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Paris in the Springtime...
04/21/06 - Paris, France (Paris photo album) Better weather, a new hotel....and sushi!
We stuck it out for 5 days (due to budget restraints) at the original apartment (aka Le Palais du Skank) that we rented in the Marais, before relocating to the Best Western Grand Hotel de L'Univers (yes, we are ashamed to be staying in a Best Western in Paris, but we weren't taking any more chances!) in the Latin Quarter (5th arr.). It's nothing fancy, but it's clean and long-haired-cat-free and therefore more comfortable. Our old neighborhood was great, really residential and not touristy at all, but alive with locals living their lives. Like the man who came into our cafe with an orange cat perched on his shoulder and fed the cat milk off of a saucer, all the while chatting with the barman. Or the group of dusty construction workers in their dirty work clothes, who stopped in at the cafe where we were having our morning cafes cremes, for their leisurely morning port wine break. We would definitely return to Le Marais. This is the real Paris. Although we miss the low-key local scene (and all the great cafes) over in the Marias, the excitement (and sunshine, finally!) here in the Latin Quarter makes up for it. Our quaint, historic, 34-room hotel, which appears to be no more than a storefront, sits on a small but lively semi-pedestrian-only street full of of cafes and restaurants and a few shops. The restaurants over here tend to be more touristy and while all the food we've had in Paris is fabulous (compared to Mexico, certainly), the food Caroline has enjoyed the most has been the Asian fare, including some of the freshest sushi ever! There are numerous places in the Marais and the Latin Quarter that sell Chinese food and sushi that sits in a glass deli case. You can just point (or speak English, they all seem to know it, which is funny - more Asians in Paris seem to know English than the Asians in San Francisco!) and they scoop out the desired portions and put it in the microwave for you to eat on-site or take away. The prices are more reasonable than your typical cafe fare also, which is nice for us cheapskates. We, of course, made the requisite visit to the Louvre to visit Mona (Lisa) and Venus (de Milo), saw the Picasso Museum, the Jaquemart Museum, toured Versailles and took a narrated boat tour on the Seine after dark to see Paris all alight. But some of the things we've enjoyed the most were things that didn't cost a penny (sorry - euro-cent, I mean). Caroline loved seeing the impressively grand Arc de Triomphe up close and walking down the busy and huge Champs-Elysees, alive with energy ,with all it's designer stores, shoppers and sidewalk eateries. The grand scale of the Place de le Concorde, the Jardin de Tuilleries, blooming with tulips, and of course the Louvre were truly awe-inspiring. The fountains and tranquility of the Place de Vosges, the somber and thought-provoking Holocaust Deportation Memorial, Notre Dame with its high ceilings and stained glass and the grand Hotel de Ville were some of our favorite sights. The famous department stores: Le Printemps with its beautiful and distinctively French furniture department and the gourmet grocery store at Le Bon Marche (which was almost enough to make us move here!) were some other favorites. We also enjoyed casually strolling down the narrow shopping streets of Le Marais, the Latin Quarter and St. Germain, window shopping and stopping for a coffee or a tasty French snack whenever the mood struck us. And it's not a visit to Paris without strolling along the Seine and admiring the pretty bridges, each one different than the last, and the romantic views. But probably our favorite thing of all about Paris has been the people who live here. I know, not what you expected to hear. Not what we expected either. Sure, a few of them lived up to their reputation of being rude and snobbish, but we have been quite pleasantly surprised by how many local merchants, clerks, barmen and waiters have been pleasant and fun to experience in their uniquely French way. And we've been amazed at how many of them (basically, all) have willingly spoken English to us (after we assaulted them with our bad French, of course) - the waiter who served us on our first night in town when we didn't know which end was up and even asked us where we were from, the post office clerk, the waiter who apologized profusely after realizing that no one had waited on us and then took wonderful, personalized and charming care of us. As the world becomes increasingly small with its global economy, the people of Paris are keeping their city a charming and unique place to visit and experience with their wonderful and distinctively French ways.	Caroline with Arc de Triomphe As you can see, ALL Parisian men wear berets and carry baguettes in their backpacks Sunset on the Seine Scott poses for yet another photo, this time in front of Notre Dame

Bonjour Si Vous Plait Merci Beaucoup!
04/17/06 - Paris, France (Paris photo album) Long travel day brings us to Paris, skanky apartment...
Just 26 hours after leaving our San Miguel apartment, we arrived here in the Marais neighborhood (3rd arrondissement) of Paris. After trudging through the rain from the metro station to our rental apartment (wishing we'd have brought our umbrella... but, you know, pack light!), we found our accommodations. The apartment is very reminiscent of dorm living, both in terms of size and cleanliness. The two long haired cats living here don't help the cleanliness situation much. But having somewhat settled in, we've spent our first day and a half exploring Paris' usual suspects. Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, the Picasso Museum, the Eiffel Tower (don't worry Monique, we went at night - thanks!), in addition to quite a bit of walking in our own neighborhood. Caroline's wishing she would have broken in her new shoes before we came, and will now be tending to some sore and blistered feet. Oh, and last night we had a nice meal at Le Relais Odeon, thanks for the recommendation, Steve & Lucia. Still lots to see, and another week to see it. Due to the high level of skankitude (sp?) in the apartment, we'll probably spend part of the next few days looking for a hotel to move into for the latter half of our stay. We'll try to keep you posted, for those interested.