Yes Miss This is France 🇫🇷! June 18-July 1, 2023 (Disneyland Paris and other parts of France)

[ajrwdwgirl]

I read that last sentence as, "I keep getting Paris stuff on my Instagram feed and it makes me want to go back again...so I think I will start starving again."

Well a lot of the Paris stuff that shows up are best places to eat so you aren't too far off!

 

[MinnieM123]

Really enjoyed your photos of the Eiffel Tower, and also the magnificent views from the Eiffel Tower! This is such a great TR. Oh, you made reference to the Montmartre section. My parents visited France over 30 years ago, and I remember my mother loved that section, as there were many artists there. (My parents bought a painting.)

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Really enjoyed your photos of the Eiffel Tower, and also the magnificent views from the Eiffel Tower! This is such a great TR. Oh, you made reference to the Montmartre section. My parents visited France over 30 years ago, and I remember my mother loved that section, as there were many artists there. (My parents bought a painting.)

The Montmartre section was a place I wanted to explore more this trip and I was glad I did. It is a lovely area and we found a little bakery that gave us free samples.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

June 23

More exploring of the Montmartre area.

@MinnieM123 here is a historic sign for you. We made sure we stopped to look at them whenever we saw them in the city. Even though they were in French we could understand enough to figure out the significance of the site.

A view of Paris from in front of Sacre Coeur.

Inside the church.

Very pretty stained glass

I really liked how the stained glass was reflecting on the floor.

I thought these doors were interesting.

After touring the church we continued on Rick Steves walking tour. We stopped at a few shops, I don't remember why I took this picture but I do like the little sign hanging from the shop. I do remember that next to (or near this) was a candy store. My niece bought some different types of fresh made nougat and I bought a bunch of candied nuts. These came in very handy for snacking the next couple of days while touring.

A nice view of the neighborhood

I'm unsure what this building was. We were thinking maybe an old windmill or water tower?

We saw La Maison Rose which is a famous landmark/cafe and maybe even an artist studio. It is photographed a lot and shows up in a lot of stuff about Paris. It was cute but we didn't go inside.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

June 23

We continued on our tour and saw the last vineyard in Paris. It produced a little wine but the vineyard isn't open for tours and the wine isn't for regular sale. They have a festival in the fall/late summer in which they sell the wine.

on the walking tour was Au Lapin Agile, Paris' Oldest Bar-Cabaret since 1860. It wasn't open that early in the day and we didn't have plans to come back at night, but it would have been interesting to go inside.

Onward we went and came upon a street with some fun shops and saw some artists painting in a square. On this street we ended up going into a Starbucks because we all needed the rest room and A wanted her Starbuckies. The Starbucks only had two people in front of A when she ordered but it was so slow. It took her over 20 minutes to get her coffee drink.

I thought these were pretty, not my decorating style but still nice.

We saw this musician. He was playing traditional Paris type music, the stuff tourists hope to hear. He was good though and we appreciated the experience and he had a little black cat helping him play. It is hard to see the cat in the picture.
B took some video and we texted it to our friend, the choir teacher at my school. Before the Covid shutdown of things a whole bunch of us went out to celebrate this teachers birthday at a German restaurant and he surprised us when he talked the German accordion player into letting him play the accordion and he played it well. So we had to let him know what he could do someday in his retirement.

Things got a little out of order, this was some signage at the Lapin cabaret/bar

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

June 23

We ended up walking past a place selling macarons. We decided to check it out and they gave us some free samples of some of their other baked goods and B and I ended up buying a variety of macarons. Remember my story about the choir teacher (in the previous post) at my school, well his wife bakes really good macarons (not as good as stuff I've had previously in Paris but close), anyway, she is obsessed with macarons and I would be bringing her some home from Paris so I texted her a picture of the macaron tower.

The variety of flavors here.

Some of the artists set up

As we continued out of the area we saw this I can't remember what it was of but it looks cool.

Our Rick Steves walking tour took us past the last working windmill in Paris, I guess this was the best picture that I got of it.

This is a water fountain (for drinking), there are many of them around Paris. It filled our bottles nicely. It was kind of funny to see how well designed these were for modern water bottles but many original ones were put in around 1872 if I remember correctly.

Just beyond this fountain was Picasso's apartment, it was the window right above the sign.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

June 23

After Picasso's place and down some steps was a patisserie, it was even marked on Rick Steve's walking tour! So we decided to stop in and get a snack. B, A, and I each got a different pastry to share. My sister wanted something that no one else really wanted, and she didn't want to eat one all by herself so she just didn't get anything, which I thought was dumb. I wanted the citron tart and no one else did but I still participated in the sharing of treats. There wasn't really anywhere inside to sit and enjoy it either inside or outside the shop, so we just had to stand off to the side on the sidewalk and eat our treats. It sure would have been nice to have a Disney trashcan to eat off of at that moment. B ended up spilling on himself, but I had an alcohol wipe in my bag that seemed to minimize the damage.

There were other stops on the walking tour but we made it to the end and at the end was (besides this fun metro station) was the Moulin Rouge.

We did not go to a show here but it was interesting to see the outside. A briefly talked about going to a show so I did look into it and it is super expensive. So in a conversation with her and my sister it seemed to me was really T that was more interested in seeing a show here and A really didn't have any idea what the Moulin Rouge was all about. So since it didn't really seem to matter to A and B and I didn't want to see a touristy show here, we skipped the show.

It was time to head off to our next destination....the Louvre (kind of) so we hopped on the metro and soon we were there.

But first we headed off through a stroll through the Tuilleries gardens.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

June 23

As we started our walk through the Tuileries gardens we had a destination, I had a reservation at Musée de l'Orangerie, they have a huge wall of Monet's waterlilies there and it was included in the Paris Museum Pass I bought which is a good deal as it is multi-day and includes many of the places we were planning to go. The trip to the Orangerie was meant to be a quick one just to see the Monet thing then head over to the Louvre.
But as we were walking, it was hot, our food so far had been really (except for B's omelet) just a croissant, candy, and pastries. So I knew some cafes in the park were coming up so I gave A the choice of going to the museum or relaxing and grabbing some refreshments at a cafe in the park. When I made the suggestion to her everyone looked brighter at the prospect of some relaxation and food but I think they were hesitant to turn down Monet. A hadn't ever seen any of his painting before and she knew I wanted to see it, so I reassured her that she would see plenty of Monets another day and the Orangerie was something I just threw in because we would have enough time. Luckily A was wise and we stopped for food and beverages at a shady table in the park. B and I shared the meats and cheese and I had a 1664 beer. A big one!

The break revived us all, and really looking back on it we wouldn't have survived too long in the Louvre without that stop.
So we backtracked to the Louvre and got in line for our time slot. I'm ashamed to say I've been here twice now and I never realized there were little fountains around the big pyramid until an overhead shot popped up on my Instagram shortly after we came back from France. I guess I was just focused on getting inside and I didn't think were was much else to see around the pyramid.

While waiting all four of us sat on the ground until it was time to go in. Most of the people around us stayed standing and that created some shade for us, otherwise waiting for our time slot to come up would have been in full hot sun.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

June 23

Well we made it inside the Louvre and headed to the Richelieu wing where the Mona Lisa is. We came across the winged victory statue right away. Somehow we missed the paper maps of the museum and tried using the online one but it was bad. Eventually I found a map that was in French and one in Spanish that had been discarded on a bench by a visitor and I figured between all of us we could use it to figure it out. Eventually I also found some English ones but that was right before we were going to leave. But it was a good lesson to take some time and look for the information stand right away.

Brad and I had recently watch the Medici's series (I think on Netflix) so we were hyper aware of anything Medici or Botticelli and in the Louvre they had a special section that was highlighted to them.
I liked this one of the school of women.

Finally we made it to the area of the Mona Lisa. Last time we were at the Louvre there wasn't any queue system like they use now, but people were still pushy to get through the line, I stopped to take a picture of the painting below and one lady just pushed past all four of us because I had left a small gap and then in front of Mona it was a free-for-all to get to the front to take pictures. Once I wormed my way to the front I had to really hold my ground and take up extra space so all 4 of us could get pictures. I also had to literally pull A past some people that wouldn't move because they were waiting for my spot and she said excuse me a few times. I guess worming my way through crowds was a skill I learned in college bars and perfected at Disney.

Anyway, this painting was a lot larger but I focused on this area. I thought it was funny that Jesus was supposed to be the center of attention in the painting but the kids are just focused on the dog. Part of what I thought was funny was the way his head is thrown back and all the attention by the kids is on the dog and even that guy is reaching for the dog it was a like a "don't they know who I am moment?" and the dog is all snuggled in like he's thinking "yep everyone loves me". I don't know maybe it was just me in the moment that found it funny, B wasn't as amused as me.

And here is me and Mona and Mona on her own.

Sometimes people forget that the Louvre was once a palace and there is incredible art work on many of the ceilings so I had to keep remembering to look up. Unfortunately it was hot enough they had to close the room with the royal jewels and that has a great ceiling.

For some reason we had a heck of a time finding the Venus de Milo. I think it is because we left B in charge of the map, he is bad with directions. But we found her.

This vase reminded us all of the Disney movie Hercules.

After that we headed into the Egyptian section. I teach mostly science but also have a social studies class and we study Egypt so I took quite a few pictures to show the class. These are just a few of my favorites.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

June 23

The four of us slowly made our way over to the Napoleon III apartments. Brad and I had to rush through and literally be escorted out the last visit because the museum was closing. We were able to enjoy them this time.

At one point I looked out a window and I told B "Hey that tourist office across the street has the same name as our tour for tomorrow, I guess we know where to meet them now!" It was indeed our meeting point for tomorrow, it was weird that I would see it out the window of the Louvre though.

There was a display area with some of Marie Antoinette's china and some other things.

As we were walking I thought this view was cool out the window.

And this one too

Ceilings in the apartments of Napoleon III.

His apartments (reception room)

Dining room. Plenty of room for all us magic members

Throne

The Louvre was open late that night but we had dinner plans and had to start heading out around 6:30 to get there. This was a fun area to walk through on the way out.

 

[PUSH]

June 23

Well we made it inside the Louvre and headed to the Richelieu wing where the Mona Lisa is. We came across the winged victory statue right away. Somehow we missed the paper maps of the museum and tried using the online one but it was bad. Eventually I found a map that was in French and one in Spanish that had been discarded on a bench by a visitor and I figured between all of us we could use it to figure it out. Eventually I also found some English ones but that was right before we were going to leave. But it was a good lesson to take some time and look for the information stand right away.
View attachment 737989

Brad and I had recently watch the Medici's series (I think on Netflix) so we were hyper aware of anything Medici or Botticelli and in the Louvre they had a special section that was highlighted to them.
I liked this one of the school of women.
View attachment 737990

Finally we made it to the area of the Mona Lisa. Last time we were at the Louvre there wasn't any queue system like they use now, but people were still pushy to get through the line, I stopped to take a picture of the painting below and one lady just pushed past all four of us because I had left a small gap and then in front of Mona it was a free-for-all to get to the front to take pictures. Once I wormed my way to the front I had to really hold my ground and take up extra space so all 4 of us could get pictures. I also had to literally pull A past some people that wouldn't move because they were waiting for my spot and she said excuse me a few times. I guess worming my way through crowds was a skill I learned in college bars and perfected at Disney.

Anyway, this painting was a lot larger but I focused on this area. I thought it was funny that Jesus was supposed to be the center of attention in the painting but the kids are just focused on the dog. Part of what I thought was funny was the way his head is thrown back and all the attention by the kids is on the dog and even that guy is reaching for the dog it was a like a "don't they know who I am moment?" and the dog is all snuggled in like he's thinking "yep everyone loves me". I don't know maybe it was just me in the moment that found it funny, B wasn't as amused as me.

View attachment 737991


And here is me and Mona and Mona on her own.

View attachment 737992
View attachment 737993

Sometimes people forget that the Louvre was once a palace and there is incredible art work on many of the ceilings so I had to keep remembering to look up. Unfortunately it was hot enough they had to close the room with the royal jewels and that has a great ceiling.
View attachment 737994

For some reason we had a heck of a time finding the Venus de Milo. I think it is because we left B in charge of the map, he is bad with directions. But we found her.
View attachment 737996

This vase reminded us all of the Disney movie Hercules.
View attachment 737995
After that we headed into the Egyptian section. I teach mostly science but also have a social studies class and we study Egypt so I took quite a few pictures to show the class. These are just a few of my favorites.

View attachment 737998
View attachment 737997

I also teach my first graders a unit which is half Mesopotamia, half Ancient Egypt. Another reason to go to Paris!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

June 23

A couple more pictures on the way out of the Louvre. We also stopped in the gift shop and B and I bought a hand towel to use at the apartment, the towel has the Mona Lisa on it.

So I follow a popular Disney guy from Chicago on Instagram and he and his husband went to Paris in the fall of 2022 and I followed with interest when we posted about where they ate. I wrote down the restaurants and we ended up at two of them. As we were getting ready for the trip in the spring B and I started watching a retired couple and their vlogs on youtube and they are great, anyway they also ate here and after seeing those two recommendations and many looks at the menus I knew we had to eat at Le Souffle.

And I have got to say this was hands down everyone's favorite meal of the trip and quite possibly one of my favorite meals of my life.

The restaurant is super small, like 20 some table so I highly suggest a reservation. We were seated at a nice table by the window, actually to the left of the door. Here were my drinks.

I started with the onion soup. I make a good onion soup but nowhere close to this.

Brad got the beef bourgonion souffle, which had some in the souffle and more on the side to pour in. I don't have a picture of it on my phone but it was fantastic. I had the ham and cheese and when it came to the table I thought there was no way I could eat it all. It was so big and I had already eaten soup and bread. But it was so light and wonderfully tasty. Oh man I wish I had one now!!!

For dessert B, A, and I got the chocolate souffle. My sister decided to pass and oh boy did she make a big mistake. It again was so light and so rich at the same time. A rich chocolate sauce came on the side to pour into it. So yummy.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I also teach my first graders a unit which is half Mesopotamia, half Ancient Egypt. Another reason to go to Paris!

So many reasons to go to Paris but you could share so much with those kiddos if you go!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

June 23

Somehow we managed to walk out of the restaurant. Everyone was happy with their meal. I was trying to figure out if there was a possibility of eating there again this trip, but we did not. We started a slow stroll back to the apartment. Here are some views from our walk back.

We made it back to the apartment and walked up all the stairs and crashed for the night. It had been a busy day, we saw and ate a lot of great things! Oh and we walked 39 flights of stairs according to Brad's fit bit app.

I did take a few pictures out of the window of our apartment. It wasn't the more picturesque but it was "home".

This view kind of reminded me of Ratatouille.

So that is the end of June 23. Up next our day trip to the Loire Valley. Fans of Impression de France in Epcot might be very happy with some of the things we saw!

 

[PUSH]

So many reasons to go to Paris but you could share so much with those kiddos if you go!

I laughed to myself that I said I should go to Paris because I teach about Ancient Egypt.

 

[Bullseye1967]

We made sure we stopped to look at them whenever we saw them in the city. Even though they were in French we could understand enough to figure out the significance of the site.

Take a picture of the sign and use Goggle lens. It will translate it for you. It also works good for menus.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I laughed to myself that I said I should go to Paris because I teach about Ancient Egypt.

I still think that is a good reason. Although I have found Ancient Egypt stuff in other cities too, the Art Institute in Minneapolis has some mummies and burial stuff that taken pictures of and used in my classes. In London there is the Rosetta Stone that I was able to see and show students pictures of it. Too bad those trips weren't tax deductible!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Take a picture of the sign and use Goggle lens. It will translate it for you. It also works good for menus.

My niece had that on her phone but rarely used it. I found it a nice challenge to see if I could read it with enough comprehension. I would use it if I went to Germany or Japan or a country that didn't have a Latin based language because I would be totally lost then!

 

[Dear Prudence]

These are such beautiful photos and it looks like you had so much fun!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

These are such beautiful photos and it looks like you had so much fun!

Thank you. I took the photos but taking pictures in such a beautiful place almost guarantees great photos! We did have a lot of fun.