paris, France

2007-12-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

Le Bistrot 30' - Paris, France

2007-12-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

Just a very cute restaurant!

Cute Street - Paris, France

2007-12-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

Yummy Food In The Window - Paris, France

2007-12-15T08:44:00.000-08:00