Categories: Paris, Photography
Rank your favorite activities and places on this trip
Sunrise photography:
- Along the Seine
- Eiffel Tower
- Le Mont Saint-Michel
Sunset photography:
- Along the Seine
- Eiffel Tower
- Louvre
- Montmarte, esp at Au Lapin Agile
- Le Mont Saint-Michel Street photography
All six of your walking tours! (Amelia especially mentioned “seeing ancient Paris on the walking tours”). We both looked forward to these every day!
Flâneuring by myself in freetime during the photography workshop – discovering unexpected things and getting the “lay of the land”.
The Beat hotel
Picasso’s studio where he created Guernica Salvador Dali’s sundial
The museums!
Le Musée national Picasso (Célébration Picasso, La collection prend des couleurs !) This was Amelia’s favorite museum.
Le Musée d’Orsay (Degas & Manet; Impressionism & Post-Impressionism permanent collection) La Fondation Louis Vuitton (Basquiat X Warhol: À Quatre Mains)
Le Musée Rodin (Exposition et jardins)
Le Musée du Louvre (Sculptures, Égypte, et histoire du Louvre)
Le Musée de l’Orangerie (Impressionniste et Postimpressionniste, Les Nymphéas de Monet)
Les gens qui regardent aux les cafés avec terrasse (Another of Amelia’s most favorite things!)
- Café et croissants du matin
- L’heure d’apéro Cimetière du Père-Lachaise
La statue géante de Yayoi Kusama chez Louis Vuitton Samaritaine
Le Panthéon
I had a room at Citadines Apart’hotel Saint-Germain-des-Prés Paris for the entire trip. It was perfect. During the photography workshop we utilized a conference room in the afternoons for instruction and photo processing. I requested a room with two beds so it worked out well when my daughter was there. The room had a little kitchen in it, which was nice although we only ate in one night. One of the things I really appreciated was the delicious coffee available in the lobby. The location was absolutely ideal! On the left bank, on the Seine, by the Pont Neuf. They offered petit dejeuner, which I went to during the photography workshop, which was very good – saumon fumé, fromages, croissants, etc.
I arrived early, about 10:30, on Friday 2 June, and was able to store my luggage securely in a locked storage room. They were very busy. When I returned to check-in, there was quite a long wait – but, oh well. I was given a room with just one-bed at first and had to change rooms the next day for the two-bed room, so there was some mix-up there, but no big deal.
At Mont Saint-Michel we stayed right on the island at La Mère Poulard. It was pretty magical! I loved the view out the window. At the end of the day, all the tourists leave, so we, seemingly, had Le Mont Saint- Michel to ourselves! We took sunset photos and sunrise photos.
Did you have favorite restaurants? Please name them and say what city they were in.
Paris:
Ostra Paris – had just very very recently opened – 17 rue du Petit Pont, 75005 Le Zimmer – 1 Place du Chatelet, 75001
L’Atlas – 11 rue de Buci, 75006
Le Temps des Cerises – 31 rue de la Cerisaie, 75004 Le Fumoir – 6 rue de l’Amiral de Coligny, 75001
Opium La Cabane, Bar à Huîtres – 44 rue Dauphine, 75006 Le Mabillon – 164 boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006
Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole – 24 rue Chanoinesse, 75004 La Palette – 43 rue de Seine, 75006
Café Campana au Musée d’Orsay – 1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur, 75007 Le Consulat – 18 rue Norvins, 75018
Huguette Bistro de la Mer – 81 rue de la Seine, 75006 Vins des Pyrenees – 25 rue Beautreillis, 75004
Le Mont Saint-Michel: La Mère Poulard
Saint-Malo:
Crêperie Le Corps de Garde
Favorite foods were:
Huîtres Saumon Fumé Fromage
Choux à la Crème d’Odette
Favorite meals:
#1 – Pavé de Merlu aux Vins des Pyrénées #2 – Filet de Daurade aux Le Zimmer
I really enjoyed reading the menus in French, although most always there were menus available in English as well. The waiters were all very friendly, they put up with my bumbling attempts at speaking French, and were helpful in every way. Never a bad experience.
The dinners during the photography workshop week were all pre-arranged. Outside of that, I never made reservations and we didn’t have any trouble finding a table.
What tips do you want to share with other visitors? Perhaps something that surprised you?
Some of the things that helped me have a most enjoyable experience included:
Studying French at Alliance Française (I love it so much – I am continuing my studies!)
Reading about the history of France and Paris, and reading about the artists that lived and worked in Paris. Here are some of my recommended titles:
- Paris, the novel, by Edward Rutherford
- Seven Ages of Paris, by Alistair Horne
- In Montmartre, by Sue Roe
- In Montparnasse, by Sue Roe
- The Paris Bookseller, by Kerri Maher
- My Life in France, by Julia Child with Alex Prudhomme
- A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway
Plan your days – but leave room for spontaneity.
- With your good advice, Annie, our days were always structured around staying in the same general area so we weren’t spending time running hither, thither, & yon
Go with the flow. Be flexible.
Good manners! Bonjour, S’il vous plait, Bonne journée, Au revoir…. Use the French you know.
If you’re taking photos:
- always bring an extra SD card with you
- if the color’s not right, go black and white
- look for a good sky
- sunrise, sunset , blue hour, golden hour are best for color
Absolutely use Annie Sargent’s VoiceMap Tours in Paris – fun, interesting, enriching, and they will take you to places “off the beaten path” that you won’t want to miss!
There are always wonderful restaurants – don’t fret about it.
Get your tickets to museums and monuments well ahead of time!
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Episode Page TranscriptCategories: Paris, Photography