Thanksgiving

These are my sweet girls. Don't let them fool you! They actually are demons and run wild when you are not looking. I love them all the same.

Final touches

I think the toughest part of putting together a vacation itinerary is making all the final decisions. I decided to add one more tour from Context Paris for a total of five guided tours. The new tour is a private guided tour of the Eastern Antiquities at the Louvre. Context promises an archaeologist or an art historian with a deep understanding of ancient art. I am eager to revisit this area at the Louvre and learn more.
That will leave about one-half of our time free to visit other museum exhibits on our own - and the flexibility to change our minds (which we often do). I have left one entire day ‘open’ for us to fill in during our trip.

Poor self-control

Okay - I did it! I gave into my own demons and bought an iPhone. I know, I know - a new iPhone will be out any day. I simply could not stand the pressure to own one for myself.

I promise to share my impressions and personal experiences from finally having the iPhone added to my list of electronic devices.

Vacation homework

The vacation research never ends. With the itinerary nearly complete - I have turned my energy towards researching the various artist showing at the temporary exhibits in Paris and some of the places that we will see including St. Denis and Versailles.

So far I have nine overviews completed for our Paris itinerary. Many of the museums in Paris don't label their exhibits in English. A little homework in advance makes sure the entrance fees are well spent.

Museum audio guides are well worth the extra cost too.

Moleskins Paris Notebook comes with maps and other nice features already inside. At $17.95 it is a little pricey.

Making memories

Paris 2008 planning is back on track. I spent hours at Barnes & Noble and Borders Book Store yesterday. I purchased one of these Moleskine Paris City Notebooks. I thought I'd try using it as the binder for our 2008 itinerary.

I bought Avery 3 by 4 labels to print and add our itinerary, guides, and more to the Notebook.

If I do it right - it will make a nice keepsake for everyone.

Staying current

Keeping up-to-date can be a real challenge. I mentioned learning how to use my HTC mobile phone to post to my blog. What I failed to mention was upgrading from MS Mobile 5 to MS Mobile 6. Who knew that my phone's software was out-of-date? After hours of missteps - I finally got my HTC updated and working right! I am doing everything I can to put off buying an iPhone.

It is time to update my Garmin's maps with Europe 2008 files. Wish me luck!

Connections

I decided it was time to bite the bullet and update my blog's template. I admit the new (at least new to me) templates offer some nice additions especially adding gadgets. I love them.

The hardest part is not overdoing them! There are thousands of them! I am new to social networking. ShareThis is a good feature to add to the blog. I also added links to my Plaxo, LinkedIn, and Facebook profiles to the blog's template.

http://sharethis.com/
http://www.plaxo.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/
http://www.facebook.com/

Staying In Touch

HTC Mobile Phone from AT&T

I finally figured it out! After a ton of research and a few errors - I can now post to my blog from my HTC mobile phone. Many of you are thinking 'why would you want to do that?' It means that I do not have to take my bulky laptop to Paris. The HTC is WiFi capable so all I have to do is find a Hotspot. The built-in camera phone will let me post pictures too. Deep down - you have to admit this is kinda cool.

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/welcome/

Feeding Frenzy

We heard from our good friend Rosa Jackson today. Good news regarding progress on our retaurant reservations for our trip to Paris. New Year's Eve is always the biggest challenge. Based on the emails, it looks like we have another great experience in store for us.

http://www.rosajackson.com/

Here is a current picture of my kids Jena and Nebo. They are both tons of fun.

Clearly the downside to Fall is having to rake leaves.

Fall in Texas

Fall has arrived at home. It is a nice transition from summer - which seems to last forever. Actually that is one of the benefits to living here - short and mild winters. The last terrible winter that I recall was in the mid-1980's - making Dallas a great place.

Break from vacation planning

Whew - I have to admit I am running out of party planning steam. I know, I know. Don't quit just yet. I guess I just need a break to recharge my batteries. My friends at Context Paris continue to demonstrate their outstanding customer service. Fabriana has turned me over to Jeremy in their Paris office - who has taken over my planning with an enormous amount of energy and creativity. I am definitely in good hands.

Goodness these folks are good!

Gadgets can make the trip

I love gadgets. I don’t know what I would do without my iPod. I have a new gadget. I now own a Garmin nüvi 670 - a handheld global position system device with both North America and Europe maps. Yes! Can you tell I am excited? It will also let me put in my own points of interests. Now I know what to do with those google maps I have been creating for Paris!

So far, so good

Okay – the Paris 2008 itinerary is almost complete. Thirteen museums most with temporary exhibits, four guided tours, and still 1 1/2 days left to schedule. Darn – I got so close to filling up 10 days. I encountered only one problem so far – no confirmation for one set of e-tickets that I purchased from the Pinacotheque Museum. Hopefully, they will respond to my email soon.

I tossed a few new ideas to some tour companies to help me fill up the remaining time. I cannot wait to read their proposals. Now it is time to start working on lunch ideas, subway passes, and train tickets. Our dinner recommendations including New Year’s Eve should arrive in a couple of weeks from Rosa Jackson at Edible Paris.

I have to figure out FNAC and order the remaining museum tickets. Thanks to google translator - I think I have to find a FNAC store near the hotel to collect these tickets after we arrive in Paris. I hope that is right.

Montmartre

One rainy day after visiting Sacre Coeur we stumbled onto the sweetest little restaurant at 10, rue Lamarck named Au Clocher de Montmartre. To find it – you have to walk the opposite direction (East) from the church and away from the artist square. Follow this tip and you will find a great escape from the crowds. In Paris – I think it would qualify as home cooking. After a morning tour (yes, another Context Paris tour) of Montmartre we will need a quiet place to fill our bellies and rest our tired feet. We will finish off the day with a visit to the Musee de Montmarte. A charming museum which pays tribute to many of the artists that lived in the area.

http://www.museedemontmartre.fr/

St. Denis

Okay I will be the first to admit – I don’t enjoy exploring churches as much as my traveling companions. I’d rather wander around or be in a modern art museum. So I was not sure that a trip to the basilica of St. Denis was a good idea. Luckily – our newest tour company Context Paris offers a 3 hour guided tour of this site. Joined by an experience docent, a trip to St. Denis should be a more rewarding experience. So add it to the list of tours we have schedule with them.

A side note – if Fabriana (Philadelphia office) fairly represents the quality of customer service to be expected from Context Paris then we have a wonderful time in store for us.

http://www.contexttravel.com/paris/tours/basilica-of-saint-denis/PTR3610/?linked-tours=yes

The room has all the standard amenities, good closet space and updated bathrooms. The flat screen televisions get a variety of channels but most are in French.

Our favorite room at the Hotel d'Albe overlooks rud de la Harpe in the Latin Quarter.

Home in Paris

It takes time to find a hotel to meet your personal tastes and requirements. I tend to prefer hotels that are modern, moderately priced, and located centrally. It took us three times to find a hotel to call home in Paris. For us it is the Hotel d’Albe in the Latin Quarter. The rooms are clean and modern. Service is good. The location is perfect. The hotel is one block from the RER train service. We take the train from CDG airport direct to the city and the station is fairly easy to manage (although you have to be okay with getting lost a few times and be able to manage your own luggage).

Hotel d’Albe is one block from St. Michel and the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. If you cannot live without American-style (and size) coffee or tea, a friendly Starbucks is very close. If you use the metro the St. Michel station is the closest and only a few steps away. One word of caution – if you are a ‘light’ sleeper the Latin Quarter can be noisy. You should ask for a higher floor room assignment and don’t plan to open your sound-proof windows for fresh air at night.

All-in-all Hotel d’Albe gets high scores from our crew.

http://www.parisalbehotel.com/

Eating Right

Eating right is difficult. By right – I don’t mean no fat, no cream and no calories. I guess I mean eating good food accompanied by good atmosphere. Paris is not short on restaurants. But finding good ones can be a challenge. From past experience – I found we would wander around town at dinner time probably passing four or five of the better restaurants in our search for the ‘right’ one that was ‘just around the corner’. In most cases, we found ourselves starving and then rushing into the first place we could find. Starving patrons are never satisfied with the service or the food. Three years ago we found a solution to this dilemma. We hire a local foodie to recommend restaurants for us and arrange for seating times. In Paris, we use Rosa Jackson from Edible Paris. She is outstanding and her recommendations are right on target for us. By the way – she also writes the foodie column for Paris Notes.

Rosa makes eating right easy. With her help we experience some of the best restaurants in Paris. Her advanced reservations help us with planning our day and makes dinner decisions stress free.

http://www.edible-paris.com/

Back to Versailles

Last year our trip to Versailles was met with disaster. The weather outside of Paris turned bad and sleet fell in the outlying areas. Versailles’ opening was delayed and we stood in the morning rain watching a rather comical parade of workers de-icing the walkways into the chateau. It was not comical at the time – only now that I can look back on it. After considering what Versailles would be like once the hordes of tourists made it inside – we decided to flee the scene.

Our tour guide did a good job substituting our trip to Versailles with a driving tour of the Chevreuse Valley outside of Paris. If you have never been to Versailles – it is a definite must on your trip itinerary and fairly straightforward to get to on the RER. We hire tour guide Sabine Le Duault from Paris Authentique. She was recommended to us by a business colleague. Hopefully the weather will be better this year and we will make it to Versailles. A special treat will be seeing the famous Hall of Mirrors now that the restoration is complete. Sabine - we will see you soon!

http://paris.authentique.free.fr/

Itinerary 2008 comes together

The itinerary is coming together nicely. Research is almost done. A few of the tickets for exhibits have been purchased. Some tours have been selected and reservations are complete. Our itinerary is going to be busy! Although my traveling companions will not agree – I did leave a few hours for us to do some random wandering or sleep. If the weather cooperates this is going to be a terrific trip.

Our trip will make the most of seeing the main temporary exhibitions across the city. Not only will these exhibits return us to some of our favorite spots (Musee du l’Orangerie and Musee Jacquemart Andre) – it will also take us to some new places (Pinacotheque Museum and Musee Marmottan). For outdoor fun – a walking tour of the Montmartre area and the art galleries in the Marais area of Paris. These guided tours should strengthen our knowledge of the city and be very useful in our future visits.

Why Paris?

Why visit Paris every year? All my life I read or watched movies that tried to capture the magic of the city of lights. I admit many of their stories came pretty close. They did create in me a fantasy of life in Paris. My first trip to Paris was five years ago. Three of us took off from the United States to roam around the city and see her sights. For me – it was love at first sight. In a nutshell, Paris is all the things that I wish my own home town was like every day. I am drawn back to her year after year.

Struggling American

What? I should have taken French language classes.The main struggle with pre-planning is figuring out how to purchase tickets in advance. Luckily – e-tickets are becoming more popular and therefore more available. Unfortunately – not every museum in Paris allows for online ticketing. FNAC (which honestly I have no idea what it is – other than it appears to be a store of some kind) is a popular ticket sales place. They do offer some limited e-tickets. I still have not figured out how to purchase tickets for pick up. Armed with google translator, I am tackling this challenge head on.

Geeks Rule

You know you are official a 'geek' when you learn how to use google mapping and start plotting your itinerary under my maps. Seriously - I think it is a good idea. I know, I know. Stopping playing around, quit the research and get busy finishing the itinerary. Time is ticking away!

In & Out

Being indoors is always a safe place to be during January in Paris. That said – being outdoors can be wonderful too. I enjoy mixing up the itinerary a bit during the trip. Museums are great. But you cannot miss out on seeing the markets, parks, cafes, and gardens if you really want to experience Paris. It is time to pick a part of the city for us to learn about during this trip. Paris can be a big city when making these decisions.

Filling in the blanks

This will give you an idea of my challenge. Above is an image of a small part of our itinerary from last year. I better slow down on the research and start filling in some blanks on this year's program.

Touring Paris

Another challenge is finding just the right tour company to conduct tours. Context Paris has been recommended to us. As you can see from the image – they have plenty of tours for us to consider. I find tour guides definitely add to the experience and are well worth the investment. Now I just have to pick from their exhaustive list!

http://www.contexttravel.com/home/

Stinky Ideas

Okay - how weird is this idea? We travel around the World to visit the Paris Sewer Museum. It seems to be something to see – the underground of Paris. In case you don’t know – underneath the city lies Roman ruins that can be seen outside the Cluny and in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral. The Paris cemeteries are another underground attraction. So – why not sewers? Besides [like everything] it sounds better in French! I say we add a visit to Musee des Eqouts de Paris to the list.

http://europeforvisitors.com/paris/articles/paris-sewers-museum.htm

Decisions, decisions, decisions

I am starting to worry a little about our itinerary for this year's trip to Paris. All my research is coming back with more ideas and exhibitions. Who knew that there would be so many museums remaining for us to visit for the first time? I hope everyone is ready for a jam-packed trip. We average about 15 miles walking a day – this year we may set a new record.

A perfect end to the start of another year

A wonder to behold – Musee de l’Orangerie sits alone in the gardens in front of the massive Musee du Louvre. It reopened after an extensive renovation just a few years ago. Nestled in this space are Monet’s water lilies – brought back to life through a careful redesign which allows natural light to change the mood each and every visit. Below ground – the museum houses an incredible collection. I am a huge Modigliani fan. This museum is home to some of his best works. It is also open on New Year’s Day. Nothing could be better than finishing New Year's Day admiring the beautiful collection housed in this carefully designed space. Can you tell I love it?

Starting the year off right

http://www.museeduluxembourg.fr/

Paris on New Year's Day

For those of us that don’t party into the early morning hours – New Year’s Day can be somewhat of a struggle to discover something fun to do. A few years ago we happened on the Musee du Luxembourg – a small exhibit space next door to the beautiful Luxembourg gardens. Since then it has become our morning tradition to visit whatever exhibition is hanging on New Year’s Day. This year – From Miro to Warhol is showing. I can hardly wait to see it.

Louvre - Ruler of Museums

No trip to Paris can be complete without a trip to the Musee du Louvre. We have learn to dissect this otherwise overwhelming museum into bit size visits. Our helpful tour guide introduced us to the Near Eastern Antiquities during our last visit. It left us hungry to learn more about this interesting wing of the Louvre – which is tucked away from the larger touring groups rushing to see the Mona Lisa. Temporary exhibitions are also an important part of any trip. This year – Mantega exhibit is hanging around just in time.

http://www.louvre.fr/

Emil Nolde - German Expressionism

http://www.rmn.fr/Emil-Nolde

Picasso at the Grand

http://www.rmn.fr/Picasso-et-les-maitres

Grand Palais

Sitting on the Right Bank just off the River Seine - the Grand Palais is a remarkable exhibition site. It is always home to some wonderful shows. Advance tickets and reservations are a good idea. The lines can be extremely long. Last year we toured the Gustave Courbet exhibit. It was amazing. This year - two exhibits Picasso et les Maitres and Emil Nolde are showing. Both look very interesting to me.

Paris Notes

Do you love Paris? if so - you should consider subscribing to Paris Notes. It is a monthly newsletter on the city of lights. I find it to be extremely useful in planning. They have good links to other Web sites too. For a few euros a year - you can get their latest updates, insightful articles, and notice of upcoming attractions. Our favorite fellow foodie - Rosa Jackson writes a great column. For me - Paris Notes is a must read. The Paris Notes Web site is at http://www.parisnotes.com/ .

Van Dyck Exhibition

Musee Jacquemart Andre is a wonderful museum located in Paris. It is on our short list of museums to revisit every year. Thankfully - the Van Dyck exhibit gives us a good excuse to prioritize this museum on our itinerary again this year. The museum Web site is at http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/en/jacquemart/andre.com/en/jacquemart/ .

Bonaparte and Egypt

We have never been to the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. It is located on the left bank not too far from our hotel in the Latin Quarter. This exhibit Boneparte et l'Egypte is showing during our trip. It looks very interesting. The museum's Web site is at http://www.imarabe.org/ .

Paris Planning 2008

It is hard to believe another year has almost passed us by. I am happy to say farewell to 2008. It has been a challenging year for so many of my family and friends. Hopefully - 2009 will bring great things to all.

Once again it is time to beginning planning for our vacation to Paris! This year we have 10 days to enjoy the city. Of course - much of the fun is in the planning which is already underway. I am pulling together the itinerary for the trip and enjoying researching the many adventures offered during our dates. The hotel is booked - our favorite Hotel d'Albe in the Latin Quarter near Notre Dame.