The Eurostar was fast and full. It makes the trip to Paris in about 3 hours stopping only at Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Brussels. I slept soundly from Brussels to Paris and had a shake-to-wake experience on arrival. I was groggy but with help from new Canadian friends got luggage down from the racks and onto the platform.

We joined a long taxi line until a “Securite” officer guided us to a shorter queue for groups carrying luggage and needing larger transport. We were third in this line. One of the taxi drivers jumped the line or did something wrong, we were not sure.

We observed a shouting and, I am sure, cursing event in French among the driver, passengers forced out of his taxi, a different driver, and Securite. Entertaining, but a little frightening for our first Paris experience.

Finally loaded into a nice black van like Beyoncé and Jay Z, we whizzed along the streets of Paris passing L’Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to stick my head out of the window and pant with excitement like a cocker spaniel. The taxi driver dodged cars, drove in the bus lanes, and delivered us in 20 minutes to our apartment in 16th arrondissement, an area called Passy on the west side of Paris.

28 Rue d’Annonciation and Neighborhood

When we rented the Airbnb last November, photographs showed us a modern apartment with a beautiful built-in kitchen and large island, sleek living room, luxury beds, bathrooms, and lots of closet space.

Perfect for a three week stay.

The apartment manager, Fanny Ribierto, greeted us on the street and ushered us into the apartment. To open the gate/door at the street, you key in a code, walk through a passage, and enter a century-old cobbled courtyard perhaps 30 meters by 20 meters with space for bicycles and recycling bins and a garden in need of care.

Across the rear of the courtyard, we faced a modern concrete and glass building with 8 apartments on 3 floors. Another key code is needed to enter the building. We are staying one flight up on the first floor. A heavy duty key opens the double-lock front door into the apartment— more spectacular in person than in picture.

Fanny showed us around pointing out various features and how some things work. Jim, Betsy, and Becky still know some French so they were able to understand most of the conversation or use phone translators. We have her number and Airbnb contact for anything we need. (We have called her twice to help with the induction range which began beep-beep-beeping and the washer/dryer which refused to wash or dry.)

The interior photographs told us nothing about the setting of 28 Rue d’Annonciation.

Jim and Betsy explored the neighborhood, while Becky and I napped. Returning with a few groceries, they had much to tell. On our street, they found several small restaurants including one with French cuisine next door. In additions, some restaurants had storefronts with cooked foods ready to go which was very handy for us. Most alluring were the Boulangerie and the Patisserie directly opposite our front door.

Only a block away, they found La Grand Epicerie de Paris, a 3-story luxury grocery store with prices matching the name, and an open-air market with many food vendors.

By 6:30, we were all ready to try one of the dining options. An excellent review for a Pakistani place led us down the street between the patisserie and the boulangerie then let us down because it was closed for renovation. We walked past a seafood cafe which was more in price or food than we wanted. Turning a sharp corner completed a triangle route back to our street where a hotel with a restaurant beckoned us.

The menu included a variety of dishes at reasonable vacation prices meaning less than 20 Euros or $24.

The busy outdoor dining area looked festive, but we opted for the warmer inside seating. Becky ordered an omelette with salad, Betsy had Thai chicken salad, and Jim and I each enjoyed beef patty with egg and frites.

We were not disappointed in the quality of the food, service, or price and knew we would be back. After a fast game of progressive rummy, we finished unpacking and soon fell into great beds with Paris dreams dancing in our heads.

Wandering and Wondering

Much of the first three days were spent learning how the extensive tram, bus, and train system work. Again, Jim was the Master of Motion and had his job cut out for him.

Thursday. The first morning, we visited the nearby Carrefour grocery store I noticed on our walk. It is a full line grocery with reasonable prices where we bought staples plus pasta and salad fixings for supper. Lunch was a tasty wrap from the Boulangerie.

Robson Report After lunch Betsy and Jim set out to see the Eiffel Tower. They walked to Trocadero overlooking the Eiffel Tower then down to its base crowded with people—a theme for Paris. It was a perfect afternoon for walking along the Seine and admiring the scenery.

.Not finding a large bag of ground coffee in the grocery store, we set off to the Starbucks we found on Google maps. After a good bit of walking, we successfully purchased beans which they ground for us. Though the bags of coffee were much bigger, they contained the same weight of coffee at twice the price of the grocery store near us!

Crossing the Pont de Grenelle bridge we started our walk home.

Dinner was pasta and salad from the grocery store which were very tasty. But induction cook top seemed to have a mind of its own. We got the pasta sauce simmering on one burner, then the burner under the pasta turned itsself off. Finally it reset and boiled the pasta just fine. However, we had done something to hurt its feelings, and it began to beep-beep-beeping which continued through the night. The next morning Jim wrote Fanny and she showed up to turn off the beep while we were out.

Friday. A tram/train station and a bus stop were just 6 minutes from our door served as our base for learning how to get around in Paris. Navigo transport cards can be used in trains, trams, and buses in the metropolitan Paris called Ile de France. We all bought cards and set off.

Robson Report. Jim and Betsy left Becky and Steve at La Muette Metro station and headed to Montmartre for the day. Montmatre is 450 feet above the city. They made an easy trip on the Metro only complicated by missing the stop with the funicular. An easy mistake since they had not been to Paris in 30 years.

After walking up many, many steps, they arrived just in time to hear a wonderful concert in the church of St. Pierre-de-Montmartre. Five young singers accompanied by a cello and the church organ enchanted their audience for an hour.

This church, dating to 1147 AD, was the first church built in Montmartre. Today overshadowed by its gleaming neighbor Sacre Coeur, it is a delightful gem.

The remainder of our day was spent taking a Rick Steve’s walking tour of the area. The crowds were unbelievable around the Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre and the Place du Tertre, where many artists paint and sell their works.

We were happy to leave this crowd and search out the haunts of many of the most-famous impressionistic artists, Van Gogh, Picasso, Renoir and Utrillo.

Head downing from Montmartre, we stopped at the Moulin Rouge near Place Pigalle and Pig Alley. This stretch of Boulevard de Cichy from Place Blanche to Place Pigalle is considered by many to be den of all iniquities. Pig Alley got its name from WWII GI’s due to its very raunchy nature.

The return Metro trip passed without incident as they had learned very well during their morning escapades.

Becky and I took two trams to Chatelet les Halles in the heart of Paris.

We walked along the Seine for several blocks and found a Creperie for coffee and lunch.

From our seats, we could see two towers and the spire of Notre Dame. Approaching the famous cathedral, we stopped for a photo near one of the original Metropolitan subway stops with its original ornate sign and railing.

Thousands of people were lined up waiting for entrance to Notre Dame, and thousands more were milling about like ants. Becky took a quick photograph before we walked back to an RER train entrance for Lines B and C.

To say the transportation system is complex is an understatement. This particular entrance serves both B Trains and C Trains with a warren of tunnels interconnecting at different levels. We took elevators, escalators, and stairs up and down several times before finding the illusive RER C Train platform. Several people were helpful, others were friendly but not helpful or too busy to answer irritating Americans.

Eventually we found the C Train platform for trains going west but different C Trains took three different routes and destinations. We were looking for the Pontaise train which appeared 15 minutes later,

Becky entertained three children with “Itsy Bitsy Spider” while we waited and on the train. Eight stops later we back at our Muette/Boulainvilliers location and were glad to find an elevator to the surface.

The exit was in a completely different location from where we entered the. Station. Google maps and I had a misunderstanding which led us the wrong way for a couple of blocks before we found the right direction. We were back at number 28 in ten minutes.

When the Robsons joined us, Jim and I walked across the street and bought dinner at the take-out seafood buffet across the street: black cod in cream sauce, salmon cooked with tomato, peppers and olive, and sweet potato’s. Quite a feast for 40 Euros or $48. Our first day had been an introduction to the transport system and offered great glimpses of Paris.

Wandering and Laundering?

Saturday. Becky and Steve stayed around the neighborhood and breathed Paris air. We had the “daily special lunch” from the Lebanese cafe across the street: a huge gyro, 2 small appetizers, and drink for 12 Euros. Due to some communication confusion, I would up with 3 daily specials with 3 gyros—falafel, veggie, and chicken. We ate part of the gyros for lunch and put the rest away for supper when Betsy and Jim returned late, exhausted, and hungry from their travels.

Robson Report A bit before noon we headed to the metro with Notre Dame our goal. Arriving there was easy, but negotiating the crowds was nearly impossible. Fortunately, we had been inside the cathedral in the past so we spent our time there reading about the fascinating ongoing restoration process.

Lunch was on a stone bench in the plaza. After exploring the rest of the de La Cite around Notre Dame, we cross over the Seine to the Latin Quarter looking for the hotel where we had stayed so many years ago, but could not figure out exactly where it was and whether it was still there. Despite that, we had wonderful afternoon strolling through the beautiful Paris neighborhoods. Late in the afternoon we were near Notre Dame and observed, not the same people, but the same hordes Steve and Becky had seen the day before.

The return trip from Notre Dame began with the same multi-level up-and-down escalator-elevator-stairs search for the RER C Train that Steve and Becky had the day before. But travel was more complicated because the C Train line to Pontaise ceased operation at Musee d’Orsay dumping everybody out into 5;00 traffic looking for alternative routes home. Every transport was overflowing. The alternative involved two Metros with long lines and waits for both.

The Robsons were happy to join Becky and Steve for dinner with left-over lunch gyros.

Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday surprised us as most of the cafes and shops on our street were open and bustling. Morning began with a grocery walk to Carrefour grocery to replenish staples and get laundry detergent for impending laundry. Becky and I did not start laundry despite our best efforts. After an hour of frustration with the combo washer/dryer, we sent a message to Fanny.

Robson Report. After moving slowly in the morning, we stopped across the street for a Lebanese wrap to eat enroute to Montparnasse. We wanted to know how to navigate the Gare de Montparnasse where we catch the train on Tuesday morning for our side trip to Tours in the Loire valley. This turned into a daunting task and we were glad we did this early.

The station is 4 levels, huge and extremely complicated. We found no one who speaks English— even in the tourist information area. And that is really only a bank of computers with a couple of attendants not eager to help in any way. We spent a couple of hours locating platforms and train schedule boards. Time will tell on Tuesday morning!!! We did venture out to the Place de Montparnasse but it began to rain so we snapped a couple of photos and headed back.

As the Robsons arrived about 5:45, Becky and I were out the door to the Eglise Notre Dame de Grace Passy which is a 1 minute walk from 28. Beside the old church from 1666, the new church from 1860 is huge and stunning with white limestone block walls and modern stained glass indicating a contemporary update.

We lit a candle for our great friend Sister Mary Alyce who was in hospital in Milwaukee, and we sat in silence and awe. A special Easter service featured organ music and a soprano soloist with a powerful voice leading the congregation in song and response. A young priest offered the homily in French and several congregants read passages. The service was a beautiful and moving ritual. Although we did not understand the words, we understood the meaning of the Easter celebration.

When we returned to 28, Jim and Betsy had enticed the washing machine to roar into action. Actually it was very quiet for the entire 4 hours! that it was washing.

The French Restaurant next door was open until 10:00; we went about 7:30 and ordered—sausages for Jim and Steve, beef bourguignon for Betsy, and onion soup with Greek salad for Becky.

The evening ended with a game of progressive rummy with 3 of us competing for the high score which is not the goal of the game. The washing machine finally completed its 4 hour cycle. What was it doing for 4 hours? Becky put clothes on a rack to dry. Betsy started another load after some more washing machine craziness. Then everybody headed for bed.