Padraig

Herself and I are heading for Paris tomorrow for a five-day visit. We have already experienced most of what some people think of as must-sees or must-dos. Not that this necessarily means that we won't see or do some of them again, but we don't have a planned itinerary with precise timings. Ours is more a tabula rasa.

We do like the occasional novelty. I referred her to "Any Port in a Storm" and suggested that she might find some ideas there. So the Promenade Plantée and the Canal Saint Martin are noted as possible excursions. Depending on how we feel while we are in Paris, we might grab another idea or two from the site.

So, kerouac, be warned: you are helping to shape or holiday, and if it goes badly, we will be grumbling about you, perhaps even at you.

We are not taking clothing advice from colduphere.

PalenQ

check out the Ile St-Germain and on it Jean Dubuffet's famous Tour aux Figueres - a nice walk also along the Seine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Ele_Saint-Germain

Nikki

Bon voyage. I'm flying to Paris Friday for two weeks. Everybody's head is on the chopping block, as I've taken advice from so many.

Too bad about the clothing advice; if you wore that stuff, maybe I'd recognize you as we were out and about and we could have a drink.

lincasanova

Love it!!!

irishface

Maybe if all fodorites wore cold's outfit, we could start a fashion trend.

colduphere

Padraig - please, fit in as much as you can. I have read here that means no jeans, even if you are in a regular every day neighborhood. And above all, and this is critical, don't take the metro in jeans. (I am trying to piece together various strains of advice into one easy to follow guideline).

FrenchMystiqueTours

Wear black, don't forget to wear black from head to toe. And don't look like a tourist.

Pegontheroad

If people appear not to understand you when you speak, talk louder.

TPAYT

No jeans? We've worn dark, dressier looking jeans in Paris for years. That does that make us stand out as weird? We never felt that way.

kerouac

I have already been tarred and feathered after telling someone how easy it was to exit from the Châtelet-Les Halles RER station at the 'rue du Pont Neuf' exit, in total contradiction of the horror stories about the difficulty of navigating that station. Of course, they ended up walking 3km in the wrong direction in side the station because they did not pay attention to my instructions. So if Mr & Mrs Padraig are disappointed in any way, I will just tell them that they incorrectly followed the paths that I set out. ;-)

FrenchMystiqueTours

Kerouac gave me directions to get out of Châtelet-les-Halles once. I'm still in here.

kerouac

Oh, they have wifi in the station? That's great!

Padraig

Herself and I were eating lunch today, and she remarked that on this day next week we will be lunching at home together again.

Our trip is almost over.

scatcat

Thanks for not taking the apparel tips from colduphere, but I really would like to snap a picture of someone dressed in his favorite attire. And don't forget to stop and chat with the Gypsy woman with the ring.

colduphere

I was in my favourite shorts today for a quick game of singles. There is something immensely exciting about playing in the same pair of shorts that Laver, Borg and Sampras wore. And the fanny pack gives me somewhere to put my balls.

scatcat

Well, you gotta have a place for your balls! So, a definite "yes" on the fanny pack!

Padraig

Last time I met the Gypsy woman, I told her that the ring was indeed mine, but that I was gifting it to her. She was less grateful than I might have expected. Perhaps I didn't say it loudly enough.

I have to think about packing.

Fra_Diavolo

Not to be pedantic, but shouldn't kerouac's neck be under the guillotine?

Padraig

Too cold and efficient: the chopping block is a more adventurous way to go.

suz24

Padraig, perhaps you could slip a croque monsieur to FrenchMystique at les Halles while in town? Just like Charlie's wife did on the MTA..