Dreams / DIS Exclusive London/Paris/DLP Adventure Oct 4th - 13th 2019

I have to say the damage is less than I expected. There was a time yesterday when I wondered if any of the building would be sound enough to be allowed to stand. I did get to see the Cathedral when I was 17 but was looking forward to seeing it again. I wonder what will be substituted. I hope we at least drive by because it appears the front and the rose windows are still there.

Chandra
 
I have to say the damage is less than I expected. There was a time yesterday when I wondered if any of the building would be sound enough to be allowed to stand. I did get to see the Cathedral when I was 17 but was looking forward to seeing it again. I wonder what will be substituted. I hope we at least drive by because it appears the front and the rose windows are still there.

Chandra
I was also surprised when I saw photos from inside of how much survived. Those brave firefighters did an amazing job putting out the fire.
 


I have to say the damage is less than I expected. There was a time yesterday when I wondered if any of the building would be sound enough to be allowed to stand. I did get to see the Cathedral when I was 17 but was looking forward to seeing it again. I wonder what will be substituted. I hope we at least drive by because it appears the front and the rose windows are still there.

Chandra

The ABD site has already removed it from Day 6's activities. They also removed the water taxi to the Louvre which makes sense as the water taxi would have been the easiest way to get from Notre Dame to the Louvre. Right now it's Breakfast followed right up by Lunch on your own. So, ABD will either find something else great in the morning, or it will be one awesome, continuous gluttonous French feast that day. ;) Either way I'm ok.
 
The ABD site has already removed it from Day 6's activities. They also removed the water taxi to the Louvre which makes sense as the water taxi would have been the easiest way to get from Notre Dame to the Louvre. Right now it's Breakfast followed right up by Lunch on your own. So, ABD will either find something else great in the morning, or it will be one awesome, continuous gluttonous French feast that day. ;) Either way I'm ok.

I would still like to stop by and see it, even if it's just the magnificent exterior architecture. I am still stunned by the event.
 
Hello Fellow Adventurers,

Just a reminder our next Skype call is scheduled for Sunday, April 28, at 1 pm (Pacific Time). This is an informal gathering of folks who want to talk about the trip and plan activities together for when we are on our own away from the guides. If you'd like to join in the conversation and get to know your fellow travelers a bit better, my Skype Name is mouseketeer.michael. Looking forward to our chat!
 


The current London/Paris trip running replaced Notre Dame with Sainte Chapelle (which is a couple of blocks away from Notre Dame). Not sure if this is the long term replacement, but it's a gorgeous cathedral. With its floor to ceiling stained glass, it's arguably more stunning than Notre Dame. They're both amazing.
 
Sounds good Kevin. I'm sure there will be an opportunity for a side-trip to at least see the outside of Notre Dame.
 
Hello Fellow Adventurers,

Just a reminder our next Skype call is scheduled for Sunday, April 28, at 1 pm (Pacific Time). This is an informal gathering of folks who want to talk about the trip and plan activities together for when we are on our own away from the guides. If you'd like to join in the conversation and get to know your fellow travelers a bit better, my Skype Name is mouseketeer.michael. Looking forward to our chat!

I'm ready. I downloaded Skype to my new phone this morning and sent a message to you Michael. Now I just need to remember 10 am Sunday morning.
 
The current London/Paris trip running replaced Notre Dame with Sainte Chapelle (which is a couple of blocks away from Notre Dame). Not sure if this is the long term replacement, but it's a gorgeous cathedral. With its floor to ceiling stained glass, it's arguably more stunning than Notre Dame. They're both amazing.

Sounds good Kevin. I'm sure there will be an opportunity for a side-trip to at least see the outside of Notre Dame.

I would think so too. Either they’ll take us for a walk around the exterior or it would make a good OYO activity.

I'm sure someway we will be able to walk around or at least go by on the river.
 
We are planning a group outing to the WB studios/ Harry Potter experience on Oct. 4th. This is the day of our welcome dinner so we would like to make the first tour of the day at 10:00. It is a 20 minute train ride from London Euston to Watford Junction where you take a 15 minute ride to the studios. Buses run every 20 min. First bus of the day is 9:20. Tickets are 45 pounds = $58 dollars. Tickets must be bought in advance. Let me know if you have any questions. https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/
 
Thanks Ron! I purchased our 10am tickets.

Continuing the news from Skype yesterday: We’re organizing a few meals for our “on your own time”.

We’ve done this before in China and Italy, and it worked really well. A couple of those restaurants and experiences we still talk about to this day! So, I’m going to give it my best for London/Paris. If you would like to join us, let me know. Depending on the number of people interested, I may need to place a deposit or CC guarantee. I’ll need a firm commitment by May 15th. Below are the restaurants we’re looking at.


London, Day 2 - Sat, Oct 5th
Dinner

We discussed on Skype going to Davies and Brook which is not open yet. They open this summer. But it’s the same chef that runs Eleven Madison Park, which is arguably the best restaurant in New York if not the US. We have no idea how much or how difficult it will be to get a reservation. Eleven in NY is $325 pp and very difficult to get a reservation. Davies and Brook should be much easier and probably not as expensive as it doesn’t yet have the accolades its sister restaurant has, but there’s no telling until reservations open. A couple of us are on their email list, so we will contact them once they go live. I do have a couple of back up options. There will be a dress code. It will likely require a jacket for men.

https://www.claridges.co.uk/restaurants-bars/davies-and-brook/


Paris, Day 5 - Tue, Oct 8th
Lunch

We discussed eating at Le Jules Verne, the Michelin starred restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower. I’ve never eaten there, but I’ve heard great things. They serve an a la carte, 3 course lunch at 105 Euros. There is a dress code - smart casual. Sportswear (such as t-shirts, shorts, trainers etc...) are not accepted. No need for jackets, just pants and collared shirts. Timing is somewhat tricky as we don’t know for sure when we finish up at the Eiffel Tower or start the afternoon tour of Paris. Considering most other restaurants guests will be eating at won’t start serving until 12 or 12:30pm, we think booking a 12:00 at Jules Verne and discussing it with our guides is our best bet. Nevertheless, if you want to join us for lunch understand if the meal unintentionally goes too long, we will be doing our own tour of Paris without the group.

https://www.restaurants-toureiffel.com/en/jules-verne-restaurant/the-restaurant.html


Paris, Day 6 - Wed Oct 9th
Dinner

We talked about doing a 3 Michelin star restaurant on Skype. Sadly Gusteau’s is unavailable… Nevertheless, Epicure is and IMO it’s the best in Paris. However, I checked the prefix menu and it’s 380 Euros. I looked up other 3 stars, and they’re all 380. They must have some consortium! If there’s still interest, we’ll do it. Otherwise, I did find something else.

https://www.oetkercollection.com/hotels/le-bristol-paris/restaurants-bar/restaurants/epicure/

The other option would be Septime. I’m not familiar with it, but it looks lovely and casual. It’s ranked the 40th best restaurant in the world by a website I’ve used and found dependable. So, it’s a pretty good deal at 80 Euros.

http://www.septime-charonne.fr/en/
https://www.theworlds50best.com/The-List-2018/31-40/Septime.html


So, please let me know if you’re interested, for which restaurant(s), and how many people. Again, by May 15th. Thanks!
 
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Thanks Ron! I purchased our 10am tickets.

Continuing the news from Skype yesterday: We’re organizing a few meals for our “on your own time”.

We’ve done this before in China and Italy, and it worked really well. A couple of those restaurants and experiences we still talk about to this day! So, I’m going to give it my best for London/Paris. If you would like to join us, let me know. Depending on the number of people interested, I may need to place a deposit or CC guarantee. I’ll need a firm commitment by May 15th. Below are the restaurants we’re looking at.


Thanks for the info on the restaurants. We want to do the Le Jules Verne for sure. It will be Tina & Myself. I will look at the other restaurants later today. I did book our tickets for Harry Potter. Thanks again.
 
Chuck and I are going to pass on the Harry Potter trip. We instead plan to do the "hop on hop off" bus that day and may go to the British Museum etc. We are interested in doing the three meals, the only one I am hesitant at this point about is Epicure given the cost per person but we will stay open to that option as well. So Kevin, please put us on your list.

Chris
 
Chuck and I are going to pass on the Harry Potter trip. We instead plan to do the "hop on hop off" bus that day and may go to the British Museum etc. We are interested in doing the three meals, the only one I am hesitant at this point about is Epicure given the cost per person but we will stay open to that option as well. So Kevin, please put us on your list.

Chris

Kate and I would probably prefer Septime ($80 pp) over Epicure. I was the one who suggested Epicure on Skype, but I’m pretty sure it’s now twice the price it was when I ate there last.
 
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Hi all, as I learned last weekend when I got the "are you joining the Skype?!?!?" messages from Chandra, Michael, and Brian, I'm going to make an effort to visit this board more often. It was good to talk to you all. (Hey, Chris, I didn't get a chance to say "hi". Nice to meet you, Ron.) I had to install Skype on my phone and then sneak wifi from a Starbucks, but I made it!!!

Kevin, please just assume that I'm tagging along on all dining activities. I'm excited that I'll be eating at my first Michelin-starred restaurant (hopefully, if it all works out). And again, Kevin, thank you for being our restaurant consultant. I'm sure whatever we do will be wonderful and memorable. (I still talk about our amazing night at that French restaurant in China. Have you all looked up Fawlty Towers yet?)

Further on the subject of food, I'm friends with an award-winning chocolatier couple here in Vancouver. He is originally from Belgium, and they often visit France. I've asked him for suggestions for special places for chocolates and pastries. I'm comprising a list, but I'll check with our itinerary to determine our best options.
 

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