Eitel’s Happy Trails, LLC

05/16/2026

Ah, so true! Read the article in the first comment. . .

Turns out the biggest travel mistake you can make isn't where you go - it's this 👇

05/16/2026

Missed this again! Next trip . . .

Église Saint Étienne du Mont often surprises people because it sits quietly behind the Panthéon yet holds some of the most striking stonework in Paris. It dates to the late 1400s and is known for its unique rood screen, the only surviving one of its kind in the city. The mix of Gothic and Renaissance details makes the interior feel layered with centuries of craftsmanship.

This church also holds the shrine of Sainte Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. Many visitors come for a short look but stay longer once they notice the carvings, the spiral staircases, and the warm colors from the stained glass. It is a good stop if you want to explore the older side of the Latin Quarter without the noise of the bigger landmarks.

If you are visiting the Panthéon, walk a few steps further and step inside. Afternoons are usually quieter, which gives you time to take in the architecture from different angles. The light changes quickly in here, so a slow loop around the nave is worth it.

It is one of those places that rewards curiosity. A peaceful spot with real history that does not demand a long visit, yet it stays with you.

📸

05/16/2026

Paris hasn't seen one of these since 1973 - and it might be the last one ever 👇

05/15/2026

In 1965, workers started digging beneath the square in front of Notre-Dame to build an underground parking lot. They never finished the parking lot.
What they found instead was Roman Paris. Gallo-Roman bath houses with their underfloor heating systems still intact. The 4th-century city walls built to defend the Île de la Cité against barbarian invasions, constructed from stone blocks salvaged from abandoned monuments on the left bank. Medieval street foundations. The basement of the old Hôtel-Dieu hospital chapel. The ruins of a foundling hospital built under Louis XV. Layer after layer, 2,000 years of the city, stacked on top of each other right where visitors stand to take their cathedral photos.
The excavations ran from 1965 to 1972. The Crypte Archéologique (Archaeological Crypt) opened to the public in 1980 and has been there ever since. It is the largest archaeological crypt in Europe, stretching 390 feet (118 meters) long and 95 feet (29 meters) wide beneath the parvis (forecourt). The oldest remains date back to the reign of the emperor Augustus, around 27 BC. Admission is around €9, and on most days it is nowhere near as crowded as the cathedral above it.
What makes it remarkable is the sequence. You are not looking at one era of Paris. You are looking at all of them simultaneously: Roman, medieval, classical, Haussmann-era sewers, all exposed and lit in the same space. The city has been rebuilding itself on the same patch of ground for over two millennia, and this is the one place where you can see exactly how.
This image is AI-generated. It imagines what it might look like to see the excavated ruins and the cathedral facade together in a single view. That vantage point does not exist in real life. The crypt is accessed by staircases in the square, right in front of you.

05/15/2026

Eitel’s Happy Trails: France, Itinerary Spring, 2027
[email protected]
330-815-6407

Next adventure: the south of France and Switzerland (late April-early May). The group will be strictly limited to 16-20 adults to take full advantage of these tours and accommodations. Please let me know if you are interested and would like further details regarding registration. Group must be confirmed by August 15, 2026. We can adjust dates of your arrival and departure if these dates do not suit you, or if you would like to join us for part of this trip. One option would be to join us for the first 8 days. Let me know if you would like to discuss options or a single supplement.

1. Bordeaux/St. Emilion: boutique hotel or château TBD (3 nights)
We’ll explore the city and surrounding vineyards with a wine class and luncheon at one of the renowned vineyards.

2. Mauzens-et-Miremont : (3 nights )
Château Forge du Roy (another beautiful château) Phone : 33-6-13-31-78-58
Day trip to Lascaux to visit the prehistoric cave drawings and the charm of the Dordogne,
including the cave at Rouffignac. Then we can relax by the pool or use the yoga studio at the
château. The following day we will explore the town of Sarlat with another luncheon while we
are out with our guide. Breakfasts and evening snacks we will do on our own with a grocery stop
before we get to the château.

3. Avignon : TBD (2 nights)

Another fun city to explore with the former papal occupancy, a large market, and of course the bridge
to dance upon (« Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse, on y danse . . . ») !

4. Yvoire : TBD (2 nights)

Let’s explore this beautiful medieval village, situated right on Lake Geneva. Anyone for a water
excursion ?

5. Geneva, Switzerland : TBA (3 nights)

Our final stop will be Switzerland. With our home base in Geneva, we can explore Lausanne, and
perhaps Lucerne or Zurich to get the flavor of these alpine locations. We will depart from the airport in Geneva.

13 nights in boutique hotels or châteaux
Flights to be arranged to arrive in Bordeaux (BOD) (date TBD) and to depart from Geneva (date TBD).
Cost: $6700 (plus airfare, libations, and some meals), based on double occupancy. Single supplement +$700
Included : Five meals (one in Bordeaux/St. Emilion, two in the Dordogne near La Forge du Roy, one at Yvoire, and a farewell dinner in Geneva), and a wine class and tasting in St. Emilion. Included are museums, gardens, guided tours. All hotels have buffet breakfasts included. Trains, Charter bus or minibus and driver included.

$500 non-refundable deposit due upon registration. Balance of payments in 3 installments as follows : $2000.00 due 10/15/26, $2100.00 due 1/1/27, $2100.00 due 2/15/27.
All checks payable to : Eitel’s Happy Trails, LLC
Mail to Kathleen Eitel, 28 Thirty Acres, Hudson, Ohio 44236



Cancellation of a scheduled trip with Eitel’s Happy Trails, LLC will result in the following compensation:

Within one month of booking trip – full refund of all payments
(except for non-refundable original deposit)

91 – 365 days before start of trip: 50% refund (except for original deposit)
46 – 90 days before start of trip: 20% refund (except for original deposit)
45 days or less from start of trip: no refund

05/01/2026

Sainte-Chapelle was finished in 6 years. Notre-Dame, standing just 500 yards (450 meters) away on the same island, took 182.
Both buildings are Gothic. Both sit on the Ile de la Cité (Island of the City), the small island in the Seine that has been the heart of Paris for over 2,000 years. But they were built in completely different worlds. Notre-Dame broke ground in 1163 and was not considered complete until 1345, spanning generations of builders, architects, wars, and financial crises. Sainte-Chapelle went from foundation to consecration between 1242 and 1248.
The speed was deliberate. King Louis IX, later canonized as Saint Louis, had just acquired the Crown of Thorns from the Emperor of Constantinople. He needed a home for it. The chapel was not a slow act of communal faith built across centuries. It was a royal commission with a deadline and a king who was paying close attention.
The architect who pulled it off remains unknown to this day. No document confirms who designed it.

05/01/2026

King Charles just told Trump to his face that Americans would be speaking French right now if it weren't for the British.
⠀
At last night's White House state dinner, the king flipped Trump's own line back at him. Trump had told European leaders in January that without the U.S., they'd be speaking German.

Charles had a one-liner ready.
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"Dare I say that, if it wasn't for us, you'd be speaking French," he said - to a laughing Trump.
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He didn't stop there. Charles took a dig at Trump's $400 million East Wing ballroom demolition, reminding him that "we British made our own attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814."
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He also called the dinner "a very considerable improvement on the Boston Tea Party."
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Charles even gifted Trump a bell recovered from a real WWII Royal Navy submarine named HMS Trump, saying: "Should you ever need to get hold of us, just give us a ring."
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Earlier in the day, Charles addressed Congress - only the second British monarch in history to do so.
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As a French person watching all of this, I have to admit - being cast as the punchline of an Anglo-American roast is a very specific kind of historical humiliation.
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Which joke landed best for you?

03/31/2026

This is a total reworking of my Paris arrondissement guide that has always been very popular with my readers. The original post did not cover every one of the twenty Paris arrondissements, and like most vibrant international cities, Paris has changed somewhat in the time since I wrote it. In this France Travel Planning Guide I have focussed not just on popular arrondissements for Paris visitors but on all twenty arrondissements, and then followed it up with a section on my guide to the best neighborhoods to stay in Paris to suit most visitors.

https://francetravelplanning.com/france-travel-planning-guide-to-the-best-neighborhoods-to-stay-in-paris/

02/17/2026

02/17/2026

In 2025, La Poste officially launched a new collectible stamp honoring one of the country’s most beloved symbols: the butter croissant. 🥐🇫🇷

This one isn’t just about looks. When you rub it, it actually releases the scent of freshly baked pastry thanks to tiny microcapsules infused in the ink!

Released October 8, 2025, the “Croissant au beurre” stamp sells for €2.10 and is valid for international mail. IIt was unveiled in Valence (Drôme) to coincide with the national competition for the Best Butter Croissant in France.

Only 594,000 copies were printed, and post offices saw collectors lining up from early morning. Some 400 stamps sold within hours at the Valence-Herriot post office alone. Each one carries that buttery scent that instantly evokes a Paris café at sunrise.

This isn’t the first time La Poste has played with smell: in 2024, it released a baguette-scented stamp for Saint-Honoré Day (the patron saint of bakers).

You can find the new croissant stamp at major post offices or order it directly from La Poste’s online shop.

Yes, people are already sniffing their mail!