We've got our plane tickets, our itinerary and our accommodation in the bag. Now I would love some travel tips for the destinations listed below. The one place I want you to focus on, however, is Paris. Michael tasked me with planning some exploration options, and I don't know where to start. I'm pretty sure many of you have favourite memories of Paris (or desires to visit something special in Paris), and I want you to share your goods. Lay it on me!
Itinerary
Belfast (day-trip potential)
Portstewart/Portrush (five nights)
Dublin (one night)
Zurich (one night)
Porlezza (three nights)
Sienna (three nights)
Florence (one or two day-trips)
Lucca (two nights)
Cinque Terre (two nights)
Alassio (two nights)
Paris (three nights)
6 comments:
I have a horrible memory of Paris! I was ridiculed while trying to order crepes at a cafe that clearly had crepes. I asked for "crepes" the women at the counter said "chips?" and I said, "crepes." And it went on and on until I said "au revoir" and left with them laughing at me! Rude!
I really enjoyed walking through the Pere Lachaise Cemetary. And eating pear tarts for breakfast.
all i can really give you is the art related tourist ideas as that's what interests me...i hope that interests you as well, if only a little.
PARIS
i never knew that the cemetary i happened upon in paris had a name. certainly go there. hopefully there will be a crazy little old man with broken english that feeds all the stray/feral cats fish heads. he will ask you for money though...
wander around the montmartre distict. so many artists had their studios in and around there. you can walk up all the little shop lined streets to the sacre coeur. and then you can pretend to be amelie.
take an evening/dusk cruise down the seine.
walk up all the stairs to the top of the arc de triomphe.
my favourite thing to do in paris is the musee d'orsay. it's my favourite gallery in the world but then impressionism is my favourite art form. many of the artists that lived around montmarte are found in the musee d'orsay.
and not last but certainly not least you have to set aside alot of time and see the louvre. it's huge, you won't see it all but do set aside some time.
you could always do a da vinci code tour as well. i haven't, but it's an option.
FLORENCE - michelangelo's city.
the basillica of san lorenzo has some beautiful tombs and sculptures inside.
don't bother going to the gallery that has michelangelo's david. you can see a replica is an open square near the uffizi gallery. it's a perfect replica and it's where the statue originally was. i was disappointed i paid to get into the gallery after i had already seen the duplicate.
you must go to the museo dell'opera del duomo. it's quite small and hidden but there is an unfinished pieta by michelangelo. they think tha man taking jesus off the cross is a self portrait.
there is also a lovely garden but i can't remember the details. i'll have to get back to you on that one.
the mother of all chocolate apparently lives in florence:
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/06/04/i-have-seen-god-in-a.html
and i hear there is a place in paris with the best falafel in europe:
http://www.megnut.com/2007/01/bittman-fooled-about-falafel
and a needlework supply / haberdasher in paris that is supposed to be fun:
http://www.entreedesfournisseurs.fr
i pulled these links out of my mind without having actually bookmarked them. i've had "chocolate in florence" burned into my brain since 2005, apparently!
I was in Paris when I was 15 for 4 days. I remember the following possibly useful things, however:
1. Paris is a lot like New York and London to me. There is a feeling there that doesn't involve anything but BEING THERE. So don't schedule too much, because wandering and soaking it in is such a treat. Just don't step in a puddle of pee.
2. One of my favourite things that we did in 1991 (ha) was going to Sacre Coeur. Walk up, walk down. I believe this is similar to/the same as the Montmartre suggestion a la Robyn. Find evidence for the potential that streets can be that incredible, etc.
3. Eat.
4. Museums. Yes. Being outside in Paris is kind of a museum too though. Again, whatever moves you.
5. Pere Lachaise Cemetery...I went in search of Jim Morrison's grave (I went rather unwillingly, as I care not about the Lizard King but I was with 15 year olds), there are graves of OTHER PEOPLE too, such as: Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Bizet, Chopin, HELOISE AND ABELARD, Modigliani, Moliere, Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, etc.
Paris=history. Paris=balls out.
This is why going to Paris when you're a BIT older can yield a bit more appreciation...
FUN!
florence continued...
wander over the ponte vecchio and go to the giardino di boboli.
Thanks dudes!
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