CHAPTER 8. FRANCE-PARIS CONT.

We return to Paris in the fall of 1994 for a week. This time we stay in a B&B that was advertised in the International Travel News and reserved with a phone call. The B&B is on the left bank of the Seine, a short bus ride from the river. Madam Lacroix has an extra room in their living quarters, which is above her doctor husband’s office.

Our travel this trip is to be partly by train, so we have only one small roll on suitcase apiece. This proves to be too much for Betty since there are many steps and escalators to negotiate in the railroad stations. We do manage to take the RER from De Gualle airport to Denfort station, and then a taxi on to the B&B. From then on we use taxis to go to and from the stations.

The D’Orsay art museum opened after our previous Paris visits, so we go this time. The conversion from a train station is very interesting; there are many little rooms and different levels; the top level has 5 flights of escalators going up to it. We get quite tired walking so we have a good lunch at the restaurant, but still not rested, we leave the museum soon after eating.

The new pyramid entrance to the Louvre is another thing we want to see. After an excellent lunch at Les Fountaines St. Honore Restaurant nearby we see the new entrance. It is really very pleasing and very modern & exciting architecture. There are many, many people including a host of Japanese tours following their guide’s flag.

While going thru La Cité we see a short line at the entrance to La Conciergerie and go inside. It is Gothic construction and has cells with heavy steel bars. Marie Antoinette’s cell is featured.

We go back to La Perigourdine Restaurant for a lunch of lamb chops and french fried potatoes. It is good, but not as good as we remember from prior visits. We have another lunch at the Étoile Vert Restaurant. It looks just the same as it did in 1982, with the same waitress, and the same good food.

The B&B works out OK; it is cool in late September and is much nicer when the heat is finally turned on. Down in the kitchen area we have continental breakfasts of powdered coffee, fresh baguette with home made jam, and usually some added home made rhubarb stew, apple sauce, or pudding. The neighborhood is good, with bus service a half block away, and with restaurants, Laundromat, supermarket, and bank nearby. Madam Lacroix insists on making sandwiches from our materials for the train ride when we leave.