well shit, I screwed that one up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper
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well shit, I screwed that one up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper
Tschüß.Quote:
Originally Posted by I Skied Bandini Mountain
:fmicon:Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
English has entered the chatQuote:
Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper
Paris is where I seen THE best dressed woman ever wearing high fashion on a bike,
she probably wasn't going far so she just grabbed a rental bike from one of those on-street rentals
I rehearsed ordering a beer from a waiter in french but I got the wrong waiter so when the other one shows up suddnely the script goes out the widow and I m lost, the GF shows up sorts it out and everyone laughs
Truth.Quote:
Originally Posted by XXX-er
Ms Boissal used to rehearse her restaurant orders with me and always thought she was ready for anything and everything the waiter would throw at her. She'd still get caught off guard 100% of the time. The nail in the coffin was ordering water, theoretically the easiest thing ever, and get offered 3 different options she hadn't though about (plate, minerale, gazeuse, ie flat from the tap, flat from a fancy bottle, bubbly). After that I had to handle all the orders.Quote:
Originally Posted by XXX-er
Re: bike fashion, my sister isn't in Paris any longer but she'll ride her cargo bike with both her kids on the way to daycare or school drop-off while wearing outfits you'd expect to see at a high end NYC law firm. With the e-cargo she's taken to riding in heels, it's hilarious. Style is definitely a thing over there.
I read veau and knew it meant veal. I ignored the rest--turns out it was sweetbreads--pancreas--which tastes as bad as liver.
I gave up trying to order in French when I tried to order water but was ordering a carafe of god. Fortunately the waiter knew to bring water. God doesn't fit in a carafe.
If you’re up near Saint-Malo, and you like oysters, it’s worth driving over to Cancale for lunch. It’s a famous oyster town, and just relaxing there with the cheap local oysters, tons of other cool seafood bites, great wine, and a great view was probably my favorite thing to do across all of my France trips so far.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzzworthy
Funny, my sister lives there, and she is about as fashion backwards as they get. I think she goes more for the Sportif look.
We always scratch our heads how she ended up in Paris and still doesn't have any fashion sense.
Annecy is amazing. So is Strasbourg, which is a fun gateway to a whole different France. The German France. Further down South East, you get the Italian France. Paris is Paris. North is Viking, South West is Spain. So many cool regions and influences. You need months.
Lyon is an amazing city, but I wouldn't consider it much of a tourist destination, unless you are a foodie. Lyon is the gastro centre of France, but I wouldn't plan a trip around it. Read the book DIRT if you are interested in cooking and Lyon. https://www.amazon.com/Dirt-Adventur...63bd28a8ad080a
Can I take your spot? I would live in Annoy in a second.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boissal
Funny story-
We sat down for dinner at an outside bistro. Seating is tight, so we had a couple basically sitting with us, as you do. Cool scene. Everyone around us was from EVERYWHERE, and they were all speaking English, which was rare last time I was there in the early 00's. So we start speaking a bit of Franglais with this couple, and they find out we are going to Nice- AIX by car. They recommend we stop in Cassis. Can't recommend it enough.
FF to our trip from Nice. We stop in Cassis and QUICKLY realize this is a French tourist town. Almost no one speaks English, or at least they aren't letting the secret out. The only other english speaking couple was Australian, and they were as lost as we were. Had a great time. One of the best Bouillabaisse I have ever had, but we just can't shake the feeling that that couple was laughing about it later saying, "I wonder if those Americans actually went to Cassis."
Thanks for all the tips so far. Keep them coming.
So far, 5 nights booked in Paris, Latin Quarter. Maybe a 10-minute walk to the restaurant of Singlesline. We are going to skip the dinner cruise, but found a Friday happy hour cruise that sounds fun. Versailles for a day, Louvre for a day, wandering and seeing other sights in between.
Then thinking of TGV to Tours, but staying in Amboise for 3 nights. Chambord and Chenonceau, for sure, apparently 3 others nearby and a day of a wine tour.
Then it gets tough to get to Chartes and Mont Sant-Michel. Either go back to Paris as a hub and take trains each day, or (my preference) rent a car in Tours and make a loop of Malo, Sant-Michel and Chartes (I'm sure other fine places could be added). Sightseeing small towns along the way is a great bonus. Return the car to Tours for the TGV back to Paris.
Annecy sounds great, and I've added it to a future Germanic/Swiss trip. Strasbourg has been on our list, and we had thought about it for this trip, but we decided to hold it for the future.
^ I think your idea of a car rental is a good one. A lot of my best times in France have been driving around to smaller towns.
Although a quick day trip to Marseilles might be quite the adventure, I think you meant Versailles.
My sister and Frere in law et familie love to hike there and walk the grounds. If you watched the horse events at all in the Olympics, all of that steeplechase terrain is hiking trails. They say to skip the palace tour (it has been closed EVERY time I have gone) and just walk the grounds. It is a full day.
That's what we did... 'cause it was closed the day we were there as well. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by warthog
You are correct on Marseilles vs Versailles, corrected on post
Quote:
Originally Posted by warthog
As amazing as the grounds are, no way do they eclipse the palace tour. So much interesting detail inside it’s hard to believe. The grounds kind of overwhelm me. They’re just to fuckin big to fully appreciate. Maybe if I have a horse next time!
I highly recommend the Paris Catacombs. It’s The most mind blowing experience underground in Paris. When I was in school, there wasn’t much of any tourism of it, but there were frequent wild parties. Miles of tunnels down there. The amt of bones there is impossible to comprehend. L’empire de la mort!
But you got the Bouillabaisse, so does anything else matter?Quote:
Originally Posted by warthog
Funny it autocorrected to Annoy.Quote:
Originally Posted by riser4
It was fucking amazing, BUT we showed up at 2pm and the staff was unpleased, but they had just sat a french couple and had to seat us and the Australians. I told my wife, whatever happens, we finish before the french couple. We were successful, and the waiter was pretty chill after the initial WTF moment when we got sat.
Whoops. Stupid Americans.
Agree on that. I went in with a buddy about 5 years ago and it was still a self-guided thing, not even sure they do actual tours. Wandering around in tunnels lined with skulls, held together with columns made of bones, in fairly dim light and complete silence, is a very odd experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by mcski
Apparently they mined that ^^ rock ( limestone ) to build Paris
At least in summer shops close for 2 hrs so if you expect to stop for lunch forget it, the regular drill while bike touring was to get coffee & a patisserie in the AM where GF would get to practise her french, then I get a second coffee while she wanders off to find a chunk of cheese and a baguette for lunch
there might be different hrs in the fall but ?
Yep. The tunnels under Paris are very extensive. I’m sure there are still Lots of youthful hijinks still going on in the more obscure sections even now
The first time I went to the catacombs , you were supposed to bring a flashlight as There was very little to no lighting.l down there. Of course, my cheap and broke ass college self didn’t have a flashlight, but went down there anyway. Creepy as fuck as I literally had to feel along the wall until my eyes adjusted and luckily a couple that had flash lights came along and saved my ass. I hadn’t got to the bone section yet, but never having been there before, I had no idea what I was going to touch along the wall. Horror movie levels of freaky. Then relief when I found I wasn’t feeling bones and then amazement when we got to then stacks. One of my fave memories of Paris. lol
It’s incomprehensible how many people are parked down there for eternity
Don’t forget to swing by The Two Maggots [emoji1]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9c94b78501.jpg
We stayed in the Sarbonne and it was great.
We used the tourist bikes to get around a bunch which was very convenient (Andrew made me ride around the Champs Elysees)
There's a big every day street market near the Sorbonne on a street lined with food shops, near our favorite hotel. We shopped there every day. Don't touch the produce. (I was shopping at the Truckee farmer's market the other day. A woman was having the sales person pick out and bag her fruit. Then I heard the French accent.)
Another tip, more of a general Europe tip. Eat dinner around 8:30 or 9 unless you like dining with Americans.
Maybe you knew that one, but the later we eat, the more interesting the company is.
Revisiting this thread since my trip is in a few weeks.
We're staying in the 5th, right near the Luxembourg Gardens.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuntmonkey
going to try to go to this place for a fancy dinner with my lady friend (and ditch the almost-MIL).Quote:
Originally Posted by singlesline
Is she your lady friend or are you just trying to help her conceive?Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
trying to help her conceive as often as I can, but I don't think it's gonna work ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by riser4
Keep trying!Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
I have found saying “Je ne parle pas FrancaisQuote:
Originally Posted by coldfeet
“ and asking “Parlez vous Anglais?” gets me far in France and Quebec.
The open air market I mentioned is on the Rue Monge, very near where you're staying. Google says it's open Wed, Fri and Sunday. The street is also lined with food shops. The Cluny Museum is worth a peek since it's nearby, if you're into the middle ages. Restaurant Chez Lena et Mimile is also very close. It's been years but they served wine from Chile--how's that for unpretentious in Paris.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
No need to ask people to speak English. Start to speak French and they will immediately switch the conversation to English.
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...g?format=2500wQuote:
Originally Posted by Danno
Always say bonjour. Unless it’s nighttime
Lots of hand wringing over this, but if a non English speaker told me good morning at 7pm I could give a shit less.Quote:
Originally Posted by mcski
You're obviously not a golfer... :DQuote:
Originally Posted by zion zig zag
I would find that totally amusingQuote:
Originally Posted by zion zig zag
But we did have to be told about not saying hello or even acknowledging others you pass on the sidewalk etc.
It was super hard for my husband who is overly friendly
Also has anyone mentioned how a lot of places are closed on Mondays?- Lots of museums and such
PM digitaldeath about vacuum pumps. Or any Red Sox fan.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
OTOH everyone we passed on the Tour du Mont Blanc--which was a lot of people--said bon jour (in France, Italy, and Switzerland). But no one was friendly in the huts. I think I already posted that, maybe here.Quote:
Originally Posted by babybear
Yeah, I have no idea what that even means.Quote:
Originally Posted by skaredshtles