On a Dime Destinations: 30 hours in Amsterdam

August 03, 2016

Thanks to the Thalys train 20th anniversary sale I recently took an unexpected trip to Amsterdam.

Happy that I signed up for e-mail notifications from my favorite train ticket provider, Captain Train so that I knew about the one-day sale with 20€ train tickets from Paris to Amsterdam. Count me in!

As soon as I received the e-mail announcement I quickly jumped into action. Looking for open days on my calendar and affordable hotels in Amsterdam. After finding both, I booked my trip – 40€ round-trip – thankyouverymuch Thalys. I'm going to Amsterdam!

My first – and only previous trip to Amsterdam was 40 years ago, with my parents and my sister. It was our first stop on a 3-week trip to Europe. I remember little of that trip. We stayed in typical hotel with the ladder-like staircases and we visited the usual tourist sights. I do remember how my mother always told the story of how, at the Anne Frank House, they spelled “diary” as “dairy”. I always wondered why the rest of us didn't notice that?

About a week before my trip, while doing some research, I decided to look at my hotel room again This was when I realized that my room was not only tiny, it more than likely did not have window. Yikes! At least there was none shown in the photos. No way was I going to stay in a windowless closet - not even for just one night. How did I miss this?

Hotels in Amsterdam tend to be pricey, making it difficult for a solo traveler to have a budget trip to this popular destination. Add to that the fact that I’m booking late and at the beginning of the high season. I love a good challenge!

Luckily the travel Gods were with me, and I found a lovely twin room with huge windows in a small hotel for only 100€/night – plus it was in a better location. I booked it. And canceled the closet.

The train ride to Amsterdam was an uneventful 3 hours and 20 minutes. I was glad to have arrived early at Gare du Nord for my 8:19 departure. Though, I was disappointed with the food options near the departure tracks and ended up boarding the train without any breakfast.

After a quick tram ride to my hotel, I was checked in by 12:30. I’d call that a pretty productive morning.

Who wouldn't want to ride the Chiquita Banana tram?

The Hotel Prinsenhof looked exactly like the photos. The narrow ladder-like stairs were a bit daunting, especially with luggage. But from the first floor they had a handy-dandy pulley to help haul things up and down the stairs. I was relieved when they told me that my room was on the third floor – only 2 more flights to go.

Since I had skipped breakfast and was starving, I stopped in the café next door for lunch. A sandwich of old farmer’s cheese, pickles, lettuce and mustard on brown bread – and a beer – all for less than 10.00€. It was perfect.

With just over 24 hours in Amsterdam I didn’t have a lot of time. My plan was to wander, shop a little and hopefully take a canal cruise on my first day. On day two, plans were to visit the Van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank House. Luckily, I had gotten tickets to the Anne Frank House online, but decided to risk it and plan for an early arrival at the Van Gogh Museum - because I hate having too many scheduled events when I travel.

After lunch I headed towards the Kalverstraat to check out the big HEMA store there. HEMA is a Dutch department store that’s kind of like a Target – but not quite. I like shopping in their stores in Paris for household items and was looking forward to seeing the bigger version in Amsterdam.

It wasn’t the wow that I was hoping for, but it was still interesting. Especially the fact that they sold contact lenses in the drug store aisle – and they were cheap! Too bad I didn’t know my prescription.

10 daily, or 2 one-month lenses for 5.25€ - wow!

Getting around Amsterdam was super-easy with the trams. Having researched in advance, I decided to buy a 48-hour unlimited pass for 12€, knowing that it would get me from the train station to my hotel and back, plus any other rides that I wanted – or needed to take. I wish that I'd had more time to joy ride on the trams.

My hopeful shoe shopping didn’t pan out, but I still enjoyed my random wandering through Amsterdam, which ended with me taking the first canal cruise that I could find. I had read that they were all pretty much the same and I was happy when I stumbled upon a cruise from Rederij P. Kooij that was leaving in 10 minutes. I was even happier when they came on board to sell refreshments. Hard to beat a cold beer and cruise.

The cruise was just right. I learned about the history of the canals, bridges and the surrounding houses. The price was right too - 10.50€. I had read some criticisms of the big cruises and how it was annoying to have to listen to the narrative in different languages - but I enjoyed this and found myself trying to translate in my head before they got to the English descriptions.

After the cruise it was dinner time. I decided to head back to the same café where I’d had lunch. I was able to snag an outside table only to find out that the kitchen was closed and the menu limited in the evening. I had to settle for some spicy meatballs, which ended up being quite good.

Now I was craving dessert, but the café didn’t have any. I went on a walk along the canal Prisengracht eventually finding dessert at a nearby café. Apple tart and a coffee for 4.50€. I like Amsterdam.

Apple tart and a coffee at the cafe across the street.

After a later than hoped for start to my day, I arrived at the Van Gogh Museum around 10:00. Thankfully, the ticket line was very short.

Ever since visiting Auvers sur Oise, France - where Van Gogh spent his final 70 days, I had been looking forward to seeing his paintings from this period in Amsterdam. Sadly, there are none in Auvers sur Oise.

My visits to Auvers sur Oise were surprisingly emotional and I truly felt like I was walking in Van Gogh's footsteps. You can read about my visits here. I felt these same feelings as I studied his paintings in Amsterdam.

Unfortunately, the museum didn't allow photographs, otherwise I'd be sharing what they believed to be his last, and unfinished painting.

It was disappointing that so many of the paintings were under glass. I understand that this was to protect them from fading - but I love studying the brush strokes, and this wasn't possible with the glass and the resulting glare.

When finished with the museum, I was right on schedule to have lunch at the Winkel Café, which is known for their apple tart. Last night's apple tart was just a warm-up.

A friend recommended Winkel, and it did not disappoint. Though I liked my sandwich from the day before better than the veal cheek crostini at Winkel, the apple tart lived up to its reputation. The price was right too - only 15.00€ for the crostini, a beer, apple tart and coffee. I could get used to this.

Next stop, the Anne Frank House. It's a short walk from the café and easy to spot due to the crowds gathered outside. It's been spiffed up since 1976 and now has a modern entrance, museum shop and facilities. The house itself remains the same.

The crowds were a little annoying. I tried my best to be patient. Not that I want to whiz through, but why do people enter a room and just stop in their tracks? Oblivious to the others around them.

Needless to say, visiting the rooms where Anne and her family lived in hiding was emotional. I still have difficulty believing how this happened only 70 years ago.

After the Anne Frank House, it was time to pick up my luggage and head back to Paris. I hadn't really planned my route back to the hotel. The tram wasn't very convenient so I decided to walk instead. Google maps said that it was about 25 minutes - all of them along the canal Prinsengracht. Seemed doable - and gave me the chance to see more of Amsterdam.

After maybe 10 or 15 minutes of walking I decided to check on my progress. Google maps said that I still had 20 minutes to go. Huh? That made no sense, but I kept walking.

Another cute canal on my walk home from the Anne Frank House

Granted, I was walking slowly since I wasn't in a big hurry. But I was starting to get cranky because I was tired of dodging bicycles. To make matters worse, one of the bridges over a cross canal was closed and I had to take a detour. And Google maps said that I still had 20 minutes to go. You've got to be kidding.

As soon as I had put my camera away, because I had told myself that I done taking photos too, I saw this cute doorway. It made me feel better.

And then I saw this cute car. Though, all I could think of was how I would hate to have to park there because I'd probably end up in the canal. I had learned on my canal cruise that about one car a week ends up in a canal. I'm surprised that it doesn't happen more often.

After almost an hour, I made it back to the hotel, picked up my luggage and took the tram back to the train station. I was plenty early and had time to grab a sandwich and a drink from the HEMA store there.

I was kind of wishing that I had planned another night in Amsterdam. But then again, my feet were done - I had walked 13 miles. And I had accomplished what I wanted to. It was a nice return trip. I liked Amsterdam more than I expected to and am looking forward to visiting again.

Le Tour winner Chris Froome in the yellow jersey

Things to Do: Tour de France in Paris

July 25, 2016

Years ago I started watching the Tour de France on TV just for the scenery. Then I became a bit of a cycling fan. At the time it was fun watching Lance Armstrong dominate Le Tour - and it was equally fun seeing all of the beautiful images of France along the route.

Nice viewing spot by the Tuileries gardens.

After the doping scandals my interest in cycling faded, but I still enjoy watching the Tour de France for the scenery. And now that I'm living in Paris I can see the final stage in person!

This was my second year watching the finish. The weather was perfect - a huge improvement from the cool and rainy weather in 2015.

Getting around is a bit of a challenge on finish day, but well worth the effort to see this special sporting event. While expensive paid tickets are required for the grandstand seating on the Champs Elysees much of the course can be accessed for free.

Security was tighter this year with most of the access from the Tuileries blocked off. I was hoping for an elevated view from the wall overlooking the course and instead had to settle for a view of the wall.

Being on street level ended up being a better choice in end. I loved being so close to the action and feeling the breeze as the peloton rode by. But taking good photos was a challenge. I'm glad that they made eight passes, because this allowed me to try some different camera settings and angles. Some were better than others.

Watching the Tour de France is one of my favorite - as well as free things to do in Paris. It's also a good reason to plan a trip to Paris in July. Hope to see you next year!

Hard to imagine wearing this contraption.

Things to do: Fashion Forward and Barbie at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

July 16, 2016

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs has 2 current special exhibits that are well worth a visit for fashion and Barbie fans. Fashion Forward, 3 Centuries of Fashion brings together 300 items of men's, women's and children's fashion from the 18th century until today. The exhibit runs through August 14, 2016.

The Barbie exhibit, which runs through September 18, 2016, includes 700 barbie dolls, from the original 1959 Barbie until today.

While I enjoyed the Fashion Forward exhibit more than Barbie, I appreciated the parallels of the two exhibits and was happy that I saw them both.

The clothing in the Fashion Forward exhibit was well-preserved, and well protected. Just leaning in to get a closer look would cause an alarm to go off. At first it was startling, and then it was just funny to hear how often visitors got too close to the exhibits.

Would you have to walk sideways to get through the door?

The clothing was also beautiful. It was hard to imagine the amount of the work involved to make these dresses by hand. It was also hard to imagine how small the women's waists were 200 years ago.

Another interesting observation was how many current designs were similar to those from the past. I think that I liked the fashions from the last 100 years the best, especially those from my lifetime.

I have a feeling that we're not in Kansas anymore.

Being a baby-boomer and being of Barbie playing age in the early 60s you would think that I would be super-excited to see some Barbies from my childhood - but for some reason I was lukewarm about seeing this exhibit.

I don't know why. I remember making clothes for my Barbies and I have vivid memories of the pink mohair sweater that my mom knitted for my Barbie. But, I don't even remember which Barbies I had or when I got my first Barbie. Is there something wrong with me?

I was glad that I got to see the original Lili doll from Germany, which was the inspiration for Barbie. And being a huge Formula 1 fan, I was happy to see race car driver Barbie representing scuderia Ferrari.

After spending close to 2 hours on the 2 exhibits, I didn't have the stamina to see any of the permanent collection. I'll have to do that next time.

Off the Beaten Path: A Wander Through Square de Montsouris

July 07, 2016

One of my favorite - and free - things to do in Paris is to explore new neighborhoods. My recent wander through Square de Montsouris was inspired by a Facebook post by Paris Adele and made easier because I'm living nearby in the 14th arrondissement.

After running a morning errand it was easy for me to hop on the RER B at Denfert-Rochereau and travel one stop to the Cité Universitaire - right on the edge of the lovely Parc Montsouris.

From there it was a fairly short walk through the park and around the corner on rue Nansouty to find several cute little cobbled streets. I love finding places like this in Paris!

I've always wanted to live in a pink house.

I first turned down the rue du Parc de Montsouris and soon spotted this gorgeous pink gem. I really wanted to sneak behind that gate and get a closer look. Check out the black iron conservatory attached to back of the house. The rest of the street was nice, and was a mix of old an newer buildings

A mix of old and new on the rue du Parc de Montsouris

But the best was yet to come. My jaw dropped when I turned the corner onto the Square de Montsouris. It didn't take long for me to declare it my favorite little street in Paris - and I've seen quite a few.

I couldn't believe the all the charm that kept unfolding in front me. My only disappointments were all of the cars parked along the street and that another tourist showed up. I had to slow down to let her pass.

From Paris Adele's post I learned that the houses were built in the 1920's and 1930's with one of them even being built by Le Corbusier. You can learn more about the history of the street here.

And just some photos below. Enjoy! I certainly did.

In search of the Le Corbusier house - but this isn't it.

Hard to see - but this is the Le Corbusier house

Who wouldn't want to live on this little private street?

I have a feeling that we're not in Paris any more

Living Like a Local: An Unconventional Day Trip

May 10, 2016

I spend a lot of my free time on travel forums and I would be rich if I had a euro for every time someone asks: “I’m coming to Paris and want to live like a local.” Not surprisingly, no one is ever interested in going to work, calling the plumber, cleaning the house, or taking the kids to school.

However, I’ve found the perfect answer – take the free shuttle bus to Ikea.

Yup, that’s right. I’m suggesting a trip to Ikea.

I remember my first visit to Ikea - which happened to be in Bordeaux, France. I was on a trip with my mother and we decided to check out Ikea instead of touring the wine cellar at the rusty-dusty chateau where we were staying near Saint-Emilion. This was nearly 20 years ago – when Ikea was still a novelty to us mid-westerners. We were thrilled to have a chance to check it out.

Unlike my Ikea visit in Bordeaux, I had a shopping list this time - new sheets and pillowcases. Hardly seems worth the trek - but bed linens are expensive in Paris and I was up for a little adventure on cold and gray Paris day.

The free shuttles leave from 2 locations in Paris: Bastille and Denfert-Rochereau. I would recommend leaving from Bastille because there are more departure times available.

I arrived about 15 minutes early for the 1:00 p.m. shuttle on a Wednesday afternoon. There were plenty of seats available and the shuttle was, at most, 25% full when we left.

The shuttle is easy to find – it’s painted Ikea blue and yellow, and stops right in front of the Opera Bastille.

Since I love seeing new places, I thought that the 20-minute ride to Ikea was interesting. We traveled down the Rue du Lyon to the Quai de Bercy and onto the A4 Autoroute.

Views of Paris from the overpass. The Eiffel Tower is behind the trees...

In addition to Ikea, there’s a mall across the parking lot - with a large InterMarche store. I hope to make it there next time.

The Huiatian Chinagora Hotel in Alfortville

On a Dime Destinations: Colmar, France

December 22, 2015

Colmar is located in the Alsace region of eastern France – near the German border. About 500 km from Paris – or just 2.5 hours by train from Gare de l’Est.

This region is known for their wines, cute towns and traditional Christmas Markets – which was the reason for my visit.

I was traveling with a friend that I had met on a travel forum – and a friend of hers, whom she met the same way. Luckily the three of us got along well – as well as 3 people can when spending so much time together.

By planning ahead we were able to find a reasonably priced and spacious apartment. And because 3 of us were traveling together we qualified for the MINI PREMS TGV train tickets from the SNCF. This is where if you buy 2 tickets you get one free. That's my kind of deal.

Since our main focus was going to the Christmas Markets we really didn’t do any other sightseeing. We spent 3 nights in Colmar which gave us an evening and a full day to explore in Colmar and one day to take the shuttle bus to nearby Kaysersberg.

After our foggy train ride from Paris, it was an easy, but noisy - due to sound of our wheeled suitcases on the cobblestone streets - 15 minute walk from the train station to our apartment in the center of the old town.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Upon arrival, two of us went shopping for necessities while the other waited for a local friend who was gracious enough to drive down from Strasbourg to show us around Colmar – and to provide some local insight into things to look for at the Christmas Markets.

The two of us, who are usually excellent navigators, managed to get completely turned around in our search for a grocery store - both going there and coming back. At least we had a nice little introductory tour of Colmar.

Oh no! We forgot to bring our silly hats.

On Friday evening we explored the markets with our local friend and then had dinner at Au Fer Rouge - which was literally steps from our front door. The restaurant was recommended by the owner of our apartment.

We all had the Jambonneau - which is a huge pork knuckle - as our main course. It was impressive and quite good. Service was good, but dessert was a disappointment.

The highlight of the evening was seeing Colmar all lit up at night. I was concerned about it being too touristy and too cute. Instead, it felt like stepping into a Christmas card. It was surprisingly authentic and just what we were hoping for.

After breakfast at home on Saturday morning, we headed out for some shopping. I was also on the hunt for some violette candies at the Christmas Market that our friend had told us about. More on those later.

I enjoyed shopping and the overall atmosphere in Colmar. Maybe it was the cool weather, and the over-dose of Christmas cheer that helped put me in a holiday mood? Whatever the reason - it was much-needed after all of the sadness of the previous weeks in Paris.

While my friends went in search of a café, I did some Christmas shopping at the markets, buying what I thought was plenty of the violette candies, some local eau de vie and boozy confitures.

After a late lunch-snack at the apartment we headed to see a free concert at the Saint Matthieu Church. The concert was enjoyable - and well worth the admission price.

We had dinner at Wistub Brenner - another typical Alsatian restaurant. The only memorable things from the meal were the disappointments and the funny photo I took of our waitress popping the cork on a bottle of Cremant de Alsace.

We later learned from our local friend that the quality of food is usually much better. It declines during holidays due to the high number of tourists to feed.

On Sunday, based on the suggestion of our local friend, we took the shuttle bus to Kaysersberg.

Finding the shuttle stop was easy - now that we sort of had our bearings - it was just past the Monoprix, where we we had been on our arrival day.

Even on a gray and drizzly day the vineyards surrounding Kaysersberg were beautiful - as was Kaysersberg. It felt even more authentic than Colmar.

The vin chaud (hot mulled wine) was served in glass mugs - not paper cups. I love my souvenir mug and wish I had gotten more.

The town was comfortably crowded. There weren't a lot of Christmas markets - but that was okay. The one of local crafts was very high-quality, and the town was so pleasant it didn't need more markets.

Inspiration for my first French christmas Tree

We wandered through Kaysersberg, eventually stopping for lunch which was better than expected. We even made "friends" with our waitress over our recognition of some "rude" diners who refused to respond to her "Bonjour Madams".

After some more wandering, and drooling over the kugelhopfs stacked up in the bakery windows, it was time to head back to Colmar. We wanted to hit the Christmas market one more time to get more of the violette candies.

Christmasy 16th Century Bridge in Colmar

On our bus ride back to Colmar we passed by Riquewihr - one of the most beautiful villages in France. Seeing all of the tour busses parked there made me very happy that we had chosen to visit Kaysersberg instead. It was plenty beautiful for me.

Candies from the Confiserie des Hautes Vosges

Because of our late and filling lunch we decided pick up some things at the Monoprix and just have dinner at home. Then our next stop was at the Confiserie des Hautes Vosges booth at the Christmas market.

The vendor remembered me from the day before - and even gave me a free bag of candy based on my total purchases over the 2 days.

I thought that buying nearly 40.00€ worth of candy would be more than enough - until I got back to Paris and found out how addicting the violette candies were. I'm afraid to try the other flavors. But I can always get more on a return trip to Colmar. Which I hope to make next December.

Tristesse

November 20, 2015

Tristesse, means sadness in French. And it's been a week of much sadness in Paris.

As you can imagine, the last thing I wanted to do this week was write about fun things to do in and around Paris – so soon after the terrorist attacks on Friday the 13th.

I had been working on several topics, and had planned on finishing up a blog post on Saturday morning. But, that didn’t happen. And it’s taken me several days to write this post. I've been too numb, and stunned to even think about writing.

It was a long night on Friday night - following the events on T.V. and online and even hearing some of them unfold outside my window. I live only 4 blocks away from the Bataclan concert hall. I finally went to sleep at 4:00 a.m.

Earlier that evening, I had watched the sunset over the Seine and walked through the Tuileries at dusk on my way to the just-opened Christmas Market on the Champs Elysees.

As soon as I had finished dinner at home, there was a knock on my door – it was a cute Parisian Pompier selling calendars. Everyone in Paris loves the Pompiers – especially my friend Lisa. Just to make her jealous, I asked him if I could take a photo. He happily agreed. I bought 2 calendars too. And then eagerly posted his photo on Facebook.

While scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, I noticed a post by David Lebovitz, the American expat blogger and cookbook author, about shootings in the 10th Arrondissement. His post caught my attention, since shootings are so rare here. It was posted at 9:59 p.m.

I immediately texted my friend Lisa, and then turned on the TV. There was no news - yet. Shortly, the reports started pouring in. It was difficult to keep up with what was happening - right in my neighborhood. It was scary.

At one point it occurred to me how my Pompier’s night had changed too. Here he was out selling calendars - just as the terrorist events were starting. And later that evening I have to think that he was helping shooting victims, since the Pompiers are also the first-responders in France. The thought made my heart ache.

The next morning, after some urging, I met Lisa and another friend for lunch. My original plans were stay in - or at least stay close to home. But they convinced me that it would be better to be with friends that day.

With the nearby metro stations closed, I had to walk to meet them. My route took me very close to the Bataclan. I will never forget the explosions I heard on Friday night - which came as the police stormed the concert venue.

The morning after. Roadblock near the Bataclan.

The café was crowded and we finally snagged a booth inside, making sure to avoid the terrace. I declined a dinner offer because I wanted to get home before dark.

A Crowded Café Charlot - and Lisa admiring her new calendar.

On Sunday, we visited the memorial at Place de la Republique and several of shooting sites. The memorial was moving. The other sites left me feeling empty and sad.

I came home well after dark, after spending time on a café terrace, not far from where the shootings took place. It just felt like the right thing to do. And we weren’t alone – the place was packed. I felt better, and hopeful - an indication that things could return to "normal".

And as each day passes Paris feels more “normal” to me. After 3 days of official mourning, the museums and monuments have reopened. The Eiffel Tower stood proud wearing a beautiful gown of bleu, blanc and rouge. The metro stations are open - except for the one closest to the attacks. The kids are back in school and people are back to work. Life goes on.

I find that I'm appreciating more, many of the little things about life in Paris. I was even moved when my favorite restaurant crafted a heart in my coffee cup. Something that I hadn't even noticed before.

My heart goes out to all of the victims and their loved ones. I cannot imagine what they must be going through right now. Especially knowing how hard it has been for many of us to completely grasp what happened in Paris last Friday night.

And while we grieve, we must also continue to live our lives. I plan to do this by spending more of my time on café terraces and not live in fear while doing so.

Paris is strong and resilient. She’s been though a lot in her life. Please come and give her a hug. She needs one right now.

What is a Navigo Decouverte? And why do you need one?

November 02, 2015

When was the last time a change was made to a product that gave you more for your money? It’s hard to remember, isn’t it?

Recently the transit authorities in Paris made a genius decision to de-zone the Navigo passes, including the Navigo Decouverte.

The Navigo Decouverte is a smart card that can be used on the transit system – metro, bus, tram, RER and Transilien trains in Paris and the Ile de France region. It is valid for weekly or monthly travel and available for anyone to use.

Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre Metro Station

The initial cost for the kit, which is 2 cards and a plastic holder, that you then charge with your travel, is 5.00€. It is valid for 10 years. A small (3.5 cm tall x 2.5 cm wide) passport type photo is also required. I just took a head shot with my phone and printed it on plain paper. It doesn't need to be a fancy photo. A copy of your passport or drivers license photo, cut to size will do.

Then all you have to do is charge it for the week for just 21.25€. This allows for unlimited travel in the Paris region – including CDG airport and many popular day trip destinations. Considering that the RER fare between Paris and CDG is 10.00€ each way – the rest of your metro and bus travel for the week is virtually free if you were planning an airport trip anyway. The only minor drawback is that it is tied to the calendar week of Monday to Sunday. If you are staying longer, you can charge your card for a month for 70€.

This is a significant savings over the old prices of 35.40€ for a week and 116.50€ for a month - for a zone 1-5 pass.

Charging your Navigo is super-simple if you have a chipped credit card - which is strongly recommended for travel in Europe. There are machines in every metro station, and you can even choose to do your transaction in English. You just place your card on the indicated spot and follow the directions on screen. The whole transaction takes about 2 minutes.

I’ve had my Navigo Decouverte since 2013. I’ve always loved the convenience of it – being able to hop on a bus or the metro without worrying about “wasting” a ticket to travel a short distance. Now I love it even more because I can take all sorts of day trips for free. Another reason to extend your stay in Paris.

Click here for a list of free day trips using your Navigo Decouverte Card

From my day trip to Crécy la Chapelle. I used my Navigo Decouverte to get there.

An Escape from Paris, in Paris

August 18, 2015

Scattered around, mostly at the edges, of Paris are several quaint neighborhoods that make you feel – at least for a few moments - like you are no longer in Paris. I recently visited two of these neighborhoods, the Quartier d’Amerique, better known as Mouzaïa and the Cité des Fleurs.

Mouzaïa

The Mouzaïa neighborhood is in the 19th arrondissement just to the east of the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. The houses were originally built at the end of the 19th century for the workers of eastern Paris.

Coming from central Paris you can take Metro line 11 to Place des Fetes. Other nearby Metro stops are Botzaris and Danube, on Metro line 7 bis – this would require a transfer from lines 2, 5 or 7.

I started my walk from Botzaris by walking up Rue de Mouzaïa, then just wandering around in no set direction.

I appreciated the street names of Rue Egalité, Rue Liberté and Rue Fraternité.

From Rue Mouzaïa, I made a left turn on Rue Egalité and continued onto Rue de la Liberté. From here I started wandering up and down the little pedestrian streets that branched off of Rue Mouzaïa.

I really wanted to take photos of more houses and their cute patios. But I felt like I was intruding on their personal space a little too much, since most were partially hidden behind fences.

On Villa du Progés - I think this was my favorite street

I was disappointed when I ran into a tour group on Villa des Lilas, but otherwise I only saw a handful of other wanderers.

Thankfully they moved on after a few minutes and I could continue with my wander. I especially liked this house on Rue Mouzaïa, with the palm tree and tromp l'oeil window.

While I didn't even think to check my watch, I probably spent just under an hour on my walk. It was an enjoyable way to spend some time on lovely Sunday afternoon in Paris.

Click here to see my photo album

Cité des Fleurs

The Cité des Fleurs is a private street located in the 17th arrondissement, near the intersection of Rue Guy Moquet and Avenue Clichy. It's partially hidden behind a gate and it would be easy to walk past if you didn't know it was there.

It's hard to see some of the houses too.

The gate is open from 7:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m from Monday through Saturday and from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sundays.

My initial impression was that it was not as impressive as Mouzaïa, but my opinion quickly changed as I walked further down the street and then chatted with a woman who was also taking photos.

She told me that she grew up in the area after WWII and mentioned something about her mother's involvement in the communist party and told me about the plaque commemorating members of the resistance who were executed by the Gestapo. I probably should have invited her for coffee to learn more about this story.

Translation: Don't mess with the Gestapo

I think that the street is worth a visit if you are nearby and are looking for something different to see.

And just like my visit to Mouzaïa, there were few other tourists, until a tour group appeared.

Click here to see my photo album

On a Dime Destinations: Cotignac France, Part 2.

August 12, 2015

We had another slow start on Sunday, due to our late Saturday night. But that seems to be the rhythm here, and I'm certainly not complaining.

Today we took a drive to look for remaining sunflower fields up in the Valensole plateau, not far from Lake St. Croix – and the Gorges du Verdon (the French Grand Canyon) – which is less than an hour from Cotignac.

We found the sunflowers, but just like the lavender they were past their prime. But still, for me, a stunning sight. We stopped for some refreshments in the village of Montagnac – at what appeared to be the only café in town. My glass of Rose was 1.70€. Amazing. We wandered around, took some photos and admired the gargoyles that had been attached to a stone wall.

Then we headed towards the Lake St. Croix, and the village of St. Croix. The lake was a beautiful turquoise color, but the town crowded, so we didn’t stop. I have to admit that after awhile these cute villages and hill towns all start to look alike. I was happy to return to Cotignac.

We had the chance to see a free classical concert at the church on Sunday night. We were all tired and nearly skipped out on the concert. But we didn’t. And I’m so glad that we went because it was one of the best classical concerts I have ever seen.

Before the concert we had some time to kill so we walked up the little street behind the church to see the cats of Cotignac. Apparently there’s a woman who keeps 60 cats. Her house was easy to identify by the kitty door in a downstairs window. We didn’t see all 60 cats but we saw quite few.

On Monday, we ended up taking a 3-mile hike to the top of the cliff. We got a little bit lost looking for the right path to lead us back towards the town. A nice farmer, tending his grapevines, helped to point us in the right direction – and he posed for a photo. In all of our excitement of finding the right path, we missed a turn that would have taken us to the towers on top of the cliff. And by the time got there we were too pooped to tackle the caves. I’d have to do that tomorrow – my last day in Cotignac. Today, we still need to take a trip to La Calisse for some wine and prepare dinner, as my friends have invited their landlords over for dinner.

After lunch we hopped in the car for the short drive to Chateau La Calisse. We had called ahead to make sure that they were there and were instructed to ring the bell – which we completely missed when we stopped by on Friday.

After we ring the bell we are greeted by Jean-Philippe. He tells us that he’s the new cellar master and has only been on the job for a month. Jean-Philippe was interesting and the wine was very good. He proceeded to tell us that Alain Ducasse serves their wine in his restaurants. Suddenly the 15.00€ price seems like a bargain. But it is for the quality of the wine. A similar bottle would be at least $30.00 in the US. I buy 4 bottles – which brings my total to 7 bottles to get into my luggage and haul on the train, and home on the metro. Should be a piece of cake, huh?

It’s my last day in Cotignac. I’m sad to be leaving. I still have things to do. We never made it to the nearby waterfall, I’m going to miss the Ceramics Market on Thursday and I haven’t been to an outdoor movie under the cliffs. But it’s Tuesday and it’s market day. I purposely planned my trip for this.

The market is huge. I takes over the main street and there are stalls filling the square too – plus the square around the corner by the road that leads out of town. I have 2 things on my list - olive oil and local honey. At dinner last night I learned to get honey from a local beekeeper. I found him easily and bought 3 jars. Plus had a lovely conversation about honey and Monsanto.

I found some bio (organic) olive oil from the Luberon. It was a bit pricey. But it was very good too. It will fit in nicely with my collection of Italian and Spanish oils at home. I also bought some more of the lavender sachets. I had to stop there because I’m worried about having enough room in my suitcase for my haul.

I wish I could have bought some of the Cotignac peaches. And roast chickens looked amazing. Several stands were making and selling Paella too. It seemed to be very popular. I liked this market better than any I have visited in Paris.

Troglodyte Caves in the Cliffs over Cotignac

After having some ice cream for lunch it’s time for me to tackle the Troglodyte Caves. The walk to caves took me past the old olive presses and up some stone lined sidewalks. This walk was easy compared to our hike the day before. In a few minutes I’m at the entrance and pay the 2.00€ fee.

The stairs up were daunting, but I was determined, even with my bad knee. After the second set of stairs I arrived at the spiral staircase – which the attendant had mentioned, saying that it was limited to one person at a time. I stopped on the landing and admired the view over the town, then looked at the rickety iron staircase and decided that I didn’t need to go up it. I chickened out. But I was happy – at least I saw some of the caves. Maybe next time I’ll climb up?

On the way back I decided that it was time for more ice cream – and I’d earned it too!

We had dinner at home and I attempted to pack my bag, before calling it an early night. In the morning it was obvious that I had a problem. Why didn’t I bring my tote bag from home? We were planning a stop in Aix en Provence before I needed to catch my train. Maybe I can get an extra bag there?

Luckily my friends remembered that they had an extra tote bag and I could pack it with dirty clothes and load my roller bag with all of my wine. It worked perfectly. And I made it home safely with all of my goodies from Provence.