From Rome to Paris - A Spring in 2012

[rbjhan]

Well there is the only one I took, just to prove I was there!

 

[TheRealTMA]

Well there is the only one I took, just to prove I was there!
View attachment 216235

It‘s ok! We believe you.

 

[rbjhan]

Day 13 Day Trip to Lake Como

Como San Giovanni is quite some distance away from the lake, so I took Trenord from Cardona to Como Lago instead. Then ferry to Bellagio.





Weather really wasn't great


Lunch

 

[rbjhan]

Another ferry to Verena







Finally took the train back to Milano Centrale from Varenna Esino


Speaking of Varenna Esino, oh my....no staff, no ticket vending machine here me and a bunch of other foreign tourists were searching through the station like headless chooks, until someone told us we need to go back down the hill to a travel agent office to buy tickets....

 

[rbjhan]

Back to Milano Centrale


I had booked a Thello night train to Paris.
Of course I could have taken a flight, but I'm a train lover
If you can sleep on trains, this is a good way to travel between Paris and Milan/Venice IMHO.
Apologies, back then I didn't think of to take pictures of the cabin

This one is from the internet - the sleeper cabin can be set up for 1, 2 or 3 people.

 

[rbjhan]

Jour 14
Arrivée à Paris Gare de Lyon.
Finally didn't feel like an illiterate, phew (okay my French was not that good then, but still).

Booked Campanile Bastille (it is Moxy Bastille now), not far from Place des Vosges, and very close to both Chemin Vert & Bréguet Sabin metro stations.


Went to Trocadéro in the afternoon.


Beef carpaccio anyone?


Hmm, couldn't find more pictures on that day....best guess is that I went shopping

 

[rbjhan]

Day 15
Walking past Marché Bastille in the morning.


Didn't do much, just walking the city.
Jardin des Tuileries


Had lunch at Café Marly

Cannot recall what I had , but ambiance was fantastic.

 

[rbjhan]

Keep walking the city....
La Madeleine




Place Vendôme


Jardin du Palais Royal

 

[rbjhan]

Took the Batobus...

 

[rbjhan]

Dinner at Leon de Bruxelles
Cocotte à la Dijonnaise

 

[rbjhan]

Day 16 I went to La Vallée Village....
So let's jump to Day 17.

Took TGV to Tours from Gare Montparnasse.


Why Tours? Of course to see castles

First one Château de Chambord, largest in the Loire Valley.




The famous double spiral staircase.


The Château was built as a hunting lodge for François I.

 

[rbjhan]

Château de Chenonceau, aka the fight between Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers



Gallery over the bridge


Quite a contrast to the sparsely furnished Chambord,

 

[rbjhan]

I enjoyed this day trip a great deal.
Both Chenonceau and Chambord were magnifique
Next time probably want to visit Amboise, Blois and Azay le Rideau.

Back to Tours




End of day 17.

 

[VPS]

Sigh - all the castles were on my list for this year's trip

 

[rbjhan]

Sigh - all the castles were on my list for this year's trip

You will go later, I am sure!

Meanwhile I'm still looking at my Nov 20 bookings, however it's more and more likely they are going to be cancelled, sigh.

 

[craven morehead]

You will go later, I am sure!

Meanwhile I'm still looking at my Nov 20 bookings, however it's more and more likely they are going to be cancelled, sigh.

Hopefully NZ will be open before then so we can get a fix

 

[rbjhan]

Hopefully NZ will be open before then so we can get a fix

By then I would probably be willing to do a Melbourne staycation!

 

[rbjhan]

Day 18
This was a day of cultural activities

Boulogne - Billancourt


Yes! This was Roland Garros.


I was sadly one week too earlier Only qualifier on....
Richard Gasquet practising in Suzanne Lenglen (Philippe Chartrier was not open that week)


Victoria Azarenka


One of the qualifiers. No idea who she was


* I had been to the actual French Open two years before.

 

[rbjhan]

Some time left after the tennis, made my way to Galaries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann. Not for the shopping, but this view.

 

[rbjhan]

After missing performance at La Scala, I was determined to see something in Paris.
Opéra Garnier is mostly ballet these days, not my cup of tea, so Opéra Bastille is the place to be!

By the time I started looking though, not many good seats left. I ended up with a Cat 5 ticket on the 2nd Balcony. 25 euros iirc.


It was a symphony orchestra performance that evening, by Philippe Jordan.


It was a great evening