We spent 5 days in Paris, including the three day Easter holiday. We did the typical tourist things, including the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, etc. St. Chappelle was a real favorite of our group..absolutely breathtaking old church. A couple of things were unexpected based upon information received from past postings in this forum. The perception of the French women as being more stylish and well turned out than Americans appeared to be mostly unfounded. We did see a number of well dressed, beautifully madeup women in the shops on the Champs Elysee..no different than what we see in the upper end shopping areas here at home. On the Metro (which we took everywhere!) the average woman seemed to wear little makeup and not much style to hair. There were jeans everywhere as well as %26quot;trainers%26quot; on both men and women..and not just tourists. The clothing was average, much like you see in the larger cities here in the States. Certainly no reason for anyone to feel intimidated about their travel wardrobe. Also contrary to previous postings, bright colors were everywhere in the stores for the spring fashions, again just like here. Beautiful citrus colors, hot pinks, turquises and bold colorful prints were everywhere. Jeans were everywhere, all ages and both sexes. Some younger women did wear trendy (and very uncomfortable looking )shoes/boots but the majority on the Metro were wearing comfortable shoes...a must when climbing the large number of stairs at the Metro stops. We were also able to find a number of very reasonably priced eateries. Prix fixe meals were the best bargains. We actually spent much less than we were anticipating. On our last night we ate at a restaurant near the Eiffel tower that gave us a very clear and beautiful view of the tower, which was great to view the twinkling lights on the hour. None of us spoke French (we did have a French phrase book that we used often) but that was not any barrier to us. There were a few rude people, again, JUST LIKE here, but the majority of people were nice and helpful, even when they did not speak English...lots of hand gestures on both sides helped us communicate just fine.
One disappointment, very few flowers in the city, in marked contrast to London, which we visited the week before. Weather was similar so didn%26#39;t appear to be a factor in blooming of flowers. In London there were flowers everywhere, in window boxes, planters, bouquets for sale in buckets outside stores, parks in full spring bloom, on stoops and porches. We did not see this in Paris. I don%26#39;t mean to sound like a heretic to those who love Paris (we did, too) but London was a much cleaner and prettier city than Paris.
One last comment....We did see a number of %26quot;broad beams%26quot; in Paris...and not just American tourists. Lot%26#39;s of men with beer bellies (or maybe %26quot;vin bellies%26quot;?). Once again, there is no reason to feel intimidated by the %26quot;Frenchwomen don%26#39;t get fat%26quot; perception. Overall, Paris is another large city with a huge melting pot of people, much charm, and not dramatically different in many ways from some of the larger cities in the US.
It%26#39;s a wonderful place to visit....the sense of history is incredible, it%26#39;s easy to get around in, and the people are charming. Go, enjoy, and don%26#39;t worry about being recognized as a %26quot;tourist%26quot;.....
|||
Originalb,
I agree with everything you said... Sounds like we had the same trip experiences. Before we went to France I was apprehensive...nervous...ALRIGHT, downright uncomfortable about standing out as a tourist (something I wouldn%26#39;t normally worry about). I%26#39;ve been to other countries, but did not experience the same %26quot;worry%26quot; as I did before traveling to France. Why? I don%26#39;t know maybe I bought into all the stereotypes, maybe I read too many message boards (not this one of course %26lt;wink%26gt;), or maybe I wasn%26#39;t as self assured as I thought, but whatever the reason I didn%26#39;t experience the exciting pre-trip anticipation as I usually do.
What I saw... normal people going about their daily lives in a beautiful city... many many tourists of all nationalities just as wide-eyed as I was and just as lost at times. I saw jeans, dress pants, tennis shoes (all colors, white included), high heels, small people, big people, big butts LOL small butts, beautiful people, and not so... Lots of PDAs (public displays of affection), my 10 year old was blushing but watching every minute of the young couple in love on the metro... Oh boy she is growing up fast :) Lots of makeup, no makeup, pink hair and grey hair..big bellies and flat, hard, rippling ab muscles mmm oops sorry I%26#39;m back now :)
What I heard...Loud english speakers, loud french speakers, loud speakers of all languages, (you can%26#39;t hear the quiet speakers LOL) babies crying, laughter (universal language) music of all kinds...and believe it or not alot of Rap music(I didn%26#39;t expect that lol)
What I experienced...Very nice people from all over the world, the occasional not so nice (very few and far between) people.
I saw things I only saw in movies and on TV...I stood where I only days before dreamed of standing.
What I brought home...not as many pictures as I should have. I was too enamored of it all...too dumbstruck to take pictures.
A better, not complete, understanding of Paris and France....Very warm feelings for Paris and Toulouse and the yearning to go back and do it all again and Better next time... I brought home a young daughter forever changed by her experience. She wants to travel more. I brought home great impressions of the French people (ordinary working folks) especially the ones who helped this family, that went above and beyond to make our trip so memorable.
What I learned... How stupid I was to worry so much and not relax and just enjoy my adventure ahead...Lesson learned..
*GraceinParis*
|||
What an inspiration for those who have yet to experience the joy of a visit to Paris (or London or whereever!). You have captured the relief and awe and excitement that permeates my soul after every trip abroad.
I certainly didn%26#39;t mean to start a thread (y%26#39;all know which one :-)) to make one worry before traveling. I found it a little helpful, but a lot amusing!
As you both so eloquently put it - Don%26#39;t worry, just have FUN!! You are on vacation.
|||
Thank you both for your insights. I love reading about other people%26#39;s experiences!
I can%26#39;t wait until it%26#39;s my turn. :-)
|||
Thank you, thank you, thank you, gracein paris %26amp; originalalb I was really getting worried about leaving the french country side and venturing to Paris; you have renewed my faith in people and travel.
Dona
|||
Originalb,
Where did you eat on your last night? Was it good? before I left for Paris in February I asked for recomendations on where to eat to see the ET but I did not receive any replies. Please leave me more details abut that restaurant. Thanks-Also agree with your perceptions. I only took 5 pictures while I was in Paris. It was too cold!
|||
OriginalB.....please share the name of the restaurant near the Eiffel. I would love to have my birthday dinner overlooking my favorite monument!
|||
The restaurant was %26quot;Trocadero%26quot;. Ph. 01 45 53 75 00. It is quite nice but not terribly expensive. There was no strict dress code either. The food was good but more international in flavor than true French food. Be sure to ask for a seat by the front window if available. The location and view of the Tower was it%26#39;s real charm. There was a light misty rain when we were there that only added to the beauty of the lights. One other nice experience that night. There was a souvenir vendor on the plaza across from the restaurant. We bought several last minute souvenirs from the vendor who did not speak English. We did not spend a lot of money. As we turned to walk away, he came after us and handed us each an Eiffel Tower key chain...What a nice gesture! Left us with a warm feeling.
After we toured Notre Dame and St. Chappelle, we ate lunch a a place nearby called Baladin. It was absolutely wonderful. Beautiful cafe with great food..We did the prix fixe (3 courses)which was a real bargain at 15 euro (they also had one for 11 euro). Our server was a young girl who spoke some English and was an absolute charmer. She invited us to come back for dinner and said they have a pianist at night. We ran out of time so could not go back and regretted it!
No comments:
Post a Comment