2025 – Travel in the New Year

Posted on January 23, 2025 by herktrav

The new year has arrived and we’ve started to think about this year’s travels. With so much going on in the world, we’re thinking carefully.

There are a few travel related items that I thought I’d share with everyone. I’m based in the United States, so some of these won’t apply to you in your countries. You will especially need to watch for new rules if traveling to EU countries or the UK.

Some of the items are designed to tighten up security and others are meant to loosen your pocketbook. New visa rules and fees are popping up everywhere, along with increases in tourist taxes. Airlines have their hands out looking for more fees, especially when it comes to carry-on luggage.

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Let’s start with an easy one. Beginning May 7, 2025, the TSA will begin enforcing the REAL ID requirements. It will be gradually implemented with full compliance by May 5, 2027. While there are other issues, the one affecting travelers will be the need to have a REAL ID license or ID card to travel on a commercial airline.

What happens if you don’t have a REAL ID? You will not be allowed to board your airline. You can get more details here.

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Next is for people who will be traveling to the UK. Whether staying there or just stopping over on your way to another destination, you’ll need to get a UK ETA.

Starting January 8, before traveling to the UK you’ll need to apply for United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorization (UK ETA). The authorization is different from a traditional visa in that it is handled entirely online and is much more cost effective when compared to visa applications. 

The UK ETA is valid for up to two years or whenever the passport it’s linked to expires. The UK ETA allows for multiple visits of up to six months at a time and costs about $12.50 to apply.

Click the pic to read more.

You can click on the photo to get more information, including links to the UK ETA Website and information about their app.

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MAYBE… Starting in May, if you’re traveling to European Union countries, you’ll need to get a European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS).

The ETIAS will allow for visitors to enter the European nations “as often as you want for short-term stays – normally for up to 90 days in any 180-day period” according to the ETIAS website. However, a valid ETIAS authorization will not guarantee entry into the various countries. Border guards may still ask to see your passport and other documents in order to grant you the right to visit. 

The ETIAS will remain valid for three years or until the travel document you used in your application expires. If you have previously visited Europe without a visa, you will need to apply for the ETIAS.

Why the maybe?

The ETIAS is supposed to begin six months after the Entry/Exit System (EES) is up and running. It’s Jan 22nd as I’m typing and it still isn’t up and running. That would imply that there will be a delay in the ETIAS. I tried the web page and couldn’t file an application.

I will be watching this one closely and will provide an update. Since it is likely that we will be traveling to Europe later in the year, I want to make sure that we are in compliance.

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Ultimately, if you want to travel you’ll have to have some form of travel visa – either electronic or traditional. Nations want to know who is entering their country and when they arrive and depart. And in case you are wondering, yes, the United States has the same requirements in place for individuals traveling into the country.

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Staying on the topic of fees, let’s talk about carry-on luggage. You’re allowed one carry-on and one personal item. That mostly stays the same.

It looks like the airlines have decided on a standard size.

Carry-on: Maximum dimensions 22 x 14 x 9 inches (including wheels and handles).

Personal item: Maximum dimensions 18 x 14 x 8 inches (including wheels and handles) and it must fit under the seat in front of you.

Additionally, you will need to watch for new weight allowances. Not all airlines have adopted the weight rules, so make sure to check your airline website before heading to the airport.

Some airlines will let you pay an extra fee, others will make you check your bag. That could be a huge problem if you have your personal items stuffed in your bag. Beware, instead of being mad!

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Many locations are increasing their tourist taxes in 2025 and some are adding additional fees. Most are per day fees collected by hotels, but others are adding port fees for cruise passengers. They’ll get their money one way or another.

Here’s a good summary article that I found. FEES

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So what does it all mean? It means you’ll likely have to increase your travel budget for 2025.

Keep your eyes open when making your plans. The small print matters.

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France 2024 – Homeward Bound

Posted on December 24, 2024 by herktrav

The short version: We are back home and had a great time in Paris!

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The long version:

We had to be up early for our flight home. A 5:15am alarm is never a good thing in my book. I turned my phone on to find out that our flight had been delayed by two hours. Here we go again…

Threw on some clothes, brushed my hair and went down to the front desk. I asked them to change our ride from 7:00 until 8:30am.

My eyes were still half closed as I bumped off the walls on the way back to the room. Fell back asleep for an hour. Dragged ourselves out of bed and started getting ready. We took our showers, finished packing and then we were able to relax for a little while longer.

Around 8:15 we went down to check out and our ride was waiting for us. We were very happy with the hotel. It was great for going everywhere we wanted to go, plus it was very comfortable for the time we wanted to relax and stay inside.

We said our “au revoirs” and hopped into the van for the ride to the airport. Our driver was very pleasant and we had an uneventful ride to the airport. When we arrived, there was nobody at the Air Canada counters, so we literally walked right up, dropped off our bags and we were on our way to passport control.

Again, no line to speak of. We went through the process in less than five minutes and then headed towards security. Just a short line at security and ten minutes later, we were heading to the lounge.

The lounge was comfortable and uncrowded when we arrived. We tucked into a corner so we could just chill until it was time to leave…

And then the text messages started. Our plane was delayed again, so we were moved back to 2:20, now arriving in Toronto at 5:09pm. At least the plane was the same; we didn’t want to go through the seat chasing circus that we had going to Lisbon. The gate change was only down a few gates, so that was no big deal.

Happily, the next text was that they were boarding our flight. I sent a message to the airport transfer folks in Toronto letting them know of the time change before I had to go into ‘Airplane Mode’.

The flight home was comfortable with only a brief spell of turbulence. We were both able to sleep for a bit, which was nice as we were both tired from the early morning wake-up. Nine hours later, we were landing in Toronto.

It was great to turn on my phone and see the message from our driver. “No worries. Have a good flight”. They had also been monitoring the flights and knew about the delay.

Once again, it was an easy time getting through passport control and customs. We let our driver know where we were and he was there in no time at all.

There was some traffic, but we cruised right along. Had a funny little thing happen at the US border. Sue had a list of the things we bought and when asked, she replied in detail. The items were small, low dollar value, but her level of detail made the border agent laugh as he waved us through.

We arrived home at about 8:00pm (2am Paris time). Needless to say, it was a long day.

But, we are home and we had a great time in Paris.

Thanks for joining along. Time to start planning our next journeys for the upcoming year.

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We wish everyone Peace, Joy, Good Health and a Happy New Year!

Enjoy the holiday season and let kindness and light lead the way.

Happy Holidays! Photo Source Unknown
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France 2024 – Just a cruise around Paris

Posted on December 19, 2024 by herktrav

Mon dieu, we were up early for our last day in Paris. We still didn’t leave the hotel early, but that’s only because we waited to check-in for tomorrow’s flight home. We also arranged transportation to the airport for the morning.

We decided to get tickets for the hop-on / hop-off bus and just stayed on for a cruise around the city. The bus wasn’t crowded at all, so we could move around to see things on both sides as we cruised along.

The big landmarks and attractions were crowded with people, as were the shopping streets. However, overall it felt pretty quiet – even in the metro.

We started off from the hotel by walking to the metro, then transferred to the RER train and in twenty minutes we were walking out of the Auber station. We only had to cross the street to begin our bus journey.

The following was our bus journey in pictures:

Along the side of the Opera
Cute Chef Teddy LeBear decoration at Cafe de Paix
Squeezing through the gates of the Louvre palace
The pyramid entrance to the Louvre
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
Pont Neuf
The Conciergerie
Housing along the Seine
Notre Dame Cathedral
Bouquinistes
Big Wheel across the Siene
Place de Concorde
L’obélisque
Montblanc store on the Champs Élysée
Chinese museum
Eiffel Tower
Les Invalides
Église de Madeleine
Audemars Piguet watch store
Printemps
Haussmann Holiday Tree

We enjoyed the ride and the sights. It was a little chilly, but we were bundled up and cozy.

We retraced our steps back to the hotel. We did make one stop at the Xmas market on Blvd Saint-Germain to get a couple of hot pretzels for the room.

A little rest was a perfect way to spend the rest of the afternoon. For our final dinner, we chose the Alain Ducasse restaurant ’Allard’.

When dinner time arrived, we took a walk over to the restaurant. It only took about fifteen minutes to get there and it was chilly, but pleasant.

Allard was like stepping back in time. The decor and menu transpires to bring you back to grandma’s house for a charming Sunday dinner. It was cozy without being cramped, conversations could be carried on without shouting and the staff were all friendly and efficient.

We both ordered the same meal – we didn’t want grandma to fuss! We started with a glass of champagne to celebrate another great trip. It went perfect with the amuse bouche of a gougere and lightly marinated cucumber. For our starters, it was seared scallops and our main plate was a roasted sea bream. We had a nice bottle of Chablis to accompany our meal.

And because grandma always had dessert, we had some profiteroles and an Île Flottante or floating island.

Everything was delicious, the service was top-notch and the prices were reasonable. It was a wonderful way to finish off the trip.

Afterwards, we took a nice walk back to the hotel. We have a 7:00 am taxi in the morning, so we cleaned up for bed, packed most of our bags and ventured off to dreamland.

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France 2024 – Marche de Noël – Tuileries

Posted on December 16, 2024 by herktrav

We eased into the day again. With no particular reason to rush, we didn’t! It’s been nice getting a good night’s rest and then choosing what we feel like doing.

So when we did leave, we headed over to the Marche de Noël at the Tuileries Garden. We took the metro down to Châtelet and then transferred over so we could get off at the Tuileries station. The metro wasn’t crowded, nor were the streets, as compared with yesterday.

It’s another overcast day, which is great for walking through the market as the lights show up brightly.

The entrance to the market is right next to the metro exit. As you can see below, they had extra security at the gate.

No unwanted visitors pass these guys!

This was our favorite market; it had a real festive feel to it. Lots of lights, plus games, food, shops and rides. We guessed right by waiting to go on a Monday afternoon – there were many people, but it wasn’t overly crowded.

We took a lap around the market to check things out and then circled back for a bite to eat. Sue had some delicious tartiflette, which is like escalloped potatoes with a little cheese and a little smoked ham. I went directly for the grilled sausage, knowing I would get a taste of Sue’s potatoes.

Awesome Singing Reindeer
Giant wheel and skating rink
Location, location, location

We had a really nice time at the market. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and were cheerful. Lots of holiday spirit in the air.

Departing, we decided to walk up the Rue de Rivoli to see the Samaritaine store holiday displays.

Manicured walkways waiting for the return of spring
Musée du Louvre side entrance

It only took about twenty minutes to walk down to Samaritaine. The air felt heavy, like rain was imminent, but thankfully it never came.

We were a bit disappointed by Samaritaine’s decorations. They were nice, but nothing particularly special.

Certainly not worth the chilly walk to get there. C’est la vie!

We crossed over the river at Pont Neuf and then snaked our way back to the hotel. While walking, we happened upon a Marc Chagall exhibition at a small art gallery.

We made it back to the hotel and both of us needed to sit and relax for a while. A little holiday music with our feet up was delightful.

Dinner was just a block away from the hotel this evening. We wanted something a little different, so we chose Agata, an Italian restaurant.

What a great choice it turned out to be! We started out with a delicious arancini, then we shared a pizza to be strategic. Strategic? Yes, the strategy was to save room for dessert. And it worked. Sue saved room for a warm chocolate soufflé while I had a ‘slab’ of tiramisu. We also enjoyed a bottle of Barbera d’Asti. Everything was perfect.

At the end of our meal, we asked for the check in Italian. They loved it and we earned ourselves a glass of limoncello to finish off the meal. Learning those ten words in every language is paying off. Cheers!

Another wonderful day, with one more left. Tonight we’ll decide what we want to do tomorrow besides dinner.

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France 2024 – Marche de Noël – Notre Dame

Posted on December 15, 2024 by herktrav

We started our day off with a visit to see the restored Notre Dame Cathedral. It was so good seeing it again, like visiting with an old friend. They still have quite a bit of work until it is completely restored, but it truly looked beautiful.

Notre Dame de Paris

A tip of the hat to all the artisans and craftsmen who worked so hard on the restoration. President Macron deserves a lot of credit for keeping his word to restore it. It has cost quite a bit of money, but Notre Dame needed to return to Paris.

We weren’t able to go inside to see the rest of the work. I’ve tried to book reservations, but no luck. As we always say: “Next time!”

After being jostled by the crowds of people for a while, we were ready to move on.

Just across the river is another Marche de Noël. It’s a small market, but had a very nice feel to it. It is set up around the perimeter of a small park with decorations in the center.

Besides some food stalls, there were artisan chocolates, sausages, jewelry, soaps, hats and scarves, some leather goods and artwork for sale.

You needed to get into the stream of people to keep moving, but everyone was pretty chill and enjoying themselves.

From the market, we decided to walk back towards the hotel by cutting through some different areas. I didn’t mention it previously, but it’s 50 degrees F or 10 degrees C – a nice day to walk around.

There were lots of people who had the same idea. Cafes were bustling, shops were busy and the streets were full. We went into a few shops along the way.

Scenes from our walk
Citroën tie up
Comptoirs Les Deux Magots
Le Procope

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon…no pressure to do anything but enjoy the day.

After enjoying the afternoon, we were ready for dinner time to arrive. We had reservations at a restaurant called Bouillon Racine. It’s a beautiful belle époque era restaurant. Our friends have been there and recommended it, so – pourquoi pas?

Bouillon Racine

When we arrived, we were seated upstairs. We figured that’s where they stuck the foreigners. However, as people started to arrive, all we were hearing was French being spoken.

We started with a glass of champagne, just for the fun of it. We ordered starters of cream of cauliflower soup with truffled ham for Sue, while I ordered marinated shrimp with mango and coriander that came in a rice shell. Both were delicious!

For our mains, Sue had osso buco and I had the duck breast. Again, both were delicious! We paired our meals with a young Gevrey-Chambertin red burgundy wine, which paired perfectly.

Osso buco, duck, burgundy – yum!

Sue finished up dinner with a selection of cheeses, while I had a chocolate mousse cake. A glass of port wine topped off a wonderful dinner and night out.

We debated walking back to the hotel, but taking the metro easily won the debate. A few minutes later, we were back home and getting comfortable for the evening. It’s hard to believe, but we only have two days left in Paris.

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France 2024 – Walking through the 6th and Vivaldi

Posted on December 15, 2024 by herktrav

Ooh la la! Another morning to sleep in. With nothing planned early, there was no pressure to do anything but take it easy – so we did!

Once we did get cleaned up, we headed out for a little walk. We were looking for a newer place that is an offshoot of Les Deux Magots. It’s located in the backstreets of the 6th arrondisement and just serves smaller items like soups, salads and sandwiches as well as their featured financiers.

It only took a few minutes of walking until we found it. We had actually passed by twice in the last couple of days without realizing it. Comptoirs des Deux Magots is the name and we were happy that we found it. It’s nothing fancy, but the food is good. We both had chicken Caesar sandwiches. Before leaving, we picked up a few financiers for back in the room.

We sat down next to a younger couple with a child from NYC. The kid was cute and didn’t start fussing until we were leaving, so I’d call that a win. They were in London and just grabbed the Eurostar for a quick weekend visit. We compared travel notes and enjoyed chatting with them.

Afterwards, we weaved our way through the neighborhood streets doing a little window shopping. There were many clothing shops, jewelry shops and art galleries with lots of people browsing. The €4000 pinkie rings may have kept them browsing too!

While we were walking we felt a few drops of rain, so we started angling our way back towards the hotel.

Église Saint-Germain des Prés

I do have to say, there were plenty of people out and about. The eateries were all busy at lunch time and despite it being cold, people were still sitting outside at some of the cafes. Some of the cafes had heaters, others had blankets and for the extra hearty people, some just had their cold chairs. Brrr….

Back at the hotel, we just relaxed for a while. Tonight we are going to a concert.

The concert was held at La Madeleine, and was a performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons along with a few other popular pieces such as Pachebel’s Canon, Avé Marie and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The musicians were Les Violons de France,

The venue, the music and the musicians were all perfect. We enjoyed ourselves and the audience was very appreciative with their applause being the indicator.

Outside, the drizzly rain made it feel cold, but the streets still looked festive.

We made our way to the Metro station and headed back to the hotel. We both were feeling a little peckish, so we stopped at Cafe Louise for a glass of wine and a quick bite. It was a great way to cap off the day.

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France 2024 – Le Bon Marché and Willi’s

Posted on December 15, 2024 by herktrav

Started off the day by sleeping in. It was cozy and much needed. It must be all the Parisian air we’re taking in. Whatever the reason, it just felt good.

After getting cleaned up, we headed up the Boulevard St Germain. Today we’re going to Le Bon Marché and Le Grande Épicerie. It’s not too far of a walk and will give us a chance to see some of the surrounding neighborhoods.

There were so many quaint little shops along the way. The various chocolate shops caught my eye, but I restrained myself. Numerous shops selling clothing, shoes, jewelry, candies and other items dotted our path.

The traffic wasn’t too bad, but there were plenty of people walking around. The stores must have been busy, as people were carrying lots of shopping bags. It looked just like the Hallmark holiday movies.

When we arrived at the store, we immediately headed around the corner to check out the window displays. There was plenty of Christmas music playing, people smiling and little kids staring in awe at the holiday characters. The window displays were adorable, with charming animated characters – green bunnies playing instruments, pink flamingoes having an exercise class, crabs and octopuses having a dance-off and little purple laughing fuzz balls.

Le Bon Marché – Grande Épicerie

We then crossed the street to their huge food hall called Le Grande Épicerie. Holy smokes, now that’s a Super Marché ! Just about anything you could possibly want was found here with so many choices. Several floors of every imaginable holiday food and beverage item, beautifully displayed.

Dazzled by the market, we headed back towards our hotel. Along the way, we stopped into the Zara store to look at their mouse house and holiday decorations.

Exiting the store, we now had our own shopping bag to look cool.

And it’s a good thing we looked cool, because we got ourselves lost again. Or, I should say we were directionally impaired. A zig, a zag and we were back on track. No worries.

Given the time, we decided to skip lunch and went back to the hotel for a cup of warm tea and a pastry.

Dinner this evening was at Willi’s Wine bar, a perennial stop when we visit Paris. Tonight we journeyed over via bus. The bus stop is right across the street from us in front of the Saint Germain Des Prés Church. We hopped on and it only took seventeen minutes to get there, including a three minute walk.

We were early for our reservation, but they had our table available so we were promptly seated. We had our first beverage and our order in before our scheduled reservation time.

We started with a glass of champagne just to whet our appetites. For starters, Sue had a rabbit parfait, while I had a roast quail. Both were delicious. We then had a bottle of Volnay burgundy with our main course. We both had the braised leg of venison with winter vegetables and red cabbage. Again, it was tender and delicious. For dessert, we both had a Praline mousse with thin pastry and roasted almonds and hazelnuts.

Having enjoyed our meals and having a chance to chat briefly with Owner Mark Williamson, we happily set off for home. We once again used our tickets for the bus and twenty minutes later we arrived back in our room.

It was a nice night and a good day overall. We had a chance to relax for a while before calling it a night.

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France 2024 – Marche De Nöel – La Défense

Posted on December 13, 2024 by herktrav

Another good night’s sleep and we were ready to step out for another day of exploring. Breakfast was perfect to get us going, so after cleaning up, we were off.

Today we decided to visit the Christmas market at La Défense. Located outside of the city, La Défense is the more modern area with high rise buildings and the Grande Arche. And that’s where the fun began.

We hopped on the metro and traveled to the Les Halles station. From there, we hopped aboard the RER A train and took it to La Défense. Disembarking, we headed up to the exit only to find out that we couldn’t exit. Our tickets were only valid for Zone 1.

Sixty-six year old gate jumpers would have made for a great headline, but we opted not to gate jump. Hell, I have enough problems walking up stairs. So after weighing our options, we got back on the train and returned to the previous station. From there we bought a ticket for the proper zone and then got back on the train.

With that little difficulty settled, we headed to the Marche de Nöel. This is a huge market. There are over two hundred stalls, plus rides for the kids and a separate area where they hold concerts.

Welcome
The Quebec village
If you want it, we have it
Hot cider, chocolate and wine
All in the shadow of the arch – if there was sun.

There were many stalls selling everything from nuts, breads, cheese, jewelry, toys, nougat, chocolate, manger figurines and so much more. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, especially those partaking in the Vin Chaud!

Aligot for all

We walked around for a while, were enticed by a few vendors to try their goodies – nougat, gingerbreads, spiced breads, cheese and nuts, and then grabbed a little bite to eat. We both had a dish of Aligot: Sue’s with duck breast and mine with sausage. Both were delicious treats.

Aligot – Mashed potatoes with lots of cheese. Sausage (left), duck (right)

The ride back was much easier with our proper tickets, though the trains and metro were crowded. It felt good to get back home to rest for a while.

Since we hadn’t stuffed ourselves at the market, we decided to book a reservation for dinner in the evening. Wanting to stay in the area, we chose Cafe Louise for our dining pleasure. It’s just two doors down and always has lots of local people there.

Our hunch was correct, as it turned out to be a perfect choice. It was nicely decorated and the seating was comfortable. Our waitress was extremely nice, encouraging our use of French and approving of our selections.

We started off with a glass of champagne just to be festive. For starters Sue had a delicious pork terrine and I had house made seafood spring rolls with shrimp and salmon. For our main plate, Sue had the braised beef cheeks while I continued with the seafood theme and had a lobster roll. Sue had a glass of red burgundy, while I went with a white chablis. Everything was awesome.

Clockwise: Terrine, Spring rolls, beef cheeks & lobster roll

They were really mine, but for dessert we shared an order of profiteroles made with chestnut ice cream and then finished off with a glass of port wine. Wow! It wasn’t expected to be this good, so it was quite a treat for a last minute reservation.

Profiterole

We took the three second stroll back to the hotel and relaxed for the remainder of the evening.

Home already?

More fun to come tomorrow!

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France 2024 – Shoppers’ Delight

Posted on December 12, 2024 by herktrav

Woke up after a good night’s sleep feeling ready and raring to go. The breakfast room was getting a facelift, so the hotel was providing breakfast in your room. We had the basic continental breakfast with tea, bread and pastries – figuring we would get lunch later, while we were out and about.

Today we decided to visit the “Grand Magasins” or big department stores to see their holiday displays. Both the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps are decked out for the holidays with window displays and decorations throughout the stores.

It didn’t take long to get there as we just retraced our steps from last evening. Once at the Aubert station, it was just a five minute walk over to Boulevard Haussmann. We started at Galeries Lafayette.

Galeries Lafayette – 130 Years of Christmas

Galeries Lafayette is celebrating their 130th Christmas. Looking from the outside, I figured it would take my whole allowance just to buy a cookie. It seems like they had displays from every high end designer and luxury product company. But it doesn’t cost anything to look…right ?

First, the animated windows:

Interesting displays with a designer touch. Cute, but lacking that extra holiday feeling.

Inside is their famous Christmas tree hanging under the belle époque dome. This is where the pizazz factor comes in.

What a beautiful sight to see and you can’t miss it. The store is six floors plus the height of the dome and the tree was at least four floors tall. On the top of each hour, the tree lights change color and sparkle brightly. Very nice!

We spiraled our way up the escalators until we arrived at the top floor and then went out on the rooftop terrace. You get a great view of the city from there. I’m sure it would be even nicer on a warm sunny day; however we enjoyed it even with the clouds and grey skies.

Dior at the exit Door

Overall, it was a wonderful visit. They certainly make the place look festive. You’ll be so dazzled you probably won’t even feel your credit card burning through your wallet.

Next we went over to check out Printemps.

Printemps is known for their delightful window displays. This year’s theme is the Printemps Express. It’s a magical train ride to Christmas.

Get your tickets
All aboard
Grand mama and young girl on board
Pillow fight
Dressing up
Dining car
Celebrating
The express engine

Printemps caught our imagination with their delightful, whimsical animated windows. We loved their historical sensibility. Such a delight.

Historical advertising posters from Printemps

Beautiful and with such a charming theme. It was fun to see the kids looking at the windows in awe and having such a good time.

I know these two kids enjoyed them, remembering seeing the windows at the old AM&A’s department store windows in downtown Buffalo.

There were so many people out and about that we decided not to have lunch there. Instead, we returned to our neighborhood and took a walk to find our way to this evening’s dinner restaurant. It ended up being an easy walk and before heading back to the hotel, we stopped for lunch.

We found a cute little Italian restaurant called Gioia that turned out to be a real treat. We shared a caprese salad, pasta carbonara and a pizza along with a bottle of Montepulciano wine. Everything was delicious and very reasonably priced. Honestly, we would have paid more at home.

Afterwards, we took a slow stroll back to the hotel to relax for a while. Unfortunately, we passed by the Christmas market so we arrived back at the hotel with a hunk of Nougat. That’s nougat with pistachios, almonds and hazelnuts. Yum!

Contrary to what you think, I didn’t dive into the nougat. Actually, I took a nap.

For dinner, we ventured over to Chez Fernand – Christine. It is located in the heart of the 6th arrondisement and is highly regarded for their boeuf bourguignon. It’s tucked away on a small side street and there were people waiting outside to get in when we arrived. They have two seatings each evening at 7:00 and 9:00.

Like lemmings heading towards the sea, we too ordered the boeuf bourguignon. However, we also order a bottle of Nuits St. George to go along. We enjoyed dinner, but it wasn’t the best we’ve ever had.

That said, we had a wonderful time. The seating was very tight and we had a lovely single woman sitting next to us. We ended up chatting while eating to find out she was apartment shopping in Paris. She is a doctor from Los Angeles, originally from Iran, studied in France thirty years ago and loves coming back. We had so much fun talking with her.

The walk back to the hotel afterwards was pleasant and it felt good to just relax for a while before heading to bed. We’ve been listening to an Apple Music smooth jazz Christmas playlist each evening and enjoying it very much.

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France 2024 – Bonjour Paris!

Posted on December 11, 2024 by herktrav

I have no qualms about saying that Paris is my favorite travel destination. I can’t express how grateful and lucky I feel to be back, especially with the holiday spirit in the air – people are cheerful and the ‘City of Lights’ is shining even brighter with colorful decorations – if only it was like this all the time. That said, we have arrived!

Our day started well. The driver arrived a few minutes early and we were ready to go. The ride up to Toronto was smooth and quick. Well actually, smooth and fast as our driver was zooming right along. Once we arrived at Pearson Airport, we only had a few minutes to wait before checking in our luggage.

Since we were flying business class, we’re able to enjoy the Air Canada Signature Lounge. Our server, Nav, was awesome and took great pride in making sure we enjoyed our meal. He even bumped us up on our wine selection with our meal.

We were chatting with a couple sitting next to us after dinner. They were heading to Amsterdam to start a Christmas Market River Cruise to celebrate his retirement. The time passed quickly and soon we were all ready to head to our gates to leave.

Our flight was delayed while they finished loading some freight, but aside from that we had an easy flight. We both slept for a while, which was a treat. It makes the first day so much easier to not be exhausted.

A bonus, thanks to the Olympics, was an updated passport control area. Using the machines makes things so much quicker. The baggage claim area is also new. Kudos to the French for the upgrades.

The first order of the day was getting from the Charles DeGaulle Airport to our hotel. We’re staying at the Hotel Au Manoir des St Germain in the 6th arrondissement. To get there using public transport would require changing from the train to the metro and then a short walk to the hotel. So towards the taxi line we went.

Between the baggage claim and the taxi line is the gauntlet of scammers trying to get you to ride with them. The way to navigate is to just say no and keep moving. They are not registered and they don’t abide by the fixed tariff rules.

The ride from the airport to a left bank destination is a fixed €65 rate; only €58 if you’re going to the right bank. After letting our driver know where we were heading, we were on our way.

We’ve stayed at Hotel Au Manoir des St Germain before and enjoyed it. It is in a great location, it’s cozy and the people there are all very friendly and helpful, so we thought it would be a good choice.

We arrived a bit early for check-in, however our room was ready. We were able to get settled in and cleaned up, which was an unexpected treat.

We decided to head next door to Brasserie Lipp for a nice lunch. It’s one of the landmark brasseries where all the old literary folks used to hang out. We shared some foie gras and then both ordered the Duck confit. We enjoyed a nice bottle of red wine from St. Joseph and ended our meal happy and sated.

We made the long walk of about ten feet back to our hotel and relaxed before changing for the evening’s event.

We had a 6:00 pm reservation for the Tootbus, so we headed over to the starting point. Their office is located near the Opera Garnier, which is a ways away from us. We decided to take the Metro to get there, since it was rush hour and the streets looked a little busy.

It was a bit drizzly, so it is nice having a Metro station close by. I had already recharged our Navigo cards, so it just took two taps and we were on our way. The first train was a bit crowded as it was just after 5:00 pm and people were heading home for the day. The second train was also crowded, but since we only had one stop, we just stood in the doorway.

Tootbus Holiday Tour

Tonight’s excursion was an open-air bus tour to see the holiday lights in the city. We made sure to wear warm layered clothes, hats and gloves to fight off the chill.

The route started off near the Opera Garnier, then headed to the Place Vendôme, La Madeleine, Place de Concorde, up the Champs Élysée around the Arc de Triomphe, back down the Champs Élysée, over to the Trocadéro, across to the Eiffel Tower, over to Avenue Montaigne, by the Louvre and then back to Blvd Haussmann and ending in front of Au Printemps. Don’t believe me? I have pictures to prove it.

Opera Garnier – the advertising is covering the work being done to the facade.
Decorations along the streets
Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme – Chanel
La Madeleine
Champs Élysée
Champs Élysée – Louis Vuitton Store
Arc De Triomphe
Eiffel Tower

The bus arrived at the Eiffel Tower at the top of the hour and we got to watch the light display. It was quite the treat.

Eiffel Tower – lights at the top of the hour
Marché de Nöel by the Eiffel Tower
The Dior Store on Avenue Montaigne
Courtyard at the Louvre
Au Printemps Preview

It may have been a little chilly, but it was a lot of fun. The decorations were beautiful, we got ideas for where places were that we want to visit and learned a new short cut via the Metro and RER trains to move about the city. Also learned about ticket inspectors as they were at the exit when we returned to Saint Germain station. No worries though.

Took the short walk back to the hotel and it sure felt good to stretch out and climb into a warm, comfy bed. 3..2..1.. And it was off to dreamland – we were tired.

It was a great first day in Paris.

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