France
Paris 04

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    • Day 3

      Travel Day 3: Walking in Paris

      May 16, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 52 °F

      According to my phone (I didn’t use the Garmin all day, which was a mistake), I walked 13.8 miles today! Some of my routes were from Google, while others I made up in the moment, and I saw incredible things all day long.
      1. There is a mind-boggling amount of statuary in this city. Here’s JC in the Jardin des Tuileries.
      2. These irises were enormous! I’ve never seen anything like them.
      3. Again from the Jardin des Tuileries. I’m assuming that trumpeters who play on horseback have fewer teeth.
      4. Obligatory, non? I didn’t go in, but I was happy to see it in person.
      5. I stumbled on this by accident! It’s the Tour Saint-Jacques, a historic landmark along the chemins de Compostelle, as the Camino is known here.
      6. So many cafes, brasseries, patisseries, bars, crêperies, etc.! I didn’t eat here but appreciated the flair with which it is decorated.
      7. Lovely fruit. I didn’t see as many of these as I have noticed in NYC, though.
      8. I wonder how long the paving stones on which I walked have been there?
      9. Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. 15th century. Amazing.
      10. That’s Notre Dame with the cranes. Beautiful end to the day!
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    • Day 10

      J’aime Paris

      May 29, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

      Jam packed day!! We visited the extraordinary sainte chapel. Glorious glass windows!! Saw the outside of Notre Dame and The Louvre. Did a little too much souvenir shopping… as usual. Ended the day with a dinner cruise on the Seine River and a close look at the Eiffel Tower:)Read more

    • Day 2

      Travel Day 2: Le Jet Lag

      May 15, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 61 °F

      I made it to Paris! The flight was LONG but calm and on time. Drizzly today, so the souvenir shops are doing a brisk business in umbrellas, but I am ever aware of my pack weight on the trail ahead and didn’t shop at all. More sight-seeing tomorrow before I head south.
      1. My hotel is adorable. The view from my window seems very Parisian to these American eyes.
      2. Notre Dame is a veritable hive of reconstructive activity, swathed in scaffolding and cranes. Fortunately the gargoyles continue their work on this corner.
      3. Charlemagne et sus Leudes, next to Notre Dame. I’m thrilled to be walking on his path in a few days! Brass playing friends, note the olifant on Roland’s belt.
      4. I fear the photo doesn’t do it justice, but this is at Square René Viviani. I’m glad to be here for spring lushness.
      5. I had my vegetarian dinner here. I wish my veg friends had been with me! The chocolate mousse for dessert didn’t photograph well but reader, I moaned. It was delicious.
      6. So many bridges!
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    • Day 4

      Schlechter start mit....

      October 25, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      grandiosem Ende 🥰😁

      Heute war Museum angesagt. Louvre stand auf dem Zettel.

      Leider gab es größere Schwierigkeiten 😤beim Einlass. Unser 14:30 Uhr Ticket🎫 wäre dann ein 16 vieleicht 17 Uhr Ticket geworden.

      Das ganze bei leichten Regen☔️...Nein Danke.

      Wir haben uns nach einigen Minuten⌚️ gegen das Warten entschieden und haben an der Stelle die Tickets gegen eine Flussfahrt ⛴️ auf der Seine getauscht.

      Mit dem nächsten Mietroller 🛵 ging es zur Anlegestelle und ab auf dem Dampfer 🛥. Kaum dort angekommen kam die Sonne ⛅️durch und trocknete unsere Sachen und die Frustgetränkte Seele.

      Vorbei an all den schönen Gebäuden🏙, Parks 🏞, Haussbooten und durch zahllose Brücken🌉 tuckerten wir auf dem Wasser 🌊 herum.

      Ein Eis🍦 ließ den Ärger dann ganz verschwinden und mir kam eine Idee.

      Amy schwärmte am Eifelturm 🗼von all den Straßenkünstlern 🛣👨‍🎨🎨die Karikaturen anbieten.

      Also einen 1️⃣5️⃣ Minuten Spaziergang und schon waren wir da. Die Überraschung💥 war geglückt und nach etwas Wartezeit waren wir an der Reihe. Das war ein Spaß!🤗

      Danach eine kleine Shoppingtour👗👚🥻 durch die Einkaufszentren von Paris.

      Abendessen🍴noch einmal Glitzertürmchen bestaunen. Mit dem Roller🛵 zurück ins Hotel 🏨für einen gemeinsamen Abend bei Netflix 📺und "Mc Donald-Snacks".😅

      Grandioser Tag mit sehr viel Lachen🥰
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    • Day 58

      The Last Train to Paris

      October 14, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      During the course of the past 8 weeks we have caught numerous trains, buses, ferries and taxis to get us from one location to another. So far, I am extremely relieved to say, that all the complicated arrangements have worked perfectly.

      We are now all very aware that our mammoth adventure is coming to a conclusion. This morning we all packed our bags for almost the last time, as we prepared to leave Vermenton and head to Paris.

      After breakfast, a few of the group made a final walk into the village to buy some goodies from the Boulangerie, while Maggie and I stayed in the millhouse. We were feeling a mixture of apprehension and excitement as we faced the thought of spending the next few days in Paris. While we both love Paris dearly, we knew that our movements would be restricted by Maggie's sore back. I was also not looking forward to how I was going to get all our luggage from the train station to the apartment we had booked on the right bank. Somehow I just hoped that it would all turn out OK.

      By noon, we were all ready to go. Cynda, the owner of the millhouse, had kindly offered to carry all the group's luggage to the Vermenton Station, so that took care of our first major challenge.

      As Maggie and I slowly walked from the millhouse through the familiar village streets, we were both very conscious that we were walking them for the very last time. We will miss this funny little place that had been our home for the past week.

      When the whole group was at the station, we stopped at the little cafe opposite to share a coffee before our train trip to Paris. Then it was time to cross the road and wait for the train to arrive. This train trip was to be our final train ride for this trip, and we all wondered how full the train would be.

      We have already had bad experiences with trying to manhandle all our luggage onto a crowded train, and did not want to repeat that. Fortunately, when the train pulled up (right on time), we were relieved to see that it was almost empty. We had plenty of room for our luggage, and also found some comfortable seats for ourselves.

      The trip to Paris took around two hours. We climbed off the train at Bercy Station and shared our final goodbye hugs with the friends we had spent the previous 8 weeks with. From now on we will be on our own. It will be a little strange, after spending so much time together with the others.

      The first challenge we faced was getting off the station. We knew that many French stations have multiple staircases to be climbed. Lifts and elevators are often very rare. I could hardly believe it when I saw that the platform led directly to the outside of the station. There was not a single stair to be tackled.

      After walking out the station, I was relieved again to see a line of waiting taxis. A couple of minutes later we were sitting in a very comfortable Skoda taxi and on our way to our apartment. I had told the owner that we were hoping to be there "around 4 pm", and we pulled up at exactly 4.01 pm. This was almost too easy to be true. The taxi was even able to drop us off directly outside the entry door.

      We then had to open two doors, each secured by a different combination, climb into one of the tiniest lifts I have ever seen, ride it to the fifth floor, and finally climb the spiral staircase to our apartment on the sixth floor. Since the lift was so small, only one person could fit in at a time.

      The mild mannered owner, Paul, was waiting for us, when we finally reached the summit, and showed us around, before handing us the key and leaving. We were finally on our own.

      The apartment itself, though small, was bigger than most hotel rooms in Paris. It even came with a tiny kitchen, dishwasher and washing machine. When we looked out the window, we could even see the Eiffel Tower and part of Sacre Coeur Cathedral. We are situated just north of the Seine, on the border of the famous Marais and Les Halles Regions. It will be an ideal base for our 2023 Paris experience.
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    • Day 2

      Paris

      May 11, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      Mit Verspätung in Paris angekommen bei 9 Grad, Wind und immer wieder Regen. Eine Big Bus Tour oder HoHo war nicht möglich, da ich nur einen Zeitrahmen v.5 Stunden hatte um in Irun Spanien einchecken zu können.
      Also begann ich meinen Jakobsweg gleich in Paris und schaute mir einiges an. Um 22 Uhr 30 erreichte ich dann nach 36 Stunden ohne Schlaf meine Pension und fiel todmüde ins Bett.
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    • Day 11

      A Spectacular Day with the Ulmers

      May 6, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

      Some of our college friends, Jon and Rachel, live in Paris. They graciously took us around for the day and it was the best!

      Here's the Palais Garnier (Opera House, as in Phantom of the) and Galleries Lafayette (one of the oldest department stores)Read more

    • Day 32

      Paris/Brussels

      July 8, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      Obviously, based on the first picture, my sex and science class just got interesting! We made our own genitalia - for me that’s enough said. I had what felt like a really long week of classes leading up to quite the weekend planned. Visiting places like Haarlem and other parts of Amsterdam. We woke up at 4:30 am Friday morning and took off. Next stop, PARIS! I really never thought I would make it to Paris in my lifetime, but boy am I glad that I did. It was another day full of surreal experiences that is honestly hard to even fathom. Such a big city with so many landmarks that I’m just used to seeing in movies. Aside from that, we walked 12 miles. Let’s just say we were exhausted, but we weren’t finished yet. We finished out the weekend in Brussels, Belgium. We didn’t have much time to explore but from what I saw, another cute and quaint city. At the end of the weekend, I was so thankful to be back in pretty, clean, and safe Amsterdam. The homesickness is starting to hit, but also I’ve included a picture of slightly intoxicated Avrey 😬 crying about having to leave people who have become forever friends. Feeling super thankful for a friend like Elena who talked me into this experience because I truly will never forget it. Oh… and I made my first big girl purchase. Guess you can call me a Prada model now ;)Read more

    • Day 23

      Paris

      August 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

      3 Tage Paris. Anstrengend beeindruckend entzückend - so könnte man die Tage in drei Worten gut zusammenfassen.
      Nachdem wir unseren Camper nahe Disneyland auf einem Campingplatz ‚geparkt‘ haben (und nein, wir sind/waren nicht im Disneyland), haben wir Jacqueline am Freitag am Flughafen empfangen und uns für 3 Tage in ein AirBnB in der City einquartiert.
      Nun zu Paris: schwierig zu beschreiben - gerne also persönlich ;)
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    • Day 4

      Paris

      September 7, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

      Wow fabulous day going on the Eurostar to Paris. Met some really nice people on the train, England supporters. Gave them a lesson in Rugby history….well Kel and Susie did, i just chimed in now and then.
      St Pancras station is amazing, a few extra photos…I am having a few problems with my feet swelling in this awfully hot climate. Today got 33 deg, tomorrow is predicted to be 35. The girls are saying its gonna be very fucking hot at the game. The rest of us peasants are gonna find a bloody cool pub to watch the game.

      Nearly got duped by a ringer cab guy, quoted us €95 to bring us to our airbnb, we got a ‘proper’ taxi….€41…. glad we listened to the policeman.

      Our airbnb has a problem, we are moving tomorrow…. poor maintenance has resulted in a bad leak. suffice to say we are all a little pissed off. ttfn
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