France

phjrsaunt · Post by **phjrsaunt** » May 30, 2006 10:02 am

My French coworker asked me to ask where/what part of Paris you will be staying.

OPHarbor · Post by **OPHarbor** » May 30, 2006 10:58 am

Mussee d'Orsay (Orsay Museum)....amazing modern art. I liked it better than the Louvre....even though the Louvre is a "must do" as well....can't go to Paris without seeing Mona Lisa or Michealangelo's David...

I don't have near the wealth of knowledge as some of these people but my $0.02. I took my wife on a suprise long weekend (4 days) while visiting Ireland several years ago, so we had to pack a lot of stuff in. The Louvre is so overwhelming you need three days for it all. Pick the high points (Mona Lisa, David, etc.) and hit them in a day. The Mussee d'Orsay is amazing and can be accomplished in a day. The Effel Tower is good, Notre Dame is a must. There are some great gardens right on the street near the Champs Ellysie (SP...). When we were there, there was not nearly the tension between the US and France, so I don't know how relavent this is, but if you at least try to speak French, people treat you very nicely and give you excellent "local" suggestions in pretty good english. If you don't try, they'll pretty much ignore you. Unless you get an upscale international hotel, do not be too suprised if your room is very small, for us it only added to the atmosphere. Paris is a wonderful magic place and you are blessed to have this opportunity, even the metro is fun, but do not try to entertain on it there's plenty of entertainment allready supplied!

ENJOY!!!

redparrot26 · Post by **redparrot26** » May 30, 2006 6:57 pm

Jimmy said something about going to Paris later this fall, did he not? I believe he mentioned it at the 4/20 Irvine show. I'll listen to it again and get a specific song.

Who knows if he was leaking early concert info or if he's just giong to vacation.

SmartWomaninShortSkirt · Post by **SmartWomaninShortSkirt** » May 30, 2006 7:15 pm

comtnfish wrote:Montmarte for sure, also, I really enjoyed the different cathedrals, this one being my favorite:

Ste. Chapelle. Beautiful, and overshadowed by many of the more popular cathedrals. This one is an architectural marval - apparently too much stained glass to actually be standing by engineering standards...

Also, the Eiffel Tower at dusk, and I agree about the Subway system - actually fairly clean, easy to navigate and really convenient.

So exciting!!! How about taking more extended family??

Yes, I completely agree about La Ste. Chappelle. A truly moving experience. One of the most special and magical man-made places I've ever been, and I've travelled extensively throughout Europe. They sometimes have chamber music concerts at dusk, and I recommend going if you can. We heard Vivaldi's 4 Seasons there almost 25 years ago. I was only 10 years old, and I got all choked up because the beauty of the music and the place were overwhelming. I still get chills thinking about it. So in a nutshell, you MUST go!!!!

Another fun thing is the beateau-mouche dinner cruise on the Seine.

Quiet and Shy · Post by **Quiet and Shy** » May 30, 2006 8:09 pm

Chocolate-filled croissants...oui, oui...

The Museum of Modern Art (can't remember off-hand what it's called

) is really funky and fun...gerbil tubes, etc. Walk, stroll, do cafes, etc. Have a great time!

PHAW Webmistress · Post by **PHAW Webmistress** » May 30, 2006 10:42 pm

JB - thanks but I'm not into tennis

BB - I would LOVE to chat with her - thank you!

BEG - Montmarte - check

TR - will you refresh me on the monty python quotes?

Sis - I'll have some fries just for you - I might even DD you while doing it

Deb - my mother is either wonderful or totally wacked - haven't figured that one out yet

NieceFISH - OMG that place looks amazing!!! Ste. Chapelle - check

Auntie - don't know where yet.........briefly checked out the apartments to see if they were cheaper than the hotels - not much difference..........does your friend have any suggestions? (there will be 3-4 of us girls in one room hopefully)

OPH - what a sweet thing to do for your wife!!! thank you for the tips as well!

Red - he also said he's be in Paris on the Today show -that would be too freaky if he was there at the same time. I can see me telling my mother and sisters we're going to be stalking JB while there

SWIRSS - will definitely be checking out a cruise on the Seine

Q and (not so) S - maybe I'll try to sneak one back for you

Thanks again everyone for all of your contributions - it will be an amazing help to us. Going to forward the link to this thread to my sister Xena - maybe it'll get her back to BN

2ParrotMedics · Post by **2ParrotMedics** » May 30, 2006 11:46 pm

I lived there for a month as an exchange student in high school. Pretty much everyone has covered the gamut of things to see and do. If you have the time and the means. I reccommend heading out into the countryside to some of the different Chateau's. Chenonceau and Chambord are fairly close (1-2 hrs drive). The Palace of Versailles is a commuter train ride away and its a walk from the station. If you like books, there is a SMALL bookstore by Notre Dame called Shakespeare And Company that deals in all kinds, new/used, all languages. Very unique place...Shopping- check out the Galleries Lafayette, Paris' main Department Store. The Opera de Paris where "Phantom of the Opera is set" is beautiful. The Musee d'Orsay and Musee de Cluny are off the beaten path and shoudn't have near the tourist traffic, they both have some beautiful art.

xena · Post by **xena** » May 31, 2006 8:42 am

This is amazing - all the stuff you all have told us about.

I especially love the hint about trying to speak the language. I will have to try & sneak French lessons in before we go.

For those that don't know me I am PHAW's big sister & the person whose birthday is in September - I really think my mom did this just for all of us, not just for my birthday - she just used my birthday as an excuse.

I am definitely checking out that cathedral.

Food - I am on a diet - this is going to kill me!!! I started walking regularly, so by the time this trip is upon us, I will be a practiced walker.

I can't wait to go & I can't wait to hear more from all of you. We promise to take LOADS of pictures to share with everyone. My trip to Hawaii, I came home with 800 photos, so I can only imagine this trip.

I will keep watching - thanks for all the tips everyone.

P.S. If JB is in Paris, we would ALL die!

PHAW Webmistress · Post by **PHAW Webmistress** » May 31, 2006 8:58 am

WHOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO She posted

comtnfish · Post by **comtnfish** » May 31, 2006 10:34 am

I would also recommend Rick Steve's Europe Through the Backdoor - my mom was really into all his books, and I must say everywhere we stayed throughout Europe, including Paris, was small (by our standards), but neat, clean, safe, and cheaper than some other comprable places. My mom is pretty picky and she liked everywhere we stayed out of his books.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156691 ... oding=UTF8

RinglingRingling · Post by **RinglingRingling** » May 31, 2006 11:10 am

PHAW Webmistress wrote:
phjrsaunt wrote:When are you going?

One of my coworkers is a native of Paris, and visits family there every other year. I will pick his brain when I see him this week.

Are you particularly interested in anything like art/fashion/food/wine, etc.?
yes

this will be the 2nd week of September

tell Mom you'd rather take the ticket and come to the pool party in Plant City... ;D

Mr Play · Post by **Mr Play** » May 31, 2006 1:35 pm

Just about everyone over there speaks English. Odds are even the ones who say they don't can understand it ok, they just don't use it much. Start everything with "Do you speak English please?" and you'll be a lot better off.

It's touristy, but the best thing we did in Paris was the combination evening boat tour / dinner at the Eifel Tower. The Latin Quarter is across the river from Notre Dame. It has lots of decent hotels that are pretty inexpensive and you can walk around from there.

You could spend a week just seeing museums and cathedrals around Paris. If you can afford it, cough up some of your own money to extend your stay. You might want to think about an all-you-can-ride train package. That way you could go wherever you want, when you want, and jump back on a train if you don't like it;
http://www.raileurope.com/us/

If you do get an extra day or two, Strasbourg is about 4 hours east of Paris near the German border. There's a canal system and a wine road that goes through some quaint medieval villages. There are rolling hills, castles, walled cities with brick roads, it's a really neat place.

PHAW Webmistress · Post by **PHAW Webmistress** » June 24, 2006 3:50 pm

phjrsaunt wrote:My French coworker asked me to ask where/what part of Paris you will be staying.

I just found out

http://www.hotelvieuxsaule.com/index-2.html

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » June 24, 2006 6:10 pm

That looks like a great place, Renee...guess I'd best be getting my passport in order.

PHAW Webmistress · Post by **PHAW Webmistress** » June 28, 2006 7:28 pm

Guess we're gonna do Normandy too - this is the hotel we'll be staying there

http://www.filfranck.com/hotel_d_argouges.htm

SchoolGirlHeart · Post by **SchoolGirlHeart** » June 28, 2006 7:34 pm

PHAW Webmistress wrote:Guess we're gonna do Normandy too - this is the hotel we'll be staying there

http://www.filfranck.com/hotel_d_argouges.htm

oh, wow...... Normandy....... I'd love to visit the cemetery there.....

PHAW Webmistress · Post by **PHAW Webmistress** » June 28, 2006 7:38 pm

SchoolGirlHeart wrote:
PHAW Webmistress wrote:Guess we're gonna do Normandy too - this is the hotel we'll be staying there

http://www.filfranck.com/hotel_d_argouges.htm

oh, wow...... Normandy....... I'd love to visit the cemetery there.....

our mother gave us a love of cemetary's when we were very young so I'm quite sure the cemetary will be on our list of things to do

springparrot · Post by **springparrot** » June 29, 2006 4:38 pm

WOW Renee--a trip of a lifetime!

flyboy55 · Post by **flyboy55** » July 7, 2006 11:43 pm

Mr Play wrote:Just about everyone over there speaks English. Odds are even the ones who say they don't can understand it ok, they just don't use it much. Start everything with "Do you speak English please?" and you'll be a lot better off.

Yeah I guess that would work, but wouldn't that be like walking up to someone in Denver and asking "Parlez vous francais?"

If you want to work a teeny bit harder and make a much better impression (and end up getting a lot more help) why not try something like

"Bonjour madame. Parlez-vous anglais? Je suis desole - je parle tres peu le francais."

Bon voyage!

BilltheLizard · Post by **BilltheLizard** » July 8, 2006 7:40 pm

How about seeing Jim Morrison's cemetary plot. I know I would if given the chance.

And be on the lookout for Werewolves.

BuffettNews.com

France

WOW!