Continuation of my June in Paris story, celebrating my 75th birthday with my daughter and granddaughter.
On our last day we slept in a little. My daughter and I did our usual breakfast buffet in the hotel basement. That last morning my daughter grabbed a baguette as we got into the elevator because that’s all her son (my grandson) asked for her to bring back from Paris. She said wasn’t that the plot of Les Miserables — stolen bread!
We needed to check out of the hotel by 11 a.m. and our flight was mid-afternoon. Luckily my daughter checked the airlines and we were being delayed 4 hours, so we left our luggage with the clerk at the hotel. We decided to see if we could get into the Orsay Museum for a couple hours since my granddaughter hadn’t gone earlier in the week (too worn out from the Louvre). The Boulevard next to the Louvre was packed with a long line of runners (it was a challenge to cross). It was a special event — the Adidas 10km de Paris. We crossed the Louvre gardens to the other side of the Seine River and up the Boulevard a couple blocks. We didn’t have a time reserved so we waited in line a little while hoping to get in and then decided just to get some lunch at a little cafe next to the museum. It had outdoor seating. My granddaughter got the biggest meatballs on her pasta. There were only 2 other tables occupied and both with Americans from California. One was an exchange student and the other a college professor I think (we had a nice conversation).
The flight back was so late in the day that I guess you’d call it a “red eye.” — good name for it because I couldn’t sleep. There were a couple of people who stood and talked to the people in front of us and it kept me awake, I should have taken a Tylenol PM.
Here are a few things I either forgot earlier or didn’t have room for in previous articles.
Our hotel was intimate and very luxurious. The rooms weren’t large but very comfortable. The bed was perfect — I woke up with no nagging backache. The mattress was just right and I even took a pic of the mattress label. The linens were wonderful too. There were even little chocolate bears on our pillows that first night.
We didn’t realize until this last day as we were lining up the luggage near our door that the coffee cabinet actually had a small refrigerator inside at the bottom with a tiny knob — it looked like a solid wooden cabinet. We could have used it several times when we brought back leftovers. But we had no microwave. Buckets of ice are not readily available either. The French just use very little ice. My sister and grandson don’t like ice in their drinks either.
The buffet in the basement level was outstanding. I ate well every morning. Scrambled eggs, salmon (lox), baguettes, croissants, banana bread, all kinds of fruit — raspberries, blueberries, dried apricots, strawberries, dates, nuts, cheeses, etc. The coffee was excellent too.
I forgot to tell you the first morning we were in Paris I woke up early and didn’t want to wake the girls so I went behind the heavy room darkening drapes and sat on the floor in front of the huge double window and opened it to the bustling sounds of the morning pedestrians and delivery trucks. Directly across the street was a little flower shop and I watched as the proprietor filled the sidewalk out front with his fresh flowers. They started a renovation of the front of the shop that first day. A group of owners (I assume) stood out front discussing what was to be done. Next day a tarp on the sidewalk and a man on a ladder plastering and patching the surface of the shop. Each day more work continued — sanding the plaster, a coat of primer and then the final coat of paint. It took all week and hoped it would be a color that would stand out, but it matched all the other store fronts.
Church of Saint-Roch known as the “parish of artists” and was built in 1653-1740.
At the end of our hotel street we could see a very old church. One day we went inside to check it out. It is called Church of Saint-Roch known as the “parish of artists” and was built in 1653-1740. It is still full of beautiful artwork, but in need of restoration.
Another thing I don’t think many of us realize is that we have so many French words in our English language. For example: allowance, bachelor, cinema, debris, hotel, irony, television, helicopter, parachute, harmonium, magnificent, novel, rich, salad, soup, oxygen, hydrogen, optimism, carbon, utensil, photography, metro, cafe just to name a few.
Paris I knew would be a fantastic trip, but it was beyond my wildest dreams! Great accommodations, delicious food and incredible sights!
