"Dingo" Dave's rants and raves

The La Defense area is where, according to the literature, the corporate look and feel can be applied to the buildings and surroundings without impinging on the historical architecture of Paris. I like the idea that they gave a place for the modern look… more »

Other than the usual gifts and trinkets, I think I have a better understanding of the mental and emotional makeup of the people who live here. The crowding and excess population of the city of Paris is a major contributing factor to how the people react.… more »

Took a Metro I hadn't been on before, and happened to see this on the map overhead. The architecture is great, and the mosaics shown on one picture below was hard to tell it was a mosaic. The following pictures are from the Petit Palaise, which I'm… more »

It's been raining since yesterday evening. Doesn't stop me from heading to the Café De L'est for a good cup of coffee! Spent an hour or two there sipping café Americano and watching the traffic and people. If nothing else, France is a great place to peop… more »

I conquered my fear of heights and went up the Eiffel Tower today. I waited in line for nearly three hours, and only discovered when I got to the head of the line that it was for the stairs! I couldn't see the sign from where the line ended, so at tha… more »

I spent the day trolling the shops, looking for ANY that had tshirt with Paris or something like that but I haven't seen a tshirt on sale in ANY of the shops I've been into. And it's not like this is a high-end neighborhood. Anyway, in my meanderings,… more »

LOL I went to the pharmacy, the post office, and the local grocery store next door, just to buy some stamps to send home some postcards. The pharmacy and post office were both shuttered up, and even though the sign on the door said it was supposed to be… more »

After a lengthy walk (about an hour and a half) and a little backtracking (Curse the people who made signs so small here!!!), I found the Starbucks and had a mocha frappucino. While I was sitting out front, I saw a guy hawking bags from his store, and gi… more »

The wonder Wizard of Starbucks. LOL It's in a section of Paris I haven't been to (been through there on the Metro, but never stopped) I know there's a Starbuckls at Poissonetiere, so I'm headed out to find it. I like espresso, but sometimes I just want… more »

Notre Dame, of course, was the visit for today. I spent a good two hours in the cathedral itself just reading all the information and looking at the sculptures.   Enough of the outside, you say? OK. Heading into the main cathedral. Admission wa… more »

I haven't seen or heard of Pepsi in Paris so far. All the restaurants I've been to have Coke, but not Pepsi. Just wondering how the Coca-cola company got such a stranglehold on this market!?! Oh, and found a great burger joint. Just around the block, c… more »

Just took a couple pics of my view from my "balcony" (I say that rhetorically, because it's barely 2feet by 3 feet!). Reminds me of how CROWDED Paris is. They built buildings on every conceivable spot, and in most cases, only the churches have grassy a… more »

I spent almost all day at the Louvre. Might not have spent as much time there, but I kept getting lost!! It's a maze of hallways and side cubbies, all with something spectacular to see. But I managed to see the main attractions that I was going there to… more »

I went for a jaunt down some of the sidestreets away from the main tourist attractions, and came across this church with a beautiful facade. It's called Notre Dame de L'orette. I tried to go in, Mom, but the doors were locked! LOL Maybe just someone didn… more »

Arche De Triomphe I woke up about 6AM local time, and just couldn't get back to sleep. So I spent the entire morning learning the Metro rail ways. Had to double back on a few routes because I didn't get off at the right stop (I finally found a map… more »

I made it! After a long couple of flights, I made it to Paris! The Air France crew were superb, and I slept for most of the flight, but the service and food were excellent (Chicken in mushroom sauce and some other things I have no idea what they were [gr… more »