French "attitude"
by Jen611
We didn’t run into any problems as far as people being rude to us, or taking advantage of us as American tourists. We suspect this is largely because we didn’t act like many of the rude, demanding tourists we saw, and instead were always polite, and made an attempt at speaking in French, minimal as it was. We did our research before our trip, and became knowledgeable of not only some key French phrases, but also of various cultural customs and etiquette when it comes to dining and greeting people.
Need Some Computer Lovin'
by lamsterz
And by lovin', I mean fixin'. Especially important if your laptop crashes, burns, freezes in the midst of your favorite black-and-white American movie. The place is located in Levallois Perret just northwest of the 17th district.
Ide - Informatique "La Clinique du Micro"
Ventes et Réparations
19, rue d'Alsace
92300 Levallois
01.47.31.32.39 Also, these people will come to your location. I suggest emailing them unless you understand French well over the phone. Be sure to ask if they can send someone who speaks Anglais.
OXO Informatique
Services et Conseils Micro-Informatique
65, rue de l'Amiral-Mouchez
75013 Paris
06.71.72.43.18
contaxtoxo@free.fr
Otherwise, you have to go to the 12th on the Montgallet St. Seems pricey.
Tower climbing...
by jrs1234
I only discovered that the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral were open on weekend evenings by accident - I was passing by on the last night of my visit and spotted a queue.
It was a great discovery - the sun had just gone done and the lights were just going on. The time at the top is supposed to be limited, so I thought I was going to miss the best of the lights, but just before you go down again, there's a last little bit of the tower to climb, where you get to see the huge bell at the top of the tower. That gave me enough time to see the Parisian lights to come on completely, including the amazing lightshow on the Eiffel tower - that bit was just great! It was a really great way to round off my trip.
You have to be fairly fit to get to the top - there are hundreds of steps! Avoid if you get vertigo, too - it's a long way down, and the spiral staircases up and down won't help.
The towers are normally just open in the daytime - last entrance is usually at 6.45pm, and for safety reasons only 20 people are allowed up the tower every 10 minutes. It's worth checking when you arrive if there are extra evening openings - the view at night is wonderful. There's an adult entry fee of 6.10 euros, or you can get in for no extra charge with a museum card.
A must for hunchback fans, of course!
The dogs and their poops
by Yijie
Watch where you are walking because there are dog poops scattered on the pavements and spacings between parked cars. The dog owners usually don't clean up their dogs' mess though there were one or two occasions where I seen them clearing it. Precaution is better than cure: you wouldn't want to spend time cleaning your shoes later.
I also seen before an amusing incident where a dog wiped his paws on the door mat of a shop before entering it.
That's easy!
by bisous333
Light, depending on how far you are travelling from. Guys don't do yourselves in, have wheels, but remember not all metro stations have escalators and lifts, in fact a lot don't so if possible pack very lightly and have rucksacks / hiking packs so that you can carry most of the weight on your back. This will leave your hands free to negotiate the stairs! Comfortable walking shoes for walking around town. If you want to dress for dinner in a swanky restaurant, then make sure you have something to go out in. Thin stiletto heels for ladies can get stuck in ventiliation shafts for metro stations that are all over Paris streets, as cobbles can break/ damage heels and ankles. Keep shoes as stable as possible unless you plan on getting a taxi everywhere. You can find everything you need in pharmacies, though if you need something special, make sure that you bring it with you to avoid the shock of need a doctor's prescription for it. You won't find medication anywhere else but in a pharmacy, unlike in the UK or US where you can find paracetamol in supermarkets. The French are also picky about over the counter medication. Even high dose iron tablets need a prescription, in the UK and Canada I have seen 200mg ferrous sulphate tablets, but in France 80mg was the highest I saw. All can be found here in camera shops. For Paris you won't need this kind of stuff
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Chapel of the Madonna, Saint-Sulpice
Palais-Royal (Courtyard)
The Eiffel Tower
Canal Saint Martin, Paris, France 2009
