We’re back in Paris!

Up this morning about 5 am and decided that after our big dinner last night, that we were really in no need of breakfast!  So, showered and all packed up – it’s amazing how things somehow just manage to fit back inside those 21” suitcases – and even though we had a shuttle scheduled for 8:30 am, we both wanted to get to the airport earlier.  So, down to the lobby with everything at 7.  The lovely gal at reception contacted the shuttle service, and arranged for a driver to actually arrive in 15 minutes!  And he did!  Lovely vehicle, with seat belts that work!!  And within another 15 minutes we were at the Carthage airport!

 

We were, in fact, SO early that the Air France desks weren’t even open, and we had to wait about 20 minutes for that to happen.  But got our boarding passes quickly, and then headed to immigration and security.  Again, just a minute or two wait for immigration, and even less to get through security!  It was great!

 

Our gate, 59, wasn’t really far, and I was able to purchase water, SNICKERS, and M&Ms at the Duty Free shop!  The first Snickers we’ve seen in Tunisia!  Amazing!

 

We read our books for an hour or so, until it was time to board our flight.  Interesting plane – what looked like a new Airbus 220-300, with two seats on one side of the aisle, and three seats on the other.  Pretty comfortable, and we were just two rows behind first class, which made getting off fairly easy.  As R had the window seat, and I was next to him, it was fun being able to look out and see what was happening!  We took off to the south over Tunis, and then turned north, flying over Sardinia before moving over France.

 

The flight was about 2½ hours long, and we arrived five minutes early.  Easy deplaning, and then, of course, the not too long slog off the plane, to the train and to customs and baggage claim.  This time, not really too much of a line to get through customs; only took a few minutes, actually, and then to baggage.  I do have to say that I really, truly love Apple Air Tags!  We could tell immediately that both of our suitcases were at least in CDG, and while it took a bit of time for them to reach us, at least we knew they were there!  (I try always to carry-on whenever possible, but on return flights, it’s way too much of a hassle … so I was hedging my bets that things would make it, by putting some extra clothes in our carry-ons…just in case…)

 

Landed about 1:30 pm, and were out the door at CDG and into a taxi by 2:30 pm – and, wonder of wonders, we were at the hotel, just a little bit after 3:35 pm!  Our taxi driver was incredible!  His driving was a bit jerky … but that can certainly be forgiven, as we had a beautiful drive through town!  This guy was amazing – he could have been an honorary Tunisian, that’s for sure!  We got off the motor way a little bit after Stade de France, and this time, we also saw the swimming venue that had been built for the Paris Olympics!  Quite an impressive structure!

 

At any rate, from the top of Paris, our driver took a fairly direct route straight through town, hitting the Seine just about Place de la Bastille, crossing behind Notre Dame, and then straight up behind the Pantheon!  I was amazed and very impressed!

 

Nice to return to the Hotel des Grands Hommes.  We’ve stayed here many times over the years, usually with a view of the Pantheon – but this time, we just wanted a room for two nights.  The first room they gave us, 54, was SO tiny – and honestly, it just didn’t work!  There was absolutely no desk space, and we had to ask for another room.  Then given room 33, which is much nicer!  (R preferred the original bathroom, as it had a huge shower, and this one has a tub with shower…). But this one has a nice desk, and there is actually room to put two suitcases!  The problem, though, is that the heat doesn’t seem to be working!  We’ve had the engineer up, and he can’t make it work, so we are now using a wonderful portable heater, which is doing the job very nicely!  Considering that it’s supposed to get down to freezing tomorrow night, it’s a good thing!  I’m wishing I had brought a hat, gloves and winter scarf, but figure I can do without for tomorrow … hopefully…My coat seems quite adequate to the job, but since we were here a couple of weeks ago, winter seems to have arrived!  Hopefully R won’t freeze, as he only has his sweater and light jacket … but as we know from experience, there are shopping opportunities in Paris!

 

Freezing at the computer!

At any rate, now nicely organized in room 33 in des Grands Hommes, and planning on resting until dinner at 7 pm.  We’ve got a reservation at Le Perraudin, which is just a 3 minute walk away.  The menu looked good – BEEF!!! YAY! And I made the reservation yesterday from Tunis, so hoping for the best!  

 

More later!

m

xxx

 

 

For history buffs, Tunisia is a fascinating place but there is room for improvement.  It seems the area has not received the attention of the archaeologists that other places have – Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia.  We saw essentially nothing about the inhabitants who predated the Phoenicians/Carthaginians.  And, thanks to the Romans, there is very little left of the Carthaginian culture. 

 

Tunisia could do a better job showcasing the incredible Roman sites – better direction to the sites, better signage and explanatory information, especially at Dougga, which is an amazing site, but pretty much sign/info free!  And if Uthina exists, we certainly couldn’t even FIND it!  The Bardo Museum in Tunis is a good step toward showcasing the country’s history.

 

The principal religion in Tunisia is Islam but we found it different from what we saw in Egypt and in Turkey.  In Tunisia, for example: We seldom heard the Call to Prayer that comes five times a day.  On two occasions, we were served ham, something that never happened in Egypt or Turkey.  And what we think is really remarkable is Tunisia’s wine industry.  We had some really outstanding Tunisian wines served with our dinners.  Isn’t this an odd business for an Islamic county?  M thinks it probably has something to do with the fact that Tunisia was a French “possession” for many years, but who knows?  And Turkey does have excellent wine as well, and is even now starting to advertise its own “wine routes” in the Izmir region!  Might it possibly have something to do with the difference between a religious and a secular government?

 

Okay, just back from dinner, and want to get this posted quickly before I fall asleep, as it has been a long day!  Our room, with the portable heater, has warmed up very nicely, which is great!  I wasn’t relishing a cold room overnight, that’s for sure!

 

Out about 10 to 7 to Perraudin, a restaurant specializing in French cooking (surprise!) just 3 minutes walk from our hotel; just around the corner, actually.  Problem is, it’s raining and windy; very blustery!  It actually turned my new travel umbrella inside out, but fortunately, also turned it back, so all is well.  It’s just that kind of night!  Very cold; brr….

 

Got there just at 7, and it’s a small place, again with the tables packed together.  For starters, I ordered their French onion soup, which was STEAMING hot and very delicious – just the thing for a cold winter’s night!  Rordered their mushroom plate, as he loves mushrooms.  The only difficulty is that they came with a sunny side up egg in the middle!  He actually dealt with it very well, and the mushrooms were great!

R's mushrooms with egg!

My French onion soup -- steaming!

R's entrecote with frites!

My boeuf bourguignon!

My vanilla creme brulee

R's tarte tatin

For mains, I ordered the boeuf bourgignon, and loved it.  It’s a bit different from R’s, who does basically Julia Child’s recipe with some modifications.  R ordered their entrecote, which came with a small salad and frites. He said the entrecote was delicious, although not quite as good as l’Entrecote, but the fries were just as good … and having sampled some, I had to agree!  For dessert, I had their vanilla crème brulee – not a patch on Robert’s (I’m definitely spoiled!) and R had their tarte tatin.  All in all, an excellent meal and a very good restaurant!  Back to the hotel about 9, and definitely in for the night!  We did get to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle though, at 7 pm, which was wonderful!! 

So, until tomorrow!

 

m

xxx