PARIS
- A Love Affair With The City Of Lights
My
first visit to Paris was on my honeymoon. That visit sealed my fate.
I was in love and in Paris and there isn't a more romantic place
in the world to stroll with the one you love.
I've
been back many times - for pleasure and business - and stayed in
hotels and rental apartments. The memories of that first trip have
never brought disappointment. Each visit to Paris is as magical
as the one before.
A
few hints to win the hearts of the Parisians and enjoy your Paris
experience...
Speak
a little French... I can say "Bon Jour"
with the best Parisian accent. I always lead off with that. Sadly,
my ability to speak French ends there. I've found that my cheery
hello breaks many barriers. Waiters, shopkeepers, taxi drivers and
Metro clerks... all are happy to help this fumbling English speaker.
Either that or the few words I do try to say in French sound so
awful that it is just less painful to speak English. I do know that
not speaking French has never been a problem in my Paris adventures.
I do point a lot, that helps. Always remember to say hello BEFORE
you ask if anyone can speak English. Politeness counts!
Know
the Arrondissement...
Paris is divided into 20 neighborhoods called Arrondissement.
If you get a good idea of where each of them are, you'll have no
trouble navigating around the city... and finding your way back
home. Each one has a character that distinguishes it from the others
and finding the right district to stay in is an important part of
planning your trip.
Home
in on the nearest Metro...
You can always find your starting point by asking for the nearest
Metro stop. The metro allows you to travel all over Paris quickly
and cheaply. The stations are mostly clean and safe, although some
areas do take a little watching. Paris does have some seedy neighborhoods.
A word of caution. The Metro closes at 11 PM. Plan your trip home
so that you are not caught in the station as they lock the gates
or be prepared to spend the night!
Plan
your time... The wait to climb the tower at Notre
Dame or Eiffel
Tower or to gain entrance to the Louvre can be long.
Try to get an early start to spend more time seeing the sights and
less time waiting to get in, but be prepared to waste some time
on lines. If you bring along a guide book you can read a bit about
the things you want to see inside while you're waiting. Don't try
to see everything in a day or two. The
Louvre takes a full day to get to see just the spectacular
exhibits - it really needs more than that to visit the best offerings.
I don't think a lifetime is enough to get to know the whole Museum.
Use
the local food shops... The bread in Paris is impossible to resist
- bakeries will sell you one ridiculously long Baguette
that will be half eaten before you get it home. The markets are
wonderful places to shop for the freshest foods, flowers and lots
of other interesting things.
Take
time to stroll - Along the banks of the Seine is a good place to
start, but go and explore. You'll find many areas that invite hours
of wandering - with or without shopping!
Just
remember when it's time to come home and you realize that you'll
need months to taste every delicious dish and get to see and do
all you wanted to... Paris will still be there next year - and each
visit is more wonderful.
About
the Author
Margaret Chiffriller is one of the founders of the Chiff.com
Directory, a guide to the best pop-up free, content rich
sites on the Web... and the Chiff
Local e-Biz Directory, created especially for businesses
searching for a fast, affordable way to get found online.
