Wednesday--Normandy to Paris

Sad to leave the wonderful B&B near Mont Saint Michel. It would be a great base from which to explore this region The owners, Danielle and Kin are fantastic. Here is the link
www.bnb-normandy.com

Also here is the link to the B&B in Dijon--www.chambre-hote-dijon.com

I was disappointed that I didn't have make it to the Normandy beaches, that was definitely on my list. Simple solution......I will just have to go back.

I headed towards Caen where I would drop off the car and catch the train to Paris. I looked at mapquest before I left the B&B and had a general idea of the location of the train station, but didn't print out a map..............not that I have had a lot of luck with those anyway. I figured there would be signs pointing the way once I got to Caen.

In Caen I stopped to top off the gas tank and made my way to the train station. I found all the other car rental places except National. Typical...... When I bought my ticket the agent told it was on the next street. The office was closed for lunch, so I did my best French half-on-the-curb parking, dropped the keys in the box and headed to the train station. Unfortunately I left a box of Belgian chocolate in the car. At least that is the only place I think I could have left it. It must have been pushed under the passenger seat and I never noticed it. I hope whoever found it enjoys it as much as I planned to. Maybe the Universe's way of telling me I don't need it....? But I still regret losing it. Simple solution......I will just have to go back to Belgium.

When I bought my ticket I was told that I didn't have a reserved seat but just to find one that wasn't reserved. When I found a place to stow my luggage I didn't see any non-reserved seats in that car. I knew I sat in a reserved seat--there is a little ticket about the seat. But decided I could always move if I had to. At Liseaux I had to give up my seat, but did find a non reserved one nearby. Two kids had the reserved seats. They got on with their dad or granddad. He and I moved to a 2 rows of seats that face each other with a table in between them. He was coughing to beat the band. I think it was a terrible smokers cough......at least I hope so. There was a 10 minute delay getting into Mantes la Jolie. No idea why, I couldn't understand a word of the announcement. But since there wasn't a mad dash to the exits I didn't worry about it.

Gare St. Lazare is a huge train station in the N-NW region of Paris. Monet did paintings of it, but his depiction is much more romantic and peaceful than the reality. It was huge and crowded with a swarming mass of people. I was sort of swept along by the tide and wasn't sure I took the right exit towards the taxi stand. I crossed the street and in front of a posh hotel there a man was just getting out of a taxi and the doorman held it for me. I was glad because it was almost 5pm and I thought it might be hard to find a cab.

I don't know that I would ever attempt to drive in Paris. It is a controlled (I think) chaos and seems to exist in its own dimension and reality. Buses, cars, motorcycles bicycles, rollerbladers and pedestrians all co-exist in some weird, unfathomable dance. It can look like a chaotic mess, but obviously there is a method to the madness. The drivers do give way to the pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists and the truly insane on rollerblades. Cars dart in and out, pulling in front of each other, cutting each other off. There is a little honking, (but not as much as I expected) gesturing (and muttering) but if they tried this in Dallas I think they would be dragged from their cars and beaten. The motorcyclists are especially daring, weaving in and out of traffic.

One night at dinner near Mont Saint Michel I started talking to the couple at the next table. They were from Australia and were doing a nine week vacation of Europe. (huge jealously on my part!) But, if you are going to fly 20 hours to Europe I guess you aren't just going to come for a long weekend! They had picked up their rental car in Paris and headed out in the middle of the day--plus to them they were driving on the "wrong" side of the road.

You can rent bicycles in Paris, but I saw a lot of people (and many older than me) who obviously use this as their way of getting around day to day. One evening as I left the Musee d'Orsay there was a couple heading down the busy street over looking the Seine on rollerblades. He obviously knew what he was doing, but she was just as obviously an absolute beginner. Everyone waiting to cross the street turned to watch their progress down the street.

On Friday nights and Sundays some streets in Paris are blocked off for roller-blading. I was going to give it a shot, even though I have never rollerbladed. When I was young I roller skated a lot and even did a few competitions.....but that was many, many years ago. But I read that Friday night session (starting at 10pm--3 hours long) is for experienced skaters and if you can't keep up you will be left behind. There is also another session on Sunday with a slower pace. So maybe next time I will plan to be in Paris on a Sunday.........and (novel idea) try it out here beforehand. The first time I was in Paris, 10 years ago, I saw a rollerblader hanging on the back of a bus for a free (and fun) ride.

My hotel in Paris is the Grand Hotel des Balcons-- www.balcons.com
It is a nice 2 star hotel in the 6th Arrondissement. The location is great, on the Left Bank, about a 10 minute walk to the Seine. When you reach the Seine you are about half way between Notre Dame and the Louvre. It is less than a 10 minute walk to the lovely Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens). It is a great area of Paris too, with all kinds of restaurants, shops, and little alleyways to discover. The standard rooms are basic, small and very clean. But I am not in Paris to spend time in the room. I think the triple/family rooms are a bit nicer. The people at the hotel are very nice. Another huge draw for me is their breakfast buffet. It does cost 12 Euros, which is a lot. But it is huge--bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes, croissants, all kinds of breads, cheeses, meats, cereals, fruit, yogurt, tea, coffee...... They also had some sort of pressed duck loaf but I just couldn't give a shot early in the morning. Most hotels charge 6 to 8 Euros for coffee, croisant and a roll so I think it is well worth it, especially with a full day of walking and sightseeing on the agenda. I would really load up at breakfast, eating more than I normally would. Although you might have noticed that I am a breakfast person.

After settling into my room I headed out to do a bit of exploring. I'd stayed in this hotel 3 1/2 years ago and was eager to see if the neighborhood had changed. There was a great, tiny little shop around the corner where a woman sold clothes, scarves, hats, etc. I was sad to see that it was no longer there. I had bought a scarf there and she showed me a cool way to tie it---I went right back to the hotel and tried, but never could duplicate the way she had done it. The Internet cafe that was on that block was also gone, but everything else seemed to be the same. There is one shop that seems to sell medical supplies. There are all these forms of human parts--hands, feet, hearts, etc in the window. I don't know if they are used by medical students, or what. It also seems to be some sort of herbal, acupunturist shop. I've never noticed anyone going in and have never really been able to tell if it is ever open.

I did find the short pedestrian street where we went for our nightly Haagen Dazs fix. I discovered that the Haagen Dazs has internet access. I got a cone and wandered some more. There was an Italian gelato shop a few places down that had a line out the door. Thought I would have to try it out at a later time.

I had dinner at a restaurant around the corner from the hotel. By now it was 10 pm and I was tired so I headed back to the hotel.