Travel Tips

Here's a little story about my first trip to Paris:
March 2001, I had taken the RER from Gard du Nord to the St. Michel exit, except that I must have gotten out of the Métro the wrong exit because I was expecting to see the Seine when I got out. I had planned to use that to orient myself to find my hotel. But, alas, no such landmark!

I started walking, getting further & further lost, crossed Blvd. St. Germain and knew I was farther than I should have been, and JUST like a tourist, pulled out my mapto look for the streets that would take me to my hotel. FINALLY, I figured out that what I thought were the street signs (no guidebook prepared me for this one) were actually signs pointing to popular sites, such as the Sorbonne & the Panthéon, and that the REAL signs were those blue placards on the sides of the buildings!! Aha!

By now, I'd walked for about 1/2 hour. I maneuvered my way north to the Seine, when all of the sudden, through a break in the buildings, I saw the most beautiful façade of a massive cathédrale! I didn't think it could possibly be Nôtre Dame because it was supposed to, hello, 1/2-way across a river (but I'm used to the Ohio River) and it looked so huge, looming & close. I thought it so pretty that I quickly snapped a picture. It just took my breath away.

Suffice it to say that I'm glad I took the picture as I later realized (once I got to my hotel where I had a view of said cathedral) that it WAS Nôtre Dame!

I'm such a woman, I know! And as such, it is important for me to know about the bathroom and I'm sure, OTHER women want to know about the bathroom, too. So I took a photo. Yes, I realize it's not of the entire bathroom but at least you get a hint of what it looks like.

It's a large bathroom for Parisian standards and, yes, there is a shower AND a bathtub to soak in after a long day of sightseeing. Your brain will be thinking "WONDROUS" and your feet will be thinking "can we sit down now?" Feet are SOOOOO whiny.

Everybody laughs at this painting - SIGH! - I don't know why.

Below the painting you can see the lovely radiator which will keep you toasty during cool nights! (which is what you should be focusing on anyway, so quit staring at the painting!)

Here's the first view of the tower of Nôtre Dame through my window of Room 47.

View of the Tower of Nôtre Dame over the rooftops of the Latin Quarter!

Here's me leaning far out the window to get the best shot of Nôtre Dame - I'm lucky I didn't lose my camera!

To complete the tour of the bedroom, here's the last look showing the bed, the painting above it and the glossy wooden desk by the door. Trés charmant, no, cherie?

I took this photo on another day when it was sunny - thought you might like to see this one as well. Now you've seen the overcast & the sunny view and you are completely informed!

This concludes our tour of the Hôtel les Degrés de Nôtre Dame; watch your step, and please come again.