Museum Insider Tip
by kls67
You need to order this and have it sent to you in the States - I opted for them to deliver to my hotel in Paris and it was lost - either by the delivery person or by the front desk person - nobody would admit to anything......but regardless - it is the best investment that we made...
It allows you to jump in and out of museums all over Paris without waiting in lines and the value is extraordinary - we figured we saved about $65 for the 3 day pass - P.S. I was advised not to go with the transport option since you can get anywhere in Paris on the Metro
http://www.conciergerie.com/main.htm
People Watching is the Ultimate Paris Pastime
by davequ
People watching at a cafe.
I like to find a good location somewhere in the city:
(Opera, Montparnasse, Latin Quarter or the Champs Ellysees but almost any cafe in Paris will do);
order my favorite beverage
(carafe vin de la maison rouge, juice, an espresso, whatever);
light up, ... and just sit there & watch Paris go by.
What else is Paris for?
"Happiness is the best facelift...." Joni Mitchell Copyright Joni Mitchell
I tried my best to learn enough polite French to avoid as much as possible being perceived as "le touriste americain laid grossier."
Conversational French ( especially hearing & understanding it at normal speed ) was and is still difficult for me but I worked at it for weeks before I flew to Paris for the first time.
One day I needed to use a telecarte phone card I had purchased at a tabac, but could not get it to work. The call was important and I was very tired and frustrated.
I stopped a typically fashionable and lovely Parisian woman on the street and struggled in my primitive French to apologize and explain my small problem.
She immediately took me by the hand into a phone booth, got my card to work, and made the call for me.
When I thanked her simply in French ("Merci beaucoup, Madame") she smiled, hugged me, and in perfect English (she spoke it all along...) said "and thank you sir for the 'Merci Beaucoup!' You are very polite and it was my pleasure."
I will never forget her or her wonderful example of "parisian gentilles."
Madame, wherever you are, Merci... Vous etes tres gentile, et tres aimable. x
At upper-left is my homage to a classic cafe shot from Anthonys "Street Scenes" collection you can find here:
An Anthony Atkielski Facelift
Thank you Anthony.
see The Arc De Triomphe,...
by steventilly
see The Arc De Triomphe, another of Paris' most famous landmarks and one of the worlds busiest traffic islands!
It's great fun to go stand in the middle of the Arc De Triomphe and just watch the traffic. It's unbeliveable how they don't crash into each other, but somehow they don't!
Bonjour
by amazingclick
Everyone starts with "Bonjour'no Mossieur" and means "Hello Mister". So start with that while talking with anyone. I used to first ask "Parle vous Anglais" means "Do you know English". Most don't so, they wont be able to understand what you are trying to say and no communication will happen. Try and ignore people who are rude to you when they know you donot know french. Thats a part and parcel of the country I guess.
Hey, shoes! You better not suck!
by Bela_LUng
If you plan on walking around Paris like most tourist do, then go and find the worlds most comfortable shoes, buy them, and then wear them while walking around Paris. A fellow VT user rex Vaughn commented on how I seemed to be resting all over the place and sure enough, half the reason for my many rests was because my feet were soooo sore. My entire small toe on each foot was blistered and painful due to my stupid shoes I was wearing.
As soon as I got home I went and bought myself a kick pair of walking shoes. Now every time I wear them I think of Paris! hehe. Bring a giant laser!
The Military School, Paris
The Pompidou Center
Le Petit Marche
Hotel Cheyanne Street scene
