Trip to Italy May 1998 Journal

ITALY JOURNAL, 1998
 
My husband Tony and I traveled to Italy and had a great time!  Italy is a wonderful travel destination with so many sights to see and things to do.  This was our second trip to Italy.  Our first one was in 1990.
 
18/19 May 1998 (USA/Rome):  Our trip didn't start so well.  We flew on Air France (good flight and decent food) from Dulles International Airport outside Washington DC.  Our flight left late so we missed our connecting flight in Paris.  Although there were several morning flights to Rome, we were placed on an afternoon flight.  I requested that the Air France agent contact my hotel in case we were to arrive late.  The woman said she would call.  Well, we got to the hotel (Hotel Smeraldo - see my list of Hotels and Restaurants for those listed in this journal) just around 6pm.  We had taken the train to the Termini station (15,000L each), then the local bus (I believe it was #64) to Largo Argentina.  When we arrived and announced who we were, the evening manager told us he getting ready to rent out our room.   He never received a phone call from Air France.  We were lucky!  We should have been in Rome by noon, so I felt we lost a good portion of the day to begin our exploration of Rome. 
 
We settled into our room and unpacked our bags.  The room was nice and clean with our own bathroom and t.v. This hotel is in a great location. It's around the corner from Campo dei Fiori, a colorful piazza, which has a market during the day.  We went out to explore the nearby area.  We enjoyed drinks in the Campo dei Fiori, then dinner at we dined at La Fraschetta near the Piazza Navona.  We sat outside to enjoy the area.  
 
20 May 1998 (Rome):  Tony and I woke up to a beautiful sunny day.  Our first full day in Rome was filled with many sights and walking to all of them. We stopped by a café for coffee, tea and pastries near the Campo dei Fiori for breakfast.  We walked via piazza Navona, one of my favorite piazza's, passed the Trevi Fountain (the fountain had recently been cleaned of the pollution and it looked beautiful) visited the Pantheon, and walked through the piazza di Montecitorio to Piazza Colonna.  We backtracked and had sandwiches sitting at the steps of the Trevi fountain, enjoying our meal while taking in the scenery of people.  The piazza is very colorful with various colored buildings. 
 
We walked down to piazza Venezia to Vittoriano.  I took several photos of the Roman Forum from Campiologio.  Michaelango designed the "floor area" of the Campiologio.  We went to the Colosseum and paid to go inside to the upper levels.  The inside is so interesting.  The original floor is missing and one can look down to the ancient rooms. We sat outside the Colosseum and watched the 'gladiators' trying to get tourists to pose with them for photographs.  We rested for a while at the Parco di Traiano, near the Colosseum.  That was a big mistake for me.  Later in the afternoon, my left arm started to itch and swell with redness and bumps.  I once got a bad case of poison ivy at home.  At the park Tony laid down while I rested back on my arms.  I caught something like poison ivy on my left arm.  We had to find a pharmacy fast.  It was difficult to describe what I had since we didn't speak much Italian.  I made a scratching motion at my arm with an aching looking face.  I think they got the point.  I was given an ointment and I was very careful not to scratch my arm.  Within 2 days it disappeared.  We were really worried that it would spread.  It would have ruined my vacation! 
 
We walked down Via di S. Gregorio passing the ancient racetrack.  The area is overgrown with grass, but one can still see the shape of the track.  We visited the Baths of Caracalla, an interesting huge place.  Some of the flooring had remnants of tile and along some of the walls were large portions of tile.  Next we walked to S. Maria in Cosmedin where the Bocca d Verita - The Mouth of Truth - is located.  Anyone who has seen the movie 'Roman Holiday' will recognize it.  People waited in line while others had their picture taken with their hand in the mouth.  We headed back to our hotel passing the Teatre Marcello. It was certainly a long day of walking and sightseeing.
 
We returned to our room to shower and freshen up for the evening.  We ordered a bottle of red wine at a café in the Campo dei Fiori.  We didn't finish the bottle, but placed it in my bag to take with us.  We found a restaurant, Osteria ar Galletto in the Piazza Farnese.  Delicious food and wine!  We had to head back to our hotel to call Tony's cousin in Naples to make arrangements to meet them at the train station.  Tony rested on the bed while I called, then I made the mistake of lying down too.  We both fell asleep and woke up several hours later!  Too late to go out, so we just changed and went to sleep.  It must have been the wine we enjoyed and the full day of walking. 
 
21 May 1998 (Rome):  We had breakfast at a café with tables and chairs outside.  We had coffee, tea, and a sandwich.  We met another couple who took our picture and chatted with us for a while.  We headed to the Spanish Steps.  Of course, we passed some of the sights we had seen the previous day: Campo dei Fiori, the Pantheon, saw the Church of S. Maria Sopra Minerva, and the Trevi Fountain.  When we were in Rome in 1990, the Spanish Steps were filled with flowers.  Not this time.  But the area as filled with people sitting on the steps or shopping.  There was a McDonald's nearby, which we used their restrooms: that's the only good thing about McDonalds.  The place was crowded with kids buying burgers and fries.  We headed north to the Piazza Popola.  The statues in the center were all covered with scaffolding, like other sights in Rome.  Rome was "cleaning up." 
 
Our plans were to visit the Vatican in the afternoon.  Along the way to the Vatican, we stopped for pizza.  It was very good and inexpensive. It was a small pizzeria and there were no tourists in sight.    As we arrived to the Vatican, we could see the whole front was under scaffolding and plastic.  Fortunately we were there in 1990 so I wasn't disappointed about not taking any pictures.  We came prepared by being dressed properly.  We saw a lot of people wearing shorts, mini skirts, or sleeveless shirts being turned away.  Some even complained and still tried to get into the Basilica.  We took the stairs down to see the crypt.  We climbed the stairs (L5,000 each) (or L6,000 with the elevator and stairs at the portion of the Cupola) up to the Cupola. One had to walk at an angle while climbing the stairs around the cupola because of the curved dome.  It was a long climb, but we enjoyed great views of the city.  We shopped at the Vatican store for gifts.  A friend of mine wanted a rosary blessed by the Pope.  I asked the nun at the counter if they had been blessed and she said no.  Well, I couldn't go home without it being blessed, so Tony and I did the next best thing.  We went back inside the church and sprinkled the holy water on the rosary.  Not the same, but we made our best effort.   On the way back to our hotel, down the main street from the Vatican, we stopped to enjoy some ice cream.  Tony had a beer.  We chatted with two women who were on their way home.  They told us they had attended the Wednesday mass with the Pope, which it was crowded with people.  At one point the Pope sneezed.  Everyone in the audience immediately responded, "God bless you" in their own language.  The audience laughed. 
 
Before dinner we walked to the Pantheon and had drinks at a café enjoying the outdoors.  As you can already tell, café life is very important in Italy.  It definitely should be on everyone's Must Do list.  We found a restaurant along the way to the Trevi fountain (Pizza Fantasy, Via di Pietra) and ate a delicious meal.  Our dining neighbors were from Australia.  As soon as the gentleman stated he was a retired police office, both he and Tony pulled out their badges and the talking never ended!  We headed to the Trevi fountain so I could do some night photography.  The piazza was crowded with people hanging out for the evening.  It was quite lovely all lit up.  Then we walked to Piazza Bernini and had dessert before heading back home.  It was another wonderful day in Rome!
 
22 May 1998 (Rome/Naples):  Our last day in Rome.  We slept in till 9am.  We packed our bags and placed them in the hotel's storage room while we went out for the day.  We paid our bill, and then headed out for breakfast at a nearby café.  At the Campo dei Fiori, I picked up some fresh strawberries to snack on.  We walked to Trastevere, on the other side of the ArnoRiver.  This area is a lot quieter and more tranquil than the rest of Rome.  We visited Santa MariaChurch, which a film crew was setting up their equipment.  I wonder if they were going to make a movie.  The Church is quite beautiful.  The ceiling is very ornate with gold.  Behind the altar were beautiful mosaic tile works.  We had lunch at Bruno all Lungaretta on the same named street.  We sat outside, as we did most places throughout our trip.   We headed back over the ArnoRiver into the old Jewish quarter.  Other than the synagogue and a shop or two, it would be difficult for one to tell they were in the Jewish quarter.  It was a quiet area.  Nearby we saw two interesting buildings.  Parts of the walls were from ancient walls and pillars.  Old and new together. 
 
We headed back to our hotel, picked up our bags and headed to the train station on the local bus.  We took the 5:10pm train to Naples, which we arrived at 7pm.  We passed Formia, which is midway to Naples.  We were in Formia back in 1990 where we enjoyed wonderful seafood dishes at a restaurant called Nostromos.  Go there if you can.  Gaeta is nearby also where we stayed with family.  It's a local fishing village and no tourists! 
 
Tony's cousin's wife Alessandra and her parents picked us up at the train station.  They live high above Naples and live across each other.  From her parent's apartment, they have a spectacular view of the Bay of Naples.  Alessandra showed us to her one-bedroom apartment, which they gave up for us.  She and Pepe "moved" across the street to her Mother's house for the few days we were there.  They were wonderful hosts throughout out our stay.  After settling in, we walked across the street to the parents' house to meet the rest of the family.  We stayed for drinks, then headed out to dinner to A Fenestella, Via Marechiaro.  This restaurant is located right on the water.  We enjoyed a great antipasti platter with various seafood, and then pizza.  Tony unknowingly insulted his cousin by giving the headwaiter his credit card to pay for the meal.   We wanted to treat Pepe and Alessandra to dinner, but that wasn't the way to go.  Pepe said (through Alessandra who speaks a little English), "While in my home, I pay!"  From that point on, we didn't drop a penny.  The best part about staying with family was the pleasure of dining where the locals dine.  No tourists.  Great food.  On the way home, Pepe drove us around Naples and showed us where Tony's grandparents had lived.  We got home late and were in bed around 1am. 
 
23 May 1998 (Amalfi Coast):  We spent the day driving along the Amalfi coast, which was beautiful!  The temperature was comfortable, but it was an overcast day.  Our first stop was in Vietri Sul Mare, my favorite ceramic town, although I have never been to Deruta.  I bought a couple of lovely ceramic pieces.  I wish I had brought 2 suitcases to fill with ceramics!  We next drove to Amalfi.  Amalfi has a beautiful church, but we could not go in as we were wearing shorts that day.  We did peek in the doorway.  The arches in the front of the building reminded me of the Alhambra in Cordoba, Spain.  I purchased 2 bowls with the typical lemon design (with a bright blue background).  Throughout the Naples area, lemon trees grow in abundance.  The area is famous for their Limoncello liquor drink (see my recipes page).  We also stopped at Positano for a short visit, then we headed to Nerano for lunch at Ristorante Pappone. It's located in the Pensione La Certosa in Nerano - Marina del Cantone.  It's a small beach area with a few boats in the water.  Our drive along the AmalfiCoast was exhilarating and a little scary.  Fortunately we were hugging the mountainside of the road (east going west towards Sorrento).  For those that get car sick, definitely sit up front.  I had to after a while.  We stopped in Sorrento, which is much larger than the other towns along the Amalfi coast.  I took several pictures of the area, the Bay of Naples and MountVesuvio.  Sorrento is famous for their inlaid woodwork.
 
For dinner, we were invited over to Alessandra's parent's' house.  Her Mother made a fabulous meal.  Her pasta was wonderful made with eggplant, tomatoes, egg.  It's a Sicilian specialty.  Next was mixed seafood antipasti.   Then came the platter of buffalo mozzarella (the best in the world!), procuitto, salami, and marinated zucchini.  For dessert we had fresh strawberries with homemade whipped cream.  In between all this eating, we had wine.  Tony had whisky while I sipped on Lemoncello, which I wrote down the recipe (see my recipe section).  I tried their grappa, but I didn't care for it.  We went home around midnight stuffed from the wonderful meal.  Italians do love to dine late and do love their food.
 
24 May 1998 (Naples):  We spent the day Naples.  Pepe drove us around various areas of Naples.  Of course he was driving too fast for me to take any photographs.  There is one street in Naples, which is said to be the first street built in Naples.  It was very old looking, run down, with laundry hanging out the windows.  We parked the car in town and walked to San Severo.  Inside is the absolutely beautiful Veiled Christ.  It is one of the most spectacular sculptures I have ever seen.  The detail of the sculpture was perfect and so detailed.  Photography was not allowed inside, so I bought a postcard.  We also saw San Lorenzo, San Gregorio Armeno (people were dressed in costume enjoying a festival), S. Domenico Maggiore, and S. Chiara, Chiese del Giesu.  Alessandra was big on showing us all the Churches in Naples.
 
Nearby was an area where there were excavations being worked on while at the same time being a museum to visit.  Throughout Naples, there are Greek and Roman ruins.  We went down below to see the different levels of the ruins, with Roman ruins built on top of the Greek ruins.  It was quite interesting seeing the differences between how the Greeks built their walls versus the Romans. 
 
We walked to Via Toledo, a shopping street, but the stores were closed that day.  We took the local bus to the National museum.  Because of the pollution in Naples, cars cannot be driven during mid-day.  Pepe came inside, paid our tickets and both Pepe and Alessandra waited for us outside.  He also paid for us for the other places we went to.  We visited the museum for about 2 hours.  There were many beautiful artifacts to see.  We could have spent most of the day in the museum. 
 
For lunch we ate at Add'a Figlia do Marenaro on Via Foria.  This place had excellent seafood and they specialized in soup called Suppa di Cozze. No broth, but mixed shellfish (mussels, clams, baby snails, shrimp and oysters) on top of toast with hot oil. It's a local Neopolitan dish and was quite delicious.  After lunch we drove to the waterfront and walked to the castle, palace and gallaeria nearby. 
 
We took a drive for a panoramic view of Naples before heading to Tony's aunt's house to visit family.   There were probably about 2 dozen aunts, uncles and cousins who came out to visit with us.  Of course, they tried to feed us, but we weren't hungry.  We nibbled on some pastries and wine.  By the time we got back to our house we decided to just order a pizza.  The pizza didn't arrive until 10pm, which is late for us.  We dined the last two nights late as well.  I told Alessandra that the next night we would like to eat earlier (around 7-8pm) because we would have to get up very early the following day for our flight to Venice.  For us, it's difficult to sleep well on such a full stomach. 
 
25 May 1998 (Naples):  Our third day in Naples was supposed to be a day trip to the island of Capri, but we awoke to the sound of rain.  And it rained all day long.  So we relaxed, did some laundry, and visited with family for lunch.  It was another feast, but on the small scale: risotto with mushrooms, chicken cutlets, fries, a salad, fruit and wine.   Alessandra's Grandmother was visiting and made us lunch.  She's an excellent cook!  We were invited back for dinner, which seemed only a couple of hours later.  The Grandmother had made pasta that afternoon and it was incredible.  Had I known she was making pasta, I would have stayed to help her make it.  We dined again like the other evening: homemade pasta with a red sauce, stuffed beef, eggplant parmesan, a cheese platter, a dessert similar to tiramisu, and of course, wine.  By this evening I had to finally stop them from filling my plates.  I didn't want to insult them and not accept their food, but it really was too much to eat.  And poor Tony, for every portion they placed on my dish, they doubled it for him.  The food was delicious, in fact the best of our trip, but we were happy to move on to Venice and get back into our own eating habits.
 
26 May 1998 (Venice): Alessandra's father drove us to the airport, which took only 20 minutes.  We had standby tickets, but had no problem getting on board, as the flight wasn't completely full.  We paid $35 each.  Ah Venice!  My favorite place in Italy!  What a city. So unique and how quiet and peaceful after Rome and Naples.  You could hear the birds sing and enjoy the fresh air.  We had flown from Naples to Venice in about 2 hours.  I was so excited to be in Venice that while on the vaporetto I must have shot off a whole roll of film before getting into Venice.  The ride from the airport to San Marco took one hour.  We had to transfer to another vaporetto to get to our stop, the Academia.  Our hotel, Galleria, was located next to the AcademiaBridge.  Perfect location.  We had a very small room, but it was clean.   The bathroom was even smaller - just enough room for one person.  But we had a view of the Grand Canal!  Luciano and Stefano managed the place and spoke English. 
 
As soon as we dropped off our luggage, we dove into Venice.  Our visit in Venice consisted of walking everywhere!  We just wandered and turned on any street we came across.  Each turn brought new sights, another bridge, and another dead end.  Venice is pretty small, so we got to see most of Venice.  I really enjoyed wandering down little streets.  Half of my photo album consists of pictures of Venice and those who visit will understand why.  Venice is a museum in itself.  The canals Venice did not smell, although one or 2 smaller ones did because they were being worked on and the water had been drained.
 
We did purchase a 3-day vaporetto pass.  It was worth the price for the 3 days, which we could get on and off the vaporetto anytime we wanted.  We took the "slow" boat all around Venice to enjoy the views.  We grabbed seats in the front so we could see both sides of the canal.  Many of the buildings are falling apart and need repainting or renovations, but that's what makes Venice so unique.  It's a city slowly dying.  We got off at the Zattare side and had drinks along the water.  We met a couple from Michigan and had a nice conversation.  It's always great to meet people and engage in a conversation.  It makes the world seem even smaller.  We enjoyed a great dinner behind the Academia, Taverna San Trovaso, then took a walk.  Venice is wonderful to walk around in the evenings.  The tourists that come in for the day are gone and the streets are quiet.  It's so peaceful.
 
27 May 1998 (Venice):  We woke up around 8am.  Breakfast was served in our room: coffee, tea, croissants, and toast and butter.  We headed to the Rialtobridge where many stores are on the bridge and nearby.  Jewelry, Italian crafts, and souvenir's were all over the place.  Nearby is a wonderful outdoor market with fruits, vegetables (great white asparagus and artichokes), and fresh fish caught that morning.  I watched an older man pick out three large eels for his dinner.  It's quite fun to watch people shop for their meals.  We walked around the area and picked up lunch at S. Bartolomeo, a great cafeteria filled with a huge variety of foods near the same named piazza.  We did a take-out and found a lovely little canal with a bridge and enjoyed our lunch while watching the gondoliers try to get tourists to ride in their boats.  A gondola ride is quite expensive, about $60 for half an hour.  I suppose it's worth it, but we never did take a ride.  Maybe on our next trip to Venice.
 
Venice has many beautiful sights.  We visited the Palazzo Ducale, the Campanile, and the Basilica in the piazza San Marco.  San Marco was very crowded with people and pigeons.  I can't imagine the crowds in July.  We climbed the stairs up both the Basilica and Campanile for to enjoy the great views of Venice.  Inside and up the stairs of the Basilica are the original 4 bronze horses, originally from then Constantinople.  They are stored inside for protection from the pollution and copies were made for the outside.  If you take the stairs up you can walk outside for a great view of San Marco and of the rooftops nearby.  Inside the Palazzo Ducale, we visited the prison area and walked across the Bridge of Sighs.  The Campanile had the best views since one could see the Basilica and Palazzo.  We didn't stay up long because it was getting near the time for the bells to be rung.  And those bells are huge!  Another area we visited was the Ghetto quarter.  This was another quiet area in Venice with lots of shops and restaurants.  We purchased a beautiful Venetian glass menorah for our friends back home.
 
After a full day of sightseeing, we wanted to ride on the Grand Canal, so we took 3 vaporetto's to get back to our hotel.  It was fun "vaporetto hopping."  Back at the room, I sat on the ledge of our window, wrote in my journal and sipped on lemoncello that Alessandra gave to us as vaporetto's packed with tourists floated by.  I wondered if they were envious that I had a room with a view!
 
We dined at Omnibus a Terrasse, near the Rialtobridge.  Although they had a 'tourist' menu, the food was very good.  The scenery was awesome.  It was so wonderful to dine outside and have Venice and the Grand Canal for a view.  We splurged in the evening by having drinks in the piazza San Marco while listening to the 3 bands that took turns playing.  For 4 drinks it cost us close to $30, but it was worth it!  Others would just stand around the café areas and listen to the music. 
 
28 May 1998 (Venice):  This morning after breakfast, we took the vaporetto to San Marco and then took a vaporetto to the island of Murano to visit some of the glass factories. Murano is a lovely, quiet island with its own beautiful bridges and canals.  We saw a demonstration of the making of a "leetle 'orse" as Rick Steve's mentions in his travel guidebook. I should have bought one if only for a good laugh.  I did purchase a few glass items, but overall the shops were pretty expensive. We visited a small glass shop where the owner was making glass candies.  We headed out, but I turned back and asked to purchase the one we saw being made.  We had to wait about 15 minutes for it to cool.  It was our best souvenir because we knew it was definitely made in Venice.  We had seen a boat filled with boxes with "made in China" stamped on the sides of the boxes.  We wondered if they were glass products being imported into Venice. We went into a meat and cheese shop where the woman behind the counter made us sandwiches.  We ate them outside along the canal in the shade.  There were no boats available for us to get to the island of Burano (a big disapointment), so we headed back to Venice and got off on the north side where we picked up ice cream to enjoy while we walked back to our hotel.  We stopped at the Rialtobridge and shopped for jewelry on the Rialto bridge.  There were great prices and getting the VAT tax back helped too.
 
Near our hotel, we had dinner at Trattoria Ai Cugnai.  Three women served the guests, hurrying along with plates filled with delicious freshly made food.   The pasta was wonderful.  It was our best meal in Venice, though a little pricey.  The place is very small with 2 rooms crammed with tables and chairs.  Our dining neighbors were from London and one of the servers tried to get them to speak Italian claiming she didn't know any English.  We knew better as she was kidding with them.  She understood English perfectly well.  Since it was our last night in Venice, we took a walk around the area.  We ended back at the Academia bridge where we met a young man who had arrived in Venice that morning and was taking the late night train out.  He had just finished medical school and was treating himself to a very short trip to Venice. 
 
29 May 1998 (Venice/Milan):  We were sad to leave Venice, but it was time to head to Milan, our last stop on our trip.  We took the 9:58a.m. train and arrived at 1p.m.  It was a rainy day.  We took the metro to the Duomo stop and walked a couple of blocks to our hotel, Speronari.  Our bathroom was pretty funky.  As we walked into the room, Tony said, nice room.  I thought, oh no, we must have a tiny bathroom.  He said, no that's the closet.  I said no that's the bathroom.  I was right.  The bathroom was an after the fact.  Try to picture this: the bathroom was narrow with the entrance at the short end with a toilet and bidet next to each other on the left side.  Straight against the back wall, was the showerhead.  Above the toilet was a sink, which could slide left and right, depending on which toilet one would use.  Then for the shower, we had to pull the shower curtain across the toilets and sink to cover them and the remaining floor space WAS the shower.  The whole floor got wet.  I did ask a guest about their bathroom and she said her bathroom was 'normal.'  Oh well, we survived.  Other than the weird bathroom, the room was comfortable and roomy.
 
Because it was raining, we decided to buy a picnic lunch and dine in the hotel's lobby.  We purchased food at Pecks, a wonderful gourmet store, along with a small bottle of red wine.  Later we walked to the Duomo, Galleria and nearby streets.  We had drinks at a bar, which served complementary snacks - pickles, olives, chips, etc.  For dinner, we dined at Calafuria Unione, Via dell' Unione.  Rick Steves recommended this place in his travel guide.  The food was very good and the restaurant was located close to our hotel.  I enjoyed their salmon pasta dish, which was very rich in flavor.  We walked to the Duomo in the evening to see it all lit up.
 
30 May 1998 (Milan):  Our last day in Milan we headed out early to view the painting of the Last Supper.  We were in line 1-1/2 hours.  The weather had cleared up and it was a beautiful sunny day.  Only 30 people at a time could go in to see the famous painting after going through 3 air locks.  Everyone was allowed to view the painting for 15 minutes.  We stopped by a local grocery store and picked up some picnic food.  We headed to the SforzaCastle and had our lunch, then toured the museum there.  The museum is free and includes an unfinished sculpture by Michaelangelo. 
 
We walked to Via Montenepoleone, a famous shopping street for the rich.  One dress, A Versaci, was priced at $2,400.00!  It looked like someone draped a long sheer scarf around the mannequin.  The shoes were priced around $800! 
 
We headed to and went to the top of the Duomo (L6,000) and walked along the roof with the other tourists.  The Duomo reminded me of an ornate cake with its spires. After climbing down, we found a crowd of people nearby which turned out to be a festival.  Apparently some important person was being sworn into office and they were having a celebration. 
 
We had drinks near the bar from the other day, and then shopped in a major department store.  We made a few purchases to include a lovely coffee cup from Vietri.  It was my last chance for ceramic purchases. 
 
We enjoyed pizza and drinks at Ciardi Linda e Gennaro, Via S. Raffaele near the Galleria (on the east side).  We were sure the chef was from Naples because the pizza was fabulous, just like in Naples. 
 
31 May 1998: (Flying home from Milan):  We had to get up early to take a local bus (#73) to the Linate airport.  The bus stop was about a 5-10 minute walk from our hotel near the shopping area and it took only 16-minutes/7 km to get to the airport.  It was very convenient and inexpensive.  I did some last minute shopping in the duty free shops, spending the last of the lira we had.  We tried to get our VAT refund while at Linate, but had to get it in Paris.  When we arrived into Paris to change planes, the airport was packed with people.  Air France was getting ready to go on strike the next day; so many people were trying to get home earlier than planned.  We had to wait in the VAT line for about 40 minutes.  I was getting worried that we would miss our flight because of the long lines.  After filling out the necessary forms we headed to the line to get to the gate.   We actually asked to cut in line because our flight was going to leave in another 20 minutes.  We got through and found out our flight was delayed.  We didn't care for the delay, as it was a repeat of our original flight.    But we got home safely and about 1-1/2 hours late. 
 
We had a wonderful time in Italy and hope to go back someday soon.  I would love to return to Rome, the AmalfiCoast, Venice, and travel to new places such as LakeComo, Florence and other Tuscany towns, Capri, and Sicily.  We never had any problems with pickpockets, gypsies, or theft of any kind.  Everyone was friendly and helpful, especially the hotel staff where we stayed.  May was a perfect time to travel to Italy.  With the exception of the day of rain in Naples and a portion of one day in Milan, we had sunny days with temperatures in the mid to high 70s.  Places were not as crowded as I could imagine during the high travel season of June-September. 
 
Ciao!
 
Monica

Trip to France 1999 Journal

FRANCE 1999
 
I returned from my trip to France on Monday the 17th with my Mother.  We had a great time!  Paris was beautiful, as well as the rest of the country, and we enjoyed every minute of our trip.  This was our second trip to France.  The first one was in October 1997.  I was supposed to travel with Tony, but two weeks before our trip he found out he was being promoted to First Officer at USAirways.  His training would begin the same time as our vacation.  Tony tried to postpone the training, but the company said you want the job, go to training.  So I called my Mother and asked if she would go with me and of course she screamed with joy yes!  I had 1 week to change Tony's airline and train tickets to Mom's name, plus revise the car rental to my name.  It was very stressful, but everything worked out.  We paid an additional $38 for the airline tickets, and $10 for mailing new train passes.  We had Mom fly up from West Palm Beach, FL, on the 29th of April purchasing her tickets on MetroJet for $116.21.  I had Doris, my sister-in-law who worked at Nations Bank (Now Bank of America), get me $100 in French Francs for the start of our trip.  I really wanted just $50, but they had a minimum of $100.  I also checked with her about my Debit card.  The bank (at least with my card) does not charge a conversion fee.  I used that card for most of our transactions.
 
4 May 1999 (USA/Paris):  Mom and I did our final packing, had a nice lunch at him, then later in the day Tony drove us to Dulles International airport.  Our flight was at 6:50pm on Air France on the new Boeing 777.  That was a packed, hot trip.  I suppose Air France wanted to add a few more rows.  Too much!  We both didn't sleep.  The seats were too close together and the A/C didn't seem to work.   There was definitely no legroom.  At least the food and wine were good.
 
5 May 1999 (Paris):  We arrived in Paris on Wednesday at CDG 2.  Foreign carriers use CDG 1, while Air France uses CDG 2.  After waiting to get off the plane, shuttling to the main terminal, and going through customs, we headed to the shuttle bus to catch the RER B to the Saint Michel stop.  The bus took us to the CDG 1.  At the end of our vacation, we took the RER B directly to CDG 2.  It turned out that we didn't have to take any shuttle bus to CDG 1 when we first arrived in Paris!  To get to the RER from CDG 2: exit customs and turn right (do not exit the doors in front of you to go outside) and head down the hallway.  Go through door #9, which also has a sign for the Sheraton Hotel, then down the escalator where you'll see a sign for the RER.  The RER is very easy to take and is a lot less expensive than taking a taxi.  It cost $16.50 for the two of us and took about 35 minutes to get to the St. Michel metro stop.
 
On the way into Paris, the train stopped at Gare du Nord.  A few minutes later, the train started to move backwards towards CDG.  So we got off the next stop to come back again.  Three other people had gotten off the train too.  A security man helped us to get to the right track and told us there was a train strike and Paris had limited trains running.  We had to switch trains at Gare du Nord.  It was a nuisance, but we did see the Sacre Coeur 3 times and we were excited to be back in Paris.  It took us about 10 minutes to walk to our hotel, from the St. Michel metro stop.  We stayed at the Grand Hotel des Balcons in the 6th Arr.   It's in an excellent location around the corner from the Odeon metro stop and the Odeon theatre.  We had to place our luggage in the storage room, as our room was not ready.  We headed to one of our favorite outdoor markets, the Buci market and walked around a little bit.  We returned to our hotel and moved into our room.  It was nice and clean, but very small.   The door to the bathroom would not open all the way because the queen bed was in the way.  We had a window that looked to the back of the building/inner courtyard.  It was quiet.  We were on the 2nd (European 3rd) floor.  We didn't unpack as I decided to see if we could switch rooms.  Caroline, the woman at the desk said we could change rooms the next day, which we did and the room was much better.  It faced the front.  Our rooms (beginning of the trip and the end) were very nice. We had a private bathroom and the hotel supplies washcloths! The rooms facing the street are larger than on the backside. Room #30 on the ground level was a good size room. No hair dryers.
 
We took a walk to Notre-Dame.  We walked around the area, but didn't stay out too long.  I wanted to find a restaurant by 7pm so I could get to bed at a decent hour.  We had dinner from the recommended Cheap Eats in Paris book:  Au Gourmets.  We had a good meal!  We used the book about 6 times throughout our stay in Paris.   We never had a bad meal and the prices were reasonable.  We walked back to our hotel and went to bed shortly thereafter.
 
6 May 1999 (Paris):  On Thursday we headed to the Saint Michel RER stop to purchase our museum pass about $53 for two 3-day passes) and to get our railpass tickets validated.  I paid for our museum pass with my credit card.  In fact, I used my credit card whenever I could: hotels, restaurants, shopping.  I did pick up more FF for my smaller purchases.  I got an exchange rate of 6FF to the dollar, which was pretty good.  We headed to the Cluny museum, which was very interesting.  We were there for about an hour.  They had various exhibits.  It used to be ancient Roman baths.  After, we walked to the Police museum.  I wanted to see it for Tony.  It was at the police station (off rue des Ecoles).  There was a guillotine blade and other interesting artifacts.  Unfortunately everything was written in French, but the photographs and exhibits made it easy to understand.  We walked towards rue Mouffetard to the Roman amphitheater.  Sat there for a short while watching boys playing soccer.  We had an inexpensive lunch at a Creperie.  I had a great one with ham, cheese, mushrooms with a paprika cream sauce. Mom had the ham and cheese. 
 
I wanted to go to the top of the Notre-Dame towers to take some photographs of the views from above and of the gargoyles.  I remember seeing a photograph taken from one of the towers looking towards the left bank and EiffelTower, so we headed to the Seine.  It turned out that the towers were closed for renovations/restoration.  I was really disappointed.  We went to the crypt in front of Notre-Dame, which was interesting.  You could see the ancient foundations.  This was part of the museum pass.
 
We walked around the area and to the flower market.  We went to Sainte Chapelle where the lines were very small (also included in the museum pass).  It was around 5pm and the sun was perfectly in line with the stained glass windows.  They were absolutely beautiful!  Some of my pictures came out well.  Sainte Chapelle is my favorite Cathedral.  We headed back to our hotel for a break before dinner.  We had picked up some postcards, so I wrote a couple.  I got a phone call and thought it was Tony.  It was Glenn, one of Tony's VMI college buddies who was also in France with another college friend Don.  He stated that Don was going home the next day and that would be alone for the rest of his trip, so I asked Glenn to join us for dinner for the next night.  We decided to meet near the Odeon metro at the Danton café.  For dinner, we ate at Au Petit Prince.  The waiter did not give us the Menu, but rather the a la carte.  He did the same for the other diners with the exception of the French diners.  I should have said something, but didn't.  Our meal was very good and we paid about the same as the Menu, but without dessert.
 
7 May 1999 (Paris):  On Friday we walked to the Buci market to buy croissants for breakfast.  It's a lively market filled with beautiful flowers and fresh fruits and vegetables.  There are also shops, which sell meats, cheese, and of course, wine.  We walked to the Museum D'Orsay, which was about a 30-minute casual walk.  The lines were not long at all.  We spent about an hour or so in the museum seeing works by Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, Rodin, and many others.  It's one of the best museums in Paris.  I personally think the Louvre is overwhelming compared to D'Orsay.  Mom purchased an art book on Impressionism.
 
We walked back to our hotel to drop off the book and to get some lunch.  We had great salads at the Horses Tavern, around the corner from our hotel.  I had a huge salad with tuna, avocado, hearts of palm, cheese, etc.  We walked over to the Right Bank and headed up along the Seine to the Samaritaine department store.  We went to the top of the building for some great views of Paris.  It was an overcast day, but some of my photos came out fine.  It's a great spot for taking photos of Paris. 
 
We walked towards the Louvre and window shopped along the way.  There are lots of souvenir shops filled with tourists.  I purchased a sweatshirt for myself and a small EiffelTower for a friend, which he requested.  I should have bought one for myself!  I also picked up a magnet for the refrigerator and a shot glass for a co-worker.  There are lots of souvenirs in Paris to purchase.  We walked back to our hotel room and there was a message from Glenn.  We decided to meet at 6:30pm.  We both wrote in our journals of our day's events and I wrote another postcard.  We met Glenn as planned and headed over to the Saint Michel area.  It was fun getting together with someone from the USA.  We had drinks at a café, which Glenn paid.  We had dinner at one of the very touristy places on the Left Bank on rue de la Harpe that we enjoyed back in 1997 called La Petite Hostellerie.  Glenn and I had a veal dish and Mom had a steak.  We all had profiteroles, which were very good.  It was an enjoyable evening.  Glenn left for the US the next day. 
 
8 May 1999 (Day trip to Fontainebleu):  On Saturday, we headed to Fontainebleu.  It was about a 40 minute train ride, then a 5 minute local bus ride to the palace.  It's a beautiful place with NO crowds!  It seemed like we had the place to ourselves.   The weather was lovely with bright blue skies and white clouds.  We toured the palace and its grounds, which were immaculately kept.  We enjoyed lunch in town at Au Delice Imperial.  Mom and I collected their place mats, which was of their restaurant painted in watercolors.   Then we walked back to the train station, about a 45-minute leisurely walk.   As usual, in the late afternoon, we would go to our room, rest up, write in our journals and/or postcards, then head out to dinner.  This night we dined at Le Boomerang, another restaurant we enjoyed back in 1997.
 
9 May 1999 (Paris):  On Sunday we moved to our next hotel, Hotel Leveque in the 7th Arr.  When I originally made my travel plans several months earlier, it was to include going to Provence after Paris, then returning to Paris.  This would have given me the opportunity to enjoy two different areas of Paris.  I revised our plans to skip Provence when Tony thought my plans were to aggressive.  However, I still wanted to stay in two areas of Paris.  Hotel Leveque is on rue Cler. Rue Cler, which is a great pedestrian street with pastry shops, meat shops, fruits and vegetable markets, cheese shop, wine shop, a Chinese take-out place, and a couple of cafés.  It's such a lively place during the day. The hotel was also nice, comfortable, and clean.  We paid $67/night, which is an excellent price for Paris.  Our room had a private bathroom, twin beds, tv, and hair dryer. We were on the inside facing a room across the 'shaft' of the building so it was pretty quiet at night.  I saw one room facing the street and it was also nice. However, I don't know if I'd like to stay in a street side room when everyone on rue Cler starts to set up their shops and the trucks roll in to bring supplies for the day.
 
After settling in, we walked to the EiffelTower, about 10 minutes away.  The lines were long to ride to the top of the tower, so we headed to Montmartte via the metro.  We spent the afternoon having lunch and walking around the Place du Tertre, which was filled with tourists purchasing paintings and getting their portraits done.  Mom and I had a man do silhouettes of us. 
 
For dinner we met friends of mine that were in Paris.  I chose one of the restaurants out of the Cheap Eats book called Le Bistrot de Breteuil.  It was one of the best meals we had in Paris.  We wish we had gone back there again before leaving for home.  We had a great time with everyone (there were 6 of us altogether).  The restaurant was lovely with linens and a nice atmosphere with outdoor dining.  We chose to dine inside because the evening was cool.    The restaurant was probably a 35-minute walk from our hotel, so we took the metro to get there.
 
10 May 1999 (Day trip to Dijon):  We got up very early and took the 7:18am TGV train to Dijon.  It was a cool, rainy day, which did not let up for most of the day.  Dijon didn't seem like a pretty town because of the overcast skies.  We walked around town, toured the Beaux Arts museum and had an inexpensive pizza for lunch.  We shopped in some of the stores and I purchased a beautiful wall tapestry (approx. 48" wide by 32" high).  It cost me about $175.00.  The sales woman also threw in a mini 6-pack of mustards and a postcard.  
 
We took the train back in the afternoon and rested in our room for a while.  I tried to open a bottle of wine that we purchased the night before, but couldn't.  I had Mom knock on neighbor's door and a young German man opened it for us.  Next time, I'll bring a better wine opener.  After sipping on wine and writing in our journals and writing postcards, we headed out for dinner nearby.  There were a few restaurants we were interested in and ended up picking one recommended by Rick Steves, L'Auberge due Champ de Mars.  The place, very small, was filled with Americans only, apparently also picking the place based on Rick's recommendations.  After listening to a few conversations, one older man turned to me and asked, "where are you from?"  I said Maryland.  Then, a woman at the next table over said, "Monica, get a bigger table!"  Wow!!! That was Kathy and her husband Karl who I had corresponded with several times on the Fodors travel forum about getting together on the 16th of May at Café du Magots.  Talk about a small world.  I knew they were in town, but just never imagined that I would run into them at a restaurant in Paris.  Her next statement was to her husband saying, "I told you it was Monica," Kathy had recognized me when they came into the restaurant.  The whole restaurant turned to look at two women happy and excited to see each other as if we were long time friends.  We both decided to return to our tables to finish dinner, where Mom was sitting there in awe of the whole thing.    The four of us chatted outside for several minutes before we went our separate ways.  We were glad to meet them in person, especially since they missed joining us on the 16th.  I wish I had my camera at that time.  We headed to the EiffelTower and took some great shots at dusk before heading back to our hotel.  What a great evening we had!
 
11 May 1999 (Day trip to Reims):  We got up early to catch the 7:16am train to Reims.   We wanted to go early in order to enjoy a Champagne cave and tour the town.  We arrived into Reims, a beautiful town.  It was a cool day, in the low 60s with a light sprinkle of rain in the morning.  We walked to the tourist office from the train station to get our bearings and to find out about the champagne tours.  We opted for Taittanger Champagne cellars.   It was a 10-minute local bus ride and a 4-minute walk to the champagne cellar.  The tour had just started, so we met up with the rest of the group (the tour was about $5 each).  It was quite an interesting tour. The Romans created the caves by excavating the chalk to use for the construction of their buildings and monuments.  What were left were the hollowed out caves.  An Abby was built, which only the foundation remains.  We ended the tour with glass of champagne.  It was delicious.  I would recommend people check the price of champagne before heading to France.  I didn't, so I don't know if they prices were reasonable.
 
We headed back to the center of town for lunch and a visit to the Cathedral.  Across the street was a statue of Joan of Arc.  We got back to Paris, did our usual journal writing, then headed to dinner.  We chatted with the people next to our table who were in Paris on business.  We later had a couple of glasses of wine at an outdoor café. 
 
12 May 1999 (Paris):  We slept in a little since the last two mornings we got up extremely early.  Down the street on a corner was a lovely bread shop, which served omelets for breakfast, which we enjoyed.  We walked to the EiffelTower where the lines were fairly short.  Mom didn't want to go to the top, so I got in line, which took only 15 minutes.  What a view!  I went to the top level.  After taking several photos and enjoying the views, I headed back down.  It takes 2 elevators to get to the top and one can opt to stop at the first or second level. 
 
We walked to the Arch de Triomphe, but didn't go to the top.  We did that the last trip to Paris. There are great views from above.  On the way over, we crossed the bridge near the area where Princess Diana had died.  Nearby was the gold flame monument for Liberty, but was defaced with notes, poems, and letters to Diana.  We both thought it was pretty sick.  We didn't mind flowers lying next to the monument, but the ink marks were not necessary.  We headed down the Champs Elyeess and window-shopped.  We ended up at the two big department stores, Pritemps and Gallery Layfaette.  I bought some perfume and received a few samples.  Down in the gourmet food department we bought some chocolate for gifts.  There were some that had liquor inside.  We did a little more shopping at the stores along side the Louvre before taking the metro to our hotel.  After relaxing in our room drinking our wine, we headed out for dinner.  We enjoyed another great meal, this time at Le Bistrot du 7'eme.  It was located near our hotel and not too far from the Rodin museum.  We took the 'long' way home walking around Les Invalids. 
 
13 May 1999 (Paris/Bayeux):  We got up early so we could catch the 9:08am trip to Bayeux.  It took 2 hours to get there and we enjoyed the views from the train.  Bayeux is a lovely town very near the D-Day beaches. It was one town that was spared of bombings during WWII.  We took a taxi to our hotel, which was inexpensive.  Our hotel D'Argouges, was in the center of town and about a 10 minute walk to the tourist office.  We had a large room, which faced the gardens in the back and the hotel had a small parking lot.  Included in the room were a hair dryer, tv, a large bathroom with tub, but no curtain.  The room had a queen and twin bed.  We walked around town to see the Cathedral, which was beautiful, the Bayeux museum with its famous tapestry, and finally the Normandy D-Day museum.  It was a full day of interesting sightseeing along crepes for lunch near the Cathedral.  After resting in our room, we found a place for dinner in the plaza next to our hotel.  Our meal consisted of a 4-course meal, rather than the normal 3-course meal and was very good.  We chatted with our dining neighbors. 
 
14 May 1999 (Day trip to Mont St. Michel): This was my favorite day in France.  I have always wanted to visit Mont St. Michel since I was very young.  My Mom had done a painting of it so it always stuck in my mind.  Mom and I got up a little later than usual and walked 15 minutes to the Hertz car rental agency to pick up our car.  The morning was cool and cloudy.  We got a Fiat, which I enjoyed driving.  I had purchased a map of Normandy and got directions from the person at Hertz.  Getting to Mont St. Michel was very easy.  The countryside was beautiful as we headed to Mont St. Michel.  It took 1.5 hours to get there.  We stopped along the way to take a couple of pictures.  It rained along the way, but about half-hour out, it stopped and the clouds cleared and the sun came out.  Our first glimpse of Mont St. Michel was in the distance looking so tiny. What a spectacular sight it was when we arrived.  The last few miles to Mont St. Michel took about half an hour because of all the cars, busses, and motorcycles converging onto the causeway.  There were hundreds and hundreds of people converging on Mont St. Michel.  I found a parking space fairly close.  Near by was a parking lot for motorcycles.  There must have been several hundred bikes.  The place had very small streets, which were filled with tourist shops and restaurants.  There was no room to walk with all the people there.  I wish we had made plans to spend the night when tourists left and the place was quiet.  Another time.  We toured the Abby and had sandwiches for lunch.  We watch the tides start to come in while people where walking out in the distance.  On our way out, I asked someone to take our photo, which is my favorite from our trip and sits on my desk.  As we left (and always looking back for one last look), the tour busses, cars, and bikes were still coming, but they had to park on the mainland side because of the oncoming tides, which covers much of the parking lot area.
 
We drove home passing a few towns along the way.  After parking our car behind the hotel, we went back to our room to freshen up.  And of course, we wrote in our journals.  It was certainly a great day seeing Mont St. Michel.  For dinner, we dined at a restaurant near the tourist office and had a great meal.  Restaurant prices in Bayeux were much less than in Paris and the menu's had more of a variety to select from.
 
15 May 1999 (D-Day Beaches):  Our last day in Normandy was spent along the D-Day beaches.  When we walked out our hotel, we noticed across the street in the plaza it was filled with the Saturday's market day.  We walked over to check it out and saw all the wonderful foods and live chicks, ducks, hens, and rabbits.  Dinner!  There was a vendor grilling sausages for sandwiches.  So we had breakfast.  Another vendor made paella for take out. 
 
We drove to Arromanches, 6.5 miles from Bayeux.  It was a very interesting place.  There was a war museum, which we toured and saw a 15 minute film.  We certainly did learn a lot about the area during the war.  Out in the water were remains of a floating port, which I believe, had been made in preparation of D-Day.  There were many American tourists.  Next we drove to Colleville Sur Mer, where the American cemetery is located.  There are over 9,000 crosses located at the edge of cliff at OmahaBeach.  The grounds were immaculate.   The place was very peaceful, yet sad.  Everyone was quite as if in a Church and it really was a moving experience to see all those crosses and names of those who died during the war. 
 
Our next stop was Pointe du Hoc.  There were many craters and several run-down bunkers.  There is a monument at the edge of the cliff in memory to those that lost their lives there.  Our last stop, heading back, was at Longues-sur-Mer where German guns in the bunkers still remain.  Nearby hang gliders were floating in the air above us.  They had some great winds in their favor.  There were lots of tourists at each location, but too crowded.  We drove back to Bayeux to the Hertz car rental office and had the car filled with gas.  We paid $26!  I had tried to fill the car at another gas station, which was less expensive, but didn't realize the car was fixed to accept only a higher-octane gas.  What a scam!  We walked back to town and had a late lunch of onion soup, which was good, but expensive.  For dinner, we returned to the restaurant that we enjoyed the previous night.  We also saw a few people we recognized from our first night.  We walked home very fast because it was a cold evening. 
 
16 May 1999 (Bayeux/Paris):  Mom and I got up to catch the 9:17am to Paris, which arrived at 11:146am.  We went back to Hotel Balcons in the 6th Arr.  Our room was on the main floor, which was nice.  We went back to the Horses Tavern for lunch, then spent the afternoon doing some last minute shopping and walking along the Seine.  We also walked to see the glass pyramids at the Louvre and the gardens nearby.
 
Since we were meeting new friends at 5:30pm at Café du Magots, we headed to our hotel for a short while.  I brought my red silk rose so I could be identified.  Joy and Mark joined our table, followed by Catherine and Peter, and Michele and her Mother Joan.  We all had a great time talking for about 2 hours and having one drink each since the place was very expensive (about $13 for 2 glasses of wine for Mom and me).  I had someone nearby take a group photo (see my link to the Fodorites! page).  After, we all split up and we went to dinner.  We ate at Beaux Arts where we dined in 1997.  The food was pretty good, but we both wished we had returned to Le Bistrot de Breteuil.  The restaurant was packed with people and more at the door waiting to get in.  On the way home, we stopped at a café for one last drink in Paris.  It was cold outside, but the café had heaters overhead, so it was comfortable.  Back at the hotel, I left a message for one couple that I knew would be in town, but missed our get together.  She called from the lobby and we talked on the phone for several minutes.  They had a great day in Paris seeing many of the sights and couldn't get to the café in time.  Mom and I did our final packing, then went to bed.
 
17 May 1999 (Paris/USA):  We got up at 8:20, checked out and walked to the RER at St Michel at 9am.  It took us only 40 minutes to get to the airport on the RER.  It was so convenient to have the RER stop right at CDG2.  I headed to the VAT refund office to claim my tapestry and only had to wait 15 minutes.  I got rid of the remaining French Francs by shopping in the duty free stores.  I picked up a few bottles of wine for Tony, some chocolates and a few other items.  Our flight left a little late, but we got home 20 minutes earlier than scheduled.  We did have a lot of turbulence the first hour of the flight, but the rest of the flight was smooth.  My father-in-law picked us up since Tony was in training.  We really enjoyed our trip and I look forward when I can go back with Tony.
 
Monica

Trip to France October 2000 Journal

 
France October 2000
 
14 October 2000, Saturday.  Here we are at the Philadelphia airport waiting for our flight to Paris.  This is my second trip to Europe this year.  Tony and I enjoyed Germany in June and I had decided over the summer that with the amount of vacation time I get, I'm going to start traveling twice a year to Europe.  Judy, my friend, is traveling with me to Paris.  This is her first trip to Europe and is very excited.  My original plans were to go alone.  I chose Paris because I had been there twice before and felt it to be a very safe city to visit alone.  I know of several other travelers who felt the same about Paris.  When I mentioned to Judy that I was going to Paris, I asked her if she wanted to go with me.  After a few days, she called me up and said yes!  Tony was very happy that I had a travel partner.  My original plans were to have 6 full days in Paris, flying out on a Monday.  However, I checked the flights for a Saturday departure, and we ended up having 2 extra days on our trip.
 
Judy and I are flying stand-by on USAirways.  We should have no problem getting on board and are hoping for the upgrade to the Envoy (business) class.  There are 5 seats available and only the two of us listed, so I don't see any problem! 
 
Well damn, here we are in coach class!  For some reason, those seats disappeared just prior to boarding.  We got called and were told, "no more Envoy seats."  Are we disappointed!  Well, at least we're sitting together and on our way to Paris!  Our flight is direct from Philadelphia to Paris.  I didn't sleep well the night before and am hoping for a good night sleep in Envoy class.  I'll enjoy some wine.  Maybe that will help me to relax and get some sleep. 
 
The food on board was okay.  Nothing special.  The service was good and the flight attendants are pretty nice.  We're on an Air Bus 330, which is a very nice airplane.  Comfortable seats and I don't feel cramped in coach.  Envoy would have been much better! 
 
15 October 2000, Sunday evening.  We are enjoying drinks at Cafe Comti on the corner of Buci and rue Mazarine.  My white wine is expensive!  52FF.  I'll have to remember to ask or the wine cart from now on.  I must be spoiled from the inexpensive German wines I enjoyed in June.  It's almost 8:30pm and I'm tired. 
 
We landed this morning about 7am.  We missed having breakfast.  It was a very nice, smooth flight.  I didn't sleep well at all, even after having some wine.  Judy slept pretty well.  I watched one movie.  The video system is pretty neat.  TVs are on the backs of the chairs and there is a remote control where you can choose between movies, comedy, and music in various languages. 
 
Getting out of the airport was pretty easy.  We went through customs, found an ATM machine to get some French Francs, and hit the bathroom before heading to the RER.  We took the free shuttle bus to the RER station and bought our tickets for Paris.  It took about 40 minutes and the train was pretty empty being a Sunday.  Our tickets were $6.22 each.  It was a very overcast day and it was drizzling when arrived.  We took the RER to the St. Michel stop, and then walked along Blvd. St. Germaine to our hotel near the Odeon metro.  We stayed at Grand Hotel des Balcons in the 6th Arr.  My Mom and I enjoyed Balcons in 1999.  We loved the location.  It's just a few minutes walk to the Odeon metro and it's near the Odeon theater, the Luxembourg gardens and about a 10-minute walk to the Seine.  The Buci market is also nearby and Notre Dame is about a 15-minute walk away.
 
We dropped off our luggage in the storage room since our room was not ready yet.  We didn't have breakfast on the airplane, so we headed out and had coffee, tea, and delicious croissants at Le Danton, just next to the Odeon metro.  We walked to the Buci market, one of my favorite Paris spots.  Not all of the shops were open yet, but many were being set up for the day.  What lovely fruits and vegetables.  And the pastry window displays!  Just as I remembered last year.  We walked over to the Seine, across Pont des Arts to the Louvre. We didn't go in since we wanted to get the 3-day museum pass and start using them the next day.  Today was a day of wandering around and getting Judy familiar in our "home" area. 
 
We headed back to our hotel and still had to wait 45 minutes for our room.  At one point the power went out.  One couple was in the tiny elevator when that happened.  Fortunately that lasted only 5 minutes.  I'd hate to be stuck in that elevator for any amount of time!  Finally we were given our room key.  We got our luggage and squeezed ourselves into the elevator and went to the top floor.  Our room, #601, is a corner room with a full size bed and twin bed, and angled ceiling.  The ends of the beds were close to each other, so it was a tight fit to get around the room.  The room faces the front street and has a tiny balcony.  There was just enough room for two people to stand on.  We had great roof top views including a view of the EiffelTower!  (We didn't notice it until the evening after the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared up somewhat).  What a great surprise!  There was a small closet, tv, and counter top area.  The bathroom had a tub, no curtain of course, and a small window facing the back. 
 
Judy wanted to take a nap, so I set the alarm clock and rested for a while.  I didn't sleep because I was afraid I would not get up and I wanted to get into the Paris time zone as quickly as possible.  Plus, I was in Paris!  I got up and left Judy in the room telling her I'd return in 45 minutes.  I took a walk to the Luxembourg gardens and found a great surprise.  Along the fence of the gardens was an exhibit of photographs by YannArthusBetrand.  They were fabulous arial photographs from around the world.  The photographs must have been 6 feet x 5 feet or larger!  Many people were walking from one photograph to the next.  Just amazing.  There were photographs of glaciers, deserts, farmland, ocean scenes, and villages and many others.  I was impressed.  I headed back to the hotel to wake Judy who was still sound asleep.  It took a few minutes to get her up.  I hope she wasn't mad a me, but I didn't want her to sleep any longer otherwise she would have trouble adjusting to the time change.  I wanted her to see the photographs, so we headed to the gardens.  We also walked through the gardens.   There were many people out with their children and dogs on this Sunday afternoon.  It started to sprinkle a little and was glad to have my umbrella with me.  We took a walk to the Seine and to Notre Dame.  Along the way we heard some musicians playing near the Sorbonne.  Mass was in session when we entered Notre Dame.  We stayed just for a few minutes deciding to return when the sun was out.  We walked around the area, including the touristy Greek street, rue de la Huchette.  We walked back to our hotel via Saint Andres des Arts and rue Mazarine.
 
12:01 am:  We're back in our room getting ready for bed.  We had gone out for dinner at Pizza Pepone.  I was there last year with my mom.  We sat upstairs and it was crowded.  We had a late dinner, which we enjoyed.  I really enjoyed dessert: profiteroles!  Tomorrow we'll buy our 3-day museum pass and visit a couple of museums.  We'll probably split up because I've been to the Louvre and D'Orsay twice.  I have a list of museums to see.  Bon nuit! 
 
16 October 2000 Monday.  I woke up at 8:30am and showered.  Judy slept and we didn't get leave the hotel until 10:30!  It rained all day long.  We headed to the St. Michel RER stop to purchase our museum pass.  They were sold out.  We walked to the Seine and stopped at the St Michel Cafe for breakfast. We stood at the bar enjoying our croissants while watching people walk along the Seine.  We headed over to the Marias area to visit the Picasso museum, where we also purchased our museum pass.  In this area I wanted to visit two other museums (museum of French History and museum of Paris), but I could not locate one of them, and the other was closed on Mondays.  I enjoyed the Picasso museum, but not all of his work.  He was a crazy man. When he was in his "I hate women" moods he really showed it in his paintings. 
 
We had lunch at a nearby cafe.  I had a croquette - a toasted sandwich of ham, cheese, tomato, along with a salad and red wine.  After lunch we walked to the Georges Pompidou center.  It's just as ugly as I remembered.  Some things just don't belong in Paris.  We walked along some of the side streets, which were lovely and quaint. There were lots of small cafes and restaurants.  We ended up at the Louvre again.  I wanted to walk to the Arc de Triomphe but my feet were starting to hurt.  So we headed to the Samaratine department store where I could buy a hair dryer.  Mine didn't work in the hotel.  At least I can use this for all my future European trips.  When purchasing items in a Paris department store, you pick out what you want and the sales person writes up a ticket.  You then head to the cash register area and pay for your goods.  Then you go back and pick up your purchases.  There was an older gentleman who noticed my Bank of America ATM card.  My photograph is on it for protection.  He complimented me on my photo and we chatted for a few minutes.  He's from Naples, like my Mother in law.  He was a very nice man.  Earlier in the day we stopped in another department store to buy a scarf, as it was a cold day.  Outside this store (BHV) where there are several stands with people selling a variety of items, one young man was cooking various foods in pots and pans.  He called us over and wanted to have his picture taken with us.  We squeezed into the booth with him and his friend took our photo.  He gave me 20FF and his address to send him a copy. 
 
I had Judy take us home with her map so she could get used to the area alone.  On the way back to our hotel we stopped in a wine shop and purchased a couple bottles of wine for the room.  I picked up an inexpensive 1996 red wine.  It was pretty good.  We headed out to dinner around 8:30pm and stopped at a few shops along the way.  We had dinner at Aux Gourmets des Arts, another restaurant I enjoyed last year.  We had a good meal and the owner was very nice.  It's now just after midnight and I'm very tired.  While writing in my journal on my bed, I am enjoying the view of the EiffelTower all lit up.  And for about 10 minutes on the hour, it lights up with flashing lights.  How neat to have this view!  It certainly makes up for the small room. 
 
17 October 2000 Tuesday.    What a great day!  I woke up at 8:00am.  It wasn't quite light out yet, but I could tell it was going to be a beautiful clear sky day.  It was lovely: Lots of sunshine and cool temps (mid 50s).  We packed our bags so the hotel staff could move them to our next room.  Since my original plans were for 6 nights, then I changed them to 8 nights, the hotel could not give us a room for all 8 nights.  So we had to split it up.  We headed out for the day at 9am and had our usual breakfast at Le Danton.  Judy said their cappuccino is the best in Paris.  We stood at the bar, as it is less expensive than sitting at a table.  Plus sitting at a table takes longer to get through a meal. 
 
We walked over to Notre Dame.  It was a perfect day for picture taking from the top of the towers.  We climbed up the top via many, many stairs.  We certainly got a good morning workout.  We had fabulous views from above.  I loved being so close to the gargoyles.  They've always fascinated me ever since I first saw some in Barcelona.  I think I used a whole roll of film at Notre Dame. 
 
We headed back down the stairs and then walked over to Place Maubert to visit the roving market and to catch the metro to the EiffelTower.  The market was in full swing.  I bought my packets of Herbs de Provence and some French soaps.  After enjoying the various sights and wonder smells of the market (great cheese shops), we went to the metro.  We got off at the BirHakeim metro stop and walked to the EiffelTower.  The lines were very long, at least a 2 hour wait to take the elevator to the top.  We decided to take the stairs to the second level.  More exercise!  More great views of the city!  We had sandwiches for lunch and sat outside enjoying the views.  It was cold, so we moved our seats into the sun, which helped.  I had a beer with my sandwich.  It was cheaper than buying a soda. 
 
We walked to the nearby RER station to get to the 16th Arr. to visit the Museum Marmottan Monet.  There were several RER "attendants" who directed people to the right train.  I thought that was good service that the RER had attendant to assist people.  I knew in general where we had to get off, but wasn't sure which RER to take. We were told to take the next short train.  What ever that meant.   Well, one went by, which we didn't take.  It didn't have the right name on it.  A second one went by as well.  Then a third one sped past us.  Yes, it was a short train with the correct name on it.  We were standing in wrong area (for a short train) and had to run fast or else miss it.  Two other people ran with us.  We were never told where to stand.  The 16th Arr. is a lovely residential area.  I'm sure not many tourists visit this area except to see this particular museum.  After a round about way, we got to the museum.  I really enjoyed this museum.  There were many of Monet's paintings that I had not seen before.  My favorite was Nympheas.  I purchased a few postcards of the exhibit.
 
We took the metro back to our hotel and unpacked our bags.  Our room, #305 had twin beds and was more roomy than the other room.  But no EiffelTower view.  The balcony was bigger.  We wrote in our journals, wrote a few postcards, freshened up, then headed out to dinner.  We were to meet Denny and Vennette, friends of mine.  Mom and I had dinner with them last year.  We took the metro to SeveresBabylone and walked 1 block down rue de Sevres to rue Dupin.  We all had a great meal at restaurant L'EpiDupin.  The restaurant was filled with Parisians.  The restaurant is small, but comfortable.  We had very good service and even the waiter was kind to split our bill.  Denny and Vennette bought our wine, which was very good.  It's definitely a restaurant I'll return to. 
 
We decided to walk home since I figured it would be a 15-20 minute leisurely walk and we wanted to walk off dinner.  It was a very nice evening.  Back near our hotel we stopped in Le Danton for drinks.  The tables were very close to each other and the place was packed with people talking, drinking, and smoking.   We chatted with two men at the table next to us.  They bought our drinks too.  One was from Holland and the other from Tunisia. Both spoke several languages.  The man from Tunisia is a taxi driver.  He offered to drive us to our hotel, but we politely declined telling him our hotel was only 2 blocks away.  The other man works in pharmaceuticals. 
 
18 October 2000 Wednesday.  We're in a bar across the street from the train station in Chantilly.  It's very cold today, probably in the low to mid 40s and rainy.  We got up at 7am so we could get to Gare du Nord to catch the train to Chantilly at 9:35am.  It was only a 25-minute train ride.   Upon arrival, we had to figure out how to get to the Chateau.  I didn't have any town map with me.  Across the street next to this bar is a Tobac.  We asked this young, absolutely handsome man for directions.  We ended up walking about 20 minutes after waiting almost 1-1/2 hours for the local bus!  We were so mad.  Five busses had gone by and all of them said they didn't go to the Chateau.  It was very uncomfortable waiting outside in the cold weather for the bus.  I had left my scarf and gloves back at the room.  Chantilly is a lovely town, so we enjoyed our walk to the Chateau.  The Chateau is quite lovely.  It reminded me of some of the Chateaux in the LoireValley.  Inside, there were many beautiful artifacts, paintings, and a fabulous library holding approximately 13,000 old books.  We visited many rooms, which had many paintings on the walls.  After purchasing our tour book, we took the local bus ($0) back to the train station.  We had to wait just over 2 hours for our train to return to Paris.  We were definitely not happy about the train schedule and the bus situation.  So, we're here in the bar, writing in our journals and drinking coffee to keep warm. 
 
Back in Paris, we shopped a little and ended up on rue de Seine to buy drinks at the local grocery store for our room.  After freshening up in our room, we headed out to dinner.  I wanted to go to Chez Maitre Paul around the corner of our hotel, but we didn't have reservations.  So I made them for the next night.  We walked in the area and ended up at Cremerie Restaurant Polidor on rue Monsieur Le Prince.  It's been around for 150 years.  The place was packed with people, elbow to elbow, mostly locals and a few tourists.  Our waitress was very busy as she took care of the many tables. Judy thought the waitress was very rude because she didn't bring us any water or bread.  It turned out that we were supposed to share the water pitcher and bread that was already on the table with the other customers.    At the end when I asked for the check, she just tossed it on the table.  Judy said she wouldn't recommend this place, but I would.  I had read about this place and knew up front that the waiters can be very brusque and the atmosphere hectic.  We walked around for a bit before heading to our room. 
 
19 October 2000 Thursday.  I had a great morning.  I wanted to explore the rue Mouffetard area, so I got up and went out alone.  Judy slept in.  We decided to meet back at the hotel at 11:30am.  I walked along rue Ecoles, then to rue Mouffetard.  The first part of the walk was pretty quiet.  Not many places were open yet.  I picked up a mini quiche lorraine for breakfast and ate it as I walked along.  One man said "bon appetit" to me.  How French!  He was sweet and made my day.  I also stopped in a local grocery store and purchased a bottle of water.  Further down the street, rue Mouffetard woke up.  The markets!  The food!  This is such a great area.  I also notice a lot of restaurants and cafes.  I'm sure this place is lively in the evenings.  I can see why Rick Steves recommends this area of Paris to visit.  I enjoyed seeing the different foods, including pheasants hanging in a poultry shop.  I took several photographs of the area.  I also purchased 2 glass containers of foiegras (whole) for Tony and my Dad.  Still a little hungry, I picked up a pork spring roll at one of the Chinese cafes.  Towards the end of rue Mouffetard, some event was going on.  There were several booths with people selling bottles of wine, foiegras, bottles of honey, and other fancy foods.  Music was playing nearby.  It was some event, but I couldn't tell what it was for. 
 
I wanted to hang around the area, but needed to get back to the hotel.  I walked back via the Pantheon.  I really enjoyed my time alone.  I've been to Paris before and enjoyed this morning's walk without having to have my map with me.  It's a great feeling to know that I can be comfortable in a foreign city and get around as if it were my home.  I met Judy in the lobby and we headed out for the day.  We stopped at Le Danton so Judy could have her cappuccino.  I wanted her to see the Memorial de la Deportation, but it was closed when we got there.   It turned out to be a nice day weatherwise.  We took our umbrellas with us because we heard on the news it would rain all day.  It didn't rain at all until about 9:30pm. 
 
We walked around the Ile St-Louis, one area that I had never really visited before.  My Mom and I would just walk across the bridge closest to that area, but never wandered on the Ile.  It is a pretty area.  I'd be interested in finding a hotel there for a future trip, but it doesn't seem easy to get to from the RER.  Across on the right bank, we took the metro to Bvd. Haussmann.  We split up to do some shopping and met 1-1/2 hours later.  I went to the gourmet section of Galleria Lafayette (basement of the Homes building).  It looked just as wonderful as my last visit there.  I purchased some cans of pates and chocolates for gifts.  I went outside and walked around the area.  There are lots of little shops and cafes, bars and creperies.  I found one shop that sold scarves.  I bought a lovely one in purple.  I met Judy back at the department store and we headed towards Le Madeline.  We stopped for lunch at Cafe de L'Olympia on the corner of due Caumaratin and Blvd. Haussmann.  We sat outside having our lunch and enjoying people walking by.  Next to us was a couple from Holland.  They had just arrived for a short visit to Paris.  We chatted with them while having our lunch.  I had a delicious salad with salmon and shrimp.  After lunch, I took Judy to see Fauchons and the other wonderful gourmet store.  We walked to Place de la Concorde on rue Royale.  It was definitely Royale' with expensive shops (Cartier), restaurants and hotels.  At Concorde, there is a hughferris wheel in the center.  It's not a pretty sight, especially being so to the Louvre and other buildings.  We headed over to the left bank and took the metro to our hotel.
 
At 6pm, I had plans to meet Joy, a fellow Fodorite in Paris, for drinks.  I was hoping a few others would show up, but they didn't.  Joy and I had met last year at my first Fodorite get together in Paris.  We enjoyed talking and having wine at the Horses Tavern near my hotel.  Judy stayed in the room and got caught up on her writing.  After I left Joy, I met Judy back at the hotel and we headed out to dinner at Chez Maitre Paul.  It's a very nice, upscale restaurant, but not too expensive.  No one smoked in the restaurant.  We were quite surprised.  We had a delicious meal and great service. 
 
We took a walk after dropping off our purses in the room.  We walked to the Seine and back via the Notre Dame area.  We stopped at a souvenir shop and I bought a few items: my Paris sweatshirt and 2 mini Eiffel towers.  It rained a little as we walked home. 
 
20 October 2000 Friday.  It's 8:47am and we're on the train to Provins.  It's a very cloudy, cold day, and we hope it warms up.  I didn't bring my scarf nor did I wear my other sweater.  We had to get up at 5:30am to catch the 7:43am train from GareL'Est.  We had no other choice in train times, unless we wanted to get Provins late in the day. 
 
1:03pm.  We are sitting outside in a plaza.  The sun is out and it feels very nice.  There are children playing in the plaza (Place du Chatel).  We had a slight scare this morning on the train.  Our train arrived in Longueville and after a few minutes stop at the station, the train proceeded to head back towards Paris!  We panicked!  What should we do?  Get off at the next train station and hope there is another train to Provins or head back to Paris?  I asked a woman in the same car, who I saw get on in Paris, if we should get off the next stop.  She said no, we were okay, "direct train to Provins."  Well, the train was going in the right direction, just on a different track to Provins.  Thank goodness. 
 
When we arrived, we walked around the town, window shopped, then headed to the medieval part of the town.  This is a lovely town with stone and wood buildings.  Moss grows on top of roofs.  I've hardly seen any other tourists.  There was a large group of German and French children at the tower we visited.  The tower was very interesting with its narrow, steep stairs.  We had lunch at a creperie (delicious Spanish style crepe with chorizo, tomato, cheese, and tomato sauce).  Since the rest of the museums do not open until 2pm (we purchased their monument  pass) we're sitting at Place due Chatel.  We did take a walk to the ramparts and walked along the top.  We had great views from above.  The sun is out and is nice and warm. 
 
5:58pm.  We are on the train heading back to Paris.  We enjoyed the various sights in Provins.  After our rest' in the Place due Chatel, we headed to the 3 museums/sights.  The first one was a museum depicting the Fairs of Champagne, which showed how merchants (Italian merchant, Provins cloth merchant, the money-changer, the Flemish merchant, the letter-writer, and the wool, potter, and stone cutter merchants) sold their goods.   It's a very small museum, which we visited in only 10 minutes.  Next we visited the main Provins museum, which had interesting Provins artifacts.  One in particular, from what I could tell, was a wooden baby incubator!  A toy doll was inside on the front end, and there was straw on the other end.  The note, in French, said something about abandoned babies.  I believe it was from the 1800s.  Next we visited the underground tunnels.  A guide, who spoke no English, told us about the tunnels, as well as the markings on the wall.  With my limited French and some sign language, I was able to translate what the guide said to Judy.  I couldn't get all of it, but enough to understand.   No one really knows how long the tunnels have been around or their purpose.  There are about 150 rooms within the tunnels.  We met another tour guide who did speak some English.  Pretty much what she said I understood.  We walked around town, stopped at a pastry shop, then went into a bar for drinks while waiting for our train.  Our train, only choice to get back to Paris at a decent hour, was at 5:55pm.
 
For dinner, since we arrived back in Paris in the evening, we headed straight to the Marais area.  We didn't have time to go to our hotel to freshen up like I usually like to do.  We walked around a little, and then found a restaurant, which we enjoyed.  There was a large group of German tourists that took up most of the tables.  They left about 30 minutes after we arrived and the place quieted down.  The restaurant is quite colorful and there was a piano player who entertained everyone, including a couple of waiters who sang some songs.  I had their delicious escargot for an appetizer and a steak with béarnaise sauce for my entree.  We walked home to our hotel.  It was a long day but very nice.
 
21 October 2000 Saturday.  I decided to stay in Paris instead of going to Rouen.  I was tired from the day before.  We had our usual breakfast at Le Danton.  I had wanted to try a different cafe each morning, but Le Danton was very good and close to our hotel and I like the fact that the waiters recognized us as if we were their local customers.  We headed to Ile St- Louis so Judy could purchase her Venetian mask that she had seen the other day.  We had also stopped back at Notre Dame since the sun was out and so Judy could see the beautiful stained glass windows.  After our shopping on Ile St-Louis, we walked to the market at Maubert where I picked up a couple cans of pate and 2 scarfs'. 
 
We headed back to our room to drop off our purchases, and then took the metro to Sacre Coeur.  We walked along the main boulevard where the tacky Tati shops are located.  Those stores were filled with junk but many people were buying like crazy.  We walked up to the Sacre Coeur after picking up sandwiches for lunch.  Many people were out for the day.  We visited inside the church and then walked around the Place Tetre.  It was very crowded, a lot more crowded than when I was there last year.  We saw some very nice paintings, but out of my price range.  I suppose I could have bargained.  We walked to the Mouin Rouge, which is no longer a nice area.  There are many live peep shows.  One guy at one place was trying to get us to come in.  I said firmly, "No!" with my French accent.  He responded, "Lesbian show!!!"  We both laughed as we quickly walked on.  We took the metro back to our hotel. 
 
For dinner I had made reservations at Le Bistrot de Breteuil, where Mom and I met Denny and Vennette last year.  This time I made reservations and we met Miriam and Oliver from Frankfurt.  Tony and I had met them this past June in Germany while in Assmannshausen on the Rhine.  Miriam and Oliver were supposed to arrive in Paris that day, but I had not heard from them.  Finally around 7:15pm, Miriam called from her cell phone saying they were lost in Paris in their car.  I told her I would leave the restaurant information with the hotel receptionist.  I then asked the receptionist, Nice, to call the restaurant and change our reservations to 8:30pm.  Miriam called again while we were in the lobby and I gave her the restaurant's phone number and she got directions from them. We took the metro and met them just after 8pm.  We had a great evening with them and a great dinner too.  The restaurant was just as nice as last year.  The decor had been changed to a more romantic atmosphere with soft yellow colors.  I complimented the owner before we left telling him I had dined at his restaurant last year.  He appreciated it.  We dined until about 11pm before Judy and I walked home.  It was only a 20-minute walk and not that far from L'EpiDupin.  It's one of my favorite restaurants in Paris. 
 
22 October 2000 Sunday.  Our last day in Paris was a very nice day.  We separated in the morning.  After breakfast, we walked to the Seine where we split up. Judy headed to the Louvre while I took the metro to the Pere Lachaise cemetery.   I had purchased a roll of black and white film and wanted to try it out at the cemetery.  (A few came out okay).  It was a beautiful sunny day and warmer than the other days.  I met a young man with his 6-month-old kitten, who was out for the first time exploring the area.  The kitten climbed up a tree and had a hard time getting down.  He finally came down after climbing to the end of a very small branch and falling to his feet after hitting a couple of branches along the way down.  Eight lives left!  I took the metro to the Sentier stop to visit the outdoor market area, which is near Les Halles.  It's a great area with the same typical food shops. 
 
After, I headed to the Samarataine department store to shop for a short while, then headed to the front of the Louvre to meet Judy at 2:30pm.  She had gotten lost getting from the Louvre to Bvd. Haussamann.  She had purchaed a jacket the other day and didn't get her tax refund slip.  But no luck, she couldn't find the store.  We walked down the Champs Elysees and had sandwiches along the way.  We shopped at Sephoras, then walked to the Arc de Triomphe.  I had a woman take our picture.  As it was getting late, we skipped going to the top of the Arc and headed towards the Seine to take a boat cruise.  We passed by the French memorial that is now "considered" the memorial for Princess Diana.  I think it is disgusting that people have ruined this French memorial instead of building one for specifically for her.  We enjoyed the 1 hour 15 minute boat ride on the Seine.  It was a lovely afternoon and comfortable being outside on the boat. 
 
After our ride, we took the metro at Alma to get to the restaurant where I had made reservations for our last night in Paris.  It was at NosAncetres Les Gaulois on Ile St-Louis.  We had 7pm reservations (didn't want the 10:30pm seating).  This restaurant is listed in the Cheap Eats in Paris book, which I have used many times now.  This restaurant is a fun place to dine.  A beautiful basket of vegetables is placed on your table, where you proceed to make your own salad.  In addition to the vegetables in the basket (lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, purple cabbage) there is a vegetable and a cold meat board.  There is a variety of meats to include dried sausages and homemade pates.  Next to this table is a wooden wine cask, where you pour your own wine - all you can drink!  Bread is served at the table.  For the entree, there are several selections, including beef kabobs and steaks.  A cheese platter with about 6 differnent varieties is served prior to dessert.  Their creme caramel is delicious.  The waiters were very friendly and so cute!  We had our pictures taken with two of the guys. Oh la la!  Throughout the evening, there are singers who go from room to room singing and playing their guitar.  It was a very intertaining and fun evening.  Along the way home, we stopped for some last minute shopping at the souviner shops near the Greek quarter on rue de la Huchette.
 
Back in our area near the Odeon metro, we had one last round of drinks (not that we needed them after our 2-3 carafs of wine at Les Gaulois) to say goodbye to Paris.  We had drinks at Le Relais Odeon, across the street from Le Danton.  Finally, a new cafe to add to my list.  We walked to our hotel, where I tried to call Tony to make sure we were listed for our flight home.  I couldn't get through with my calling card number.  This is the second time that there has been a problem calling home.  I ended up calling direct and left a very short message on the recorder.  I paid close to $6 for this 20-30 second message!  I organized a few things, and then went to bed. 
 
23 October 2000 Monday.  We are on our way home.  We have been in the air for about 6 hours now and have 2.5 hours to go.  We got up at 7:30am and left just after 9am, ½ hour later than I wanted to leave.  Our suitcases and carry-on bags were very heavy to carry.  I had my cans of pate and jars of foiegras, a small ceramic terrine (now I can make my terrines properly) and all the chocolate bars I bought).  We walked to the St. Michel RER stopping every so often to change hands.  The RER was pretty filled with people when we got on.  However, at the next stop, many more got on board.  One man who thought it was funny to squeeze in more people than what the capacity should have been was pushing me.  I pushed him back telling him he was making me fall over and pushed my suitcase over and onto my foot.  He rudely replied, "What, do you expect me to take a taxi?"  I should have responded that he takes the next damn train.  Almost everyone on board was taking the train to the exposition center for some hugh food event.  Unfortunately, it was one stop before ours and it was terribly hot inside.  No air was moving and the windows were steaming up.  Judy almost passed out because she still had her jacket and scarf on.  I was fortunate that I took my jacket off just before that large group came on board.  When we finally got off the train, we stood there for several minutes to cool off while Judy had a cigarette.  We headed to the shuttle bus and were lucky to get on board last, so were the first off.  Had we flown on Air France (CDG2), we could have taken the RER all the way to the terminal without taking any shuttle bus.  But we were on USAirways and had to go to terminal 1. 
 
It took a while to check in, which we listed ourselves for Envoy class, and then I had to go to the tax refund desk.  That took almost an hour, which I was very uncomfortable.  I was afraid that I would never get through the tax place in time for my flight.  We still had to go upstairs and check in again to see if we got Envoy class.  There must have been 15-20 other stand-by passengers, which several were also listed for Envoy class.  None of us got the upgrades, but all made it on board.  I wanted to do my last, last minute shopping at the duty free store, but was unable to do so.  We just left the hotel later than we should have.  I think we need at least 4 to 4.5 hours to get from the hotel to the RER to the shuttle bus, checking in, going through tax refund line (give yourself an hour!), and getting to the gate.  There was no time to spare this time. 
 
24 October 2000 Tuesday.  I'm home now.  It always feels good to be home, but I'm always ready for my next trip!  We had a good flight home, although it took almost 8.5 hours because of head winds.  Tony picked us up and we told him all about our trip. 
 
Overall, I had a great time.  I wish the weather had been better, but hey, it was October.  I enjoyed being back in Paris.  It's such a beautiful city.  We met a lot of friendly people, and yes, they were French!  Don't believe what people tell you that the French are rude.  They can be, but if you make an effort to learn the language, they'll appreciate it and warm up to you.
 
Traveling with Judy was a lot of fun.  It was wonderful to see Paris again through her eyes.  Spending time together, and then apart allowed us both to see things at our own pace and level of interest.  It allowed her the time to experience a little of Paris on her own, and me the time to wander and explore a bit.  I truly enjoyed the couple of mornings I had to myself exploring rue Mouffetard (I love those outdoor markets!) and Pere Lachaise cemetery.  When traveling with someone who has never been to that place, it is important for both people to understand that each person's level of interest will be different, and time spent alone is a perfect solution.   Plus, I like the anticipation of meeting later for dinner to share each other's experiences of the day.  We had a few late dinners, but my ideal time to dine is around 7:30pm.  I like having enough time to relax and enjoy my dinner meal, take a walk around the area after dinner before heading back to my room or having time for a glass of wine at a cafe.  I also like having time to write in my journal before turning in and getting a good nights rest for the next day of sightseeing, especially if it means getting up very early to catch a train someplace. 
 
Next year Tony and I plan to travel to Greece in May.  For my second trip in 2001, I'm thinking of Rome and the Amalfi coast for 8-9 days in November.  Alone?  I'm not sure yet.  I do enjoy having a travel partner!  I might take a friend with me as long as we both know there are times to be together and times to be apart from each other. 
 
Au revoir!
 
Monica