It DOES explain a lot about New York...
I don't, however a friend that was with us did (and was born in Southern France, English was her second language), but she was treated like we were. Whether it was an accent in her French or her association with us, I don't know.Just out of curiosity for those of you who didn't think Parisians were very friendly -- do you speak French at all? I found there to be a definite difference in how I was treated when I spoke French vs. when I didn't.
When asking for directions or help from people with public functions, not all but certainly most of them were kind of grumpy and short with the replies, whether I made an effort to speak a few words of French or just asked them if they parlez-vous anglais straight away.Just out of curiosity for those of you who didn't think Parisians were very friendly -- do you speak French at all? I found there to be a definite difference in how I was treated when I spoke French vs. when I didn't.
This is what happens when someone mistranslates "lengua" when they really should have used "idioma."WACKINESS WORTH SEEING!
Merci beaucoup pour ton feedback.When in Paris, make a slight detour north and visit Brussels
As for the Louvre, decide BEFOREHAND whether you want to wander through the halls and take in all the beauty, or rather just see the highlights (Mona Lisa/Venus of Milo/...). In one case, you can spend 2 full days there and not have seen everything, on the other hand, you can go through it in roughly 90 minutes if you know what you're doing.
The Moulin Rouge may have a famous name, but, if you and your wife are interested in such acts at all...Well, firstly, you've probably seen it done bigger and better in Vegas, and secondly, there are better cabarets in Paris by far. The MR just lives off of its name from days long gone by.
Merci mec.When I honeymooned in Europe, we went through Paris. Like Bubble said, the Louvre is tough to do in one day, let alone two. Paris is VERY crowded with tourists at the usual spots, so it could be worth it to explore some parts of the city that are less crowded. We didn't go up in the Eiffel tower, for example, because the crowds were crazy.
To be honest, Paris was okay but we really loved Lyon. If you are taking the train to or from Barcelona, you should definitely stop in one or two of the cities outside of Paris. Since you speak French, you'll have no trouble getting around and you can find all kinds of pleasant little surprises in those towns.
If you post a little list of the places your considering visiting, we might be able to let you know we we thought of them.
We haven't checked hotels yet but will sooner rather than later once we have checked flights better and assign the proper dates to our Europe 2012 excursion! I know it'll be at a Bed & Breakfast... let's be honest.... breakfast in Paris baby... YEAAAAAAAH.I had the best hot dog of my entire life -- and this is coming from a Chicago girl -- at a boulangerie right down the street from that hotel. It was baked into some sort of sourdough roll with a bit of horseradish and a lot of cheese on top -- OH GOD MOAR.
If you're going to do the Eiffel Tower, do it at night when the city below is all lit up. You'll have to wait in a bit of a line, but I thought it was very much worth it. Don't go to the very top -- go to the level below it. It's cheaper, and I think you get a better view.
If you think you're going to do a lot of museums, DEFINITELY get a museum pass; it'll save you money quickly and you get to jump the lines at places like Versailles/Louvre/d'Orsay... etc
One of the places you TOTALLY have to go if it at all appeals to you at all is the Catacombs -- it was one of the creepiest, most surreal experiences of my life. Another long line, but if there was any line that was worth it, it was that one.
We do plan to get metro passes for our stay as our main method of transportation will indeed be the metro. Apparently Paris has one of the best in the world.- Depending on how long you stay, get a metro-pass. They usually sell weekend passes and I think week-passes, which are always cheaper than buying a ticket for every individual trip. Driving in Paris is a nightmare, and the metro is super convenient, aside from the stairs at the Montmartre station, but there's always a lift
- Eat your breakfast in wherever it is you're staying. Go down to your nearest boulangerie at like 8am, get yourself a nice baguette - fresh from the oven - and pick up some cold cuts or cheese, milk and orange juice or a piece of fruit from a nearby convenience store. Unless your hotelprice has breakfast included with the price, but I've never stayed in a hotel in Paris, so I can't judge their food.
- Echoing HowDroll's recommendation for the Eiffel Tower at night. It's amazing. Or, if the weather is particularly nice, you can do it during the day and afterwards relax in the nearby park with an ice cream while sitting in the shade of a tree.
Finally, I'd like to recommend my favourite restaurant in all of Paris: Chartier.
You should get on that Kaggie, get the hubby to take you to nice places!If you can, I would go see the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. It is probably the most beautiful buildings on the planet, to me anyway. But I've never been anywhere over seas, so sorry I don't have any real recommendations for you.
Both the Sacre Coeur and the Place du Tetre is indeed on my list! Thanks TIMMMMMAAAAAAHY for the recommendations.I could put in a word for Sacre Coeur. I found the basilica quite beautiful and the view over Paris from the hill rather impressive. And if you want a portrait of yourselves done, the nearby Place du Tetre is the traditional place for that, and there are a lot of artists there selling their pieces.
Personally I would recommend Les Invalides, if you are in any way interested in matters military. The museums there are well worth the visit for military buffs, and the church holds the tomb of Napoleon which is demanding you take a picture of it. Plus, Les Invalides is pretty near to the Eiffel Tower, which you will probably visit regardless.
And a useful thing to notice is that there is a straight line going through Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, Jardin des Tuileries, and the Louvre. All are places worth seeing, and might make for an efficient one day's worth of program right there.
Than k you for some Barcelona tips.As for Barcelona:
- The Sagrada Cathedral is a must see for a reason, the interior is fantastic (as in it looks like actual fantasy artwork embedded in the walls and ceilings)
- Las Ramblas is very cool to take leasurely strolls on, it's always busy and lively, so there's plenty to see.
- The Montjuic Castle sits atop a large hill, it's really nice to walk around there ánd you get a great view of the city. There used to be a military history museum which I found very interesting, but I just came across one source that it had closed down in 2009..
- There's a water fountain that does a light show from Thursday-Sunday which is cool to see, it's called the Font Màgica de Montjuïc
Thank you for the recommendation of the crepe stand, that's a must!I only spent a weekend there, and spent most of it just walking the streets and eating baguettes (I figured, hey, it's France! I gotta try the baguettes!)
One piece of advice I can give is to remember the phrase "Parlez-vous anglais?" If you don't use it, there will be plenty of people who will pretend that they don't speak English even if they do, because they'll think you're an obnoxious tourist who doesn't even try to communicate on their terms.
Also: The crepe stands are amazing. If you see a crepe stand, buy a crepe. One with Nutella, preferably.
Please do, especially dining recommendations. We plan to eat well... TAPAAAAAAAS!!!!!!!I have a friend currently living in Gibraltar who travels to Spain regularly. I'll see if she has gone to Barcelona (I seem to remember she and her family went there for vacation) and if she has any recommendations.
Guess we'll miss eachother.... we're going mid-August.When are you going? We're going three weeks in September
hah.
Silver Jelly is a sexy beast.La Sagrada Familia cathedral is a must-see, definitely the most impressive cathedral I've been to. Parque Guell is also really great for a morning of walking around and is filled with Gaudi architecture. If you like art museums, MNAC (National Art Museum of Catalonia) is very good. If you don't mind heading out of town about an hour or so, Montserrat is a pretty cool cliffside church/monastery.
I had a good time in Barcelona but only got to see a small part of the city. Silver Jelly could probably give you more detailed advice.
Any recommendations though? The woman does want to do the Seine thing and it goes beyond the "take the bus boat".Agreed. Don't take the guide tours by boat, though, they're expensive and boring.
I expect them to be generally indifferent/rude. Parisians are renowned for their character and snobbishness, it's nothing new.Paris was a beautiful city for sure, but the people weren't terribly friendly. My friends and I were mostly in the touristy spots, though, so I'm sure that was part of it.
Yep, pretty much this.Just out of curiosity for those of you who didn't think Parisians were very friendly -- do you speak French at all? I found there to be a definite difference in how I was treated when I spoke French vs. when I didn't.
Ummmm thanks but no thanks?
You could do it if you don't have a lot of time, - I took the tour when I was in Paris for a day with my high-school class - but personally I found going to the actual places themselves more interesting than taking a boat to see them from afar.Any recommendations though? The woman does want to do the Seine thing and it goes beyond the "take the bus boat"
Sez you. French cooking is awesome.Here's another clearly very usful tip for you: http://www.kwanumzen.org/?zen_center=paris-zen-center
As for dinner: don't get your hopes up. For all the fame they have, the French cuisine really isn't as awesome as it should be.
Thank you kindly for this advice. A lot of Google-fu shall be done tonight due to this.- Pretty much anything Gaudi (Sagrada Familia, La Pedreda/Casa Milà, Casa Batlló, Parc Güell, Colonia Güell), which I understand you already have on your preliminary list.
- Gastronomy?: There are some pretty famous restaurants here and around. Ferran Adrià, who was considered for a while the best cook in the world, opened a new restaurant with his brother (I think) called Tickets. Anyway, I can't recommend any specific restaurant or cook because they're expensive as fuck and have never gone to any of them, but if you can spend the money it's supposed to be a fantastic experience going to any of these modern famous restaurants. Going to a good traditional restaurant is also a nice idea, but I'm at a loss as to what to recommend. I'll try to think about it.
- The Tibidabo (the mountain that limits the city on the West) has a nice view of the city... in the sense that you can see it all from a height, not in the sense that it's a beautiful thing to see. I dunno, I take people up there all the time, but I'm not really sure it's worth it.
- For a drink at night, Gracia neighborhood or the older part of the city (The Raval, the Barri Gotic, the Born)have a lot of personality, and are quite lively at night (I prefer Gracia personally).
- If you can travel around Catalonia (~250 km North, South and West of Barcelona) on minitrips, I really recommend the rocky beaches of the Costa Brava (everyone agrees that the town of Cadaques is gorgeous, and there's the Dali museum in Figueres, these you can maybe see on a one day trip and I think it's really worth it) or going to the Pyrinees (some nice medieval towns, nice landscapes), and a lot nearer Barcelona you have Montserrat (already mentioned by Baer), which I wholeheartedly recommend, if only because it's a very curious geological formation, visually.
I think that's all... You've probably already heard about most of these but whatever, if only one is new to you then that's enough! If you have any specific questions later on I'm sure we'll be of much more help
This is also true for BarcelonaSounds like you've gotten a lot of good advice about sights to see and places to go, so let me offer up another tidbit. In Paris, be ever vigilant against pickpockets and beggars. Visiting the Eiffel Tower was where I came closest to having someone snatch my bag. There are beggars who will come up to you and ask for money in front of Notre Dame and other churches. They may use their children to tug at your heartstrings. Ignore them. Once you give them money, you're a mark.
Hey now, I *do* have a lot of positive things to say about Paris. Since I've never been to Barcelona, the only thing I can say about that is that I'd like to go there too.you should quit posting in this thread, negative nancy