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Cheers from London! Well actually, I'm back in the States but this sounds so much cooler than "Greetings from Los Angeles." We left off last weekend after landing in Europe for a three-night trip (one night in Paris and two nights in London). I know ... a long weekend trip from the west coast to Europe is pretty ridiculous but the point is, it's doable. One more night would have been perfect but who's complaining? Not me! If it weren't for the fact that I was partaking in such a momentous occasion (the inaugural Open Skies flight), I would have stayed longer. Want to come along for the ride? Grab your passport and your weekend bag! Looking for a different kind of adventure? This week, both of my sisters are on the road for JohnnyJet.com. Talk about momentous occasions! Veteran travel writer Georgie-Jet takes us to Maine
while newcomer Carol and the kids whoop it up at a dude ranch in Montana.
LOS ANGELES TO PARIS
After an easy nine-hour, 42-minute flight on Air France (I wrote about it last week), we arrived at the snazzy and modern terminal 2E of Charles De Gaulle airport (CDG). It was a bit of a walk to get to immigration and there wasn't a lot of signage along the way, but I just followed the crowd and hopped on the tram. The French sure do make visitors feel welcome. There are no forms to fill out and there were no long lines. The stoic officer just quickly scanned my passport, stamped it and that was it! TIP: If you collect passport stamps, make sure they actually stamp it because the agent next to me wasn't even bothering.
CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT TO PARIS
There are a few ways
to get to the city center: metro, bus, taxi ... the easiest is by taxi. Just walk out the door and jump in one. There are plenty ready to go and the ride to my hotel (near the Garnier Opera House) took 40 minutes in light rain and mid-Friday traffic. Price on the meter: €41.90. Ouch! The weak US dollar means that converted to $64! FYI: 1 = $1.58USD.
EDOUARD VII
I checked into a newly renovated, four-star boutique hotel, The Edouard VII. It's named after the Prince of Wales who later became King of England. He loved Paris and used to stay here during his holidays. It's built in the same "Haussmannien" style as its neighbors and opened its doors in 1877. There are 70 rooms on seven floors with a small elevator that moves quickly by French standards. The lobby is small but grand with shiny marble floors, Murano glass chandeliers and lights, though the rooms aren't quite as chic. I was on the top floor and it felt like the elevator had just whisked me into a time warp. The narrow, carpeted hallway had a ‘70s B&B feel. My room was much larger with parquet floors, Napoleon III furniture and a desk. It sort of felt like a grandmother's house but with a flat screen TV and an outrageously priced mini bar. It was €7 for a bottle of water or €5 for a can of Lipton iced tea! Are you kidding me?! Who prices these things? Because you know the scrawny little man with the alligator arms isn't reaching into his own wallet to shell out at these prices when he's traveling on his own dime. I'm just saying.
BATHROOM
On the flip side, I gave the hotel props for at least having free WiFi – but then, while I was surfing their website to research this story, I realized I was using their neighbor's free signal, as the hotel charges €14 a day. What's sad is that, Internet junkie that I am I would have paid it. The bathroom was large, oddly shaped and had an outdated pink tile floor and walls to boot. But it was clean. One wall had a floor-to-ceiling mirror and I think it's safe to say that it was the first time I'd ever watched myself take a shower up close. Not a pretty sight. I take it Edouard VII was a kinky bastard. Oh, and the water pressure up there was definitely not to a king's liking. And, like most French hotels, there were no washcloths.
THE BED
The high temperature during the day was 11.5°Celsius (52°F) and the low was 5°C (41°F), which is a bit nippy for a southern Californian. That's why the heat from the radiator was a welcome treat. Welcome, that is, until I woke up in middle night, sweating bullets, with cottonmouth, wishing I had stopped by a store to get some agua. In my jetlagged stupor, I couldn't find the temperature control so I just opened the window to let the fresh air in. Ahhh! Much better, even with the loud traffic noise. TIP: Always bring earplugs. Before falling back into REM sleep, I couldn't help but notice that the bed was two twins pushed together to look like a king, but there was nothing royal about it. When tossing and turning, trying to fend off the jetlag, you can't help but notice the soft but loud mattress that slides with each move. My neighbors must have thought I was having a ménage a trois.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The best part about the hotel was the location and the view from my room. It's on Avenue de l'Opéra, four blocks from the Garnier Opera House, of which I had a perfect view from my balcony. I could also see Sacré-Coeur. The service at the hotel was good and the concierge was always there to hand back your room key – it's too big to take with you. The breakfast buffet was small but consisted of the basics: juice, eggs, bread, fruit … It was included in my rate otherwise I would not have paid the €23 they were asking for it. But the worst part of my experience was when an American guy made a non-English-speaking French couple turn their three-year-old's laptop off because he said the sound was too loud and was bothering him. I couldn't even hear it and I was only two tables over, while the American was across the room. It was an uncomfortable scene – and I thought there was going to be a throw down (and I was hoping the French guy would kick the American's punk ass!) Man, I'm feisty today! Rack rates begin at €235 and animals are accepted, hence, the American guy at breakfast. Edouard VII, 39, Ave. de l'Opéra - 75002 Paris, Tel: +33 (0)1 42 61 56 90, e-mail: info@edouard7hotel.com.
CAFÉ DE LA PAIX
Three blocks from the hotel, on the corner of Place de l'Opéra, is one of Paris' most historic hotels and one that will always hold a special place in my heart. The InterContinental Le Grand is where I stayed with my mom
on our first visit to Paris together back in 1998. The only part of the multi-million dollar renovation that I got to see during this trip was inside the famous Café De La Paix. I've sat out on their sidewalk many times before, sipping drinks, indulging in ice cream sundaes and taking part in the world-renowned French café culture.
A MEMORABLE DINNER
For the first time, I ate inside. Wow, is this place special! It turned out to be one of my top 50 meals and it all started with those evil, fresh mini-baguettes. (I had quatre.) Why do the bread and butter in France have to taste so darned good? It's making my pants tight. For starters, I had the best white and green asparagus salad ever (€26). The stems were as thick as my index finger but delicate as can be. Then came my grilled brisket of beef (€41) with bone marrow and sautéed gnocchi – yum, except for the bone marrow. Who actually eats bone marrow besides in Jell-o?! Dessert (€15) was as divine as you can imagine. Every quarter, they have a famous designer design a dessert and the master chef (Laurent Delarbre) creates it. I got a preview of Elie Saab's, which will be offered between May and September. I don't know about the Lebanese fashion designer's clothes but I know that his palate has it going on. Le Café de la Paix, 5, Place de l'Opera, 75009 Paris, Tel: +33 (0)1 40 07 36 36, e-mail: reservation@cafedelapaix.fr.
WALK AROUND PARIS
The next morning, I headed out to walk off the rich (in more ways than one) dinner. The early spring weather was like San Francisco in September -- cool in the shade, warm in the sun. My first stop was at the French bank BNP Paribas ATM next door. It's a Bank of America partner, so you don't get hit with the usual $5 international ATM fee. I walked thru Place Vendome, which brought back memories of The Da Vinci Code pilot TV show we filmed at the Ritz almost two years ago ... wow, time flies. Just like in our show, I walked through Tuileries Gardens and admired the flowers and statues. I'm not sure if I like Richard Serra's contemporary piece. It's a gigantic spider the size of a small tree and it's on display through September. I didn't like it staring down at me but it is what it is, I suppose. I didn't have time to see his exhibit in the Louvre but of course, I walked by to appreciate the architecture, which I could never tire of admiring.
WARNING! Be very careful crossing the street. It’s confusing because the streets have two cross walk signals but they are not on sync with one another. So the far one will be green but the closer one is red. See this picture for a better understanding.
BATEAU CRUISES
I crossed the Seine and walked along the Left Bank, past the Musee D'Orsay and headed towards the Eiffel Tower. Most of the lunch and dinner cruises depart at the foot of the iron masterpiece, at Port de la Bourdonnais. I met some friends for the Bateaux Parisien lunch cruise, which departs at 12:45pm and lasts two hours. Lunch prices start at €52 and dinner rates begin at €95. The price includes a three-course meal, a bottle of wine, water and coffee. But people aren't there for the food – it's all about the ambiance. I've done a couple of dinner cruises in the past and in my humble opinion, they are much better than the day cruises. There's something about cruising the Seine at night, with all the famous sites lit up that makes it magical. My fondest memory was when I went with my mom, brother, sister and a bunch of friends. I will never forget that trip ... especially when we were told it's tradition to kiss under every bridge ... ooh la la!
PARIS' STATUE OF LIBERTY
Unfortunately, the water level was too high due to all the rain, so our oversized boat had to take an alternate route. That meant no amazing sights except the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. Did you know that Paris has a sister Statue of Liberty? She's near the Grenelle Bridge on the Île des Cygnes and she faces west, towards her American sibling. This one should be called Mini-Me as she's just 37 feet, 9 inches tall but with the Eiffel Tower in the background and the willow trees swirling around her, it's almost surreal. To help capture the moment, the on-deck pianist and violinist play New York, New York.
BATEAU LUNCH CRUISE
Because we didn't get to take our intended route, the operators gave everyone a free sightseeing pass to use on one of their lower boats that fit under the bridges. That was a nice gesture but next time (unless I'm on a hot date), I will find out in advance which way the boat is going. If it's heading in the opposite direction, I'll skip it because this route really is the pits ... lots of graffiti and ugly buildings. The best table in the house is in the very front and it's round but it costs extra and needs to be reserved well in advance. The bread and butter weren't too good (thank God), and the rest of the food was fair. I had a hard-boiled egg with bacon and some gnarly sauce for a starter and realized from my friend's reaction that I had made a mistake not ordering the chestnut soup. They offer multiple options for each course so most diets can be accommodated. Bateaux Parisiens, 75007, Paris, Tel: +33 (0)1 46 99 43 13.
STREET VENDORS
At lunch I downed two large bottles of Evian and a double espresso. Walking back to my hotel (I strolled along the Champs-Élysées), I was all jacked up and kept buying bottles of water like it was crack. I bought a bottle from the official street vendors for €2 and another (the same bottle of water) from an "unofficial" Indian guy for half the price. I handed him €10 but he said ‘hold on' while he ran to go get change. He darted from vendor to vendor and I lost sight of him when he was a good three blocks away. So there I was, thinking I was on a French version of Candid Camera, as he left me with his bucket of bottled waters and roasting chestnuts, while tourists began approaching me to buy some. If I had understood what the heck they were saying, I would have just served them but fortunately, one of his buddies showed up and asked how much change I was waiting for. How did he know I spoke English? Ah, the sneakers are a dead give-away. When I told him how much, he gave me €9 and that was it. I like how trusting they are. In New York City, I would still be waiting for my change.
WHERE THE HECK IS A LOO?
The only problem with drinking so much water is that when nature calls in Paris, it's not so easy to find a public toilet or W/C as they call them. By the time I found one, I was way past the Champs Élysées and my legs were crossed. I barely had enough time to pay the 50c fee for the urinal or the €1 fee for the toilet but at that point, I was just about to throw down some bills.
WHY SNEAKERS?
Before I get some nasty emails about why I was wearing sneakers instead of proper shoes in France, let me explain: It's because I have bad feet. I know it's embarrassing to walk around this beautiful city with them on but if I didn't, I would honestly be laid up for months. Even with my tennis shoes and my $1,000 orthotics, my dawgs were barking like crazy. I walked a total of about four hours and covered at least six miles but even with my sore feet, it was still worth it.
RENT A BIKE
Next time, I will wear shoes and try out Paris' new bike stations that can be found every 300 meters (328 yards). Velib has set up a rental system similar to those found in other European cities. I've used it in Vienna and it's a great way to get around for cheap. Each rider needs a credit card and signing up with the automated machine is easy and self-explanatory (in most languages).
FRANCE IS NOW SMOKE FREE
On January 1, 2008, France's smoking ban went into full effect. Smoking is now banned at restaurants, bars, hotels, casinos, discos and cafes. I'm totally for it since I don't smoke. However, I think it should be up to the owner of the establishment whether or not they want to offer their place to smokers or not. I wouldn't personally give them my business but I'm sure plenty of others would ... especially in Paris. It's their life. Let them do what they want as long as they don't kill us with the secondhand smoke.
PARIS TO LONDON VIA THE EUROSTAR
Without a doubt, the easiest and quickest way to get from the center of Paris to the center of London (or vice versa) is by taking the Eurostar. It's a high-speed train service that goes up to 186 mph, traveling between the two cities and a number of other destinations. It began service in 1994 and I must admit, my first time doing this (two years ago) I was a little nervous, because it travels under the English Channel for 23 minutes. I used to think that the Channel Tunnel must be a prime terrorist target, but after doing some research, I realize that it would be very difficult to do any significant damage. The 31- mile-long tunnel (24 miles are actually underwater) runs 150 feet below the seabed. That's not easy to blow up. And even if something as unthinkable as this happened, it wouldn't fill with water. Both entrances are heavily guarded and passengers go through airport-style security checks as well as passport control for both countries before getting on.
SAVE TIME AND MONEY
In Paris, passengers travel to/from Gare du Nord and as of this past November, Londoners use St. Pancras International Station (it used to be Waterloo). When they made the station move, it gave them access to a new high-speed line so the journey became 20 minutes faster! If you get on a nonstop train, it takes two hours and 15 minutes. For some reason I didn't look at the schedules closely enough so my train made two stops and it took two hours and 35 minutes. But I wasn't complaining because I had a business class ticket, which also gave me use of their swanky biz class lounge.
DINNER ONBOARD
Within a few minutes of our on-time departure, the eastern European conductors came down the aisle with the drink cart and passed out food menus. This is included in the ticket price. Dinner was a choice of mushroom risotto or pork. And it was surprisingly good. The little wrapped chocolate was the best! The drink cart came ‘round again and so did the hot towels. My seat was comfortable and there was a power port to connect to but you have to share it if you are in one of the quad seats. If traveling alone or with one other person, be sure to get the single seats along the window. A good website to check out for train travel advice and seating charts around the world is Seat61.com. Eurostar prices are reasonable, especially if you book in advance. Prices start around $105 USD roundtrip for coach class, $242 for Leisure Select (first class). Get your tickets online from RailEurope.com
before you leave North America.
PACK LIGHT
One of my best tips for traveling by train (especially in Europe) is to pack light. Trust me: It will make your travel experience so much easier. Just take one rolling bag and a smaller tote/backpack/camera bag as the maximum to carry.
ST. PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL
St. Pancras International was built in 1868. It has a train shed arch designed by the engineer William Henry Barlow that spans 240 feet and is over 100 feet high at its apex, which at the time, was the largest enclosed space in the world. The station unfortunately went down the tubes in the 1980s but was recently restored and it's now one of London's greatest Victorian buildings. It has impressive Victorian Gothic architecture and a replica of the famous St. Pancras station clock. Walking through it, I realized this place really is how it's billed ... "It's more than a train station, it's a destination." Many locals come here just to shop, eat or meet at Europe's longest champagne bar, which is over 90 meters long. Seven mainline rail services and six London underground lines also service the station.
ST. JAMES HOTEL
From St Pancras to my hotel in the heart of London took 15 minutes and cost £15 ($29.45USD) by taxi. It was late at night so there was no traffic otherwise I would've taken the tube. I love London except for the prices of everything – with £1 equaling $1.96USD, the place is ridiculously expensive. So was the five-star St. James Sofitel hotel, which combines a traditional British design with a contemporary style that is decidedly French. A French company runs Sofitel hotels so that explains the bottles of free Evian water by the bed, macaroons for a midday snack and the brasserie. The hotel was absolutely brilliant and built solid (I could not hear any hallway traffic). The rooms are quite masculine in decor, with brown wool curtains and a brown headboard. At the foot of the comfy bed was a wool blanket. There's A/C if needed, a working desk with Internet costing £15 a day (what a rip!). The bathroom was fantastic with an oversized rain showerhead hanging from the ceiling with incredible water pressure. There's a heated towel rack, which I quickly learned is piping hot after I foolishly grabbed it because I wasn't feeling well and the step from the tub is high.
LOCATION
Unfortunately, I got sick while I was there. I had the chills and sweated up a storm so I just stayed in and rested. It's not a bad place to be sick until you look at the room service menu prices. That will motivate anyone to get up and go for a walk around outside. The hotel is in a perfect location. It's just a two-minute walk to Trafalgar Square and two blocks from some of the most famous theatres. I checked out St. James Park and Whitehall as well. Luckily, it was a beautiful spring day unlike the weatherman had predicted (don't ever listen to those turkeys). Being sick, I did discover that the hotel has a weekly fire alarm test at 11:30am on Mondays so be warned! I wish someone had told me because I jumped sky-high out of a peaceful nap. Good thing breakfast was included in my rate otherwise it's £21.95. Breakfast was good but slow and not worth the $43USD. Sofitel St. James London, 6 Waterloo Place, London, Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 2200, e-mail: H3144@accor.com.
CENTRAL LONDON TO HEATHROW
My cab ride to Paddington Station cost £11; it costs £2 extra to pay by credit card ... they just soak you for everything here but gas does cost $9 a gallon. At Paddington, which is in Central London, is Heathrow Express. It's the fastest and most convenient way to get to and from Heathrow. Cost one-way is £15.50, £2 more on the train, £1 less online. It takes only 15 minutes and the trains depart every 15 minutes so there's no need to rush.
HEATHROW
I was at Heathrow's Terminal 2 checking in at Air France and the balloons, banners and TV cameras signified the arrival of a momentous occasion. Here's the story: I was in London, checking in for a nonstop flight to Los Angeles ... on Air France! I was one of the first people to check-in so TV cameras (especially from France), were pointing at me. I was just sorry that my voice was so hoarse ... I'm sure all my interviews got cut.
OPEN SKIES
What made this flight so special is that it signified the beginning of the Open Skies Agreement. Finally, airlines based in the United States and Europe can fly across the Atlantic between any two airports in each region. In short, they are treating Europe as a country not a continent. Before the pact, the airlines had to take off or land in their native countries, which of course limited them to certain airports. That's why Air France could only fly to the U.S. from France or French Polynesia.
HEATHROW
The airport that is benefiting the most from this has to be Heathrow since it's the most coveted. Airlines are jumping all over them, including Air France. The bad news is the place is already a zoo and flights from Heathrow are expected to increase 31% from 2,233 to 2,932 in July. The good news is that with the increased competition, Open Skies is bringing base airfares down but fuel prices are so high that the savings aren't significant.
AIR FRANCE
Check-in was quick and security didn't take longer than 10 minutes. The process is similar to what you find in the U.S. except that passengers don't have to take laptops out anymore. I had a business class ticket so I went straight to their lounge for some free snacks and drinks. Air France's lounge is nice but small and needs to offer free WiFi (T-Mobile controls it now) and add some bathrooms. You have to walk down a winding hallway to a dumpy little bathroom with two urinals and a stall and it's shared by a couple of gates.
LONDON TO L.A. ON AIR FRANCE
Air France didn't have as much of a celebration for the inaugural Open Skies flight as I had expected. There were just a sign and some balloons and a few camera crews on board. It was nothing like other inaugural flights I've taken (Iceland Air, MaxJet and Singapore Airlines, for example). There were no speeches, parties, champagne, cake, gifts or the celebratory water cannon salute. The flight on the 777-200 was pretty uneventful except that I got to hang out with CNN's Richard Quest. Flight time was 10 hours and 45 minutes and as usual, we flew over Iceland and Greenland but then went high over Canada and flew over Edmonton into L.A. (There were storms over the northeast). The food and service was excellent – especially the chicken Tajine and the chocolate cake. But the finger sandwiches for the mid-flight snack could have been better.
CUSTOMS AT TERMINAL 2
We arrived at Terminal 2 and had a much better customs experience than last week's at Tom Bradley International Terminal. There was no line for U.S. citizens at either immigration or customs and I went from the plane to the curb in five minutes. Wow! Just like my entire weekend trip to Europe.
VIDEO
Here's a four-minute Johnny Jet video of my trip to Paris and London. We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on YouTube, including last summer's trip to Cannes, Grasse and Club Med Opio.
NEXT WEEK
It's so secret I don't even know where I'm going.
Note:
This trip was sponsored by Air France.
Copyright 2008 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.