France 2013

For our international trip for 2013 we decided to spend three weeks exploring France.  We spent two weeks with an organized tour with Grand Circle Travel and then another five days on our own in an apartment we rented in Paris.  Even though the weather did not cooperate, it really was a great trip. 

There is much to be learned from experiencing other cultures - and the French culture is very rich indeed.  I only wish that I had been able to have these experiences when I was much younger. Throughout American history, the French have had a large impact on the development of our country.  One can easily imagine the impact of visiting Paris must have had on Jefferson and Franklin.  


I must comment on the food.  The French are famous for their cooking for a very good reason.  The food is simple and it is very good.  The French stay fit by walking a lot.  I am afraid that I must now walk more and also eat a bit less.  

One of our fellow travellers, Peg Meier, wrote an article about the trip for the Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis.  This is a link to the article which ran July 8. 

Below is a day-by-day description of our trip with links to all of the pictures.  Just click on day title (Day 1, etc.) to be taken to our Picasa website to see the pictures in a separate window.  

Enjoy.  And we welcome your feedback.

  Gary and Vina

Day 1 and 2 Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25

Left home around 9 am when the Lexus guy came to pick us up and take us to the airport. (It is

another story for another time why the Lexus dealership picked us up.) We flew from Phoenix to Detroit where we had a 3 hour layover.  We were positively impressed with the Detroit airport. We then boarded an Air France flight for the long flight to Paris.  Despite Gary's best efforts and confirmed aisle seats for both of us, Gary ended up in a window seat. We arrived at Charles De Gaulle airport around 11:30 am French time Thursday morning. 

We went through immigration, got our passports checked and walked for a long way through the maze that was the airport, to find our way to our local flight to Nice. We arrived at Nice around 2:30 p.m. Thursday.  We retrieved our luggage (with some relief) and found a taxi for the ride to the hotel. Once we got settled in the hotel, we had our first meeting of our travel group, enjoyed a glass of wine and got to meet our travel companions.  Our travel guide, Jean Philippe Ruiz was quite enthusiastic. 

We joined David and Karen Schwalm for dinner at a nice restaurant close to the hotel.  Even though all four of us were suffering a bit from jet lag, we had a really nice dinner sitting outside. 

Day 3 Friday, April 26 - Nice

We awoke early and had breakfast in the hotel.  We packed up our stuff (hadn't really unpacked much) set it out for the porters to pick up and we headed out for a walking tour of Nice lead by Jean Philippe and a local guide.  

The weather was not our friend, with rain interrupting our walk, but we persevered.  Nice is a really interesting place.  The Mediterranean beach here was all rocks - no sand.  We walked around the old walled city and went to the flower and produce market.  After the walking tour was over, we left the group and took a narrated "train" tour of the city that included going up to the old castle on top of the hill overlooking the city.  A great view and some good pictures.

We went back to the market on the way back to the hotel and bought a large sandwich with tuna, tomatoes, lettuce on a round French bun which we cut in half and shared for lunch.

We made it back to the hotel and finally boarded our bus around 2 p.m. for the trip to Arles and our ship. On the way, we stopped for a visit at the Rhone American cemetery where American soldiers from WWII are buried.  Once we arrived in Arles and boarded the Chardonnay, our ship, and unpacked a bit, we enjoyed the Captain's welcome dinner.  After a two hour dinner with wine (which was always included with dinner onboard) we went to bed around 10 p.m.

Day 4 Saturday, April 27 - Arles and bull farm tour

We woke up and enjoyed breakfast on board the Chardonnay.  After breakfast we headed off the ship for a walking tour of the walled part of Arles, the Roman coliseum and ruins. 

After lunch we boarded a bus to visit a farm were they raised bulls known for their aggressiveness. The less aggressive bulls are sent to the slaughterhouse.  The bulls are used in the French version of bull fighting where the bulls are not killed.  The matadors are required to remove small little ribbon-like things from between the horns of these aggressive bulls.

Since it was raining, we took the tour of the farm in Land Rovers rather than the normal open air trucks.  Four of us piled into one truck.  Ours was driven by the owner (grandfather) of the farm.  He spoke French and Spanish but little English, so they asked for Spanish speakers to go with him.  Vina and another member of our group served as translators for the two of us who were not fluent in Spanish.  Vina really enjoyed the opportunity to use her Spanish.  This was a family run farm and all of the family - the son and his wife and their kids - took pride in the aggressiveness and longevity of the bulls.  Some of the bulls were even commemorated with mounted heads as you can see in the background of the picture. Vina and I had our picture taken with the grandmother and grandfather -really interesting people.  We enjoyed our visit.

Day 5 Sunday, April 28 - Avignon/Afternoon in Provence and Cathedrale d'Images

We woke up to another rainy day.  I am sure that we would have enjoyed our visit to Avignon a whole lot more if the weather had been better. 

A highlight of the day's tour was a visit to the Pope's Palace.  During the 1300's, the Popes left the Vatican in Rome and for seven Popes, they were headquartered in Avignon.  The wealth of the Church was evident in what they built.  They remained in Avignon for around 70 years before returning to Rome.

In the afternoon, we took a bus to Provence to see the castle and visit the area where there were many different shops.  Unfortunately it rained quite hard and we were not able to see or do much.  But all was not lost.

We went to see the Cathedrale d'Images which was an amazing multimedia show of the works of French artists projected onto the walls of old limestone quarry caves.  It was truly amazing and the pictures do not do it justice.  You have to experience it to truly understand it.

Day 6 Monday, April. 29 - Viviers and home-hosted dinner

Got up early this morning to go on a walk through the town of Viviers.  The weather did not want to cooperate with us - it was in the 40's and raining during our walk. Gary bundled up wearing seven layers and was glad he did.  But the walk was well worth it.  We were treated with some really picturesque views of the old town and after climbing a hill we arrived at the cathedral.  To the surprise of our guide and to our delight, they were about to have an organ concert in the church.  We enjoyed the concert and the respite from the rain.  The concert concluded with the William Tell (Lone Ranger) overture. 

Gary making crepes

 We got back to the ship by 10:30 am and the ship left for Tournon.  A relaxing rainy day cruising the Rhone.  The ship's chef gave a short cooking demonstration on how to make crepes suzette and even showed us how to flip the crepe in the pan.  A lot of fun.  We have the recipe if you want it. The cooking lesson was followed by a tour of the ship's kitchen.

That evening we went to visit a local couple for dinner in their rather extraordinary home.  It was an old flour mill (moulin) that had been converted into a restaurant and bar.  It was now being used as their private home.  We had a great dinner with our hosts, Odile Bouyon and Gerard Poirier, and after dinner they lead us downstairs to the area that served as a bar and Gerard proceeded to put on a cabaret show for us.  A remarkable and very enjoyable evening.

Day 7 Tuesday, April 30 - Lyon

Vina, Gary, Dave and Karen

Docked in Lyon this morning.  After breakfast we took a bus tour of the city.  The weather started out overcast, then turned to rain and, as we returned to the ship, to partly sunny. 

On our tour we visited the cathedral on the hill where we spent about half an hour before heading down to walk around the old city.   Like so many of the churches we have visited in Europe, it reflected the wealth of the church.  The view from the top of the hill was quite impressive.

The walk through the old part of Lyon included "secret passages" called something that sounds like "trouble" in French.  The outside looks like a regular door but when you open it, it leads to a hallway between the buildings that can lead to another street with staircases leading to apartments.  Very interesting.

We also visited a silk screening shop where they made some very nice scarves and other silk items.  Interesting to see them printing the different colors and designs on the silk fabric. 

 

After lunch on the ship, we rested, caught up on email and wrote in this journal.  Then it was time to get ready for an afternoon cocktail reception at 4:45 pm.  Life is good.

We enjoyed a hosted cocktail reception because this is our third Grand Circle trip and we are members of the "Inner Circle."  After the reception, we had dinner.  Then we enjoyed a classical piano recital (mostly Debussy).  It was a perfect ending to the day as rain and lightning filled the skies.

Day 8 Wednesday, May 1 - Lyon

We awoke to overcast skies and light rain again.  Our ship was restricted from continuing up the Saone River because high water from runoff from the Alps requires that the locks be left open.  The rest of our “river” trip shall be by motor coach (bus). The ships would not be able to get under the bridges.

Our adventure this morning was to visit the local outdoor market.  Gary took lots of pictures of the wonderful looking food and flowers for sale.  After looking at the pictures, you will probably be hungry!  Everyone was given 2 Euros to purchase some food to bring back to the ship for a pre-lunch tasting.  The rain stayed away while we visited the market but returned after we returned to the ship.

In the afternoon, Gary went on a bus trip to visit a village in the hills of Beaujolais.  Vina was not feeling well so she stayed on the ship and took a nap.  The village we visited was very picturesque.   All of the buildings were constructed of a golden colored limestone.  They views from the top of the hill were wonderful.

Then we headed to a winery run by Etienne and Mireille Blanc - an enthusiastic couple.  They took us into the vineyard where they explained the grape growing process.  This was followed by a tour to their cellar where we tasted four different Beaujolais wines - one white and three different reds.  Gary bought two of the reds to bring back to Vina.

Beaujolais countryside

The weather had turned nice and even sunny for our visit to Beaujolais.

We went back to the ship for the Captain's farewell dinner which was a bit fancier than our other meals with several courses including roast beef and baked Alaska for dessert.

Day 9 Thursday, May 2 - Macon

We were supposed to have sailed to Macon last night but because the river had been closed to traffic, we took a bus ride (about 45 minutes) to Macon.  Not too much to see - a nice small town with a church we visited. 

We came back to the ship for lunch.  After lunch was free time to explore more of Lyon or do whatever we wanted.  We walked around the town and visited the shops on a sunny day. We stopped at a sidewalk cafe to have a Perrier and people watch.  The French certainly know how to do some things very well!

We returned to the ship, freshened up and sat on the sun deck before going down to the library to enjoy some wine with fellow travelers.

Because of the ship's being (nicely) stuck in Lyon, GCT offered us an open bar before dinner.  The cocktail hour was followed by dinner.

We packed our suitcases in preparation for leaving the ship in the morning.

Day 10 Friday, May 3 - Disembark ship and drive to Paris

We got up early (6 am), finished packing, had breakfast onboard for one last time, and boarded the bus with all of our luggage for the drive to Paris.  Once again the weather was not our friend.  There was a good rain and the Saone River was very high. 

Hotel Dieu

Along the way we stopped at Beaune, one of the main towns of the Côte d'Or region.  We were in the Burgundy region of France where they produce some really great wine.  In Beaune, we visit a 15th century charity hospital called Hotel Dieu.  It was an example of some wonderful architecture of the period and also gave some insight onto the practice of both charity and medicine at the time.  

Lunch was on our own.   We joined Dave and Karen at a quaint French restaurant for an enjoyable lunch.  We boarded the bus to continue our trip north to Paris. 

On the way to Paris we had a rest stop or "technical stop" as Jean Philippe would call it. We thought it was for us - the passengers on the bus.  But no.  French law requires truck drivers - including bus drivers - to take a 45 minute break, no less, every three hours. The vehicles are equipped with timers. So we stopped at a very nice truck stop for 45 minutes.   

Back on the bus, Jean Philippe gave us a long description of the French social security system which includes unemployment, health care and retirement.  The French system is much more generous and comprehensive than in the U.S.  It is also much more expensive - with higher taxes, especially on upper income groups.  

Dinner in Paris was on our own.  We walked a few blocks and found a nice bistro where we joined the Schwalm's for a nice French dinner.

Day 11 Saturday, May 4 - Paris/Versailles

We woke up this morning in our hotel in Paris a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower.  After breakfast we headed out for whirlwind bus tour of the city.  Paris is a big small city.  It is organized into 20 districts called arrondissements which are laid out much like a snail.  We visited all but one of the arrondissements (districts) on the bus tour.  Paris is also split by the Seine River - the right bank and the left bank.  Our hotel was on the left bank.  We saw the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, several bridges, several impressive parks, the U.S. Embassy and more on the bus tour.

We returned to the hotel and went searching for lunch.  Gary thought it might be fun, since we had little time, to try the French McDonalds.  Vina was neither happy nor impressed.  To go to Paris for McDonalds??  No more Mickey D's!

Hall of Mirrors

 After lunch we got back on the bus for a trip to visit the Versailles Palace.  It makes W.R. Hearst and San Simeon seem like a piker.  The palace was incredibly crowded although we were told by our guide that this was a light crowd.  The size and scope of the property has to be seen to be believed.  A private Disneyland for a privileged few.  It helps one understand the French revolution.

We arrived back at the hotel tired but enriched by the activities of the day.  We headed out to find another brasserie for dinner.  We had a really good but simple dinner. 

Day 12 Sunday, May 5 - Paris/Giverny

Today we got up early and went to visit the home of Monet in Giverny which is about an hours drive outside of Paris. The gardens were absolutely magnificent.  The spring tulips were in bloom and the place was a riot of color. We were amongst the first groups to enter the garden that day. We visited the pond by the house where Monet got inspiration for some of his more famous paintings   Even though Gary took a lot of picture, the pictures can't really do it justice.  As we visited Monet's studio, I couldn't help but think of our good friend Bob Serrano whose studios were not as grand as Monet's but were similar in many ways.  Enjoy the pictures, Bob.

That evening we boarded another bus for the short trip to the Champs-Eleysees and a nice restaurant for a farewell dinner with the entire group. 

Day 13 Monday, May 6 - Paris

Today we were on our own to explore Paris.  We joined the Schwalm's and decided to visit the Louvre.  We caught the local bus from about a block away from our hotel.  It was a positive experience to learn how to navigate the Paris public transportation system.  The bus dropped us off next to the Louvre, which is housed in a very large and impressive building arranged around a courtyard with the iconic I.M. Pei glass pyramid in the center.  It serves as the entrance to the museum.  We spent several hours touring only a part of the museum.  We fought the crowd to see the Mona Lisa but also saw several other galleries of paintings and sculptures - some famous, some not.  It was overwhelming in some ways. 

We enjoyed a light lunch at the museum, and then visited the Flemish paintings before leaving the museum.  We walked toward the Notre Dame cathedral.  We stopped and enjoyed a sweet treat and then went to visit the 850 year old cathedral. 

Inside Notre Dame Cathedral

The architecture was hard to believe.  The arched ceilings were stunningly high.  The stained glass windows were magnificent.  The scale of the church left me in awe today and I can only imagine the impact it must have had on people more than 800 years ago. 

Day 14 Tuesday, May 7 - Paris

Today we visited the Musee d'Orsee.  We took the city bus to get there.  By now we are old hands in riding the public transport to get around.  We walk over a bridge with padlocks with the names of lovers written on them, locked to the screens on the sides.  There are hundreds of them.  The D'O is another one of the many museums in Paris.  It holds works from many masters including Monet, Renoir, Rodin, LaTrec and many others.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside the museum, so I don't have many pictures to share.

I did take some shots of the Eiffel Tower at night.  

Day 15 Wednesday, May 8 – Paris and Montmartre

This morning we took a trip to Montmartre in the north part of Paris.  It is the highest spot in the city with a magnificent view overlooking the city.  On the way we saw the famous Moulin Rouge (literally the red mill) and the red light district.  The church at the top of Montmartre - Sacre-Coeur Basilica - was built in the early 1900's so it was more modern in construction than many of the churches we have seen.  It rivaled Notre Dame in its vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows.  The gargoyles were fascinating, especially in the rain.  We were having another rainy day. 

The village of Montmartre has been an artists’ colony in Paris for many years.  It is quaint and picturesque.   We took some time to sit at a sidewalk cafe, have a cup of cafe ole and watch the people go by.  Terribly French and wonderfully enjoyable.

In the afternoon we took the underground train to the Arc de Triomphe.  Today was Armistice Day in France (France has many, many holidays and both today and tomorrow are paid holidays for French workers) and the French President had been to the Arc to lay a wreath and give a speech in the morning.  We arrive in the afternoon after the ceremonies were over but the area was still crowded. 

After visiting the Arc, we took a walk down the Champs Élysées past all the nice stores and tons of people. 

We were treated to a departure drink that evening by Jean Philippe before we headed to the bistro Lionois for dinner with Dave and Karen.  The rest of the group were headed home early the next morning. 

Day 16 Thursday, May 9 - Paris and cooking school

We got up, had breakfast at the hotel, said farewell to Jean Philippe and checked out of the hotel.  We got a taxi to take us to the apartment we had rented and had seen only in pictures.  It was located in what we might call an alley off of a major street and right close to the Rue Cler - a pedestrian street with lots of shops and restaurants.  You entered the building through a green door, then through another security door and then up a small circular stairway to the second floor (which the French call the first floor because the ground floor is level 0). 

We hauled our luggage up the small staircase and, because the apartment was still being cleaned, left our luggage in the apartment and went to explore the neighborhood.  We walked over to the Eiffel Tower and explored a bit of Rue Cler before returning to get unpacked and ready for the evening.

We had booked a gourmet cooking class for that evening over on the right bank of the Seine.  We decided to leave a little early and try to take the Metro to get there. We discovered the Metro station close to us, Ecole Militaire, and after changing trains once, successfully found our way to our destination.  The cooking school was great and we both enjoyed being actively involved in the preparation of the meal.  We ate the results of our efforts with great pleasure.  We have the recipes if anyone would like them.  

We then found our way back using the Metro and didn't even get lost! 

We crashed for the night in our little apartment. 

Day 17 Friday, May 10 - Paris

We woke up and fixed some instant coffee.  Gary threw on some clothes and walked to the corner boulangerie to get some croissants and to the fruit market for some strawberries and bananas.  We enjoyed a French breakfast.

We then set out exploring.  We walked to the Rodin museum. We walked past the National War Museum (Hotel National des Invalides) and Napoleon’s Tomb on the way there. 

The Rodin museum had a very large collection of Rodin's work.  We started by visiting "The Thinker" which was in the garden.  We then spent the next few hours touring the museum and gardens.  It was fascinating because they had the clay workups and plaster casts of his work.  Amazing talent.

After leaving the museum, we had lunch at a local brasserie.  Gary had a French hot dog, which is on a baguette and covered with cheese.  Very good. 

Napoleon's Tomb

On our way back we decided to visit the War Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb.  At the War Museum we never have seen so many suits of armor in one place.  It was interesting at first but got tiring after a bit.  Napoleon’s tomb was a monument to ego. 

We made our way back to the apartment where we collapsed after doing all of that walking.  We opened a bottle of the Beaujolais wine Gary purchased in Beaujolais before heading out for dinner at the corner bistro.

For desert Gary had this chocolate creation with vanilla ice cream stuffed inside of 3 choux pastry like we had made in cooking school.  To die for...  Vina had an upside down apple pie.  

We slept well.

Day 18 Saturday, May 11

Got up this morning and had some cereal we bought at the local store (along with milk and orange juice) for breakfast.  We decided that we wanted to visit the Musee de l'Orangerie located in the Tuileries garden.  We again took the Metro and found our way.  It featured a panorama by Monet and several neo-impressionist artists.  Photos weren't allowed.

We caught bus 72 for a ride back to the Eiffel Tower where we purchased tickets for a future boat ride on the Seine.  We then walked from the Eiffel Tower back to Rue Cler where we had lunch.  We then headed back to the apartment for a little rest before starting the evening activities.

Had a nice dinner at the corner bistro, came back to the apartment and retired for the night. 

Day 19 Sunday, May 12 - Paris

Mother's Day.

Woke up and fixed ourselves some eggs and ham, fruit salad and croissant for breakfast.  Decided to go exploring.

We headed out in the direction of Notre Dame. We got on the RER train but we got on going in the wrong direction and started heading out of Paris. By the time we recognized our mistake and got off the train we were a few miles outside of Paris.  We bought a ticket to take us back in the right direction.  We arrived at Notre Dame and got off the train to begin our LONG walk around the isle of St. Louis. 

We walked all around the outside of the Notre Dame cathedral and took lots of pictures of the architecture.  There was a bread baking exposition going on at the church and we bought ourselves a small pizza which we enjoyed while listening to the bells toll. (Play the video).

After doing some souvenir shopping, we started to walk toward St.  Chappell church.  We got lost several times but enjoyed seeing things "up close and personal.”   We ran into a street market selling pet supplies, pets (mainly birds) and flowers.  We found the church but decided not to go inside. 

We started to try to figure out how we were going to get back home.  We ended up walking all about this island in the middle of the Seine.   Finally we stopped at a sidewalk cafe for a tea and coke to rest and try and figure out which bus, subway or train we needed to take to get back home.  We finally decided to go back to where we started and retrace our steps.  We walked from the southern end of the island to the northern end and caught the RER back to the station closest to our apartment.  We left at 10 a.m. and returned at 4:30 p.m.

Back at the apartment, we opened a bottle of wine and watched Meet the Press on CNBC. 

For dinner we went to a bistro and enjoyed a nice dinner.  Everywhere we ate, we were surrounded by English speakers.  Since the tables were always very close together, conversations between tables would usually ensue.  

Day 20 Monday, May 13 - Paris

Our last day in France...

We slept in a little later than usual, had some coffee and started to pack some things up.  After a breakfast of cereal and fruit, we decided to head out one more time.  We had earlier purchased tickets for a boat ride along the Seine and had planned on using them for a sunset cruise but since the sun doesn't set until around 10 pm, we never went.  This was our last chance to use the tickets.

Notre Dame from the river

We walked over to the boat pier next to the Eiffel Tower and boarded the 10:30 a.m. ride.  The Paris sky was overcast as was the case for us for the whole trip. Cool but nice. We enjoyed seeing all of the major bridges and historical buildings and sites from the perspective of the river.  It was good to see it in the daylight.

We returned to the boat pier and started to walk back to the apartment and in search of lunch and some souvenir gifts to take home. 

We stopped at a sidewalk crepe cafe and got some fresh crepes for lunch.  Vina had ham and cheese and Gary got their special which had ham, two kinds of cheese, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and an egg.   Good stuff.

We went back to the apartment where we finished eating our crepes and started to get serious about packing for the trip home tomorrow. 

Although we have really enjoyed ourselves for the past three weeks, we were ready to head home. 

We headed to our favorite bistro, Bistro Bouquet, for our last French dinner.  Vina had a lamb shank and Gary had cunard confit.   We have really enjoyed eating on this trip.  A nice ending.

Day 21 Tuesday, May 14 - Return home

Today lasted 33 hours for us as we gained 9 hours flying home. 

We get up early -- 5 am Tuesday (8 pm Monday night Arizona time).  The driver comes to pick us up at the apartment at 7 am and off we go to Charles De Gaulle airport.  Having heard many horror stories about the size and confusion of Charles De Gaulle airport, we were pleased to readily find our way to our gate.  

We had an uneventful flight (the best kind) to Minneapolis where we make a connection for our Phoenix flight. 

We arrived at Sky Harbor around 3:40 pm where our friendly Lexus dealer picks us up for the ride home.

It took about 18 1/2 hours of travel time from leaving the French apartment to opening our Tempe front door.  It is an amazing world!  It was a great trip.