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Travelog and Photos
We boarded American Airlines Flight #44 at Kennedy Airport in New
York City at 4PM. Even though our departure was delayed due to high
winds, once we got under way the flight was comfortable and
relatively quick. AA has always been a favorite of mine.
 We touched
down in Paris a bit late but our friendly, English speaking driver
moved us into the center of Paris quite rapidly. Fortunately we were
able to immediately check into our hotel, La Residence du Roy
(pronounced "Wha") at 10AM. This was a huge bonus given the
fact that check-in time is by rule, not until 3PM. Some of us were
climbing the Eiffel Tower by 11:30 that morning.
As luck would have it, my friend Glen Portch, who's
a renowned British tour guide and an all-around wonderful gentleman,
was able to take a week off and meet us in Paris on our first day.
Glen stayed with us throughout the entire tour and we were grateful
for his assistance, kindness and patience. Glen will be guiding the
London leg of my upcoming Beatles Magical Mystery Tour.
 Although the weather's not bad in mid-February,
Paris isn't known as the "City of Light" because the sun shines
there often. Actually, the nickname comes from the fact that many buildings
are bathed in huge arc lighting every evening, giving
the city a breathtaking glow. I'd hate to pay their monthly
municipal electric bills! The Seine river runs through the center of
Paris and it's shaped like an inverted letter U. Paris is divided
into 20 numbered districts or arrondissements. The districts north
of the Seine are known as the Right Bank and the districts to the
south are considered Left Bank. Our hotel was in the 8th District,
just a few hundred yards north of the Seine on the Right Bank. La
Residence du Roy is perfect. Clean, modern, well staffed and a ten
minute walk to several key Paris attractions.
The arrondissements spiral out from the center of
Paris like rings on a snail's shell - the first arrondissement sits
right in the center while the twelfth to the twentieth ring the
city's outer border. We did and saw so much that I can't remember
exactly where we were on exactly which days. Well I probably could,
but I just don't feel like writing my travelog chronologically this
time. Instead, I'm gonna give you the highlights in no particular
order.
Located in the 18th District near Montmartre, the
Moulin Rouge is a traditional French cabaret that was built in 1889
and immortalized by Toulouse-Lautrec. Moulin Rouge is the
Fisherman's Wharf of Paris. The windmill is still there and so is
the can-can but in reality, this is a tourist-trap that offers a
slick, glitzy and expensive variety show for out-of-towners who
don't know any better.
The Musee du Louvre is perhaps the best known museum
in the world. Even people who aren't interested in art or history
know about the Louvre. The Louvre was recently featured in
"The Da Vinci Code". It's the final resting place for many of
mankind's greatest antiquities, paintings, sculptures, prints and
drawings. Our guide told us that in order to spend one minute in
front of every piece, you'd need to spend eight hours a day for 39
weeks. The Louvre's exhibits were assembled with an eye to
completeness rather than quality. Do some homework before entering the Louvre. Since we had a guide, we only had a couple of hours,
which was fine for a first visit. For me, the highlights were the
obvious ones. Seeing the Mona Lisa, The Winged Victory of Samothrace
and Venus de Milo, the most famous painting and sculptures in
history, was an incredible experience. Unbelievable.
Located at the western end of the Avenue des
Champs-Elysees is the Arc de Triomphe. In 1806, just after the
Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon I declared to his soldiers, "You will
march home through the arches of victory". Construction was
completed in 1836. This monument has witnessed major national events
including the return of Napoleon I's ashes in 1840 and the parade to
celebrate the liberation of Paris in 1944. I got goosebumps standing
in and around this iconic monument. The view from the top is
spectacular too.
Paris isn't all about art, monuments and museums. There's some
serious eating, drinking and shopping to be done here as well. We
hit at least two dozen cafes, bistros and restaurants. Here, the
baguette is king. You get baguettes with breakfast, most sandwiches
are made using baguettes, and dinner comes with baskets filled with
warm, sliced baguette. It's the best bread you've ever tasted. If
it's sweets you crave, Paris is right where you wanna be. If you say
chocolate, I say Fouquet. And if money's tight, Paris is also the
home of the 5 Euro Footlong Subway submarine sandwich. Bon appetite!
Going to the cinema is probably more important to
the French than it is to their American counterparts. The Avenue des
Champs-Elysees has many multi-screen movie theaters. Some of us saw
a 7:05 screening of "Hereafter" at a cinema called UGC George V,
located at the base of the Arc de Triomphe. "Hereafter" was released
in France as "Au-Dela". The French offer American films in two
versions: Version Original (VO) movies are in English with French
subtitles and Version Francais (VF) are dubbed in French. It was an
eye and ear opening experience. To find out more, go to the
Rick's
Picks review of "Hereafter".
 If you enjoy impressionist paintings as much as I
do, the Musee d'Orsay is not to be missed. Situated on the Left Bank
just a stone's throw from the Seine, the Orsay exhibits
mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914 including paintings,
sculptures, furniture and photography. I zeroed in on the paintings,
mainly the Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and Manet masterpieces. The Orsay
is a beautifully converted former train station with high ceilings,
beautiful arches and huge clocks on the north and south walls.
Unfortunately, unlike the Louvre, photography of any kind is not
permitted inside the museum. Too bad because the pastels literally
pop out of many of these priceless paintings. The Orsay's got a
fancy restaurant upstairs, a good cafe downstairs and a fabulous
two-level gift shop.
You can't tour Paris without hitting a few churches.
The best known is of course, Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame is
widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic
architecture in Europe. The cathedral suffered widespread damage
during the French Revolution in the 1790s. Extensive restoration
projects have returned Notre Dame to it's original gothic splendor.
Getting to the top involves a long wait, a long walk and about 8
euro. Climbing the never-ending, narrow, winding staircase left my
legs a little sore and my back a bit hunched but it was well worth
the time, trouble and expense. The bell is massive, the gargoyles
are cool and the view from the roof is magnificent.
We had a small sample of the many wonders of Paris.
Like spending two hours in the Louvre, five days in Paris is not nearly
enough. Hit the gym before you go. Seeing the Parisian sights
involves a lot of walking and climbing, even utilizing their
excellent subway system which they call Le Metro. And juice up your
debit card. This city isn't cheap. Is it worth it? Oui! And the
rumors of rude French hating on Americans are greatly exaggerated.
Most Parisians speak a bit of English and many are multi-lingual.
Every menu is in French and English and the majority of directional
signage is written in both French and English where necessary. We
experienced nothing but kindness and courtesy everywhere we went.
All you need to remember is to be smart, be respectful and speak
just a minimal amount of French. Do that, and the Parisians will
hand you the keys to their city with a smile. I can't wait to
return. Stay tuned for my next Tour of Paris.
Story and photos by Rick Bedrosian.
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