Have you ever just found something that you truly enjoy all the time? I know yarn is a big deal and all but I also love traveling. I recently went to France (again) and introduced my husband to the French culture; and you know what? We both had a blast. It was an awful trip getting there and it started raining the first day, but we were still loving every minute. Even without an umbrella with us. It's truly funny because before we left I said we needed to take one with us everywhere. And we left one here in the states and the other in the hotel room. We looked like drowned rats getting on our river cruise dinner. I digress. Can I just say that I love Paris. It has always been one of my favorite places in the world. I have rarely had any trouble there, be it people, subways, or even circumstances. We visited the Eiffel Tower, the Arc D'Triumph, Versailles, the gardens, Petite Trianon, Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, Shakespeare's, Pantheon, Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Sacre Couer, Les Deux Moulins, the Latin quarter restraraunts frequently, park d'Saint Dennis, Crypts, L'oisive The, the oldest theater in Europe, Bergere de France, Les Peuces and La Montmartroise for breakfast many times. I was worried that this was too much for my calm laid back nap-loving husband to take in, in just 4 days. He LOVED it! Success! He did not speak the language and he was out of his element the whole time, but uncomfortably so. He wants to go back as soon as possible. I have missed Paris so much over the years, and was sooo happy to be back. I think it rubbed off on my husband. He was totally fascinated by the history, The beginnings of Viking settlers called the Parisi, and the architecture, and sculptures and artwork in every detail of their very ornate relaxed lives. We even visited an Irish pub just for him. My only wish was that there were better souvenirs to bring back to everyone at home. The vast majority were either severely overpriced or Severly under par for quality. But it did not ruin any part of our stay. I would like to advise any future travelers on tips for saving money and getting the most out of your stay.
1. Use the App Hopper to fins the best times and dates to fly at a reasonable price.
2. Compare that with prices that you find in CheapOAir App or on their webpage.
3. Clear your browsing history every time you search for flights, they can tell you are lurking and the prices will go up based purely off your interest.
4. There are many apps for finding a place to stay: CheopOAir had some, AirBnB, Booking.com, and many others, I ended up using the last of the three and saved a TON, but don't forget that taxes are usually not included in your initial booking and will likely pay the same amount again when arriving in TAXES.
5. Excursions! I booked them all through Viator the app, or on their webpage. This is by far one of the most expansive databases of things to do anywhere there is tourism. We have loved every purchased, and all worth the money. We bought our museum passes, (over 50 places for free and skip the line access almost everywhere), 4 days without bus or subway fares included. This was because it was cheaper to buy a cartouche of 10 in the subway at a time. We bought 2 in 4 days and did a lot of walking. (That is how you see more of Paris). We also purchased the Siene River Cruise with dinner, and the Eiffel Tower guided tour because we could not get any the preferred day from the Eiffel Tower webpage. Let me advise their tour guides are some of the nicest and most intelligent, speaking many languages and they were considerate, not going to fast, and even got us water, and dropped us off in the top to explore after fully educating us about the structure and architect. Amazing.
We also did some regular hangout fun together like feeding the pigeons in front of Notre Dame With birdseed, and checking all the local vendors for one of a kind thoughtful gifts, and even street food. Grand Marnier crepes are apparently the hubby's new favorite treat.
The biggest thing I can say is that if you are flying and having trouble getting to the airport or even registering your ticket reception, call the airline that you are flying with, i.e., Delta, or Spirit, etc. If you can' tune the app to check in early they need to know. We will likely never fly with Spirit airlines again. They were difficult and unsympathetic. We ended up having to book another flight with another company. And even though it cost through the NOSE last minute, Delta I worth it. They were so accommodating and even rearranged our seats when they found out what happened. (We arrived as they started to board but were blocked from boarding because their (Spirit) app would not let us check in).
Also NEVER stay at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. They overbooked the hotel, and gave us a dirty room with a door that did not lock at all, anyone could open the door from the outside. When asked to move the room, they had already wasted 2 hours of our time in line, it was now the middle of the night and we ended up waiting another 2 hours to get the manager to refund us. The beds were already messed and there was blood on the back of the bathroom door folks. There were 3 other sets of travelers there at the same time with no room and being told they would not get a refund. One desk clerk even told a lady she could not speak Spanish yet I had heard her have a fluent conversation 5 minutes before, (I took 5 years, but am super rusty). All in all it is the worst experience I have EVER had at a hotel in all of my years of travel. Roach motels included when I was younger and poorer. (Sometime you take what you can get.) That is the gist of my travel advice from this years' sound on international travel. I hope I have helped someone with reservations about booking this trip and inspired them to go ahead and go for it. If you have any questions or would like any clarification feel free to message me. Also pardon any mistakes, I did not double check my spelling or grammar as I just wanted to get this out, and sorry for the crappy formatting, my paragraphs do not take on my iPad.
