posted June 13, 2006 12:27 AM         

any tips?

posted June 13, 2006 12:43 AM         

i cant think of any solid tips other than have fun and enjoy "the city of love" with your love<3

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"WHATEVER the soul longs for, WILL be attained by the spirit"

"Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation"

posted June 13, 2006 01:04 AM         

Get familiar with some of the common food names, so that you can at least get an idea of what's on the menu. This means ingredients, too.

Bring money for baguettes! That bread is SO good! You don't need anything with it. It's awesome.

I don't know what else to tell you. France is a great country to visit. It's beautiful and historic and they've got nudity on tv. Just be open and let everything soak in.

posted June 13, 2006 01:55 AM         

My girlfriend was looking for baguettes at the local bakeries in portland. I think a few times she found some and said the portland baguettes were quite good. I always thought it was weird that she ate bread with nothing..but I suppose it is common. so I know that I need to taste some baguettes.

She said most french people are getting wiser and learning to seperate american people and our government. most people in france love the people and hate Bush. she said if I tried to speak french with my american accent other girls would love it.

sadly for americans, the euro is kicking the dollars ass. its something like 1.25 euro to the american dollar. the pound is even worse if you are american, at nearly 2 pounds to the dollar. however in most areas of africa, the american dollar is still number one no matter what, as a Sudan co worker was telling me, most african countries only allow 1000 euros for transactions.

I read somewhere a few hours ago on hipforums that keeping your passport with you at all times is ESSENTIAL. thanks for the reminder!!

posted June 13, 2006 03:08 AM         

What it was was like a thin fanny pack. It's not bulky, and is intended to be worn under your clothes. That way someone has to reach down your pants to steal your passport. I don't think anyone attempted to steal mine in my entire trip.

If you go to Paris be sure not to get hit by a car. They don't believe a stop is ever really warranted, so they keep rolling.

That bread is spectacular. Better than any bread I've had here, and it's fresh every day. You could maybe try fondue. I think that's another French specialty. Fondue won't cause you to pause if you're cautious with new food. Crepes are good, too. Some of the pastries are terrible.

posted June 13, 2006 03:46 AM         

I didn't speak any French when I went to Paris last year. The people for the most part are charming, and very formal.

It's almost always best when approaching a French customer service person to say, "Pardon. Parlez-vous anglais?" They either say, "Non," or very shyly, "A little bit."

If you are going to travel by public transit, you can buy a Metro ticket for 14 days or something. You'll save a lot of money this way. Also make sure you pick the right distances for the card. Like if you plan on just hanging out in central Paris, you'd buy a Central one. But if you plan on going to Versailles or back to CDG, then you have to buy separate ones.

Beware of taxi cab drivers at the airport! I recommend taking the shuttle bus to the train station, and catching the B train into Paris.

They still do cafe shops the old fashioned way in that if you order your espresso and croissant and eat it at the bar, you'll be charged just for the food. If you sit down at a table, they charge a lot more.

Where do you plan to stay? I stayed at a youth hostel and found it through:
http://www.gomio.com/

Also, if you are planning to visit the big museums, purchasing a museum card is highly recommended. You'll get entrances into the big museums at a discount and get to go directly inside them through a special door instead of waiting in a long line to purchase a ticket. I think they come in 3, 5 and 7 day access cards.

Good Luck!

posted June 13, 2006 01:03 PM         

If you should happen to cross over into other countries ... dont bring back any Red Bulls into France. They are illeagal in France.

Wine is a must. If your a coffee drinker, you must try their mud! lol.

Yes, and as AG said .... nudity is everywhere. When walking thru the department stores you will see banners/poster etc with naked men and women on them - fully exposed. (not something i was use to at all)

Must visit the foam clubs and nude water parks. (hmmm, now that i think of it, that may have been in Germany. I traveld from Amsterdamn to Germany to France and back and forth in between. So kinda in a fog as to where i was etc.)

I hear pickpockets and theft is HUGE in Paris. I didnt get the opportunity to travel there while i was over seas. Although i wanted to sooooo bad.

If you take the trains at all for transportation ..... WATCH YOUR BAGGAGE. Never leave your bags unattended, people watch and wait for that to happen - then they run with your bags. Even if you have to put your luggage in the overflow area ... stand with it. NEVER leave it, unless you dont want to carry your bags

posted June 13, 2006 06:48 PM         

Funny story: When i was over there i went with my bestest friend in the whole world and his kick azz 70yr old father. We are sitting in a resturant/cafe' downstairs of our hotel room getting ready to place our order for breakfast. lol. (i'm laughing so hard already) The waitress asks us in french if we are ready to order. (we of course understood she was there to take our order, but we didnt know what she said, lol) anywho ... my friends dad says.... "yeah, uhhh i would like to order eggs and ham with a coffee." She looks at him and obviously has no clue what he just told her. You could see the confusion on her face. His dad then stands up, places his hands under his armpit and proceeds flap his arms, all the while repeating Eggs! Chicken! Bawk! Bawk! Bawk! Chicken! Bawk! Eggs!" .... the waitress laughs and nods her head and says Yes! He then says "good we got that straightened out, now i also want to order some ham, ahhh ham, you know..." he proceeds to Oink like a pig!!! Oinking!! In the middle of this resturant!!! The lady is laughing histerically at this point ... only problem is he couldn't figure out what to use for coffee, so he just pointed to the peoples coffee cups sitting next to us. To make it easier on her, my friend and i ordered the exact same thing.

Needless to say ... by the time we returned home ... we found ourselves using our hands allot to explain what we happened to be talking about, talking really slow and using very simple vocabulary. His lil brother asked him "why are you talking to me like i am 4 years old, and whats with your hands?" lol

posted June 14, 2006 08:37 AM         

quote:

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It's beautiful and historic and they've got nudity on tv.

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Well if you're going to Paris I would definitely recommend a trip to La Sacre Coeur which is a beautiful church high up on the hill and the surrounding area is called Montmatre and it's full of artists, cafes and wonderful music! Very colourful, historic and fun And the Louvre is wonderful of course.

I found this and wondered whether it would be of any use? http://www.gridskipper.com/travel/paris/paris-for-cheapskates-169494.php Might help to keep the cost down a bit and still have a good time.
But hey you'll be with your girlfriend so it doesn't really matter what you do, you'll still have a great time!