Paris Apartments ..Be aware ...

Or next time next bring smaller suitcases!

Our buildings are old and are difficult to install lifts. I don't think people usually ask for "how many steps". Most people ask for "how many flights", hence the communication breakdown.

What I don't understand is: you've lost some weight and you're complaining? People buy stepmasters to achieve the same results.

Didn't you ask which FLOOR it was on?

I live on the 3rd floor without an elevator. I've never counted the number of steps, but I will now.

Surely you didn't have to carry all those bags up and down the stairs each time you went out or returned.

We are in your age range, and we, too, rented an older apartment in Paris last fall. I think we had four flights of stairs, but the only time there was any issue was when we arrived and had to tote our two bags up. Otherwise, I always viewed the stairs as a welcome antidote to all the rich food we indulged in ... and if I had come home after a couple weeks with any weight loss, I would hve been exceptionally grateful for those stairs!

You asked How Many Stairs? That's a truly bizarre question. Why didn't you ask what floor it was on? And 57 steps isn't much at all (and I'm 56). Unless of course you have LARGE suitcases. In which case asking better questions at the start isn't going to help much.

I think that asking how many stairs is perfectly logical. There's a difference between the three stairs leading to my back door and the 17 stairs leading to my second-floor bedroom, though I think both qualify as flights. When I have had knee replacements, the three back door stairs weren't a problem, but the 17 stairs to my bedroom were.

People seem to use different vocabularies. I would never ask "how many stairs"; I would ask "how many steps" or "how many flights of stairs".

In reality, I probably would not ask at all. Herself and I regard climbing stairs as good exercise, and seldom use lifts. I can usually tell you how many steps up to our hotel room or apartment after our trip (I happen to remember that it was 108 in Vienna; 82 on our most recent visit to Budapest).

It may be logical for some people, but not most. It really is a very unusual question, and if one did ask that, I would think you'd also ask the floor, of course. And also wouldn't you wonder if you were told 3 stairs but never bothered to find out what floor it was on, or knew it wasn't ground floor?

I'm almost that old (and older than 50) and can carry a suitcase up a few flights myself, so I think that is no real problem. I'm sure each person didn't have four large suitcases, each had one, I suppose. I've rented apartments with no elevators that were 3 flights up and knew about it when I rented it.

So, I do understand that this is simply advice to people to ask better questions, but you are also complaining it was a bad situation (by using the word "Blame")because you didn't want to walk up and down so much, but perhaps it was actually good for you. If someone has a bad back, I can understand it, but do all four people those ages have bad backs?

I'm no spring chicken either, but my theory is if I can't carry my suitcase up several flights of stairs myself, I've packed too much.

Our joke traveling in Ireland was that we must look like a hale & hearty couple because we were always given a room on the top floor and last one down the hall.

Yakka has already taken a pretty good drubbing, and I wouldn't want to add to it, except for the fact that climbing stairs is good for just about everybody and the fact that yakka lost a little weight would overjoy many people.

When my own parents were able to travel, living in flat Florida, they knew that Paris would be an ordeal and went into training for it by going to the only two level department store at the mall and walking up and down the stairs there several times (everybody thought they were crazy for not using the escalator).

They would huff and puff up my three flights but were thrilled to go back down for the challenge of the supermarket and coming back up again with groceries. They also appreciated all of the stairs in the metro, even though I read here constantly that buses should be taken because there are too many stairs in the metro. My parents were absolutely delighted to get back into shape during their trips to Paris. I don't think they lost any weight during their visits, but they didn't gain any either. And they felt much better and full of energy when it was time to go home.

I think that their attitude was a helluva lot better than many of the others here who decry the lack of elevators in the metro and whimper whenever they have to use stairs anywhere. My father was beyond the age of 80 for his last trip, and my mother is now 84 -- and living in a nursing home in Paris. And whenever I tell her that maybe she shouldn't go somewhere because there are a lot of stairs, she always insists "I can do it!"

Sadly, that isn't quite true, but I walk her around as much as possible anyway and take any stairs with her slowly but surely.

yakka,

How much is 1/2 stone? I love climbing steps, I feel less guilty about eating so much pastries.

I hope you guys had a great time!

Celticharper wrote: "Our joke traveling in Ireland was that we must look like a hale & hearty couple because we were always given a room on the top floor and last one down the hall."

Don't fool yourself. Everybody gets that room.

Has anyone mentioned here that in Europe what we call the first floor is actually the ground floor? Useful to know.

As for not being able to get up several flights of stairs, anyone who thinks that's no problem has never had knee problems.

I think people should cut yakka some slacka.

While I would have asked how many flights of stairs, or what floor the apartment is on, I can understand her not wanting to climb three flights of stairs to get back to the apartment.

Last Christmas my friend and I rented an apartment in New York that was on the second floor. Believe me, after walking around all day, (which, don't get me wrong, we love doing) we would both look at those stairs and give a little "ugh".

I won't give yakka any grief, but I have to ask, what does the following mean?

"Also with a great Band B in London the underground was one no lift or escalator 29 steps up ."

yakka, I feel your pain.

My sister and I got back from Paris last month and encountered a similar experience. We got an apartment on the 4th floor. No problem I thought. I always take the stairs (3 flights) at work and our apartment in Scotland last year was on the 4th floor.

Let me just say the Paris apartment had a lot more stairs than the Scotland apartment. Not to mention they were more narrow and the stairwell was almost pitch black during the day. Not fun going up or down after dark (didn't find the light switch until the 2nd day and who would have thought to ask upon arrival?).

Although it didn't kill me (almost killed my sister since she has asthma) I know for the next time to choose something lower to the ground.

If someone told me there were a total of 3 stairs to my apartment, I'd be suspicious. I guess you really thought it was on the ground floor?

But I agree that is a lot of steps to deal with every day. Even though I live in a three story townhouse and climb a lot of stairs every day, when traveling, two flights would pretty much be my limit. I like going in and out a lot. Would I run downstairs to get a cup of coffee next door and run back up? With 57 stairs -- I'd think twice about leaving much.

For those of you who were harsh with yakka, keep in mind that some people have difficulty with stairs. Knee problems, foot problems, whatever. Since she (I'm assuming you are a she) was asking how many stairs (even if she had asked floors, steps, etc.) it was obviously of concern to her. She wasn't traveling with old people, but neither are they young. Perhaps you needed to know more of the facts.

Hi cafegoddes, a half a stone would be 7 pounds as one stone is 14 pounds I am sure.

I stayed for several weeks at a friends home in Italy. I was given a bedroom suite on the 5th floor (6th floor in the US). Oh boy did I get in good shape, lol. Better than going to a gym.

Sorry, I do not think three 60 yr olds and one 50 yr old should have any trouble with three flights of stairs,unless they are very fat I supose, or have bad legs. OP did not mention anything but age and overpacking as making the three flights difficult.
I would agree that carrying large suitcases up there would be hard, but, you only had to do that ONCE right? I personally think large suitcases are a bad idea anyways.
I do agree with you, there was definately a communication breakdown, and since I assume you communicated with them in english, not in french, that they did their best with their second language to understand you, but you were not able to communicate with them in a second langauge right? I would have asked what floor the unit was on,, and that would have made it fairly clear that there was no " three steps" involved.

Hi LoveItaly,

Thank you. My husband thinks I am crazy because I have this need to climb steps. I don't know why but when I am in Europe I feel that I have to eat all the bread, pastries and butter that are in front of me. I read Apres Londee trip report and I wish I could be her. She didn't eat at all while she was in Paris.

Anyone who doesn't "eat at all in Paris" is sick and not to be admired but pitied. Maybe you were exagerating to make a point, , but I don't find eating disorders funny, and being on vacation and being diet obsessed is not my idea of something I would want to emulate.

I'd way rather walk a flight of stairs and have the bread and cheese.

When you visit light houses and such, they always post how many "steps" to the top... For example, when we climbed up inside of the Statue of Liberty recently, and it clearly states how many "steps" up. I remember fondly, because we are active and we count steps. Our children love shouting out how many we climbed. And my mother, who is also in her 50's complains and refuses to turn around if we climbed up the wrong area, which always makes us laugh. You asking about steps is not that far-fetched as other people have commented. Obviously, there was a miscommunication and you've learned from it. I doubt you'll ask the "step" question again without further researching "flights" too.
Thank you for sharing (just in case someone else with knee problems, bad hips, heart problems, lung problems, or people traveling with small children - could you imagine toting luggage and a stroller up 3 to 4 flights?) Congratulations too on the weightloss. All that effort wasn't in vain.

Sorry, I meant to quote "stairs" instead of steps... Steps, stairs, levels, floors, whatever... Does it really matter? Some people are more sensitive to this because they suffer physically. Giving negative feedback isn't necessary when all they were trying to do was forewarn other travelers of possible miscommunication and recommended making enquiries clearer. They pretty much admitted that this was their problem and was trying to save someone else the trouble. Give them a break!

It is a good point to be aware of how many flights up you may be, and how many steps or stairs make up a flight. Our apartment in Paris was 109 stairs from first to last - 6 flights (on the 5th French floor). (We coundn't resist counting.) I too lost weight, and was delighted to have done so, but even with some conscientious training it was difficult for one of our party to go up and down each day. Oddly, I felt fine throughout our month-long stay, and I went up and down several times a day, but after our Air France 747 flight home, during which my knees were squashed by the seat in front of me, my knees ached for weeks. Travel is perilous.

It's a good word of warning. Especially if anyone has bad knees or whatever.

That said, I'd never go overseas with a "large" suitcase or travel around with 2 bags per person. That's just too much stuff to drag around, stairs or no.

Oh, and I do agree, it's normal to count the flights, not the actual number of stairs

Okay, I have been up and down my stairs at least 20 times since this thread started, and I continue to forget to count my steps.

So I just ran down and ran up my 3 flights again. I have 53 steps to my 3rd floor apartment. But it is a two-level apartment, so I came up another 13 steps to the computer to give this report. And my legs feel fine, even though my age is not all that much less than yakka.

No, it is never fun when I am also carrying my baggage, but I am absolutely satisfied to still be able to do it. When I can't anymore, I'll probably stop traveling.

4 large suitcases 3 small roll bags and a suit pack for 6 weeks????

I am sorry you had a problem with the stairs but being a carry- on only person, I could not help but notice ..........

that's for 4 of them, not one person.

At the risk of sounding obvious -- 50 plus steps several times every day for someone who has lived with them for years has no relation to someone who lives with no stairs at all. This is as silly as the old AC argument. (I don't have AC in my own apartment and it doesn't bother me, so I don't understand why someone who lives with AC all the time at home should need it either -- DUH!)

Travel broadens the mind and strengthens the legs. If it doesn't, something is wrong.

I'll be staying in the apartment that Apres mentioned it her report; looking forward to trying out those stairs.

The apartment that i lived in in Paris was on the 4th floor (5th US). It was in the 9th in a bourgeois building (I can't think of a better description) by which I mean that the ceiling heights were all around 10 + feet. So, there were more steps per flight than we are used to here in the US with our 8' ceiling height.

That said, I have learned over the years never to travel with large suitcases, and I love the exercise and overall experience of being somewhere different. That is why I travel. And I have bad knees, feet and hips, which get better with exercise.

Never heard of asking for the number of steps.

If the building doesn't have an elevator (and if it does that would be listed) you would have to ask how many flights of stairs - or what floor the apartment is on.

You would then assume somewhere around 20 steps per flight or story.

Thanks for all your remarks .We had been on a cruise for a week , formal clothes , .Took warm cloths for England and then didnt need them and had summer clothes for Dubai . for the return .I never travel light .But am coming to the US and one week on a cruise to Alaska the rest of the time Florisa .Summer . so once again am having fun deciding on clothes

It's a good warning to know how far up your apartment is, if that is important to you. For people who are indifferent because they are healthy and vigorous, then you won't need to ask, but not everyone is equally fit or capable.

Last year I stayed in a 5th floor apartment in Paris (90+ steps -- I'd lose count after 90). I'm 60 with breathing issues, but I "trained" for Paris at the gym. Made it up the narrow, dark, winding, uneven stairs hauling a 40 lb. suitcase and every subsequent trip up got a little easier. At the end of the week, I could sprint up (not really).

For this year's trip I made sure there was an elevator in my rental.

Yakka, ignore the naysayers. I ask how many steps up to an apt due to a bad knee (and also I honestly don't want to navigate flights of stairs if I've been out at the bar til 4am). I want to know what I am getting into. I wouldn't ask if it was more than a "ground" or 1st floor apt as I would not rent one unless in an elevator building. I have 12' ceilings in my apt and the climb to our roof deck is a PIA and more stairs than one would think.

As far as your luggage, it kinda isn't anyone's business to judge how much you want to pack. But what do I know? I just travel. I don't know it all.

Yeah, what WillTravel said.

I'm happy as heck for all you stair jumpers, but my feet would not respond well to 3 flights of stairs after pounding Paris pavements all day.

Exercise is wonderful, but I get quite enough from being on my feet for long days, seeing loads sights. I'm not really going to Paris for a workout.

If I could stay in a huge fancy hotel with padded seats in brocaded elevators, I would. Pipe in a little classical music, and I'll be in heaven.

Would they serve chocolates in the elevator, do you think?

We rented a Paris apartment on the 7th floor of a very nice building with an elevator. It was great -- until one night when we came back to our building and found the elevator didn't work and we had no idea where the door to the stairs was. We buzzed a few apartments and finally someone answered -- and fortunately spoke excellent English. She was able to explain where we could find the very well concealed door, which led to a turret style staircase -- a winding staircase with a rope railing. Tne elevator was out for the last 3 days of our stay. We travel with carry-ons only, but it still wasn't fun going down that staircase with our luggage when we left. Our apartment for our next trip is on the ground floor.

While reading descriptions of apartments, one of my favorites is "only four extremely short flights up". Huh?
Most floor are at least 8 or 9 feet apart. They have to be for people to stand up in those lower apartments. If the four flights are extremely short and not 8 or 9 feet worth, what does that mean? You've found a building that primarily only rents to "little people" and has four floors of apartments with 4 foot high ceilings?

I recently rented an apartment in Paris that was on the 3rd floor (our 4th) with no elevator. My suitcase was not light and I make no apologies for the fact. Yes, my arm ached for a few days after I got the suitcase up the stairs and luckily no neighbors yelled about the thump, thump, thumping. I have stairs at home so other than carrying the suitcase, the stairs weren't really a problem.

I sometimes feel that those carry-on only folks are somewhat condescending toward those of us with greater needs. That's ok, I'm sure we suit-casers look better!