First Time trip to Ramstein via Charl...

Author Message   Earl MacKenzie New member Username: Earlnjanet Post Number: 2 Registered: 01-2008 Posted From: 64.12.116.208 Posted on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - 12:48 am:    Richard, In Paris we stay at the Hotel du Champ de Mars (www.hotelduchampdemars.com) in the Rue Cler neighborhood. A double room with bath is 98 euros ($141.00) It's about a 10 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower, metro transportation nearby as well as bus and boats along the Seine that stop at the major tourist attractions. Hope this info is helpful to you   Patrick O'Halloran Member Username: Usnusmc_doc Post Number: 8 Registered: 01-2004 Posted From: 76.101.96.63 Posted on Saturday, January 16, 2010 - 07:33 pm:    Richard - my wife and I have been to Paris 3 times. Each visit we were able to find an apartment at respectful prices, about $150. per night for 2 bedroom apartment. So, if you are traveling with another couple, you can split the costs. We had a kitchen, bath, dining room. Good location, usually a bakery and grocer in the neighborhood. Check out on google - rental, 2 bedroom, Paris or check Craigslist.com   John D. Moderator Username: John_d Post Number: 3760 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 95.208.80.143 Posted on Tuesday, January 05, 2010 - 02:30 pm:    Richard, You can find the link to the Cercles de Armees webpage on spacea.net under the Military-Related Lodging section. It's also included under the Lodging section under France (further down the page).   Jennifer New member Username: Wifey Post Number: 4 Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 12.16.139.226 Posted on Tuesday, January 05, 2010 - 01:49 pm:    Richard, We didn't do much comparative shopping, but for the price, $228/night we felt we could have done better. The staff was not very helpful or knowledgeable (could not even tell us where to change money), of course, no real shower (which could just be a personal issue for me), tiny elevator, hard as a rock bed (double is as large as they had), and a bit of a smell from the oldness of the building I guess. I believe the web address is cnaparis.com. We just googled it. Some of the pros of the place are location, right next to a good cafe (the one on the right, not the left of it looking out), nice views. None of the staff spoke hardly any English, so if you don't speak French I definitely wouldn't recommend it there. I speak French decently enough. We just felt we could have found a better value if we had time to search. Thanks everyone for the well wishes. I am doing some better, but the flu is a slow drainer.   Richard T. Brown Intermediate Member Username: Dick Post Number: 120 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 71.242.116.190 Posted on Tuesday, January 05, 2010 - 11:02 am:    Jennifer: I am curious as to your problems with Cercles de Armees. My Wife and I, along with another couple have been thinking of a Spring trip to Paris and staying at that location. Also, do you have the web address. I seem to deleted it from my "favorites." Thanks for your input.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 243 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 69.143.223.11 Posted on Tuesday, January 05, 2010 - 08:07 am:    Jennifer: Nothing spoils a trip as much as sickness enroute.Your expectations associated with your trip are dashed and you are forced to concentrate on getting to bed and taking care of yourself. If you're lucky, someone local will come to your rescue. Otherwise, you have to "sweat it out" in a hotel room by yourself, or in your case, you had your husband to care for you. Lucky that he didn't get sick as well! This brings to mind my experience many years ago when I caught the flu in transit from Europe on a small ocean vessel and landed sick with a fever at St. John's, Nova Scotia where I disembarked. The local hospital would not admit me as I was not an emergency case, but a stevedore saw my flight and took me to his house, and he and his wife gave me their bedroom and moved to the couch downstairs. In short, over the next 5 days, they nursed me back to health and I finely was strong enough to catch a bus from Canada back to the States. This occurrence happened many years ago and I have never forgotten the unsolicited act of kindness of these people in taking in a stranger in need and asking for nothing in return.   John R Garrison Senior Member Username: Majorg Post Number: 2258 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 79.206.36.150 Posted on Tuesday, January 05, 2010 - 03:51 am:    Jennifer: Thank you for taking the time and effort to share your experiences with us. Hope you are feeling better and are recovered from the flu. Happy Travels, John   Jan Advanced Member Username: Seychelle Post Number: 309 Registered: 07-2006 Posted From: 70.137.22.187 Posted on Tuesday, January 05, 2010 - 01:01 am:    Thanks for your report, and hope you are feeling better. Nothing is like your own bed when you are sick. Many times in France you will have just a "stupid tub with a hose thingy," and actually, once we got used to it, we liked it!   Jennifer New member Username: Wifey Post Number: 3 Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 67.77.139.176 Posted on Monday, January 04, 2010 - 11:37 pm:    We did it! We conquered our first Space-a trip and honestly, it would have been awesome. We planned for layovers, setbacks, extra hotel nights, possible commericial airline evacuations, BUT not the Flu! We left Charleston on the 27th and flew to Andrews (we could have flown directly to Ramstein on the 26th, but decided to take the long road). We got to Andrews late/early on the 28th. The Quality Inn right across the road from the main gate there rocks! $42/night for military, free breakfasts and they let us check in at 8 am in the morning, no extra charge. The next day we bused, taxied, trained to BWI, after stopping in Union station to do a little sightseeing. Once at BWI, we missed the first flight to Ramstein, but made the second, but many, many people did not. If I had it to do over again we would go direct from Charleston. Once at Ramstein, we were unbelievably tired, (really, unbelievably, not knowing that the flu was upon me), but they had rooms at the Ramstein Inn. Yay! What an awesome place. A vacation in and of itself. We explored, made a reservation for two nights hither and made plans to get up and drive to Paris the next day. We did so (never, ever again, oh, the tolls we paid!) and stayed at the Cercles des Armees in downtown Paris (never again on that one as well). It was at this point I started getting very ill. Ran a huge fever all night and thought I would die before seeing the U.S. again. My husband awoke and literally had to bathe me in the stupid tub with a hose thingy, (no shower, seriously). We got a cab and directed him to a few sites, where I exited the vehicle long enough for a picture and honestly I was so sick that a lot of that part of the trip is a blur. We headed back to Ramstein where I happily picked up Gatorade and chicken soup at the shoppette (yay Americans) and crashed in the wonderful rooms there. We had checked with the terminal a couple of tiems during this day, Charleston was up at around 1400 both times we checked. The next am (Jan 1) I rolled out of bed at 10ish and my dh called the terminal to triple check the showtime-it had changed to 1110! Never have we moved so fast. I wasn't about to miss being in America asap with this dreaded sickness. We made it and snagged the last two seats on the plane, crossed our fingers that no one important would show up and take them until takeoff. We made it back to Charleston and rented a car and drove home. The United States never looked so good! Don't get me wrong, Europe was OK to visit, but I wasn't overly impressed with what I saw and I know the sickness jaded me and still is. However, I feel we can still declare Victory on our first space-a battle.