11 May 2026 – Monday – Paris

The first few days Ginny and I will be in Paris. I chose a small hotel on the Rive gauche (left bank). I prefer being on the left bank because it is filled with interesting places, restaurants and charming little shops. The right bank is more upscale fancy with major couture and very pricey hotels. 

We have a few plans in place and dinner reservations based on the blog recommendations of Paris by mouth. So much to do and see.
We have already met up with others who will be part of our trip. The NY yacht club folks are very much into one upsmanship. I am glad that my friends with whom I will be traveling are not at all like that. I hate playing those games. 

We picked up our bags and took a taxi into town.  It took about 1 1/2 hours in very slow traffic. Apparently rain makes for extremely slow driving. I can’t imagine what it would be like if it snowed 😱
We arrived at our hotel at about 11:45 and miraculously our room was ready. The hotel is very old but rooms are modern. It’s not fancy. We just needed a place to sleep and shower. 

We went out for much needed coffee and a bite of breakfast. Then we walked to Notre Dame. The line to get in moved quickly. It took ten minutes at most unlike my experience in February when we stood in a downpour for close to an hour. The church is gorgeous as I had remembered. 

We left and walked to Ile St Louis to visit a hotel that Ginny’s friend Jack likes. We met the hotel manager who knows Jack from his many stays there. It’s a cute spot. Unfortunately they had no availability when I looked several months ago. 

We walked back to our hotel so that Ginny could relax. I decided to wander the streets that I have known for decades as the places my father and I went to visit art galleries. Of course much has changed. But it’s still a charming neighborhood. No more carcasses of meat hanging in stalls. Now there are many fabric stores and designer shops. Things have really changed. 

I came back to meet up for dinner. I figured that buckwheat crepes at Breizh cafe was a good choice. We both had smoked duck with mushrooms and Comte cheese. It was yummy. 

We wandered along Rue St Germain to a bar for a nightcap. Now it’s time to sleep to be ready for the Musee D’Orsay tomorrow.