I really enjoyed our 2009 vacation to London, then Paris. In November, 2010, we returned to Paris, over the (American) Thanksgiving holiday. We thought we’d see the rest of Paris that we missed, but how naïve. It will take more than one trip…

We ended up seeing a lot of churches this time around, and our favorite (in terms of the architecture inside and out) was the Sacre Coeur. I captured this dramatic shot, as folks outside were blowing giant bubbles, and right before some snow came down.

Last year, I really enjoyed detailing the vacation day-by-day because it helped me remember things I have now forgotten. I’m afraid this time around, too much time has passed (writing this in January, 2011). So, I’ll simply choose some favorite photos and the story around them after a brief introduction.

The First Day

We flew in AirFrance to the Roissy airport, landing before 7 AM, and getting to our hotel at 7:30. Good time, but raining. I was happy to see the familiar sites as we crossed the Seine River. Last time we stayed on the border of the 16th and 8th districts, and this time we’d be staying in the 6th, near the Église Saint Sulpice. We didn’t kill any nuns, or break any floors.

After attending a church service there, we walked in the light rain towards the Musée d’Orsay. I was surprised how narrow most of the sidewalks were.

While at the museum, I got very sleepy. And yes, when we left, it was still raining.

And so, Paris started out as a sleepy, wet place. Not ideal. But the weather improved each day!

Things to See (and Eat)

I had planned to eat in a number of places I learned about in my book detailing the top 102 restaurants in Paris. One of the first we visited for lunch was called Le Maxan.

It was mostly business folks eating lunch, and they put big dots on the wall (a plain white wall, with white dots, and it worked). My confidence in French was a farce, and I ended up eating veal liver (kind of by mistake). I had all the iron I needed to walk around Paris for the rest of the week.

Next, I learned to dress in layers. But, if you won’t want to stand out as an American, it’s probably best to wear natural fabric coats (wool, cotton, etc.), and in dark colors (black or navy blue), and don’t wear red ball caps that say Google. Seen below, I’m re-orienting the phone’s compass, and I’m already half-way through my AT&T international minutes on day 2.

The last time in Paris, we visited the city using a hotel map, paid for by the Printemps department store. So this time, we actually went to Printemps.

Luckily, they had a Laudurée boutique, so I got an early munch on some Parisian macarons.

The public was quite taken with their store displays, and they were, in fact, over the top.

We did a lot via Métro, of course, and I actually came to like the subway in Paris. While clean wouldn’t be my first word to describe it, it was looking better than London’s, and we knew this time how to disembark (all trains don’t have auto-opening doors).

I learned that the “Selecta” machines are traps for your Euros. Twice I got nothing to dispense.

We found getting taxis at night to get to restaurants was smart (quick), and then we’d take more leisurely strolls back to our hotel. After re-visiting a favorite restaurant from the first trip (Petite Pontoise), we grabbed a nice view of the Notre-Dame at night.

We took the RER train to Versailles this time, and despite this being the low-season of travel, it was overrun with visitors. We’ll have to return here in the late spring to see more of the gardens.

The Japanese art on exhibition was scaring XS. This is a very likable example.

This outdoor “Buddah,” however, had nasty scary teeth on the back of his head.

Clouds followed us on this day, but we took a close-up look at the Eiffel Tower nonetheless, as last time, we went up into it only at night.

If you like Beaujolais wine, this is the time to go… their “nouveau” was found in every restaurant (this one, Petite Pontoise).

We took the TGV train to Reims cathedral.

As I said, lots of churches.

It was plenty big, and mostly empty. And they aren’t heated. So, come prepared.

This all took me back to the book Cathedral I had read in elementary school, as a child. Rose windows. Buttresses. History.

While in Reims, you can tour where they make (or store) champagne. So, we did.

Thousands of bottles get stacked so the bubbles can form, and the flavors, mature.

I look especially happy here, in Reims. Behind me, is the cathedral. But I soon became tired, and we headed back to Paris on a 4:00 train, if I recall.

We didn’t eat on the trains (although there is a snack car). But soon enough, the first-day macarons wore off, and it was time to re-visit my ice cream place, Berthillon.

It’s not far from this church, the Notre Dame de Paris.

Walk, walk, walk. Bring good shoes. I wanted to go eat at a place that served basque food, and on the way, I wanted to see the outside of the Centre Georges Pompidou. Here’s XS, posing against a tree. I am not sure why I asked him to do that.

We also walked passed the original Opéra before finding the Apple store. The artwork on the building is all very French and nude. But it looks like happy art.

The Apple store sells iPhones, computers, and iPods. Even iPads. I didn’t need anything, but I sadly love the company’s stuff and visiting their different stores in different cities seems apropos.

In case you thought I was fooling, here’s someone’s Parisian Christmas gifts, ready to be sold:

The basque food, incidentally, was good. This, a dish of peppers with eggs.

Our most exciting dinner experience took place at Le Chateaubriand, and this was the worst course: bitter treviso.

On our to-see/to-do list was Les Invalides, a war museum, where you can find Napoleon. We never made it, but here’s the view, from the top of the Montparnasse tower, a tall skyscraper in Paris that many folks don’t like.

When I change lenses, you can see more; here’s Invalides with the Eiffel Tower.

I used that same wide-angle Sigma lens at the Sacre Coeur basilica, which takes us full circle. This was before the snow. Since we came during a service, we were not allowed to take photos inside. What a shame.

Thanks for reading. I’m not good at French at all, but I’ve enjoyed Paris the two times I’ve been able to visit. I look forward to going back!