We rode the train from Paris to Reims on a cold winter Monday, found a taxi easily and dashed from the train station on a speedy cab to Les Crayeres to make up for the 20 minute delay in the train schedule. This delay caused us to arrive later than we had planned at the restaurant (1:45 p.m.). In spite of our late entrance, the staff were awaiting our arrival and welcomed us warmly.
A friend asked recently, after hearing our complaints about the cold weather in Paris, why we were there in winter. Summer, he reasoned, was warm and we wouldn’t need heating or cold weather clothes. Right he was. And yet, we enjoy the holiday spirit and seasonal foods available in Paris at the end of the year. People seem to be in good spirits and we make time to take advantage of the countless choices the City of Lights has to offer or just relax and enjoy being there. The 700 square-foot apartment on Rue des Ecoles enhanced our stay, providing a centrally located, pleasant, clean and comfortable corner to call our own for our month long sojourn.
We had heard so much about the famous horizontal first class seats, when we finally encountered them we didn’t know what to think. After four long flight segments on Air France first class, we say the seats alone are worth flying first class. There are other more subtle benefits such as the less crowded cabin (only 12-13 passenger capacity on our flights), less crowded first class lounge, in-flight loungewear, dedicated heads (bathrooms), extra legroom when the seat is in normal position, polite service attitude and guaranteed meal selections.
Though we were well fed aboard our luxury yacht while cruising from Italy to Spain, we were celebrating a special occasion and longed to find a memorable setting. We sought to book something in Monaco where our ship was moored but as luck would have it the restaurant of our choice was closed that day. After consulting several sources including the yacht’s resident gourmet (and Maitre d’Hotel ) we decided on the Chateau de la Chevre d’Or (in English, the castle of the golden goat). Thanks to very able last minute maneuvering from Chritine at our ship’s concierge desk, a most accommodating French lady, we found ourselves sipping perfectly chilled champagne on the terrace of the restaurant a scant three hours after requesting the reservations.
Arriving by sea into the new quay in Monte Carlo, Monaco was an eye opener. The view of the famed kingdom from the water was richer in some ways than the impression we had while walking or driving around. After several days enduring uncertain weather and overcast skies, we were concerned our sightseeing tour would be cancelled. Conveniently the sky cleared long enough for us to enjoy the day. At 9:30 a.m. sharp, a Heli Air Monaco van pulled up right in front of our vessel having deftly maneuvered through the port security staff. We were the only passengers and the drive took but a few minutes from the port to Monaco’s busy heliport.
From the outside the Hotel Arts Barcelona looked like another office building with a distinctive metal sculpture in the front. It had a tall rectangular shape and external white metal structures revealed little about its contents. Inside, we rode an elevator from the ground floor to the lobby, where we began to discover the property’s upscale ambiance. Beautiful flowers, scattered in the lobby and common areas, brightened the earth tones of the hotel’s interior. As soon as we exited the elevator we found the reception desk to the left of the sunlit lobby, decorated in sober tones. Having been evicted from our comfortable yachting digs first thing that morning, we migrated wearily to the striking Hotel Arts, relying on the Ritz Carlton reputation for a warm welcome in spite of the early hour. At the reception, Diego greeted us kindly and promised to find us a room as soon as he could.
