Le Havre is a popular stop on a trans-Atlantic cruise, and we’ve been there a few times for that reason. Almost completely destroyed during & rebuilt after the WWII, the city center is pleasant enough to walk around. Le Havre port is touted as the launching pad for a visit to Paris, but it is good two hours(216km/134 mi) away from Paris. We once rented a car and drove 85km(53 miles) west to Rouen, then visited Honfleur(across a bridge just south of Le Havre), and that was a nice day trip. We actually wanted to go to Mont Saint Michel, which would have been a 2.5 -hour drive southwest, but the church was closed that day, thus, we changed the direction.
We usually ended up in Le Havre in May, and there were blooming gardens all around the city. One time we happened to arrive on the first Saturday in May, and there was a big flea market going on in the city center.
The most impressive thing in town, to us, was St. Joseph’s church, which was built after WWII(1951-58) as a memorial to the 5,000 civilians from the city who died during the war.
Growing up in Korea, I had visited Busan(population: 3.5 million) numerous times. It was usually a trip involving the beach at Haewoondae during summer or the hot springs at Dongnae other times of the year. It was mostly a 6+ hour railway trip till they built the Freeway #1, and, then, it was a 4+ hour car trip.
Our latest trip to the #2 city in Korea was on the bullet train(KTX), and it took barely 2.5 hours. A friend who had temporarily moved there for her job invited and showed us around. This version of Busan was just so interesting and intriguing.
We first were driven to the hillside area called Gamcheon-dong where old shacks and ugly brick houses had been turned into a colorful mosaic of updated houses with inviting cafes and little stores sprinkled in here and there. The old eyesores now look like the colorful town of Guanajuato in central Mexico! The refugees from the Korean War occupied this hillside after the war, and it stayed as a lower income area until quite recently. Some local artists and art students got involved in the revitalization movement in the area in 2000’s, and now it is one of the most interesting areas to visit in Korea attracting over 2 million visitors each year.
Gukje Market Snack Alley
Next, we went to an area with old bookstores called Bosoo-dong where alleys were filled with used books spilling out of the little stores that had been there since the 1950’s.
Bosoo-dong is close to the main market in Busan, Gukje-Sijang(a literal translation: International Market). I can never pass food stalls at outdoor markets without trying something, and we sat down at plastic stools in the area pictured above to try several different things.
We walked over to the market specializing in seafood, Jagalchi Sijang, after our lunch in Gukje Market area. The site of extra fresh seafood and the smell of fish did make me think I should try something there, but I just could not eat anymore.
We drove over to Haewoondae Beach area and went to a hot springs spa that had windows out to the sea. All the aches and stiffness melted away from our bodies like magic after soaking in the hot mineral water.
This area(Dalmaji-Gil) just northwest of the beach on top of the hill had some fancy restaurants. We had something very un-Korean for dinner: pasta and Italian wine.
I recommend using cabs to get around if you have one day in the city. It will not cost more than $10 for each ride.
We’d been to Paris(population: 2.2 million) many times, but this trip was like an “Intro to Paris” trip because we were with my brother, Sean, who had never been to Paris before. Eiffel Tower figured in large on this trip because we stayed at a friend’s apartment in Sevres that had a direct view of Eiffel from the living room window. It was especially enchanting every evening to look at the Eiffel Tower all dressed up in numberless lights.
The first thing we did when we arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport was to find the tourist information booth and buying the Museum Pass and a couple of 10+ Transportation Ticket. We got the 2-Day Museum Pass(48 Euros) that covered 50+ of the major museums. You can buy the Pass online and pick it up when you arrive in Paris at the airport or cityside official tourist information centers. It is basically a printed mini brochure, and you write down the date of your first use with your own pen.
This Pass is convenient because you don’t have to stay in (often) long ticket lines at the major attractions, and you have access to fast-track entrances at Louvre and Orsay and other museums. We chose 10+ Transportation Ticket(a pack of 10 adult tickets that can be shared by multiple people) over unlimited day passes(Paris Visit Pass) because it seemed unlikely that we would ride the metro or the bus more than 4,5 times a day.
We took the cab to the apartment($55 Euros) and dropped our bags. There was a nice restaurant a bit down the hill from the apartment, and, after lunch, we took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe. The view from the top of the structure is in the picture above.
We walked down a bit on the mother of all the boulevards, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, to let Sean get the feel of the place. Next, we hopped on the Metro to reach the mother of all the cathedrals, Notre Dame. There was a light rain off and on all day, then, when we arrived at Notre Dame, on Ile de la Cite island in the middle of the River Seine, a rainbow appeared right above the cathedral.
We walked around inside the church closely watching Sean to witness his jaws dropping. No matter how many times you walk into this church, you can’t help being awed at the enormity of the structure and the engineering and artistry that went into building it.
A nice break was in order, and we walked over the little bridge to Ile Saint-Louis, the small island right next door, and continued a few blocks on the main drag to reach Berthillon Glacier, the famed ice cream shop. It did not disappoint.
Next up was Sainte-Chapelle about 1km away back on the Ile de la Cite island to see the amazing stained glass windows and artistic ceilings. This is relatively a small chapel but my spirit was lifted up by the magical colors and shapes, and, it was more spiritual than the Notre Dame for me in that sense.
We took the Metro to our last stop for the day, the Eiffel Tower. We really really wanted to take the lift, but the line was just too long. We braced ourselves and walked up the stairs. There was supposed to be an ice skating rink set up(December to Feb.) on the “second floor,” but we could not find it. The view was worth the climb, and, besides, you walk up the Eiffel Tower only once in a lifetime, right?
We had to start early at a museum on the second morning to get the most out of the Museum Pass: we sent Sean to Louvre, and we went to Orsay, pictured below. We felt like real VIPs skipping the long line and entering through the Fast Track entrance. There is no way one can see enough of what they have at these museums in a few hours, but we decided to give ourselves 3 hours to wander around and take in as much as we could.
We hooked up with Sean at Angelina Cafe, which is within walking distance from Louvre or Orsay. Perhaps one of the most decadent cafes in the world, its rich hot chocolate provided the shot of jolt so that we could go on with the busy day of sightseeing.
We walked through Jardin des Tuileries, which is beautiful in other seasons but not so much in February, to Concorde Plaza and got on the Metro to get to Marmottan Monet Museum. Claude Monet’s second son donated his own collection of his father’s work, and it now holds over 300 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Gauguin and so on. This museum was not covered by the Museum Pass so we paid 11 Euros each to get in, but it was worth it. The whole atmosphere was much more relaxed and inviting than at bigger museums, and we appreciated that.
We came out of the museum and walked along the park next door to a major traffic junction, and suddenly a different Paris had appeared. The Defense Arch and the business district of La Defense, pictured below, showcase what an ultra modern metropolis can look like. We did not feel the need to go there, though.
We took the metro to Montparnasse where we usually transfer to our regional train, but we got out of the station and looked for our favorite restaurant in this area, Montparnasse 1900. We could have a hearty 2-course dinner+wine for 20 Euros per person at that time, but it may be more now.
artists at a park in Montmartre
The third-morning began at Versaille Palace for Sean, and we went to Pompidou Center. The train to Versaille is out of the zones covered by Paris Pass, but it costs just a bit over a couple of Euros each way. Versaille was, however, only 20 minutes away from where we were stying. The Palace website above explains details of getting there.
There is always something interesting going on at Pompidou Center, and we spent a couple of hours browsing. Then we caught a free concert at a church nearby before having our lunch at a restaurant in one of the alleys. This area, Marais, has lots of cafes and little shops that are charming and friendly.
We slowly walked down the meandering hillside roads dotted with cafes and shops of all kinds. Small squares were filled with artists of all ages and colors working on something. Down the hill is the area famous for nightlife filled with the entertainment venues such as Moulin Rouge.
We took a bus to get to Pont Neuf (means “new bridge” but is the oldest standing bridge across the Seine) and got on the river cruise boat. This boat cruise ended up being an hour of review of what we’d seen, and that was a nice way to memorialize Paris.
We walked to the last museum we could squeeze in, Rodin Museum. We enjoyed the lovely garden setting and the enormous collection of Rodin’s work in and outside of the museum building.
We took the Metro to the Sorbonne University area. After meandering through the streets of the Latin Quarter, we found the restaurant we were looking for: Caveau des Oubliettes. This was a pub in a medieval dungeon, which was filled with music. It was a fun place with reasonably priced food and drinks. Currently, though, it seems to be closed. Sad.
As you can see, we managed to visit 2 art museums per day, and it felt rushed. 3 days in Paris was just not long enough! Next time we’d get a 4-day Museum Pass and stay at least 5-6 days.
