Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Do's and Don'ts in Paris

I've learned most of the items on this list the hard way.

The list is not meant to discourage you from visiting Paris.  I'm already planning for next year's visit!!!

Here we go--
Don't talk loud on the subway
Don't open your purse in the middle of the sidewalk
Don't talk about a competitors product in a store selling the same product (keep the tea conversations to the sidewalk)
Don't wear American labels branded across the front of a sweatshirt if you want to blend in
Do wear black and grey to meld with the locals
Don't leave a tip (unless fine dining)  in excess of 1 or 2 euros
Don't expect to just walk into the Louver; there are lines everywhere, and security checks also
Don't expect complimentary potato chips at the neighborhood bar/bistro if you are not a local
Don't photography the perfume ads if there is a 'bouncer' guard standing at the front door
Don't expect every Metro stop to be the same; they will be different based on neighborhood culture/lifestyle
Don't expect merchants to readily give change; they prefer you give them the exact purchase price

Don't expect the airline checkin to be simple in Paris, especially if airline points/miles were used to purchase the ticket
(flying Delta...be SURE taxi driver drops you at 2E, Not 2A---it's quite a long walk--I know...)
Don't expect the boarding pass printed in Paris to work at your USA connection, especially Pittsburg

Don't check Anything that you need or value (I almost checked my computer, etc cords, and changed my mind at the last minute)
Don't allow the airline agent to tag your checked luggage without you first checking the bag claim tag that is attached to your luggage (the gate agent in Paris put my luggage claim tag on the bag of someone from NY; no one knew that until we got to Memphis  UPDATE: 14 days later Air France called and my luggage is in Bordeaux, FR  UPDATE UPDATE Day 17-still no luggage UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE my luggage arrived home, unharmed on day 18!


Do (men) carry a man bag; just get over it-you will actually look very stylish; you will Need the bag
Don't walk out the door without an umbrella in your bag, regardless of any sunlight you may see
Don't walk out the door without a Metro map and a city street map
Don't try to board the Metro after the buzzer goes off!
Do have a plan in case one of your party Does board the Metro after the buzzer goes off; agree to meet at the next Metro stop, and stick with the plan

Don't pack anything in your checked luggage that you can't afford to lose(ie:  travel purchases, etc)
Do keep receipts for all travel purchases in your carry on luggage in case your checked bag containing these items is lost
Do photography your luggage prior to departure; if mistaged you can prove what your bag looks like
Do include two ID tags on all checked luggage; attach sky miles luggage tag to outside of checked bag


Don’t throw away Metro or RER tickets before your journey ends. Inspectors sometimes spot-check and you could be fined. (I Had to show proof to inspectors once during 2012 trip!)


DON'T LOSE YOUR KEY, NO MATTER WHAT.  Sleep with it, bathe with it, never leave it in a pocket of a jacket you tie around your waist. 


Enjoy your trip.  I could write a list twice this long of things to "DO" while in Paris.

how to spend your Last day in Paris

We planned a quick morning walk to the Bastille area, to sit and enjoy petit dejeuner and watch the City go by.

But, morning traffic on the wide roundabout circling the spire at the Place de la Bastille is very loud from delivery trucks and cars and motorcycles and horns and raw noise.  Where are the birds and the church bells and the smell of fresh flowers drifting on the breeze?

So we walked on, intending to walk to the next corner and find a quiet table on a side street.  Soon we had walked an hour, looking for just the right place for our final morning cafe.  Though most shops were not yet open, we meandered through the Saint-Paul Village, gazing into windows of art galleries and weaving in and out of the maze of shops off the main rue.

After cafe and croissant, we walked across one of the may bridges spanning the Seine and sat for a while to gaze upon Notre-Dame de Paris.


A little souvineer shopping along the quai, a nutella crepe from a street vendor, and now it's mid afternoon.  I needed to return to the flat and complete my packing; Jerry will weigh my bag with his hand-held digital scale and prepare me for the 50 lb limit.

48 pounds-perfect!


The late afternoon sun is shining
tree branches are swaying in the gentle breeze
birds are singing

A scene is set by nature
    --- all that one wishes for just prior to the first day of summer in Paris----and the last vacation day in the City of Light


We have dinner reservations at 8:30PM, which gives us time to stroll along the narrow streets of the Left Bank.

Warm afternoon light brings musicians, friends with picnics of wine and cheese, and bicycle riders onto the pedestrian bridge,  Pont des Arts crossing the Seine.  We and they relax and enjoy the view, and the moment...

Sitting at an outdoor cafe, watching the locals, listening to a language I don't understand, yet knowing that they are joyfully greeting their friends, we leisurely wile away an hour before dinner.



It's nearing midnight, and we make our way to the Metro for the ride back to the flat. The Metro is packed with people.  I wonder where they are going and where they have been, knowing that I return to TN tomorrow.

This has been the most amazing day.  Plan your last day in Paris to be one of very little packing and very Much opening your arms and embracing the City of Light.

au revoir

(My camera cards are filled with captured - moments of Paris.  I'll post a link to my website once I have time to edit the images.)


Saturday, July 14, 2012

street scene


street scene




If I can't have Paris, I'll take Portland, OR. 9:28PM and it's not yet dark. Outdoor cafe. Music. Beautiful weather. Awesome food. Hum of fellow diners in background. Streetlights line green path and glow yellow in last light of day.

Date/almond/Jamon Serrano appetizer
Fish/fingerling potato entree
Marionberry/rhubarb/orange cream gelato dessert

Strolling downhill back to hotel. "God our maker doth provide..."

Friday, July 13, 2012

Portland, OR. A-Z

I only saw streets E through S; diversity in food establishments and other retail businesses.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

rose city

A different coffee and chocolate establishment on every city block corner! I'm trying to taste each one. Frozen Godiva chocolate raspberry coffee w/ whip gets A+.

Refreshing afternoon breeze. Bicycles and chess matches and tattoos.

Sunlight and shadows.

Focus on 'green' all around; preserving for the future.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

lost in France


Saturday  07Jul12  2PM CST
My luggage is in Bordeaux, France.  It's been there since approximately June 21, the day it first disappeared.  

I heard nothing for two weeks, and then a lovely Air France lady, speaking with her flowing French accent, called me Thursday and let me know that my bag was at the Bordeaux airport.  It may be there now; I don't really know.  Neither does Delta Air Lines.  

Delta agents are sending messages to Air France.  However, I've seen no results.

Laura Calder/French Food at Home baked this simple cake today.  She mentioned that it is often found in the south of France. 

Perhaps, after baking the cake my luggage will come home.
 (Paris-7am-21June12)

Update:  cake is delicious!!!

Update/Update:  6:30PM  CST   07Jul12  the baggage delivery service just telephoned; my luggage will be delivered in a matter of minutes!!!!!!!!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Paris is most beautiful at night

Here's the LINK to another of Martha and Jerry's blog posts recounting our Days Together in Paris.

Retracing the steps of the movie "Midnight in Paris."


enjoy