Category: Europe 2012

United Airlines – Well, they get you there.  The international flights are much better than domestic flights, as the cabin crew seem a bit cheerier and you get free entertainment in the form of an individual screen. We booked Economy Plus on our SFO to LHR  flight and the extra 3 inches of leg room makes a difference. Definitely worth the extra $$.  During our CDG to ORD flight we were in regular economy, although we got the 2 seats along the window on the 2-3-2 configuration.  Theresa chatted up some of the flight attendants on the return flight, with one particular one, Phillipe, chatting with us for a good bit, sharing some of his photographic work (his side hobby). Since we both went multiple times to the back of the plane to get Walker shortbread cookies and mini Toblerone bars, they putthe remaining cookies and bars in a bag and gave them as a parting gift before we landed in Chicago.

The food on both legs were nothing remarkable. It kept us from being hungry, but that is about it.  American airlines lag others in this department and it probably has to do with the cost competitive, money losing nature of their domestic operations.  One day I am expecting them to try and stop food service on international flights, but that might be against some laws, regulations, or treaties of some sort. Because we booked a package via Costco travel, they only had UA and BA as options, with BA being significantly more expensive than UA. Oh well, at least I got miles on my Mileage Plus account.

After getting off the Chunnel Train and making our way to the Hotel Baltimore near the Tracadero.  When we checked in the night before,  the hotel receptionist said that in addition to arriving the day after the general elections, the weather forecast called for some of the most inclement, rainy weather Paris had seen all year.

 As part of the Costco package, we got tickets to the Hop On’Hop Off buses that circulate the city. It took you to the major sites and you could get on and off the bus at certain destinations all throughout the city. The buses are double deckers and open air on the top level, allowing you to see the sights. Each rider is issued a set of earphones that plugs into a panel and provides audio guides to the various sites along the route.

We did one complete circuit on the main bus route without getting off to scout out all the sights.   Unfortunately, the forecasted rain started to hit shortly after that and on all subsequent days, so we spent the rest of our bus time below decks hiding from the pelting rain. We managed to stay dry by ducking into and out of various museums and shops, including Au Printemps, the large French department store where I found the largest jar of Nutella I’ve seen in a retail store (I think it was 5 kg)

Retracing Steps

 I wanted to hit the Musee d’Orsay, home to Impressionist and post Impressionist art.  Retracing some of the steps in Paris, I took the picture on the left in 2003 when I visited the Musee d’Orsay and then a similar picture in 2012. We also hit Norte Dame, and the Lourve.

By the end of our Paris stay, I think we were ready to get home, as it was a packed 10 days of travel.

 

 

 

As part of our travel package we booked via Costco Travel, we got Premier class train tickets on the Chunnel Train/Eurostar from London to Paris.  We checked out of The Rubens and hit The Tube from Victoria Station, exiting at King’s Cross/St Pancras Station. After picking up our boarding passes, we passed through the automated gates and then cleared EU customs before heading out to the platforms.  We  were seated facing each other and settled in for the 2.5 hour or so journey to Paris’ Gare Du Nord. After exiting London proper, the train hit high speeds, whipping through the English countryside.  Transiting the Chunnel was quicker than we anticipated, taking about 15 minutes or so. We were served a light lunch as we exited the Chunnel on the French side.  Although the dishes were all served cold, they were very tasty and Theresa really liked the bread that came with our meal. After getting our bearings at Gare Du Nord, we hopped on the Paris Metro to the Hotel Baltimore where a comfy fluffy bed awaited us.

Major highlights:

Our Room at The Rubens, complementary cake from the Rubens on our wedding anniversary, Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (Royal Gibraltar Guards), St Paul’s Cathedral,, Tower of London,   Shopping along Oxford St (Hamely’s toy store and M&M World),  Seeing Rock of Ages at the Shaftsbury, the British Museum, walking in Covent Garden and the West End,  Tower Bridge, the London Eye, projected art display on the front of Buckingham Palace (project with school childern’s drawings to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee), Picadilly Circus, and St. Pancras Station to board the Eurostar Chunnel train to Paris

Tip: If you are going to Convent Garden via the Tube, get out at the Leicester Square station, which is a short walk away.  The Convent Garden station is often crowded because you have to either take a lift or ascend a spiral staircase of 193 steps (equivalent of a 10 story building), with no landings in between,  in order to exit to street level. We did the 193 steps because we did not want to wait for the lifts. It would have been easier to walk the short distance from Leicester Square.