Venice is a no go

It's bad when you're watching the news wondering if you will see yourself in the evening... at least it is when you have had the day we had.

After our flight was cancelled on Saturday, we decided to try again today (Monday) to catch a flight to Paris. We went with a different carrier this time. Air France is just more reliable overall... and we booked an early flight so we would have plenty of daylight to find our hotel once we arrived in Venice, since the streets there can be hopelessly confusing.

At the check-out counter, we met 2 men from Germany who were trying to get to the train in a hurry, but there was NOTHING hurried about our check out process... or theirs. By the time we got a taxi, it was snowing steadily.

First bad omen: the taxi driver. He was a piece of work... possibly terrified of driving in the snow, possibly his first time driving to Charles de Gualle (not MY first time)... I don't know... but after the SLOWEST trip to the airport yet (cars passing us on all sides), he dropped us off on the complete opposite side of the airport from the one we needed.

But no worries, we were EARLY! It was 7 a.m. and our flight was not scheduled to leave until 9:45. So we hoofed it to the correct terminal where we encountered "The Line". We printed our boarding passes... and took up residence in the line in front of the check-in counter waiting to drop off our bags. We waited there for 8 hours...

along with thousands of other people. News crews were there all day to capture the expressions of distraught passengers as flights were cancelled all around us... and yet ours somehow remained on the board, with Air France officials telling us to just hold tight... around 3 p.m., they decided to try to board us. I was already worried, because we had a connecting flight in Rome that had left over an hour earlier... I didn't want to get to Rome and have to stay in the airport all night trying to get a flight from there to Venice.

We got up to the ticket counter to drop off our bags and the attendant kindly offered to book us on a flight to Venice tomorrow... and we could hear them cancelling our current flight even while they were checking people in for it... and something inside me just said no. We have spent 2 days in airports already this vacation (not including the flight from New York to Paris)... and the point of this trip was to spend time enjoying one place instead of running to and fro, never staying in the same hotel room more than one night.

So we're going to collect our refunds on the missed flights... and we cancelled the hotel in Venice and booked a hotel here in Paris for the duration of the trip (that is, until we stay with Marc and Sherris after Christmas).

I can't pretend I'm not disappointed. I was looking forward to sharing Venice with Noah. I was excited to take photos and visit Murano and eat fantastic Italian food.

But... we will enjoy Paris as well. There are a few different things I had left on the agenda to do here, and really, Paris has so much more to offer than we even know of! I know we'll have a good time. We found a funky and super hotel in the 14th Arrondissement... and we ate some yummy Indian food at a restaurant down the street.

 

Now for a bubble bath to take the stress away... and then some sleep. It's a new day tomorrow! So much to do, so much to see, so much French to learn!

A snowy day in Paris

We decided to try again for Venice tomorrow (Monday), giving us another day to explore Paris. It was snowing pretty steadily when we woke up and continued snowing until about midday. Here are some photos from the morning:

A view from last night's hotel window

On our way back to Sacre Coeur

We listened to the mass for a little while, and then walked on to the Metro to visit another of Paris's cathedrals, Notre Dame. I was particularly excited about visiting Notre Dame. The last time I was in Paris was 1997, and Jacques Cousteau had just died. The cathedral was closed to prepare for his funeral. So not only did I miss seeing the inside of the beautiful building, I had to deal with the news that one of my childhood idols had just left the world. Bummer. This time, the visit was much lighter.

At a market on the way

We made it TO Notre Dame quite easily. Getting back FROM Notre Dame proved a little more challenging. All the trains were jammed so full we couldn't squeeze on! So we walked a while until we got to another Metro station where we could catch a different train (but still end up in the same place). We were cold and wet by the time we got back to the hotel, but it's warm and dry in here, and we are well fed, so no complaints. Well, I mean, I complained about not being able to squeeze onto any trains... but other than THAT, we enjoyed ourselves.

Paris in the snow is really magical. I found myself wanting to buy fresh flowers and baguettes, and dance around in the streets...

It's a good thing we brought our winter boots. The weather in Venice the next week looks pretty grim with a couple of days of mild sunshine. We're hoping for the best and preparing to tromp around in the wet and cold anyhow!

An evening salvaged

 Just when I thought the day was wasted... we found that the creperie we visited yesterday was still open and warm... and after a crepe and some coffee, I was feeling perky again, so we made our way up the hill to the Sacre Coeur. It was lovely at night and in the snow to be meandering through Montmartre, and I was pleased to be able to capture a few photos of the night scene. A bit blurry and hurriedly shot, but you'll get the idea.

We even went into Sacre Coeur and listened to the nuns leading mass. Because there was a service going on they requested no photos... so we'll go back tomorrow and try again. We're also hoping to see Notre Dame tomorrow since we will have the day to explore and that's one of the places I really want to visit. Here's to another day of crepes and croissants and cafe chantilly... (that's coffee with whipped cream in case you were wondering...)

Good night!

A post with no pictures

I promise there will be pictures tomorrow... but today just wasn't the day for it, for a number of reasons... let me explain.

It's snowing in Paris tonight. That's right, I said in PARIS. We're still here and not in Venice like I thought we'd be by this time today.

We started out the morning innocently enough. A little petit dejeuner in a cafe near the hotel after a late lie in to wipe away the jet lag and then it was to the airport shuttle and off to Charles de Gaulle airport. Only... after arriving and trying to check in we realized we were supposed to be at Orly! MAJOR bummer... but, it's ok because we got there incredibly early and Orly is not all that far from CDG. So we ran outside and grabbed a taxi who rushed us over to Orly.

I don't like the Orly airport. It's disorganized and dirty and busy and confusing. We finally found the EasyJet counter in what can only be described as a basement... only to find out that our flight had been CANCELLED! Bah. The weather was too much for them apparently. And the next flight with EasyJet wasn't until Monday... So while Noah stood in line to get the information we needed for a refund, I logged onto the web to find us an alternative mode of transportation.

We settled on taking the overnight train from Bercy station, but booking tickets on-line for the train meant getting tickets Fedex'd to us! So we hopped another taxi and headed for the train station. No worries yet... the train's not leaving until 8:30 p.m. and it's just now 3. Except that when we got there, the train to Venice was completely full. (Cue major sigh here...) Apparently we weren't the only ones who had this idea.

So... we called the hotel we stayed in last night and politely asked for a room. They were more than happy to oblige. One more taxi ride and a little time at the check in counter was all it took to book us this friendly 2 twin bed room for the next couple of nights. Eh, at least it's a warm dry place to sleep.

We trotted over to the little Italian place we ate at last night and ordered the same things we ordered last night (except that I ordered what Noah ate last night and he ordered what I ate). And now we have tickets to fly to Venice on Monday... and are contemplating heading back out into the weather and past the Moulin Rouge to find coffee and crepes.

Wish us luck!

A stop-over in Paris

I'm writing this from our hotel in Paris. We're on our way to Venice tomorrow, and will come back to Paris after Christmas and fly out from here, so it made sense to fly in here, as well. Stopping over was a good idea. I already love Paris and can't wait to come back and explore it some more in a week and a half.

Our journey started yesterday afternoon. Lori (who is taking care of the animals while we are away) was so kind as to drive us to JFK in the midst of mid-week commuter traffic. She's a star in so many ways.

We had a little scuffle with TSA (who doesn't these days?) because they didn't want to accept our print at home boarding passes, even though Air France had just accepted them when we checked our bags. Frustration at the inefficiencies in the system does not even BEGIN to describe my emotion at the time. I should have expected it, though, because the attendant at the Air France ticket counter was so amazed that our print out actually worked... like it was a new thing... what is up with international travel being so behind the times???

But we made it onto the plane, and more importantly, so did our luggage! And we caught our shuttle from CDG to our hotel here near Montmartre...

A view from our window

Another view from our window! Don't mind the crane ;)

 After we checked in, I was starving (even though Air France had fed us very well, the red-eye flight took it out of me). So we ventured out in search of food...

Bees handing out fliers by the Metro

Right down the street

 Being a vegetarian in France is somewhat of a letdown...

 We settled on crepes. Did I say settled? I mean, we GORGED on crepes and cafe au lait with chocolate in it... yum! Then Noah wanted to go find the Montmartre cemetery, also near our hotel...

A cute antique shop on our path had this whimsical figurine in the window

 We wandered around the cemetery until Noah was frozen solid...

The ravens added ambiance and kept a close eye on what we were doing.

Then we came back to the hotel to sleep some. So tired, but I think we will have kicked the jet lag by the morning. After a nap, we found some delicious pasta for dinner and then took the metro to see the Eiffel Tower. I didn't want to go all the way to it... just wanted to take a quick photo or two, because they make it sparkle at night so spectacularly. It snowed on us as well, but I don't have the mad skills at taking night photos yet, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Now, Noah is watching some Schwarzenegger film dubbed into French... and we're thawing out. So far, the trip is meeting my expectations. I'm looking forward to getting to Venice tomorrow and getting settled in for a few days to really get to know the area.

A change of season

It's official. Even though the calendar doesn't make it so yet, winter is officially here in CT. The temperature is hovering around 33 degrees Fahrenheit, the wind is blowing (brrr...) dusty snow flurries, and the pond is trying to freeze over.

It's Tag's birthday today. He's 2 years old now! I can't believe how quickly the time flies. In honor of his day, he got a tasty can of wet dog food this morning and a new "Guy Fox" toy to chew and enjoy. After dropping Noah off at work we went for a hike, as well. I took my camera (of course) and captured a few images of our chilly morning constitutional. Currently, Tag is curled up on his dog bed and snoozing. What a life!

Fun running!

The good birthday dog posing for a photo. "Stay!"

"Come!"

So different without all the green leaves...