France is open! (vacations, airline, worst, Greece)
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It depends on the hotel in the UK, with large hotel chains or luxury hotels with a number of stars more likely to have air conditioning than smaller independent hotels or air bnb's.
It's always best to check before you book.
You're right, of course! But the heat wave was unexpected so I just didn't think to check in advance ... temps normally would have been 10 degrees cooler, which would have been fine even in July. The hotels gave out fans when asked but of course they are no substitute for a/c.
Oh, and I looked up my hotel in France for the CIEE seminar (CIEE booked it for us): it was the Hôtel Icône, 4 rue d'Amboise, 75002 Paris. It's in a great location and I would go back there in a heartbeat.
In my late thirties, before I quit to become a London taxi driver, I drove 18 wheelers around Europe.
I would occasionally take engineering equipment from U.K. to the Airbus factory at Toulouse, it was out near Blagnac Airport.
Very rarely there’d be a small amount of the stuff to go on to the helicopter division, at Marignane, near Marseille.
To avoid toll roads, I’d go the long way round, via Albi, Montpellier, and Arles, I was too much of a philistine to appreciate the countryside, but I’d book into one of les Routiers, (upmarket truck stops), between Montpellier and Arles, shower, shave, change my clothes then grab a bus or cab into the city, amble around taking in the sights, before finding a bistro and ordering a carafe of decent rosé wine to go with my Poulet á la Provençale or Carre d’Agneau, you can’t beat French food cooked in France.
J’aime bien La République!
You are making me miss France!
I really enjoy the cafes, the bistros, brasseries and restaurants. You are right about French food being eaten in France. I remember the spectacular salads in the south as well.
The excellent food alone is a very good reason to visit France.
The side walk cafes in Paris are a treat. They aren't cheap, but the value of being able to sit in the open and people watch eating fantastic food while you are surrounded by all that history is just overwhelming.
Normandy, was an experience for us too. We had an excellent lunch at a restaurant right on Omaha Beach where our soldiers landed and liberated Europe in June of 1944. I found tremendous food at a small city on the Normandy coast known as Bayeux as well. My greatest memory here was a salad made with fresh cambernet cheese.
There is a city named Nimes in Provence. I remember one spectacular evening where I ate a beef dish cooked in wine while sitting practically right next to the Nimes Arena which was constructed by the Romans about 50 A.D.
We have never had a bad meal in all of our trips to France.
I had an excellent meal in Nîmes. I also got to see the opera Norma in that arena. I'm not an opera fan per se, but having Norma play in that arena was particularly appropriate. The beginning was spectacular and I still get chills when I think of it. It was getting dark, but still a bit light out. The orchestra's bass drum let out a big boom in a few second intervals. At each boom, an actor dressed in ancient Rome attire, would light a caldron of fire. These caldrons were set in the arches of the arena. So, boom, fire, boom fire etc all the way around.
Loved it. This was way back in 1987 if my memory is correct.
The excellent food alone is a very good reason to visit France.
The side walk cafes in Paris are a treat. They aren't cheap, but the value of being able to sit in the open and people watch eating fantastic food while you are surrounded by all that history is just overwhelming.
There is a city named Nimes in Provence. I remember one spectacular evening where I ate a beef dish cooked in wine while sitting practically right next to the Nimes Arena which was constructed by the Romans about 50 A.D.
You’re probably aware that we get the word denim from Nîmes, it was originally known as “serge de Nîmes”, (serge of Nîmes), serge being a sturdy fabric, eventually it morphed into just denim, as in denim jeans.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lillie767
I've spent much time driving around France and love eating at restaurants des routiers. The first time we went, I was amazed to see wine served with the meals. It's essentially an upscale truck stop and the drivers were getting back on the road after eating. My American eyes were very surprised.
But great food; reasonably priced.
I’m guessing that as French children are introduced to wine at dinner from an early age, French constitutions become inured to alcohol, I remember my mother pouring me a dessert wine when I was around 14.
There again, she told a Polish girlfriend that I had, that she gave me red wine at dinner when I was 7 or 8!
I stuck to maybe one glass when I ate in a routier though, not because I was worried about driving safely, but because I wanted to hang on to my licence.
I think that if I’d had half a bottle of Merlot, I may have drifted over to the left side of the road, where we drive in England, even though my truck was a LHD Mercedes-Benz.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natnasci
You are making me miss France!
I really enjoy the cafes, the bistros, brasseries and restaurants. You are right about French food being eaten in France. I remember the spectacular salads in the south as well.
I have really enjoyed reading this thread. One of my best travel memories is of my daughter & I sitting inside Saint-Chappelle & watching the sunlight changing on the stained glass...it was liking sitting inside a box of jewels, so beautiful!
On that trip, it was the middle of a heat wave in late July...wow, was it hot, no a/c hardly anywhere! But it was doable. We just carried water everywhere, & the heat broke in about a week.
I was also in Paris one year in early October, which was drizzly & a lot more comfortable.
If you can go...any time of year...you should. There is nothing better than travel.
I really enjoy the cafes, the bistros, brasseries and restaurants. You are right about French food being eaten in France. I remember the spectacular salads in the south as well.
We spent a couple of weeks in the south of France in late September, 2018. We did enjoy it but had some extremely hot weather and the aircon in the hotels did not come near to coping.
We were surprised, when eating outside, to be surrounded by smokers and also dogs perched right up on the chairs. Neither of which is allowed here.
Of well, they won’t be plagued by many of us Aussies this year. We may be allowed in but generally not allowed out. Even if we are, the need, when when we return home, to quarantine in a hotel of the government’s choice, at a cost of $3,000 a week, is enough to keep us home.
I hope for their sake things stay open. Lisbon has had to go into a short lockdown again and the UK figures are not good. We are hoping that in another year things will be much closer to normal.
I’d like to do a postponed London-Paris trip that was supposed to happen in May 2020 this October. I’m watching the French vaccination rate. I’m dubious that Paris will be remotely close to herd immunity by then. We have Eurostar vouchers and it’s easy to zip across from St Pancras but the mandatory testing is kind of a PITA.
I’d like to do a postponed London-Paris trip that was supposed to happen in May 2020 this October. I’m watching the French vaccination rate. I’m dubious that Paris will be remotely close to herd immunity by then. We have Eurostar vouchers and it’s easy to zip across from St Pancras but the mandatory testing is kind of a PITA.
Yes, we are not going anywhere, even when we can, if mandatory testing is involved. Travel got so much more complicated after September 11 and this situation looks like adding another level of stress. Fortunately we have seen most places that we have wanted to but I would really love to get back to France again.
I’ve actually looked into a France trip a little later this summer before deciding to let other people in 2021 be beta testers for the reopening process.
Location: As of 2022….back to SoCal. OC this time!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beachmouse
I’ve actually looked into a France trip a little later this summer before deciding to let other people in 2021 be beta testers for the reopening process.
This is what we’re going to do....AND July & August are the worst months for Paris anyway. I’ve been doing my homework & looking at hotel availability for us in October & November.^^
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This is what we’re going to do....AND July & August are the worst months for Paris anyway. I’ve been doing my homework & looking at hotel availability for us in October & November.^^
