France
Paris 09 Ancien - Quartier Hôtel-de-Ville

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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 36

      Jazz à Paris x 2

      March 7 in France ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      This time I was lucky enough to sit right next to them and almost be a part of the stage. There is nothing like feeling those vibrations moving through you and being infected by the musician's magic creativity.
      There was a special little surprise with invited guest singer Cyrille Aimée (a french-dominican New Orleans jazz singer on tour in Paris launching her album). The guys happened to meet her at the airport and invited her along.
      Afterwards there was a little afterparty and an after-afterparty. When in Rome... Or Paris...
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    • Day 45

      Rückreise Teil 3 - Paris

      March 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

      Es ist zwar die unbequemste Nacht der Reise, aber irgendwie kommt auch hier jeder zumindest kurz mal zu Schlaf: Hilde schläft fast die ganze Nacht an der Brust und Alma ruckelt sich tapfer und sehr beeindruckend immer wieder hin auf ihrem Sitz. Nun sagen wir in dieser Nacht „Adiós“ zu Spanien und essen am Morgen, während unseres kurzen Aufenthalts an der gleichen Stelle wie zu Beginn der Reise nun unserer letztes Croissant in Paris. Davor findet Alma noch einen echten Pariser Lippenstift („den hab ich für Oma Karin gefunden“) und testet ihn gleich mal.
      Weiter geht es mit dem Zug nach Frankfurt. Wir sagen „Au revoir“ zu Paris und Frankreich und lernen Isabell kennen, eine sehr sympathische französische Oma, die gerade zu ihren Enkeln unterwegs ist und viel Freude hat, den beiden unser französisches Kinderbuch vorzulesen. Alma darf sogar von ihrer traditionellen Frankfurter Wurst mal abbeißen.
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    • Our last day in Paris

      October 26, 2019 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      We climbed the Eiffel tower, wandered along the canals and had a nice boat cruise as the sun set over beautiful Paris. Bruce and I have loved our five and a half weeks with Matt, Kath, Olivia and Sam. Its been an awesome family holiday.Read more

    • Day 17

      Barcelona - > Paris

      July 19, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

      Nach 8 Jahren mal wieder in Paris gewesen und geguckt, ob alles noch so steht, wie es einmal stand.
      Wie im Film, Buch oder Ähnliches, sind wir mit dem Nachtzug nach Paris. Das heißt, im auch ganz schönen Toulouse einschlafen und dann aufwachen mit einer Aussicht auf den Eiffelturm (ok, ok, ganz so Bilderbuch mäßig wars dann doch nicht und unser Abteil war arschkalt...)
      Alles ist immernoch genauso künstlerisch, abwechslungsreich und par(ad) isisch, nur ein paar Sachen wurden der Skyline hinzugefügt und unsere Dame glänzt natürlich nicht so toll wie sonst.
      Pain au chocolat und Baguettes waren super und es war toll, endlich mal wieder in einem Land zu sein, wo man (fast) alles versteht...
      Ach und "Dönner" gibts dort auch.. (Bild 3)
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    • Paris National Museum of Natural History

      October 25, 2019 in France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      Checked out the National Museum of Natural History. The kids got an anatomy lesson with lots of skeletons and preserved organs on display. The prehistoric animals were a hit! We then walked to Arc de Triomphe via Champ-Elysees then back to see the Eiffel tower lit up at night.Read more

    • Day 1

      París

      October 13, 2022 in France ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

      Del 13 al 16 de octubre visitamos los lugares más emblemáticos de París: Torre Eiffel, arco del triunfo, barrio Montmartre y el palacio de Versalles
      Restaurante recomendado: Bouillon republique
      Recomiendo el tour en el río Senna tiene restaurante y es muy romántico.
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    • Day 1

      Stadtrundgang in Paris

      November 14, 2004 in France ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

      Bei der Begleitung eines Schüleraustausches bleibt den Lehrkräften in der Regel wenig Zeit für eigene Unternehmungen.

      Wenn sich eine dieser seltenen Gelegenheiten bietet, muss man sie nutzen. So konnte ich einen schönen Novembertag damit verbringen mir verschiedenste Pariser Sehenswürdigkeiten anzusehen.Read more

    • Day 22

      Dinner at Chez Leveque

      April 16, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      I had passed this eclectic little restaurant two doors from the lovely Hotel Esmeralda and looked at it curiously as it didn't look like much from the outside. I asked the hotel owner for a recommendation and this is where he said to go. Inside the restaurant was small with a vibrant atmosphere and the menu was blackboard style all in French. The friendly waitress translated for me but in the end I asked her to choose for me.

      My starter was a pork terrine on toast with melted goat cheese. It was delicious and the salad it sat on had a very nice dressing. Next was a perfectly cooked medium rare duck breast sitting on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, also very good. The sauce was very tasty (I could hear Manu saying ahh the sauce) and I really enjoyed the meal.

      As I left the restaurant I used their bathroom and to my delight found it had a shelf of paint pots and brushes for you to paint your own tile! I spent far too long reading other people's and left without doing my own but I will try and visit again and leave my mark!
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    • Day 19

      Un bière á Paris

      August 28, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      So wir sind also auf der Rückreise. Uns bricht immer noch das Herz. Wie verläuft die Reise? Wir haben knappe zwei Stunden mit dem Bus raus aus den Alpen gebaucht und kamen schlußendlich in Grenoble an. Ich (Maren) dachte ja dieser Ort wäre größer, aber bei zwei Gleisen konnten wir unsere Abfahrt kaum verpassen. Danke ADAC durften wir von Grenoble bis nach Paris sogar erste Klasse buchen. Hier angekommen hatten wir zwei Stunden Zeit mit der Metro vom gare du Lyon zum gare de l´ est zu kommen. Easy und es reichte sogar noch für ein Bier in einem Straßencafé. Nun sitzen wir in einem ICE, natürlich mit deutscher Begrüßung, auf dem Weg nach Mannheim. Endziel Mainz dann heute um 20:08...bis dahin ist der kleine Rausch des Biers auch sicherlich verflogen.
      Was erwartet uns dort? Leider KEINE eigene Wohnung und leider auch kein eigenes Bett. Alles ist untervermietet und demnach sind wir in unserer eigenen Stadt ein wenig „lost“. Aber wir haben genug Freunde, die uns aushelfen werden. Danke Instagram und co sind natürlich alle bereits informiert ;) Ein Glück...es ist Mainzer Weinmarkt am Wochenende ;)
      Trotz kurzen heimischen Stopp wird unsere Reise also bald weitergehen... wenn man keinen Rastplatz hat soll man alsbald weiterziehen. Wir kommen wohl früher als vorerst angenommen aus europäischen Grenzen. Stay tuned!
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Paris 09 Ancien - Quartier Hôtel-de-Ville, Paris 09 Ancien - Quartier Hotel-de-Ville, Fidélité

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