Vancouver, Canada to Paris, France ….a few days in the City of Lights

August 26/27th, 2025

After many years of travel across the world, we have chosen to slow the rhythm a little, savouring Europe’s layers of history, landscapes, and food at a gentler pace. This autumn we are embarking on a two-month journey that begins in Vancouver, dips into the heart of Paris, meanders through the Loire Valley, winds over the Pyrenees, follows the Roman and Moorish influences on Spain, before finally returning to Toulouse for the flight home to Sechelt. The aim is to enjoy a trip crafted not as a checklist, but as a series of lived days: mornings in markets, afternoons among castles and cathedrals, evenings of tapas or wine in quiet squares. Let’s see how we will do…

August  26/27

We are up at 05:30, no breakfast, but there are always last-minute things to attend to…We’re off on the 7 a.m. ferry, then it’s car drop-off at Ella’s mother-in-law’s place in North Vancouver. The SeaBus takes us to Vancouver, followed by the SkyTrain to the airport—smooth all the way. Being a domestic flight to Toronto, our friends the Totems wish us a safe flight…

After some rearrangement of our luggage…

Check-in and security go quickly, and the bonus: they check our third bag for free. The flight is on time, and boarding is remarkably efficient, and we take off ahead of schedule.

Crossing the Rockies, things get a bit bumpy, but it soon settles into a smooth ride. Food-wise, it’s buy-on-board only, so we’re glad we brought our own. With complimentary wine, a couple of glasses help pass the time. Step by step, the hours tick by, and we arrive in Toronto on time.

We have just enough time to make our connection. Boarding this time is a bit clumsy, but eventually everyone’s seated. We’ve got good seats side by side, the flight itself goes well: a decent meal, a glass or two of wine, and several hours of sleep…. the Dreamliner is a comfortable airplane, even in peasant class!! Given that the flight attendants were on strike only a few days ago, we consider ourselves lucky to have avoided that drama. We land at Paris Charles de Gaulle on time and feel ok, but not great. From there, the plan is to buy a special ticket to cover all our Paris travel, but at this station, it’s not available, grrrrh! So it’s a one-way ticket into the city instead—a small letdown and, admittedly, a brief wobble in morale. Step by step > train, metro and walking up and down more than a few stairways with luggage (btw not as straightforward as GOOGLE directions indicated), we make our way out of the Bastille Metro station:

…hauling our rollies the last 700 metres to the Hotel L’Antoine > home for the next four nights.

Tucked into the 11th arrondissement—close to the Bastille, with cafés on every corner, it serves as an excellent springboard for cathedral, market, and museum wanderings. Check-in isn’t until three, so we leave our bags and take a short walk, including a stop at BNP Paribas to top up our cash reserves. Back at the hotel, our planned siesta becomes a solid ninety-minute sleep. Recharged, we choose Rosie’s Brasserie for dinner—an excellent call. A good meal, excellent & friendly service and a bottle of wine made a fitting end to our first day in Paris.

August 28, 2025

We awaken somewhat refreshed (the room is TINY but superclean with great water pressure & a comfy bed) after breakfast (tasty and decent variety), we are good to go: Today’s program is simple, as we want to witness Notre Dame’s rebirth. Begun in 1163 and completed across two centuries, Notre Dame is a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture. Its innovative use of flying buttresses allowed for soaring stained-glass windows, and its sculpted façades taught biblical stories to medieval Parisians. Though scarred by fire in 2019, the cathedral is being painstakingly restored. From our hotel, it was a pleasant 30-minute walk through some lovely areas, which led to the Seine and one of the “beaches” where one can swim. Coincidentally, a competition was taking place…

As you approach the Cathedral, you can appreciate the scope of the efforts expended on this national treasure… It remains that considerable work remains, particularly on the outside…

Its twin towers remain among the city’s most iconic silhouettes, standing watch over the Île de la Cité … to which visitors flock, some 35,000 per day!

Stepping inside, one enters a space that for centuries was the heart of Paris—witness to coronations, revolutions, and masses for ordinary citizens…inside the walls literally shine, as everything inside has been cleaned and restored…the cathedral really sparkles!

Afterwards, we head back to the hotel, passing the Hotel de Ville…

…and then walking down Rue de Rivolli, where one can shop for just about anything:

In any event, we settled for a sandwich and raspberry tart (yum) on the way to the hotel. Once back, we crashed, as our less-than-perfect sleep caught up to us. Later, somewhat refreshed, we did a short walkabout via the Canal Saint-Martin, which has a mooring spot for boats heading out on the Seine. There was a nice vantage point to photograph the Colonne de Juillet (topped by the famous Génie de la Liberté), commemorating the revolution of 1830 at the Plaza Bastille…

We lucked out today as the morning was cool and cloudy, but improved throughout the day with the late afternoon proving delightful … for supper, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant> Asia Bo Bun: quite tasty, pleasant service and relatively inexpensive.

The area around the hotel is a virtual cornucopia of eating places, including a plethora of Asian establishments. It has an energetic vibe dominated by young Parisians with a sprinkling of tourists, mostly European. A great day, tomorrow we have planned for a big day, so hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will get a good night’s rest and be good to go in the morning…

August 29, 2025

Today we set out for a full-day excursion to the Palace of Versailles. Unfortunately, the weather is miserable, with the forecast suggesting it will only get worse. On top of that, both of us slept very poorly, but with tickets booked and a fixed entry time of 10:00, there’s no choice but to press on.

After breakfast, waterproofs and umbrella packed, we walk 10 minutes to the Bastille Metro, which takes us to Austerlitz Station, then walk over to the RER station of the same name. Presto, we’re on the platform—or so we think. Something doesn’t feel right, so we ask a local. He kindly checks the RER app, confirms we’re on the wrong platform, and points us in the right direction. With only a few minutes before departure (and trains here do run on time), we dash down the stairs, under the tracks, and back up the other side. We make it with a minute to spare. Forty minutes later, we arrive at Versailles Rive Gauche, the closest station to the palace. From there, it’s a ten-minute walk.

The rain greets us as we head out—jackets and caps on. Local hawkers appear immediately, umbrellas in hand. As we pass through the Honour Gate and onto the massive cobblestone Courtyard, three young women in sundresses and heels huddle together under one tiny umbrella, laughing hysterically as the downpour intensifies. The umbrella sellers swarm them, but they’re far too amused to care. Whether it was a liquid breakfast or just good spirits, their positive attitude is remarkable. They end up right behind us in line, still laughing even as the wind drives the rain sideways and soaks them to the bone.

Eventually, the queue moves, and we shuffle into the palace—damp, but not nearly as soaked as those who ignored the forecast altogether.

Versailles began as a hunting lodge for Louis XIII, but his son, Louis XIV, transformed it into the embodiment of absolute monarchy. Completed in the late 17th century, its 2,300 rooms and dazzling mirrored halls projected the Sun King’s power across Europe. The Hall of Mirrors later became the site of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, ending World War I. The gardens, designed by André Le Nôtre, are as monumental as the palace itself—vast, geometric, and carefully controlled to reflect the king’s command over nature. With more than 10 million visitors each year, Versailles remains one of the clearest windows into the grandeur and excess of pre-Revolutionary France.

Once inside, we join the parade of visitors following the designated path through the palace. The larger rooms are manageable people-wise, but the smaller chambers are jammed with tour groups, guides earnestly delivering history in multiple languages—details most people will likely forget the moment they step outside. Still, the sheer scale and richness of the art is impressive.

From one of the windows, we glimpse the famed gardens, though today is not a garden day, even impressive as these…

Timing is everything, and ours is off: the rain is relentless, the forecast shows no let-up, and we decide to make a strategic retreat. The return trip is straightforward, but by the time we reach the hotel, we are utterly exhausted. It becomes a race to see who will fall asleep first.

A good rest and a hot shower make all the difference. We wake hungry, having skipped lunch, and cross the street to Nove, a cozy Italian place. We claim a table on the terrace, eager to take in the Paris street scene, and order a bottle of red. Alas, before the first sip, the skies open up again, this time with booming thunder. Our waitress suggests the second retreat of the day, this time indoors. All is not lost: the pastas are excellent, the warm pizza bread perfect for sopping up sauce, and the recommended wine pairs beautifully.

We linger over the meal, and when we finally step back outside, the skies are clearing—offering a bit of hope for tomorrow.