where's the meme?

[elvendoll]

...since there isn't a meme going around today, i'm going to pose these questions:

have you been to france?

have you been to paris?

if so, what would you recommend seeing? where would you recommend eating? what should definitely be done and what should be avoided?

(ftr, sol3 and i will be in paris for 3 days and are looking at bordeaux (and kaligrrrl!!!) for the other 3)

Comments

[maighread.livejournal.com]

Yes & Yes.

I can't remember a single place to eat (it was....crap...14 or 15 years ago? oh man...)

I still crave food from the street vendors tho....fresh hot crepes, baguette sammiches with cheese & butter...mmmm...

We were stuck in a tour group for the usual sightseeing. But the best times were when we snook off & looked up the old cemeteries. So they get my vote. ;)

[sol3.livejournal.com]

looked up the old cemeteries

I read this as "hooked up in the old cemeteries"

[maighread.livejournal.com]

Well....really....um.... That answer seems ok too. =)

[sol3.livejournal.com]

wanna find an old cemetery?

[maighread.livejournal.com]

I might happen to know where there are a few!

[veek.livejournal.com]

Yes and yes.

Seeing: well, that depends on your tastes. If you like museums, the Louvre is both architecturally stunning and fascinating enough to take up all three of your days. (I wouldn't recommend that, though.) The Picasso museum is more worth visiting than the Louvre, I'd heretically say.

If they do such things year-round, take a bateau tour of the Seine with a guide. Pretty!

Walk around a lot. Go to Notre Dame. Don't go to the Eiffel Tower unless you really really want to do something touristy.

If you like seafood, eat it in Paris. Especially raw seafood, entire plateaux of it.

Go to small groceries of many types, gather up foods that smile at you and go back to where you're staying for a picnic. Don't forget the wine and a corkscrew. Decadence obligatory.

If you read French and want books in French, there are several great, inexpensive bookshops.

[sol3.livejournal.com]

When I was in paris, i thought the eiffel tower was a neat backdrop to the city - I wasn't terribly impressed with it up close.

And I really like the wine and corkscrew idea : )

[veek.livejournal.com]

Oh, duh!! Go see Notre Dame. Omigod. So. very. worth it. Even if you've seen twenty million cathedrals in your lifetime, go see Notre Dame.

Oh, and stroll along the Seine looking at the drawers/painters/used book sellers. Prepare to have any other plans waylaid for hours.

[scuba.livejournal.com]

Go see Sacre Couer, and Montmarte. The best view of the city can be seen from that cathedral. And it's Amelietastic.

[kittypie.livejournal.com]

yes and yes.

i had an opportunity to eat REALLY WELL and i eat meat so i don't know if i should really be recommending anything.. let me just tell you that there are TONS of tourist traps in paris that are incredibly overprices that i would have never gone into had i gone there on my own (budget!)... however, french food is fabulous and if you eat fish, there is quite a bit for you on the menu. they have menus in english at a ton of restaurants so dont be shy to ask for one, or risk getting meated!!!
'zeums:

i spent about 5 hours in the louvre (i barely brushed by the sculptures, spent most of my time in the paintings areas) but i couldn't handle it after that.

if i had to do it again, i wouldn't have gone to the "special exhibition" because it was very focused and i could see that kind of stuff anywhere. the permanent collection can take you several days to get through, like the met, so i would focus on that.

D'Orsay was awesome, I recommend that. It was very labyrynth-like also.

Something that is sort of off the beaten path is the Picasso museum... HIGHLY recommended. it was his own personal collection that has so much work that I've never seen before.

The one thing that pissed me off about France in general is their complete hatred of the English language. When I was in England (and Italy, surprisingly enough) there were tons of museum audio tours/guides/books in english, german, russian even... but in France you are basically screwed most of the time (not in the Louvre, fortunately, and I think the D'orsay has english audio stuff too.

If you want to make yourself crazy but perhaps get some nice stuff, go to the gigantic maul by the opera plaza. not champs elysee, but its called something else. it is marvelous, they have a ton of overpriced stuff but if you dig deep you can get really well made, sexy clothing for h&m prices...

ok what else. well, we went to NICE and stuff, will you be going there? if you can at all rent a car and drive through Provence, stopping by some of the towns, I would recommend it. It's really gorgeous and interesting, and completely different from Paris.

we went to the jewish museum in Paris (which is near the picasso museum) which i really liked, but i didnt have time to go see Rodin's stuff, which i was really bummed about.

watch out for the gypsies! they're the few parisians (i think the parisians wouldn't like me to call them that) that speak english. hehe.

[kaligrrrl.livejournal.com]

I think that may be just Paris because I've been living in Bordeaux for 6 months and the language most commonly used after French is English. our museums offers audiotours in English, the only other lang. available besides French. you can find English books and magazines pretty easily, many people speak at least a little English etc.. in fact, signs and other public info are foten in English too and most French websites offer an English version but I've not seen this done with any other language.

[kittypie.livejournal.com]

that's awesome. i guess i meant it mostly when it comes to smaller (not the louvre or the d'orsay) museums in paris (and this goes for the cote d'azur also!) not having literature in english or audio tours. the thing that gets me most is that they act like you're an asshole for asking. hee. sometimes stereotypes are true.

i need to go to bordeaux. mmmm.

more

[kittypie.livejournal.com]

food: how could i forget crepes and cheese sandwiches! mmm. prepare to eat heavenly evil food and love it. and bring really REALLY comfy shoes. cobblestones!!!

since everyone already touched on the sacre cour and notre dame, i wont mention those as they are pretty obvious.

there is also a contemporary art museum the name of which i completely forgot (i didnt have time to go there either!)

definitely sample a new french pastry every morning if you can. dont bother with the "traditional breakfast" egg crap, you can have that anywhere :)

oh and those stupid little phrase books come in handy in france, btw.

[lachesis.livejournal.com]

Yes, and yes. in 2000.
I still have all my souvenirs so I can look up where we ate (some places were very $$ tho); and you can borrow the travel book I got from my stepmother prior to going. FTR, J adn I stayed at Le Grand Hotel in the Opera district, 9th district, just below 1er dist., where the Eiffel TOwer is.
I liked going all th way to the top of th etower, but the last bit was freaky.

We also took a guided day trip to Giverny to Monet's house/gardens, which was worth it. Backtracked thru Rouen, and whereever it was that Rommel's HQ were. (I have photos).

The city of lights...

[(Anonymous)]

Hi!
Yeah - definitely been to France/Paris - was a nanny in Paris for 3 months. Was there again last spring.
I would not go to Bordeaux, unless your friend really can't meet you anywhere else - I didn't find it to be that nice. Poitiers (halfway between Paris and Bordeaux) is a lovely town to visit, with gorgeous Cathedrals and streets. No more than a day or two, though. Visit some of the castles around Paris in the Loire Valley: Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise, Blois...they are all gorgeous! Great daytrips from Paris, or combine a couple for a few days. I definitely recommend getting a car for this, since the trains run on really stupid schedules to the little towns. Chartres is adorable, and a convenient, frequent day-trip-length train ride away.

As far as time in Paris goes, stay away from the Eiffel tower and the Champs Elysees. Wander around the Marais quarter (4th) and the Latin Quarter (6th). Bastille area and Marais have great trendy food places, but can be pricey. Latin quarter is cheaper, but watch for tourist traps (menus translated into 100 languages are a sure sign...).

I should in theory have a few cheap eatery locations written down - if I find them, I'll email you. Email me with any specific questions - I know the city fairly well, love it, and would be happy to help.

Have fun!!!!!

Stasia