Paris is worth the time and money to visit
by AGBAT
Ok, Paris is not perfect, but it is very close. The dogs and the dog sh1t is a little annoying. The traffic can be intimidating. The smell of urine in the doorways can be overpowering in the summer----BUT the buildings have character. The food is good. The museums are the best. The weather is not tooooooo bad. Accomodations are reasonable. The night life is special. AND The subway is easy, on time, and goes everywhere you want to be. I loved Pigale---the Moulon Rouge, Crazyhorse, and evan the Folies Bergere. The Paris strip clubs put on a show . Not just the famous ones but even the back alley clubs had skits they performed, not just some bored woman getting naked with music in the background.
Taking the train
by joiwatani
When asked directions to most Europeans, they just assume that we know how to take the train. Generally, most Americans have never rode a train before. Americans are used to driving and those who lives in smaller cities except for bigger cities like New York, Washington, DC, etc., they have never rode a train before.
So, when asking how directions how to take the train, just politely say, I have never been in a train before and you have to direct me slowly and tell me how to take the train and read the train map. It's not being stupid! There is always a first time for everything.
Since, I have been on trains before (I rode the bullet train in Japan), I knew how to buy a train ticket and know how to follow the train map. However, most of the students we brought have never been in a train before so we have to teach them that the tickets have to be held at all times until they get out from the train station because they needed the ticket to get out from the terminal... I don't call it the fondest memory but we took the train from Milan to Paris and it was chaotic. The students and the teachers were divided on different coaches and we were too many to be in one coach. So, it scared me to death. I was under stress the whole time because we can't afford to lose one child at the Central Station in Milan enroute to Paris.
House boats on the Seine
by kris-t
Living on a boat for an extended period may not be for everyone but it's short stay looks very romantic and an unusual.
"Today there are approximately 100 ships moored along the banks of Paris representing more than a century of Belgian, Dutch, German and French navigation of inland waterways."
Lots of the boats (like Houseboat Louise, Houseboat Risico, Houseboat Adriana, Houseboat St.Antoine or Houseboat Simpatico) - appartments for rent. You can get unique and memorable accommodations in the heart of Paris.
Vacation rental Paris house boat it's for sure luxury holiday idea. Weekly Rates (Houseboat Risico, boat's facing Musée d'Orsay): Year Round $3,690;
Holiday Rate - December 18, 2010 to January 4, 2011 - $4668/week.
Weekly Rates (Houseboat Louise, located between Pont Alexandre III and Pont des Invalides) Year Round $2,980
Le sens de l'humour français
by davequ
I can't help but laugh at the French sense of humor expressed in the film Amelie
(Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain)
during (Jamel Debbouze) Lucien's recitation of the merits and character of the vile "Collignon."
One negative effect of the film "Amelie" is intensified overcrowding and gentrification of Montmartre,
but let's face it, parts of this movie are funny and overall it's a good film.
Roland Garros and the French Open clay courts
by Confucius
If you are a tennis player or fan then a visit to Roland Garros in southwest Paris is very rewarding. My reward on the day of my spring visit was seeing Mary Pierce stretch her legs and watching Amelie Mauresmo play a warm-up match.
It all started with the English grounds tour which began at 11:00. There are two other tours conducted in French. You are introduced to the bronze statues of the 4 French Musketeers who defeated the Americans and won the Davis Cup six consecutive times. (Photo #2 is the stylish René Lacoste.) Then you are led to the outer courts, where you might glimpse a top player practicing on the red clay. I went three weeks before the French Open, so both Mary Pierce and Amelie Mauresmo were present during my tour.
Next you are led around to the players entrance area and the press rooms. There are separate interview rooms for the champion and loser; one big and the other is much smaller. In the players entrance area is one of the few signs that is in English without a French translation: "No dogs allowed" Evidentally it was Arantxa Sanchez who always brought her 2 dogs to Paris, aptly named "Roland" and "Garros" but the new rule was not established until some time after Serena Williams brought her pitbull terrier, which she named "Bambi".
The highlight of the tour is when you get to go inside the ladies dressing room. You'll hear an anecdote about the guy who hid naked inside a locker. Speaking of lockers, Steffi Graf always insisted on using locker #19 and after retirement she actually took the auspicious number with her. Now you can see locker 18-B where Steffi wanna-be's currently undress. (Photo #3)
The guide also mentioned that at the beginning of the French Open tournament in 2005 there were nearly 25,000 towels but by the end of the tournament only about 6000 remained. Professional tennis players stealing towels? "Zut alors!" Afterwards you are taken to the Court Philippe Chatrier, where the French Open championship is played. (You are also welcome to visit the Suzanne Lenglen court after the tour.) The tour guide's narration was very good and the 90 minute stroll was over too soon for me. I highly recommend the grounds tour of Roland Garros but get there early because there is only one English tour per day and it begins at 11:00.
The Tenniseum is the multi-media tennis museum at Roland Garros with many video exhibits. Aside from videos, there are only a few tangible items of historical interest and they really aren't that interesting. (As I write this tip I can't even recall what they were.) I suppose I'm just not a multimedia man as the multitude of monitors just didn't do much for me. A small library features tennis books from around the world including older Japanese animation. You can pick up free brochures at the library desk featuring detailed introductions of famous French tennis stars including Yannick Noah and Francois Durr.
I highly recommend the grounds tour of Roland Garros but found the new Wimbledon tennis museum in England much better in comparison. (See my Wimbledon page.) My advice: skip the Tenniseum and gift shop (overrated) and spend more time walking the grounds on your own.
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Trocadero
A light for each person lost
day view
accommodation apartment in France
