Join me as we journey around France—a mixture of many different trips over many different years. We've lived in Paris (and hope to do so again) and have re-visited almost every year. And our mission is to cover the whole country, one trip at a time.
My husband and I love Paris (and France)—we lived there for a while many years ago and every year after that we visited, until the pandemic hit the world. And as we all know, the pandemic put an end to most national and international travel for a while.
So, we were very happy to be able to return in the summer of 2022. We took our daughter, her 6-year-old daughter, and her partner with us and we were really looking forward to sharing all the things that we love about the city and the country. And, it was a wonderful, successful trip.
Our other dishes at Le Julyann
Our granddaughter explaining that she’s eating escargots
Our daughter loves seafood, so was extremely happy to have the chance to eat fresh oysters many times, in Paris and especially in Brittany. She was also keen to try snails—escargots—considered a delicacy by many and on most menus. Our granddaughter is generally a pretty adventurous eater and will try most things, at least once. So, she decided that she was going to try snails too.
My husband and I chose Le Julyann, 36 Faubourg Montmartre (9th), on the corner of rue Cadet. It’s a part of Paris that we know well and we’ve eaten there before. Plus, it has outdoor seating, which was perfect as that was the time when there was a heatwave in Paris.
What a delightful experience it was to watch this young girl have such fun and approach her new adventure with such verve. She even got her mom to take a short video of her eating the snail, explaining how to hold it, how to get the snail out of the shell and what it tasted like, because she wanted to share it with her class at school! A different kind of “show and tell!” Our waiter was wonderful too, making the experience really special. We started with a shared plate of escargots but had to order another, as that didn’t go very far among 5 people! The rest of our meal there was also very good.
Taking a video to show to her class at school
Our granddaughter liked the experience so much that she ordered snails again another evening in Montmartre at Chez Eugene on Place du Tertre.
At Chez Eugene
Happiness at Chez Eugene!
At the end of the trip, I think we ended up with some more dedicated francophiles! And not only because of the snails, although that certainly contributed.
Rod and our granddaughter. Versailles Palace in the far distance. Note the walkways lined with statues
Apollo with his lyre, marble
At one point, over 5,000 people could be accommodated in Versailles’ large living space, so it’s no surprise that the gardens are also monumental. The gardens of Versailles are some of the largest and most spectacular in the world and contain many statues, water features, fountains, and over 20 miles of water pipes, making the gardens seem like an outdoor sculpture museum.
Walkways from the back of the Palace to the Grand Canal
La Clarte (Clarity)
It’s difficult to verify the number of statues and sculptures there are in the gardens, with numbers ranging from 800+ to around 400. Whatever the actual number, it’s a lot.
The sculptures along the walks are made of marble, while those in the fountains they decorate are often of gilded lead or gilded metal, such as bronze. There are also multiple casts—-identical replicas of the preserved originals.
Dying Cleopatra
One site tells me that today there are only fifty fountains still functioning and the mile-long Grand Canal supplies the never-ending supply of water required. Apparently, at its peak there were more than 2,000 fountains in use.
One of the water fountain statues
All of the garden features bring the gardens to life, and it’s very pleasant to stroll around the gardens, enjoying the outdoor sculpture park. We especially like the statues lining some of the avenues—the white marble figures stand out from the green hedges and bushes behind them, sometimes appearing to glow, depending on the light.
Fidelity seems to be glowing
We took photos of some of the statues to give an idea of what the gardens look like. Many of the information boards tell us that those statues were restored between 2005-2012 thanks to funding from various groups.
If you are visiting Versailles I highly recommend spending some time in the gardens too. There are also a couple of cafes in the gardens where you can enjoy a light lunch or a snack.
From Humble Hunting Lodge to an Icon of France, and a work still in progress after 400 years.
Note: this is a “big” place, so I have LOTS of photos from our most recent trip in 2022, which still hardly do it justice. Please enjoy and scroll through.
The back of the palace
One of the many statues in the gardens behind the palace
I’ve been wanting to write about Versailles again for a long time, but have always put it off because it’s such a “big” topic to cover. It has such a long history with so many personalities populating it, it’s huge physically, and has so many different parts in the whole domaine, so where to begin? I thought about covering just one or two aspects, but actually the whole is made up of all the parts. I have covered Versailles once before, when we did a trip with our grandson in 2018, but it’s worth doing again. https://vivsfrenchadventures.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/versailles-in-the-summer/
Luckily a big anniversary came along—the 400th anniversary for Versailles—which was an impetus for me to finally try to “do something with Versailles” and all the notes and photographs we’ve collected over the years.
Looking back to the palace from the near gardens
part of the gardens
In September 2023, France started celebrating the 400th birthday of one of France’s (and possibly the world’s) most famous places: the Palace of Versailles. The palace was once the home of French kings. Later, it was a place where important world leaders met to end WW1. During its long history it has had many makeovers, from simple hunting lodge and overnight base, to the opulent palace that we see these days. Today it is one of the most visited places in France, and visitors come from all over the world to see it. The palace is not far out of Paris—15 miles or 24km—so most visitors to Paris will also come here.
The chapel inside the palace
In fact, it is so popular that you must get advance timed tickets online. There are many types of tickets, which may include a visit to the actual palace, plus the famous gardens and/or a visit to the smaller palaces in the gardens—the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon, and the Queen’s Hamlet. Whatever you decide on, you must get advance tickets and we think it’s best to get there and have an early start time, as a way to fit it all in and (maybe) avoid some of the crowds.
Versailles Palace is enormous, more than ¼ mile long, with 2,300 rooms, situated on about 250 acres full of gardens, fountains and statues. The royal family lived there formally from 1682 until the French Revolution in 1789.
The Grand Trianon and its gardens
We have visited Versailles a few times over the years and toured all over the domaine. We last visited Versailles in the summer of 2022 and noted that there was a fair amount of construction and restoration work going on. On that visit we went with our daughter, her partner, and their 6-year-old daughter. So, we decided to split up. We all went into the gardens and had lunch, then our daughter and partner did a tour of Versailles Palace, while my husband and I took our little granddaughter, as we thought the big tour would be too much for her. We promised her that we would go to her very own special palace, so we went to the Grand Trianon and she was really excited. We would have gone to the Petit Trianon and Queen’s Hamlet too but it started to pour with rain so we got the little train back to the main meeting spot at the big palace.
Our granddaughter in Grand Trianon Hall
Inside Grand Trianon
So, what has happened at Versailles during its 400-year history, and why is it so important? I’ll attempt a short summary of some of the main events.
A Bit of History
French King Louis XIII found this area on his first hunting trip in the early 1600s. He really liked the game-rich forest of Versailles so he built a hunting lodge there that was started in 1623. He stayed overnight there for the first time in 1624. After he died in 1643, his son, Louis XIV, aka as the Sun King, decided to build a palace there, which took more than 40 years to finish.
Gorgeous ceiling inside the Palace of Versailles
Over the next hundred-plus years, four more kings lived in the palace, but it was Louis XIV who made the greatest mark, his biggest legacy probably being the Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces). He also had the famous gardens developed, including a canal, and he had the Grand Trianon built, a small French Baroque chateau in the gardens, completed in 1687 by Mansart. He commissioned famous names such as Andre le Notre (architect), Jean-Baptiste Colbert (statesman), Charles le Brun (artist) and Jules Hardoin-Mansart (architect) to help.
Looking from the back of the palace to the gardens and the canal
Everything is ornate inside the palace
After the Sun King died in 1715, the court abandoned Versailles briefly for Vincennes in Paris, until 1722 when the young King Louis XV decided to return. He added some more features to the palace and grounds—-a theater, and the Petit Trianon for his mistress Madame de Pompadour.
Louis XVI came to the throne in 1774, inheriting a kingdom with serious problems. One of the famous things he did at Versailles was to receive Benjamin Franklin in 1778. At the meeting, he agreed to the military assistance that helped in the American Revolutionary War and led to the signing of the Treaty of Independence of the United States (between Britain and the United States) in September 1783.
Inside the palace
Early in 1789, faced with a grave financial crisis, King Louis XVI summoned a meeting of the Estates General at the palace (clergy were First Estate, nobility were Second Estate, commoners were Third Estate). Unfortunately for him, the Third Estate, plus some members of the other estates, broke away and formed the National Assembly, a move that was basically the start of the French Revolution. Later that year, because of popular pressure, Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette left Versailles for Paris. As many people know, both Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were guillotined in Paris. Mobs of people came and took or broke most of the furniture and art in the palace.
The French Revolution was a turning point in the history of both France and the Palace of Versailles. The palace had been the main royal residence since 1682 and the reign of Louis XIV, but was abandoned by the royal family in 1789.
After the revolution it wasn’t known what to do with the palace. Many of the artworks were taken by the Louvre and many were auctioned off. The palace offered tours, and was used as a storage space.
Later, the palace became the Museum of the History of France commissioned by Louis-Philippe in 1830, and after him Napoleon 111 used it to welcome Queen Victoria, but little was done to keep up the building. It fell into disrepair. Work to rebuild only began in the early 1900s when money was raised in various fund-raisers (including one in which John D. Rockefeller took part), rebuilding work that still continues. When in power, Napoleon Bonaparte chose to stay in the Grand Trianon, a more modest palace in the estate gardens. Versailles was used as a hospital in WW1, and was boarded up during WW2, the art works hidden in various places.
Versailles Today
The palace was designated a World Heritage site in 1979. From the autumn of 2017, the palace has been undergoing some of its largest restoration projects, The palace recently (September 2023) opened a new gallery sharing its history, called Gallery of the History of the Palace. The gallery has 11 rooms and 120 works of art, some of which were in storage for many years, but some is new. Visitors can also see the desk where the 1919 Treaty of Versailles was signed. It was signed at the palace on June 28, 1919 and officially ended WW1.
Front entrance to the palace
There are many famous rooms in the palace (all famously opulent and ornate), the most famous being the rooms where the king and queen lived, and the Hercules Room and the Hall of Mirrors. The Hercules Room was a place for parties and dances. It is full of marble and bronze, but is most famous for the paintings on its walls and ceilings. The painting on its ceiling is one of the largest in the world.
The Hall of Mirrors is a 73-meter-long (240 feet) hallway lined with mirrors that runs along the front of the palace. The ceiling is decorated with paintings about Louis XIV. It was used for ceremonies and special receptions, when the royalty wanted to display the opulence and richness (and power) of France.
Doing a self-guided audio tour of the palace takes time and it’s very difficult to take in all the amazing, lavish details. We did our best and I’ve included a few photos that try to capture the essence of this opulent, over-the-top, colorful decoration.
Inside the Grand Trianon
The palace gardens were first laid out in the 1660s. They include stables, a greenhouse for growing orange trees (l’orangerie), and a small farm. The farm was for Queen Marie Antoinette, and is called the Queen’s Hamlet. The gardens have multiple statues and fountains, and the Grand Basin. They too take time to tour, but if you get tired you can hop on the little train that runs round regularly.
A beautiful malachite table in the Grand Trianon
The Grand Trianon, a French baroque chateau in the gardens, about a 25-minute walk from the main palace, is a palace on a slightly more human scale. The king used it as a private residence, where he could relax with guests and entertain is mistress. It was also called the Marble Palace because of the pink marble panels on the facades. It’s unusual as it has two wings joined by a central colonnaded gallery, or peristyle. It, too, has lovely gardens—a lot smaller than the main gardens.
The peristyle of the Grand Trianon
What was our final analysis? Tiring, crowded, enormous, amazing, so many rooms, so many symbolic paintings, huge doors, beautiful, lavish, ornate, ostentatious, over-the-top. But, so worth it. It’s that kind of place!
The entrance to the museum is just to the right of this photo. That’s the outside of the church
The museum is housed in an old building, the former Priory of St.-Martin-des-Champs, originally founded in 1060 by Henri 1, and given to the Abbey of Cluny in 1079. It has functioned as a museum since after the French Revolution, and has undergone various changes over the years.
The museum was renovated again in 2000 and now has 7 collections on 3 floors. It’s a great museum for children (and adults), and one very special exhibit is in the former Abbey Church. It now houses a collection of early planes, suspended from the ceiling, and early cars, on a series of glass ramps and platforms.
Inside the previous church
Courtyard with outside seating for the cafe, at the back under the umbrellas
I’ll write about the museum in the next post, but here we’ll focus on lunch, as eating lunch in their restaurant is a good way of breaking up your museum visit.
The museum has a very pleasant café-restaurant called Des TechniquesA Toutes Vapeurs (roughly “All kinds of techniques with steam”), with inside and outside seating, if the weather is good. The day we went it was warm and sunny so we sat outside in the courtyard of the old priory next to one of the large entrance halls. We remembered the food being good from a previous visit, so we splurged with a leisurely lunch of large plates of very nice salads served with small bread rolls, rather than the usual baguette. Our group declared that the salade de chevre chaude (warm goat cheese salad) and the salade niçoise were probably the best ever, especially the niçoise as it had fresh anchovies and no tuna.
Salade chèvre chaude
Salade niçoise
Our granddaughter loved her salad chèvre chaude
Definitely recommended.
Address: 60 rue Reaumur (3rd arrondissement).
Metro: Arts et Métiers or Reaumur-Sebastopol (Note, it’s not far from Les Halles and Pompidou Center).
Open Tues-Sun 10am-6pm, late night Friday to 9:00pm
Entrance euro 12/adult. Senior reduction with proof of age. Student and group rates. No security check.
The last few times we’ve been in Paris we stayed at the Hotel Libertel Gare du Nord Suede, which is actually between Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est on rue Magenta.
Interior of Bouillon Chartier near Gare de l’Est
It’s decorated with a collection of interesting old posters
Walking to Gare de l’Est, we were delighted to see another Bouillon Chartier opposite Gare de l’Est and tried it that very evening and again later in the week. And it didn’t disappoint. It also has an Art Deco interior, decorated with antique pieces, like big posters of different wines and alcohols, and old gramophones and cash registers from an earlier era. The original concept from the founding Bouillon Chartier on Faubourg Montmartre still applies here—to offer affordable, all-day, excellent quality food—because it basically started as a big food hall to help feed lower working-class people.
Old gramophone
Nowadays, it looks and feels much more fancy. It’s a very large space, supposedly able to seat 200, although we never saw it completely full. It’s semi-divided up by large pillars decorated with the old posters, and there are a few booths. There are many ceiling lights and huge mirrors, and the waiters and waitresses wear a traditional rondin, a tight-fitting black waistcoat with many pockets, and a long white apron, and they are very attentive to the guests.
An old phone switchboard
The menu in English
Prices are extremely reasonable and the food is delicious. As in the original Bouillon Chartier, the waiter writes your order, and your total at the end, on the white paper table cloth. The first time we had a young waitress who told us that most clients are French, but that some are English or Spanish. She spoke to us in English and was very sweet.
writing on the white paper tablecloth
I had a leek dish (poireau) and then the sea bream (dorade). Rod had the celeriac starter, butcher’s block meat dish with haricots verts, and a cheese plate. We shared a bottle of Gris de Gris wine from Provence for 13 euro. And plenty of fresh baguette. The total for all that was 56 euros. The second time we went we had a similar meal, except Rod had beef bourguignon, for a similar price. The desserts are a big hit, but we didn’t try any.
We can’t wait to return!
Open 7 days a week, 11:30am-midnight, no reservations necessary, food served all day.
Looking at graffiti on trucks in Paris (and other cities in France) is not street art as we usually think of it, but another colorful form. Some say that the truck graffiti culture in Paris is one of the most sophisticated of its kind in the world, plus the city has the most ‘graffitied’ trucks—perhaps after New York City.
Wandering around the city, in any arrondissement, you will definitely see some of these trucks covered in graffiti and, if you are like me, you’ll wonder what it means and who the artist was. Did the truck owner commission it, or at least condone the painting of his/her truck?
The most common form of this art is letters, but many also have a cartoonish presentation. It is sometimes a random act of dissent or invasion of private property, but frequently also has a social or political message.
These trucks are different to street art and wall graffiti, as the surface (the trucks) can circulate around the city spreading the message.
Over the years we’ve taken many photos, but here are just a few.
Many places in Europe have wonderful Christmas markets (such as Strasbourg), with special wooden stalls, mulled wine and other hot drinks, a variety of gifts and food items, music, holiday decorations, and a very festive air.
Vin chaud=hot wine=mulled wine
Last year we went to one just outside the Gare de l’Est in Paris. In a giant tent, it was smaller than others in Paris and not in wooden huts, but still fun. Most of the trains leaving and arriving at this station are to the east, for example to Alsace, so the German influence is very evident.
We couldn’t resist the Jambon en Croûte (ham in a crust) tart baked in the shape of a pig, and it was pretty good.
See the pig?
I hope that this market will take place again this Christmas period, but sadly we won’t be around in Paris at that time to experience it.
These Christmas markets are a wonderful idea, and a number of cities in the USA are also hosting something similar these days, for example in Chicago, where they call it Kriskringel Market.
We spent two weeks in Montpellier in January 2023 for my birthday, our first time there. Not the best time to be there weather-wise, but it was still fun and we got around fine. We chose Montpellier for a number of reasons: It’s in the south of France in the Languedoc region, which is famous for wines, so we planned to tour some wineries. In addition, it’s a lively university town, has an Old Town (called L’Ecusson) established in the Middle Ages (and we love historical places), but also has modern developments and has a reputation for interesting modern architecture, and it’s close to the Mediterranean Sea.
One of our friends is a professor of architecture at the university here in Illinois and he has visited Montpellier a couple of times. He mentioned some of the modern buildings in the city, so we decided to try and find them. Well, it wasn’t difficult because they are so striking and are just outside the Old Town, very close to our hotel.
We thought it looked almost like porcupine quills on the building!
One is the Sou Fujimoto Lake Tower on the banks of the Lez River that runs through Montpellier. It’s famous for its branching balconies, apparently a signature of the famous architect Sou Fujimoto, a Japanese architect born in Hokkaido, with his architectural firm now based in Tokyo and Paris.
As our friend said, “the design of the building is innovative and groundbreaking, with balconies arranged in a non-traditional manner, creating a sense of space openness and interaction with the surroundings. This building is not only an impressive architectural work but also brings a new experience to residents of Montpellier.”
The building certainly is eye-catching and we enjoyed walking around the outside of it. It’s especially interesting when you compare it to some of the really old buildings in the Old Town.
The wonderful interior. Note the waiters’ black and white outfits
In Paris, we frequently stay in the 9th arrondissement at the Hotel Aida Opera on rue Richer. When wandering around the neighborhood, we walked past a restaurant called Restaurant Chartier on rue du Faubourg Montmartre, and decided to try it. We liked it so much that on another visit we took our adult grandson there. It’s open every day and is obviously very popular. In the evening, you’ll likely encounter long lines of people waiting to get in: no reservations are accepted. It’s possible that you may be seated at a table with strangers, although we never were.
Rod with one of his main dishes
Who wouldn’t love a rose called The Terrible Children?
It turns out that it’s actually Le Bouillon Chartier, a Parisian institution with an interesting history. First of all, why the name “Bouillon”? In the late 1850s, an ex-butcher called Pierre-Louis Duval invented the concept of a “bouillon” restaurant, where he sold simple, inexpensive, quickly-served, but satisfying meals made of meat and bouillon (broth) to the workers in Les Halles (the big market) area. The concept became very popular and by the early 20th century there were around 250 of these popular places dotted around Paris. Some people have even written that these bouillons were basically the first restaurant chain. Over time, the bouillon menus evolved and today they are more like a brasserie, serving simple but authentic French cuisine.
With our grandson
Mirrors that look like windows
The Art Nouveau movement was spreading in Europe in the late 1800s and this influenced the décor, architecture and furniture of many popular places, including the bouillons. So, many of the interiors of the bouillons have an old-world beauty with carved wood, huge mirrors, lamps, ceramics, large paintings.
Le Bouillon Chartier is one of the most authentic bouillon type of restaurants in Paris, both for the Belle Epoque décor and the menu, as well as the serving style. It has a long history (it was mentioned in a Baedeker guide in 1907) and has only had four owners since opening.
In 1896 Camille and Frédéric Chartier, two brothers, created the first Bouillon Chartier in the Grands Boulevards district, not far from the Hotel Drouot and the Musée Grevin. It was originally a cheap workers’ eating place, but is definitely not that now. There are now two other locations: one at Gare de l‘Est and one in Montparnasse.
The long dining room, which also has a mezzanine, is done in the Belle Epoque style, and has a high ceiling supported by columns decorated with brackets and medallions. The ambience is warm, the walls painted a light golden ochre, lots of wood paneling, large mirrors that look like windows, and interesting light fixtures. It’s a beautiful room and in 1989 was classified as a monument historique.
The menu is not extensive, but all the items are classic French dishes, such as escargots, celery remoulade, leeks with vinaigrette, terrine, baked sea bream, Alsatian sauerkraut, confit de canard, a cheese plate, chocolate mousse.
The wait staff are dressed in a tight-fitting black waistcoat that has many pockets, and a long white apron. He/she writes your order on the disposable white paper tablecloth, and adds up your total there too. It must be noted that for us tourists it’s almost impossible to decipher their writing!
We had a couple of great meals there and the prices were quite reasonable.
In a future post, I’ll write about the Bouillon Chartier near Gare de l’Est.
Address: 7 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre (9th arrondissement)
Right from the first time we lived in Paris, we were fascinated by the red Soldes (Sale) signs that appeared regularly twice a year. In any other place that we’ve lived, the Sales or On Sale signs are not necessarily red.
The BHV (Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville) is a large department store next to the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) in Paris
The annual sales in France are interesting for two reasons: the dates are regulated, and signs are in red.
Sale: Follow the guide
I’m not sure if the sales periods are regulated in other countries, but they are in France. In France there are two main sales periods, of maximum four weeks each, one in winter (Soldes d’Hiver) and one in summer (Soldes d’Ete). The dates are decided on by each French department by order of the Prefect. This might seem surprising to Americans, as sales happen all year, often tied to special days or holidays, such as President’s Day sales, Easter sales, Labor Day sales.
Most stores in France use red as the color for their sales signs and for noting any other important details. Apparently, using red in retail sales is a way of appealing to the buyers and grabbing their attention. Why red? Red is the color that enhances physical reactions. We are programmed to view red as a sign of danger, so retailers are hoping that the red gets the potential customer’s attention and cues them to take action by making a purchase. Very logical.
I’m looking, but didn’t buy
New markdowns
We were in Paris and Montpellier in January-early February this year, and the set sales dates were January 11-February 7, 2023, and we had fun looking at some of the Soldes signs. We were not there this summer but the summer dates were June 26-July 24, 2023.
We’ve not bought much in French sales, but there are big markdowns, so if you are a shopper keep this in mind if you happen to be in France during the Soldes periods.
To-ing and Fro-ing in France 