Belated Trip Report - European Escapade

[kookaburra75]

We planned to stay two nights in Lyon, to give us the time for a break and to explore the foodie scene in Lyon, and the city itself. We arrived late in the afternoon and caught a taxi to the hotel, the Hôtel Vaubecour. It's a nice hotel, in a good location, but as we arrived after dark, it is a bit hard to find - even the taxi driver seemed a bit puzzled, questioning whether we had the right address. But we did. It's an old style hotel in the building, taking up what are an old series of rooms. Being hungry we set out for a bite to eat, but being late on a Sunday night the local restaurants were booked out. So we found the local store and stocked up on cheese, wine and bread.

The next day we planned to explore Lyon, but unfortunately STBMrsK came down with a stomach bug (In the foodie capital of France) and was bed ridden for the next two days. The owners of the hotel were lovely and provided some broth and food that she could hold down, and fresh water. STBMrsK insisted I go out and explore the place, and bring back photos. So off I trekked.

The city is amazing, although in solidarity with STBMrsK's condition, I didn't indulge in huge meals, but stuck to photographing restaurants. The one below appeared in Luke Nguyen's France.

And then, it came to my turn to do something stupid on the trip. As it was chilly, I was wearing my coat that has zip up pockets, including an internal one where I keep my travel wallet secured, which also had my passport in it. As it was getting warm, I rested by the riverside on a bench, and had my jacket draped over my lap while checking the photos in my camera etc (see where this is going). I trekked back to the hotel to check on STBMrsK, and stopped by an ATM to get some cash - no wallet! I thought maybe I hadn't taken it out with me, and dashed/sprinted back to the hotel to search the room, with STBMrsK asking "what's wrong?". Not wanting to cause any additional upset I mumbled out what I thought was a plausible story, not involving my wallet, but she saw through that immediately. I then sprinted the 15 minutes back to where I had been sitting by the river, running through different scenarios in my mind e.g. STBMrsK has her credit card, we can get extra cash from the hotelier when we check out, we're going to Paris next and have a few days so I should be able to get an emergency passport etc... - slight panic - not really I was sh**ting myself. But as I rounded the corner to where I had been sitting, there was the wallet sitting on the ground (it would have been there for at least half an hour). Needless to say, I gave thanks to whatever gods I could think of, and headed back to the hotel to let STBMrsK know all was ok. "You should have zipped up your pocket", was the reply.

The next day I went exploring up around Notre Dame on the hill, having left my passport etc in the care of STBMrsK, and explored the area.

It really is an amazing city, and we plan to go back, and I can show STBMrsK where I left my wallet.

After recovering and having a walk by the river, we then headed out to the TGV station to catch out train to Paris.

 

[kookaburra75]

The trip on the TGV from Lyon to Paris was great. This was the first high speed rail I had been on, and it was smooth and of course fast, although you really go the idea of the speed when another train went past - a 600km passing speed. Mrs STBMrsK was recovering and nibbling on her fresh baguette that I had bought before we left at the bakery near the hotel, and water. I haven't included those photos as she looked slightly disheveled.

We arrived at Paris Gare de Lyon, and caught a taxi to out destination for the next few nights - Bonne Nuit Paris, in the La Marais District. It was recommended to us, and it certainly didn't disappoint. The owners Jean-Luc and Denis were charming, and we had breakfast each day in their dining room - we were the only guests there. He explained the history of the building and the district, and also solved the puzzle of the second language on the road signs when we were driving to Avignon. Jean-Luc was originally from near Marseille and explained the language was the Provençal dialect. His grandparents used to speak it, and he used to be able to understand it, but it was dying out.

The La Marais District is also interesting, with a lot of new wine bars and other great little different bars opening up. We found a small one Monsieur Henri, around the corner and ended up spending time talking about the different wines they had, which we see sometimes in Australia, but made in different styles - think Mourvèdre, along with cheeses and deserts. The area, being the old rag trade area is now regenerating with small and funky fashion designers, along with interesting bars and bistros.


As we had arrived at midday, we went for a walk around the area, it took us 20 minutes to wander down to Notre Dame, and although there were long queues they were moving quickly and we went in for a look through the building. Having been through Notre Dame in Montreal a few years before, it was interesting comparing the two, but it is a magnificent building, and the detail in the architecture is fascinating. Over the next two days we spent time exploring along the Seine, and using the metro to buzz around to other places, including Monte Marte and even Moulin Rouge. Although the latter is not located in a classy area, and is best visited during the day - think old Kings Cross or St Kilda.

We also visited the classic landmarks such as Arc de Triomphe, and had lunch at a restaurant on the Champs-Elysees. It was busy at lunch time, but picking one where the business people were meant we got a good meal.

And being in Paris, we had to visit the Eiffel Tower. Being off season it wan't too busy and we went up to the observation deck on the second level. Being the the City of Love, we bought the glasses of champagne and took in the views. As I had proposed to STBMrsK a few months beforehand, there was no need to go on bended knee, but we still enjoyed a romantic moment.

After spending a few relaxing days in Paris, exploring different places, walking by the river etc, we had to bid bon voyage to Paris. We used a hire car to get out to Charles de Gaulle Airport, which cut through the areas where the migrants from Calais had been relocated to, camping in tents wherever they could pitch them. As with all cities, there are two sides, and seeing the housing complexes and the homeless certainly provides a different aspect to the city. The driver summed it up, with saying it was sad.

We arrived at CDG and checked in and settled into the CX lounge with our final glasses of champagne in Paris, and started the long journey back to Australia. The hop to Heathrow was short, but then as we arrived at Terminal 5, we had to clear immigration for only a few hours to get our bags, get across to Terminal 3 to check into our Qantas flight. Only being SG at that stage, we endured the old BA T3 lounge for a few hours. The flight home was uneventful and we arrived back home and realised that we were back to reality.

The kitchen door, originally our canvas for planning the trip is still covered in the mosaic of maps, sticky notes and comments. But now, it is covered by small photos I've printed out to remind us of our destinations, experiences and highlights, so we can look at it and say "... remember when...". It was a good trip.

 

[love_the_life]

We planned to stay two nights in Lyon, to give us the time for a break and to explore the foodie scene in Lyon, and the city itself. We arrived late in the afternoon and caught a taxi to the hotel, the Hôtel Vaubecour. It's a nice hotel, in a good location, but as we arrived after dark, it is a bit hard to find - even the taxi driver seemed a bit puzzled, questioning whether we had the right address. But we did. It's an old style hotel in the building, taking up what are an old series of rooms. Being hungry we set out for a bite to eat, but being late on a Sunday night the local restaurants were booked out. So we found the local store and stocked up on cheese, wine and bread.

The next day we planned to explore Lyon, but unfortunately STBMrsK came down with a stomach bug (In the foodie capital of France) and was bed ridden for the next two days. The owners of the hotel were lovely and provided some broth and food that she could hold down, and fresh water. STBMrsK insisted I go out and explore the place, and bring back photos. So off I trekked.
View attachment 125300
The city is amazing, although in solidarity with STBMrsK's condition, I didn't indulge in huge meals, but stuck to photographing restaurants. The one below appeared in Luke Nguyen's France.
View attachment 125301
And then, it came to my turn to do something stupid on the trip. As it was chilly, I was wearing my coat that has zip up pockets, including an internal one where I keep my travel wallet secured, which also had my passport in it. As it was getting warm, I rested by the riverside on a bench, and had my jacket draped over my lap while checking the photos in my camera etc (see where this is going). I trekked back to the hotel to check on STBMrsK, and stopped by an ATM to get some cash - no wallet! I thought maybe I hadn't taken it out with me, and dashed/sprinted back to the hotel to search the room, with STBMrsK asking "what's wrong?". Not wanting to cause any additional upset I mumbled out what I thought was a plausible story, not involving my wallet, but she saw through that immediately. I then sprinted the 15 minutes back to where I had been sitting by the river, running through different scenarios in my mind e.g. STBMrsK has her credit card, we can get extra cash from the hotelier when we check out, we're going to Paris next and have a few days so I should be able to get an emergency passport etc... - slight panic - not really I was sh**ting myself. But as I rounded the corner to where I had been sitting, there was the wallet sitting on the ground (it would have been there for at least half an hour). Needless to say, I gave thanks to whatever gods I could think of, and headed back to the hotel to let STBMrsK know all was ok. "You should have zipped up your pocket", was the reply.

The next day I went exploring up around Notre Dame on the hill, having left my passport etc in the care of STBMrsK, and explored the area.
View attachment 125302
It really is an amazing city, and we plan to go back, and I can show STBMrsK where I left my wallet.

After recovering and having a walk by the river, we then headed out to the TGV station to catch out train to Paris.

One word for you.....lucky!

 

[ellen10]

What a great trip, I enjoyed your travel stories and photos.
Paris is one of my favourite cities to wander around, very walkable. We love staying in a different arrondissements each time, they are very different.
You certainly got great value for your time away. Glad it all went well. Well almost. Lots of great memories!

 

[VPS]

Great TR - thanks

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for all the lovely photos and nice stories.

 

[OATEK]

Thoroughly enjoyed your report Kookaburra75.

 

[RB]

Hope you got a lottery ticket after the wallet scare. Totally enjoyed your write up

 

[love_the_life]

Great TR. Thanks for posting; loved reading along.

 

[kookaburra75]

Final photo - the kitchen door

 

[Tassieoptom]

Many thanks for the ideas in this extensive trip report.

 

[VPS]

Final photo - the kitchen door
View attachment 125783

You realise because of this photo I have ordered a large map of the world and I've started writing on post it notes places I want to visit. Looking at a RTW business with Finnair or similar next year