5/23/12 1st time X/cruise, med. engagement, Paris; oh my! Solstice Med. Trip Report

[alliebrandy]

I have so enjoyed your review and photos. The cruise seemed awesome. Can't wait for the proposal piece but do enjoy the suspense.

 

Keep them coming. ;)

[kat228]

Just wanted to post to say I'm still lurking! Thoroughly enjoying the report. You're making me want to go to Paris!

 

After our cruise, my Mom cashed in points for the Marriott in Rome as a gift to us. She's also Platinum Premier, so she gets the free breakfast. It was pretty spectacular there as well - it was on the roof and you could over look the entire city.

Edited November 9, 2012 by kat228

[ariawoman]

 

I know, I am sorry :( I am writing my dissertation so it is difficult to find the time to write this report and not feel guilty. Congrats on your engagement! Share the details ;)

 

Now, I can't do that until you share yours! :-) :-)

[coldweathergirl]

I came across your review last evening and have been reading almost non stop today. I love it.

 

We took our three teen/ early 20 daughters on a Med cruise in the spring of 2011 and then stayed in Barcelona following. We had an absolutely wonderful time. Reading your review and the excitement you bring to it certainly helps me to remember our trip. It makes me step back and appreciate our trip a bit more because they were also so excited with all of the sites. We walked for hours in Barcelona and like you on your trip in Europe visited numerous bakeries and restaurants. We loved Dubrovnik as well. It was a gloomy rainy day when we were there but we braved the weather and walked the wall. We didn't go to the hole in the wall but since reading your review I looked it up and here is the link with instructions to get there. I'm assuming that this is the correct place. http://www.cafebuza.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=4

 

I'm now daydreaming of going off to Europe again but including Paris in my trip.

 

I look forward to the continuation of your review.

[fpebbles]

Have been reading since the beginning and appreciate all your work.

 

If you're dissertation is as good as your travel-log, you'll be set for your PhD!

[nothriver]

Still hanging on every installment, even your less than perfect day in Paris spent worring about a sick dog and stuck in Versailles crowds. I hope some day, your crazy crowded trip to Versaille will become a treasured travel story!

[TroubleT]

Sooooo.... Are we going to see the end of this great story???:D

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Thank you everyone for all the nice comments and hanging in there with me. I am going to try my very best this weekend to finish the report. I have a major school deadline next Tuesday.

 

Sorry for the delays :( life is busy! I have most of the pics uploaded for the next installment- just need to write it now.

[Luna'sMom]

Good luck with your school project! I have thoroughly enjoyed your review.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

[searoses]

take your time....this is like a good book that you don't want to end!! have a wonderful holiday with your family...

[djwcruisejunkie]

Hi Ashley,

good luck with the report, hope all our nagging for the next instalment didn't interfere with your study time - we just love what you're posting, and I'm happily waiting in suspense for the engagement :D

 

Like someone said earlier, it's a good book you keep wanting to 'turn the page'

 

deb x

[cruisinlawn]

muti-task, go faster, squeeze 25hrs into a day, whatever it takes we're waiting...lol:p

[CruisingGatorGirl]

The wait is almost over! Uploading my next set of pics now and will have an update within the hour! Thanks to everyone for your patience!

 

and p.s. I submitted Ch. 3 of my dissertation Friday, woohoo!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Post # 23: Could Today be “The” Day?

 

Could Today be “The” Day? (Post 1 of 6)

 

Wednesday, 06/06/2012

 

I forgot to mention I have come down with an annoying cold. I think the wet and chilly weather might be the reason. Not feeling my best today but we are in Pear-E! So Lets get this day rolling. Today is something I have really been looking forward to visiting- Pont des Art AKA the Lovers Bridge! (There are 2 lovers bridge in Paris but this was the one I really wanted to see). I brought locks with me and I gave my parents a lock on the cruise too. Today was also the day we will go the the Louvre!

 

Pont des Arts is a pedestrian bridge filled with love locks. Two lovers sign their name on the lock, lock it on the bridge, and throw the key in the river for eternal love. Anyone want to make a lot of money? Sell sharpies and locks on this bridge! But I planned ahead and had our locks.

 

Tyler signed our lock in the hotel room with the date and our names. (hmm is there a reason HE is signing it and putting this date on it? Hmmm)

 

We met at 8:15 for breakfast. As we left the hotel we were greeted by chilly wet weather again, le sigh. It is in the 60’s (warmer than yesterday) which for us Floridians is freezing. We took the metro to the Louvre and arrived around 9:30am. The metro was a quick easy ride from the hotel.

 

 

This add was beautiful to me

 

We entered the Louvre underground from the metro. No lines for us, we had the Paris Museum Pass! Geeze you would think they are paying me or something to say this haha.

 

 

 

First impressions of the Louvre from my family, amazing! It is way bigger than they imagined. I had chills walking in, in fact I have them right now! There is something about this place that fills my body with warmth. Perhaps due to the historic and artistic surroundings.

 

Our first agenda was to head STARIGHT to the Mona Lisa. This should always be the first thing you visit if you come in the morning. We got our maps but really you do not need them to find the Mona Lisa, you just follow the crowd! Although it was a cattle heard getting to the Mona Lisa, it did not feel chaotic. We easily were able to get to the front take some pictures and move on.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Could Today be “The” Day? (Post 2 of 6)

 

On our way…

 

 

today was Tyler’s brothers graduation that we missed- so we took this picture for him! And there she is!

 

 

Since our time was limited in the Louvre, we decided to split up and meet at a designated spot in a few hours. FYI: this place is huge and easy to get lost, so if your party is not back at the designated time it is probably because they are trying to figure out how to get back.

 

If you are a museum buff you could spend an entire week here. I really liked museums so I was bummed we only had half a day here but as it was moi families first time in Paris we had other things to see.

 

Also I noted it was very hot inside. This could be do to me not feeling well, I noted in my diary I might have had a fever so maybe that is why I felt so hot.

 

Tyler and I went off to explore the Egyptian exhibit. We very much enjoyed this exhibit. Seeing a real mummy was fascinating and reading up and seeing the canopic jars where the mummies would preserve the heart, stomach, liver and other organs.

 

 

We next walked through the original Louvre, which was like a fortress with a moat? Still not entirely sure what we were looking at/walking around but it was cool temperature wise so I was happy! We also walked through the Napoleon apartments and some other exhibits. The crown jewels were neat. Tyler wanted to see the Code of Hammurabi so we found that too.

 

Sadly it was time to leave. But first! Look what I spotted, Nutella to go! It was WAY overpriced but I don’t care…. As they say When In Rome (scratch that, When In Paris!). I don’t let myself eat Nutella in America, I save it for when I am in Europe so it is still special to me.

 

 

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Could Today be “The” Day? (Post 3 of 6)

 

We walked around the outside and enjoyed the glass pyramids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From here we walked to the Pont des Arts bridge and through our keys into the river. This is a very magical, emotional bridge. You can feel the love and friendship people are sharing on the bridge.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Could Today be “The” Day? (Post 4 of 6)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Could Today be “The” Day? (Post 5 of 6)

 

Next we walked to Notre Dame from here. Oh! I forgot about this! When I came to Paris in 2004 I got a bad ear infection (geeze I sure like to get sick in Paris) and missed out on Notre Dame so this was first time I got to go inside.

 

 

Notre Dame was simply stunning, amazing, spiritual, and… and… and… just wow! Even on a cloudy day the stain glass still shimmered and glowed. The gothic architecture is just to die for. Being Catholic I gave an offering and said a prayer for my Nana back home and lit a candle.

 

 

 

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Could Today be “The” Day? (Post 6 of 6)

 

We all when our separate ways for a few hours next. Turns our mom and dad wanted to get back to the hotel to talk to the vet (We did not know this at the time).

 

Tyler and I used the hop on/hop off (HOHO) bus. I was on a MISSION to find Sorbonne, the University in Paris. As a high school student I had lofty dreams of studying here, just strolling around the French Quarter reciting Shakespeare. Oh a girl can dream right? Ahh wouldn’t that be the life?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tyler and I got off the HOHO bus at the Latin Quarter and strolled the old streets. In my usually fashion, I daydreamed we were studying abroad living in some tiny Parisian apartment studying the classics at Sorbonne. Just strolling through the streets hand-in-hand. Ok, back to reality! This place is smoky!!! Tyler thinks it is because I am sick, but I can hardly breath! As I am sure you know, must French LOVE to smoke and since you cannot smoke inside they are all outside puffing away. My dreams of strolling through the streets citing Shakespeare are quickly interrupted with each cough.

 

Nevertheless, I still love this place. We eventually found Sorbonne! I walked into the welcome center pretending I was a fresh graduate student trying to enroll. I schmoozed my way past the guards somehow. Ha, I sure am a dreamer! But in reality the welcome center was small. I bought a Sorbonne shirt and we made our way back to the HOHO bus. Maybe one day I can give a guest lecture once I finish my PhD, HA again, always a dreamer.

 

 

 

A word about the HOHO bus. The Paris HOHO bus is so-so. The one in Barcelona was incredible. We were pretty disappointed with the Paris HOHO bus. I can’t really put my finger on it but it didn’t have the same “Feel.” People could sneak on it easily, the narration was not as good, it had this really annoying song. Also the weather was crummy so that might have something to do with it. However, the bus did provide our feet with a nice break.

 

Empty HOHO bus as it squeezes through an arch by the Louvre

 

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Could Today be “The” Day? (Post 7 of 7)

I messed up my numbering, this is the 7th and lost post for this entry

 

We got off at the Concorde stop and walked to Rue St. Honore, a shopping district. Well as I have stated, I am a broke graduate student and I had dreams of buying a Louis Vuitton purse in PARIS but the lines were long and just over my budget so instead I decided to go visit the flagship Longchamp store which is located here. I did a lot of research on dollar-euro conversions and factoring in the VAT tax to always make sure I really was getting a deal. Longchamp is one place you really do get a good deal (verses buying in the USA).

 

The shop was amazing, the staff are so friendly! We were greeted with Champagne and some finger foods. At first we declined, I mean, back home I have never been offered Champagne? But they looked at us funny when we politely declined so after the 4th person offering me some I decided “What the heck!” again “when in Paris.” I had a hard time deciding on what bags but I ended up with an expandable travel bag and a school bag. In hindsight I wish I would have bought the third bag I was eying. At the register the lady did all of my VAT paperwork right there and about 45 days after the trip I received my refund!

 

(notice how small that green bag is I am holding, wait until you see how big it gets in a few pictures down!)

 

 

 

 

I need to provide a preface here regarding my obsession with macarons…

 

I don’t think I have explained to you all yet my obsession with FRENCH Macarons! Holy cow, how could I have forgotten to tell you about this? See, when I went to Paris the first time I did not know about Laudree or macarons. Since that trip and everyone telling me “I can’t believe you didn’t go to Laudree” I have been obsessed with getting to Laudree. Since that time in 2004 I have turned down ever macaron offered to me because I wanted my first REAL macaron to come from the best, Laudree! Maybe people consider Laduree to be the best, however there are other great pastry shops that make good macarons too; but I wanted the real-deal, the original. I was not going to let some Americanized version taint my first macaron experience.

 

Just around the corner from Longchamp was one of the many Laudree shops! Ohhhh boy, oh boyyy I have been waiting YEARS for this! Oh man, I am so excited just typing about it! You are not allowed to take pictures inside but let me tell you, it was everything I imagined. You are engulfed in the smell of sweet sugar and feel the warmth of the oven baking fresh pastries away. It is hard to wipe the smile from your face as the friendly and adorable staff assists you. It is hard to not walk away with 2 dozen macarons. But we settled on a 2 six-packs; one for us and one I would bring back to my parents.

 

 

 

We quickly made our way back to the hotel via HOHO bus to share the macarons with everyone. We stopped at Pomme de Pain, a quick sandwich place, to bring food back to the hotel. I got the hot ham and cheese sandwich and I thought it was pretty good. Way better than the tourist trap food.

 

 

The moment I have been waiting for…

 

 

Delish! Everything I thought they would be. It is hard to describe a macaron, it is kind of like a soft cookie with a fresh cream in the inside. Sort of like a brownie too, hard to describe. Our favorite flavors were the milk chocolate and pistachio. All 6 were gone in less than 5 minutes.

 

Macrons make me happy! This is how big that green bag expands to!

 

 

We decided to rest up and take a nap before heading out to see the tower at night. I wanted to take some medicine so I could stay up latter for the Eiffel Tower light-up.

 

Hmm could this be “the” night? Stay tuned!

[lovestx]

Thanks, Ashley, for making time to post another great installment. Your sweet personality comes through with every sentence :)

 

Whatever are you going to use that HUGE bag for? I bought a leather Longchamps purse when I went to Paris in 2001 (one and only time there, so far) and it has stood the test of time. These will for you, too.

[lovemylab]

This recap is bringing back so many good memories. We were on the same cruise last month and spent three nights in Paris per-cruise. We visited a lot of the same places you did. I am also wishing I had bought the other longchamp bag I was eyeing...and those macarons are delicious!

 

Love this review!

[ShellDil]

Again, such a fantastic review! Just hanging on every word...

 

One question for you - you mentioned that you planned the trip and gave the information on the ports and cities to your family at various times throughout. How much information did you give them before the cruise? I'm our trip planner and I'm trying to decide how much detail to give my parents before and how early. I don't want to totally overwhelm them, but I also want them to be prepared. What were your trip sharing techniques for your family? I noticed a couple of posts where you mentioned itinerary meetings. Was this the first time your family heard about the upcoming itinerary or was it a review?

 

Thanks!

[kat228]

My brother did a study-abroad summer program at the Sorbonne. He absolutely loved it! He's a poet and one day would love to be an Ex-Pat living in France.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Just wanted to post to say I'm still lurking! Thoroughly enjoying the report. You're making me want to go to Paris!

 

After our cruise, my Mom cashed in points for the Marriott in Rome as a gift to us. She's also Platinum Premier, so she gets the free breakfast. It was pretty spectacular there as well - it was on the roof and you could over look the entire city.

 

Oh sweet! I will have to tell my dad that, thanks!

 

Now, I can't do that until you share yours! :-) :-)

 

Touche! I will be posting it tomorrow ;)