On Wed, 22 May 2002, Andy Gilbert wrote:
> Thomas Clausen wrote:
>
> Well, I do not know if Tom has been to Paris before, but the standard
> touristic itinery involving a set of the most interresting sights can
> actually be done in two half days
>
> >>Maybe, but we spent 10 days there last year & found we didn't get round
> even the touristy bits.
Hey, I've been living here for 3 years, and before that I was going to
Paris regularly. I've not seen even all the touristy bits. Old european
cities tend to offer a lot to the curious eye, and I did by no means
intend the list to be exhaustive. However with some 2 days on the hands,
it seemed to be roughly what could be accomplished without stressing
around.
> My favourite moments, the sunny Sunday afternoon we
> were there. We spent some time walking along the banks of the Seine,
> realised we had to visit the Musee d'Orsay (impressionist art) because it
> was closed Monday , our last day.
Yeah....afternoon at the seine is something not to miss. End at Notre Dame
at twillight...remember tripod. That will not be regretted :)
That said, I've yet to see Musee d'Orsay...or the whole of Louvre, for
that matter.....
> Had a fairly rapid tour of the galleries
> of Van Gogh, Degas, Manet etc, fascinating to see the real paintings &
> surprising how much we recognised from a lifetime of chocolate boxes!
....!
> We
> enjoyed this more than a day in the Louvre. Then we wandered across the
> Seine to the Louvre, and walked along from there through the Jardin de
> Tuileries to the Place de la Concorde. All of Paris seemed to be out in the
> sunshine, which really transforms the city. Everyone was smiling &
> laughing, children were running about, shouting, having fun, saling model
> Yachts in the pond. It was truly magical, and something I'll always
> remember. But other days were good in different ways, The Eiffel Tower
> (fascinating construction & history) Notre Dame, Sacre Couer & Montmartre
Montmartre....hmm...as with fugu (see mail on poisonous fish
elsewhere) this is probably one of the "been there done that" things. The
area is the major red-light district. At night, I'd not like to wander in
there alone (if atall). The area surrounding Montmartre, though, can be
quite nice. But Sacre Coeur, and the surround area, is not my cup of tea -
although at daytime it is fairly harmless and just terribly touristic.
> (Sunday morning, people out & about) Versailles, (No wonder they had a
> revolution!),
Hey :) I work just next door to the park. Makes for a nice lunch-break
run, weather permitting. The park / garden is amazingly designed and
kept. Also, makes a good photographic spot (or picnic spot)...
> Shopping (my wife found 2 prs of shoes in the same shop at the
> same time-& bought them! How likely is that?!)
Your wife? Well, assuming that she's a she, then I am not atall surprised
that she found and bought two pair of shoes ;) (And no, I am not the least
bit sexist...notice the smiley...joke, ok). Consider this: if you went
into a photo shop and saw two zuikos you liked at an equally likeable
price, how likely is it that.....yup, thought so :)
> cafes, cake shops, the metro,
> it was all wonderful. The people have something of a reputation worldwide
> for being rude (even more so than us Brits!) but we don't think so,
Ah bon? I find that parisian rudeness is truely an art they have
cultivated for decades, if not centuries. It doesn't even change when you
get to know people personally - they're still rude :) They're not
representative for the rest of france, though, where people are very much
more friendly.
> HOWEVER,
> they do like you to speak French, or at least try! We found them very
> friendly & polite,
Well....interresting observation: if you go to a parisian and speak
english, rest assured that they do not want to speak english with you - or
anything else for that matter. However if you do speak french and address
a parisian, they'll probably be excited and switch to english. Even if you
speak and understand perfectly well french and they don't speak english,
they'd rather try to hump their way in english, than they will speak
french. I never figured that part of parisian logic....
> the beggars for example just sit there with a hat or box,
> none of the hassle we tend to get, even here in Exeter. Am I going on a bit?
> Sorry! But I think Paris is way more interesting than London, which many
> people are suggesting.
Is that not a case of "the grass is always greener on the other side of
the fence"? I like London, have family there that I visit occationally,
and I enjoy it much more than Paris :)
Both cities have their beauty and charm - and their downsides.
Best....
--thomas
--
-------------------------------------------
Thomas Heide Clausen
Civilingeniør i Datateknik (cand.polyt)
M.Sc in Computer Engineering
E-Mail: T.Clausen@xxxxxxxxxxxx
WWW: http://www.cs.auc.dk/~voop
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