Travel Agent Referral for France

[grazie42]

Hey Catherine...I forgot...There are lots of small shops in the Marais, in Paris...it is the gay quarter so you may need to hold on tight to jb ...I spent the better part of 4 hrs walking around...the champs ellyce, louvre, marais, beauburg, notre dame etc...I had a "local guide" though so...I don´t know how religious you are but regardless there are lots of beautiful churches....

I found Paris pretty reasonable pricewise but I guess it depends where you´re coming from...

I really would recommend you to learn a few phrases, at least how to ask someone if they speak english (in french)...If you speak spanish, that is pretty similar to french and would propably work pretty well...My limited experience is that everyone speaks english...after you´ve made an effort to speak french...

 

[Cacia]

Religious enough to love churches.

everyone speaks english...after you´ve made an effort to speak french...

oh, I have to play that game?? sigh, okay. French was the only class I ever dropped. I was taking it with a bunch of people from Martinique, not a chance. It was all patois too, I think,

I found Paris pretty reasonable pricewise but I guess it depends where you´re coming from...

Well, I owe Spratman a slap on the back, because we bought our high speed train tickets and it was 800 USD from Paris to Avigron (sp) 2.5 hours one way, the two of us. We almost died. Our ticket to Paris on the plane were not that much.

Hey, I still need a hotel room. I'm waiting for Natasha to get back from her cruise to look in her book.

Know a moderate one? Good walking area? JB is a favorite among the boys but he does not have enough gaydar to know when they are around.

I am most interested in the North African Arabic district, I hear it is the new SoHo of Paris and they have great food. And JB speaks some Arabic, lol.

 

[grazie42]

Gaydar? Personally I have enough trouble with my femdar so it didn´t bother me either...

Can´t really help with hotels because I´ve stayed at someones place every time I´ve been there...

North African/african neighbourhood is Goutte d'Or (not that far from gare du nord)...I´ve only walked thru some of it but it felt very like marrakesh (in marocko)...it isn´t one of the "nicer" neighbourhoods but I sometimes think that people exaggerate these things (of course I´m not really qualified to say)...

 

[Tomeck]

oh, I have to play that game?? sigh, okay. French was the only class I ever dropped. I was taking it with a bunch of people from Martinique, not a chance. It was all patois too, I think,

Yes, a people from Martinique speak patois and I don't understand.

 

[Air One]

If you speak spanish, that is pretty similar to french

Mmmmmh, like English and German ?

And JB speaks some Arabic

This could help you in the north of Paris, really. This is the real Paris, popular, busy and much less tourists.
Just one thing, don't say immediatly that you are american there, first try to speak a little bit in arab then every doors will be opened.

 

[grazie42]

Mmmmmh, like English and German ?

I wasn´t trying to be offensive...
As I speak both english and german fluently, I wouldn´t agree that they are similar...
My french is limited and my spanish, even more so, but from listening to language-tapes in both languages I found them to be quite similar and both spanish and french friends have agreed...doesen´t mean I´m not wrong though...

 

[Air One]

I wasn´t trying to be offensive...

And I wasn't offended.
Spanish is similar to french like english and german are, that's a fact, that's all.
A french is absolutely unable to understand a spanish, I mean spoken or written language.
I'm sure of it : I tried...

 

[Cacia]

)...it isn´t one of the "nicer" neighbourhoods

We like those places where you have to turn on your "street"

I am much more alive there.

honestly guys? I'm all for languages but it is a little too late (two weeks) for us to learn French, unfortunate as that is.

 

[Natasha]

Hey, I still need a hotel room. I'm waiting for Natasha to get back from her cruise to look in her book.

PM sent..hope that works for you. Very easy walking distance to most important sites in Paris. Let me know if you think the price is right..

 

[Air One]

but it is a little too late (two weeks) for us to learn French

Bonjour ( hello), ça va ?( how are you),s'il vous plait ( please) and merci (thank you ), might be enough.

Also :
où sommes-nous ? (where are we )
La vie est belle !( live is beautifull)
Miam ! C'est délicieux !(Wow ! It's delicious !)
Un autre verre Roger! Mais pas plus haut que le bord ! ( another glass ! but...no, forget it...) )
Putaing cong ! ( this interjection is very usefull in the south of france, and very rude in the north, don't forget to pronounce the "g" at the end, they could think you come from the north and then that you're unpolite...)
Vive la France ! (god bless America)
Allons enfants de la paaaaaatriiiiiiiiiiiieeee, le jour de gloire eeeeeeeeeeeest arrivééééééé ! ( if you can sing that one, everything should be OK)
Je n'ai pas voté pour M. Bush.
Je n'ai pas voté pour M. Sarkozy. (in case of...)
Peugeot ! ça c'est de la bagnole !
Oh non ! Encore une grève !
C'est pas possible !
C'est comme ça...
Live goes on...

Just learn my post and they'll think you're french...