Flew on United Airlines through Newark to Paris and took
trains into Bayeux. Had some slight delays on the outbound flight to Newark but
I wasn’t worried given that there was a 12 hour layover. I had anticipated
being bored inside the Newark Airport and had booked a day stay at the Hilton
Newark Airport hotel. With my delays, I may not have needed the hotel stay but
I was too committed to bail on the reservation.
This was my first time trying to get out of Newark Liberty International Airport to a local airport hotel. I didn’t realize that the directions of hotel shuttle
meant I had to take an airtrain to P4. I was used to going straight to the
NJ transit to head into New York, it took me a few moments to figure out where
the hotel courtesy shuttles were designated to outside the airport terminal
area. On the bright side, the return courtesy shuttle drops you off at the
terminal you need to be at rather than returning to P4.
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| Newark Airport United Polaris Lounge |
Upon my return to the airport, I headed to the United
Polaris Lounge for my first “experience” in the new Polaris branding United was
blasting. Personally, I think it is a bit premature since not all planes are Polaris
seating. The business seats I was sitting in was still the typical business seats,
but the amenity kits were the “Polaris” scheme (Saks toiletries, down
comforter, memory foam pillows, etc.). I did enjoy the lounge and the food. The
hot buffet choices were cauliflower and pea Indian curry, rice, pesto ravioli,
and chicken parmigiana. I didn’t try the chicken, but the other entrees were
tasty. For the cold appetizer food, the choices were salmon salad on toast,
salad shooter, and something with ham. I wasn’t too interested given that I
just had lunch, so I snacked on the hot items and grabbed some macarons from
the dessert section. There is also a snack bar of gummy bears, wasabi peas, and
trail mix by the water and ice tea station.
I did see that there were shower suites and a sleeping suite
section. It didn’t seem crowded, but I still liked the concept of being in a
hotel room rather than the lounge for convenience sake. However, if you’ve
already spent the money on the b-class ticket, you should enjoy the Polaris
lounge.
After landing into Charles de Gaulle Airport, went straight
through customs and baggage claim to meander over to the train entrance. You
have to take the air train to T2 (follow the signs to Hilton) to the
trains into the city. It was about 10 Euros per person to get into the city versus 40 on
uber. If you aren’t sure where to go, have the Google maps directions prior to
leaving the airport. There is free Wi-Fi and you can figure out the metro
before heading out.
Since I had to get to the city to get onto the train to
Bayeux, I arrived into St. Lazare station quickly. It took under an hour. It
did get some getting used to figuring out the signs to figure out that we had
to get above ground to get onto the SCNF train. I ended up exchanging my train
ticket for an earlier train departure and had to switch trains in Caen. There
are kiosks outside the office when the ticket office isn’t open. It was still an easy trip out to the Normandy
area.
Return was fairly easy. The Marriott has a shuttle and it drops you off at the hotel stop. The tax refund location is near the Starbucks and is an easy drop off application. There is a person that will give you cash refund if you opt for it. Be forewarned, the cash refund means you get less money than if you opt for the credit card refund. I received my credit card refund within a week. It was fairly efficient.
Inside the Charles de Gaulle airport, there is a star alliance lounge. All the lounges are located in one spot within the airport and is better to stay there than the gate. Because it is an international flight, the gate has additional security and it will take about an hour to get through and there is nothing inside but vast amounts of people crammed into a tiny spot because all the US flights are leaving at the same time. The lounge is nice and I completely loved the salted caramel toffee muffins available in the mornings.
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| Charles de Gaulle Star Alliance Lounge |
On the return, I changed my layover into San Francisco International Airport because I wanted to stay in the plane longer. The five hour leg from Newark isn't long enough to enjoy sleep or food and it also meant I'd get home earlier than planned!
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| San Francisco International United Polaris Lounge |
Lodging
Hilton Newark Airport – a serviceable airport hotel
property. The shuttle time was a bit of a drag on my shortened layover. With 12
hours, it was plenty of time to deal with the delays in getting a shuttle and
checking into the hotel. With about 9 hours, it was more of a tight schedule
for the stay since I intended to go into Newark for lunch. No executive lounge
in the hotel but my time there would be too late for breakfast and too early
for evening cocktail/happy hour.
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| Hilton Newark Airport King Room |
Domaine de Bayeux – a local hotel found on Tripadvisor. The
hotel location and price was the primary motivation for the hotel choice. The
hotel looks like a converted house and it has 8 rooms of varying sizes. I opted
for the attic as I though it would be interesting to stay in such an odd
figured room. Overall, I thought it was great and liked the bathroom décor. The
only downside is that it is the third floor and there are no elevators. I could
also see that if it was a really hot day, the attic could be stuffy. The hotel
also serves continental breakfast for 13 euros. I think it is worth it. I
enjoyed the baguette, deli meat, cheese options plus you can ask for either
scrambled eggs or omelets. I prefer getting a soft-boiled egg and there was a
machine to make your own. There is a selection of yogurt, cereal, and breakfast
pastries as well. They are also expanding and building another building to house more units. It seems that the owners are new and looking to expand their capacity.
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| Domaine de Bayeux Attic Level Double Room |
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| Domaine de Bayeux Attic Level Double Room Bathroom |
Prince de Galle Hotel - a former SPG property, I had waited for the SPG and Marriott merger to occur before booking this property on points. It was "cheaper" to wait for the conversion than to use the SPG redemption rates. When I checked in, the front desk did ask me to sign a waiver regarding the windows. Due to the age of the building, the windows are not barred so you can open them fully and look down the courtyard. I suppose for liability purposes, the waiver indemnifies the hotel in case someone decides to dangle themselves. Overall, I thought the hotel was nice but I don't see why it has to be 700-800 Euros a night. Of the handful of Luxury Collection hotels, this would be my least favorite. The location is nice if you want to be in the heart of the landmarks of Paris. Now, I don't know if it is because of the merger but I did not receive a welcome amenity despite seeing the staff in the hallway dropping off chocolates to guests. At least the breakfast option was very good and the front desk took off a breakfast charge when I informed them that there was a lot of noise the night before from guests in the suites above. The afore mentioned windows were open because the AC is not very strong and the night air brought in the needed cooling. Unfortunately, it also means people can be very obnoxious and not many people complain. It's a good thing Marriott didn't send me a hotel satisfaction survey.
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| Prince de Galle King Room |
Paris Marriott Charles de Gaulle Airport Hotel - Very spacious in comparison to the Prince de Galle but much more dated feeling. Overall, it was a pleasant stay for an overnight. I had a morning flight out and decided to stay by the airport the night before rather than contending with traffic in the morning. The shuttle was quick and convenient. I did get a nice bag of gumdrops waiting for me in the room...
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| Paris Marriott Charles de Gaulle Airport King Room |
Dining
Dinosaur BBQ – the restaurant is becoming a state chain with
additional locations beside Syracuse and Brooklyn. When checking out my dining
options, I came across Dinosaur BBQ next to the Prudential Stadium (hockey).
Took an uber to the restaurant from the Hilton Newark Airport hotel and enjoyed a meal of chicken
wings and ribs with cider. Even with access to the Polaris lounge, I wasn’t
sure if I had wanted to eat airplane food for 36 hours. The menu has slimmed from the first time I went to their Harlem location. No more kim chee fried rice. I actually enjoyed my wings more than the ribs ordered.
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| Dinosaur BBQ Meat Combo |
La Croissanterie – a chain of pastry shops selling pastries
and coffee. I bought a chocolate croissant and had my first “French” croissant
for the trip while looking for the SNCF train entrance. And it was delicious.
Bayeux didn’t have too many options when it comes to food. It appears the shopkeepers are open when they are available.
Le moulin
de galette was open on 38 rue de nesmond, Bayeux and it ended up being a good choice. There is an archway between an alley and the entrance of the restaurant is down that walkway. I enjoyed my crepes,
frites, and cider. I felt that the savory crepes were better than dessert
crepes. The buckwheat crepe was crispy all the way through despite the fillings. The dessert crepe
was still the same kind of crepes that I get at home. The caramel sauce was
awesome which made the dessert crepe above average. It was good enough to come back again. The second time was not as nice but I think it had to do with miscommunication. I assumed the entrée would come out when ready but they held it until the appetizer was consumed. Ironic because I was waiting for the entrée to finish my appetizer of foie gras. The steak was cooked too long and was dry. The staff seemed concerned but since we didn't make a fuss they let it be.
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| Pitchers of cider available at any eatery |
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| Le moulin de galette Savory Crepes with side of duck fat fries |
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| Le moulin de galette - Ribeye steak for two with fries and foie gras |
Le conquerant - is a pub open from Wednesday through Sunday and is near to le moulin de galette. Stopped in for some pints and cider. Normandy is a large agriculture area and there are a few apple farms in the area. Apple brandy (Calvados) and cider are the unique specialties in the area. The cider here is sweeter and closer to apple juice than the English versions. I also thought it was cheeky how they have sayings about how Americans saved the town. Foodwise, I enjoyed my waffle with speculoos and hot chocolate
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| Le conquerant - Waffles with speculoos and Hot Chocolate with cherry liquor |
Crepes & Cie - is a little creperie at the end of the town main thoroughfare on 67 rue st. jean. After walking past all the shops that were open, the creperie had good ratings on TripAdvisor and was one dollar sign. My last night of savory crepes. The salted caramel on the sweet crepe was also very good. The apple sorbet with a dash of calvados brandy is different. The pitcher of cider was also very good.
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| Crepes & Cie - Savory crepes with cider pitcher |
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| Salted caramel crepe with apple sorbet in calvados brandy |
Dong Phat - For kicks, I wanted to try a Vietnamese restaurant in Paris. I didn't have time to make the trek to Chinatown but walked to the nearest location between the Prince de Galles hotel and Eiffel Tower. Overall, the food was good but pricey and run by Chinese people. The clientele was Asian but not Vietnamese. I think I saw an international college nearby which may explain the environment.
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| Dong Phat - Clay pot pork and bo luc lac |
Le champ des delices - bakery on the way to Eiffel Tower from restaurant on 145 rue saint-dominique. Bought a baguette and some pastries to enjoy in the park.
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| Le champ des delices - pistachio éclair |
La terrase de pomone - outdoor cafes that line along the walkway in the Jardin des Tuileres towards the Louvre, it was a nice spot to stop and have a beer/coffee and waffle. I also like that all the restaurants give you a bite size cookie with coffee.
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St. Michel cookies with coffee
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La Scene - wanted to try a Michelin rated restaurant to see the fuss. I opted to do the chef's choice menu. On the a la carte menu, you can see what options there are and if you wanted to gamble with having the chef choose your entrees. Overall, I thought the meal was very nice and was pleasantly surprised that I could eat frog legs (I could have kept eating those all day) and "sweetbreads" which is lamb brain. I felt like the girl in iZombie. I also did enjoy the going away present - almond cake. The irony is that the restaurant did more to make me feel at home than the hotel and the meal was cheaper than the hotel rate!
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| La Scene - four course prix fixe meal |
Angelina - a known and popular tea house featuring macarons and hot chocolate. I visited the café location inside the muse de l'armee. The Angelina hot chocolate does taste like I drank melted chocolate. Very rich. The macarons were tasty too.
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| Angelina - Hot Chocolate and lemon cake |
Le bistro marbeuf - last meal of the trip, I ended up at a quant restaurant/café in a sea of high end restaurants. I wasn't really hungry and had a meal of foie gras which was tastier than the one at le moulin de galette. I did take some of my companion's French onion soup and steak. One of the best French onion soups I have had.
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| Le bistro marbeuf - foie gras and French onion soup |
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| Le bistro marbeuf - steak frites |
Things to do
Bayeux
On the first day, wandered through the town square. This
being a Sunday, many businesses were not open. There is a cathedral, Notre
Dame Cathedral, in the city and it is one of the prettier cathedrals I’ve seen in Europe.
The architecture and detail is very impressive for a thousand year old
building. It is cool to see such old beautiful buildings continue to be used as
intended for such a long time.
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| Notre Dame Cathedral |
On the second day, visited Mont St. Michel. I had seen
viral videos of the church island and wanted to check it out since I was in the
area. The Normandy Sightseeing Tours group takes you on a day trip to Mt. St.
Michele and will walk you through the history of the church/prison. It was
interesting to learn the history and easier than renting a car and driving on
your own to the location. I didn't book directly but found the group through TripAdvisor.
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| Mont Saint Michel |
On the third day, took a tour of D-Day beaches and sites
with Bayeux Shuttle (another TripAdvisor pick). The tour included the german military cemetery in La Cambe, Omaha Beach, Utah
Beach, Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. I found the guide, Mike, to be an
excellent and enthusiastic guide of WWII history. He also participates in
reenactment productions which explains the level of detail he can give on the
tour. The only downside of the day tour is you stop at so many locations that
you won’t be able to spend any time exploring each stop. In particular, all the beaches had war museums to reflect on the history. You can easily spread
the tour to a few days if you wanted to see the sites for more than 20 minutes.
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| Stops along the tour from Bayeux Shuttle |
On the fourth day, went around Bayeux in the morning
visiting the Musee Memorial Bataille de Normandy and La Tapisserie de Bayeux. It was interesting
since we did not get to visit any of the museums the day before. Overall, both museums were good for a cloudy rainy day. Easily reachable by foot and it can amuse you for an hour or so.
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| Musee Memorial Bataille de Normandy |
Paris
Arrived in the afternoon via train to Paris and headed over to the hotel. After checking in, went walking outside to check the night scene. Went to the Eiffel Tower and hung out in the park outside. There are entrepreneurial fellows who will sell you bottles of wine or beer if you are inclined. I enjoyed my pastries and watched the lights flicker on the tower.
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| Eiffel Tower |
On the second day, I made a pit stop at the Louis Vuitton store (around the corner from hotel) and capitalized on the non-tariff euro prices. You can purchase and be exempt up to $800 USD per person from customs. The store was very good in preparing the paperwork for you to get a refund on the VAT. Afterwards, walked to the Arc de Triomphe from the hotel. If you plan on walking to the very top, be in good shape because it is a pretty steep climb up. I almost made it to the top without stopping but there are places where one or two people can stop and rest if they can't do it. I think there are elevators for the elderly or disabled. Impressive views from the top of the Arc. Since the weather was so nice, started the 2 mile walk to the Louvre from the Arc. Paris is a very pretty city and it is clear that they value communal outdoor space. At least in the center of the city. On a side note, had I known the Cosi US chain started from the Cosi shop in Paris, I would have totally visited the shop to see the origins of one of my favorite sandwich shops. Since we only had one more day left, I opted to purchase an
Open Tour ticket with boat. Hopped onto a line to see more city architecture.
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| Arc de Triomphe |
On the last day, jumped onto the Open Tour bus on the main tour line to see the sights and stopped at the
Musee de l'Armee. I found the museum very interesting and that the weaponry is as ornate as their architecture. I also didn't realize how very bloodthirsty the French were in the 14th and 15th century. Although their presence in southeast asia, Africa, and the Americas should have given me a clue. Finished the day with the boat tour along the La Seine river.
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Musee de l'Armee - French "expansion" into Vietnam
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| Scenic view from La Seine river boat |
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