Grandot

ttt

Boomiev

So great to see I am not the only one afflicted with this Paris thing. Preparing for another visit in May - never tire of the place. One thing not mentioned that vastly increases the experience is the "trip before the trip" As soon as I book a trip I try to immerse myself in the experience. I read novels about the place I am going, or written by famous authors from the place (If you have never read Les Mis - do it.) or history books. I don't mean the dull schoolbook types but ones that go deeply into a subject that gets you to feel like you know the characters involved- the gossips and scandals and foibles. When I was a stay at home mother and, believe it or not,I saved refunds from grocery box tops for 10 years to fund a 2 week trip to Paris - I found a book about the revolution that I based our trip on. Each chapter gives you a story about a character from the revolution and then tells you how to find places that figured in the story. It is long out of print but due to the wonders of technology - downloadable free from the web from a wonderful website.

http://www.archive.org/details/wayof...brils001360mbp

I give it to you as my gift (I have horded my copy carefully.) Luckily, my trips now are not so few and far between. And now, for this trip, I have been reading through the many wonderful histories of Paris by G Lenotre on that website. And, more technology - when locations are mentioned- I can pull them up on Google - street view and actually move around the area - see if that place is still there - do I want to go there? So many historic spots - so little time! Thus , I have actually "been in Paris" for several months now building up an appreciation of what I will see. For example, when we went to the house that Robespierre lived in, now a restaurant bar - the proprietor was amazed that I knew that I was in the Duplay's dining room. He started giving me everything he could that had the name of the place on it and papers he had about it. Telling me that most French people don't have a clue about what happened there. Nice moment! So, in effect, you will generate you own unique to do list - not that these suggestion are not great as well. One trip is never enough!

lauriew1234

TTT, love the posts

tdk320n

Discovering this post was a great find. Planning my 2 week May trip to Paris and I am reading up on things to do and see.Just bought a ticket to a Joshua Bell concert at the SALLE PLEYEL . I have found that the planning of the trip is so much fun, it seems to extend the time of the trip.
Thanks to all the fodorites for all the wonderful ideas .

Stoop72

Great thread, too bad it's so old, I wonder how many hings are outdated now.

hopingtotravel

tdk, we watched Joshua Bell on PBS. It made me miss my old high school violin so much I went out and bought a CD.

If he had Chris Botti, trumpet player, at the concert too, you get a real bonus!

tdk320n

Hopingtotravel

I too saw that wonderful PBS concert and that inspired me to check where he was doing concerts. Luckily there was one when I will be in Paris. Unfortunately this is a solo concert however he is so great I am sure it will be a treat.
I think that there maybe a DVD available of that concert.
Paris alone is a very special treat and this is a topping.

bgr8ful

I know this is probably a ridiculous question, but I would love to bookmark or save this entire post and I don't know how to do this other than copying and then pasting into a word document.
We are going to Paris in June on the advice of some many of you and these ideas are wonderful!

maitaitom

bgr8ful,

One way is to go to top of the thread and click on "Share with a Friend" and email this to yourself. That way you will have the link.

bgr8ful

Thank you! I knew it had to be pretty easy...duhhhh

jules2305

Go to a Pierre Herme shop, and have the best macarons I ever eat...

seafox

Just doin a pre Paris trip return to this thread (an annual event).


Playing off the last post let me add another... not sure of the # so we will go with #250

#250 - eat a different macaroon every day while you are in Paris. Just the small ones. At first this will be easy and then once you have had the standrds you will need to be a bit more curious and look into every pastry shop you pass .... be sure to take a photo of each one.... Tuesdays are pistachio day for me....

abbebrel1

#251 - If you like to do ballroom dancing, consider visiting the Chalet du Lac on the east side of Paris - I was first there in '99 and it appears to be still going strong 15 years later - see chaletdulac.fr. The dance floor is a pleasant arc and the setting is right on a little lake in the Bois du Vincennes - slightly hard to find (take a taxi the first time!) but worth it for dancers! -AB

bubblywine

What a fantastic thread - and seems like almost all the ideas apply today as much as they did ten years ago. Thanks!

lenc

Thanks so much for the years of input. Leaving in 3 weeks for a week! Obviously not enough time. But will be going on to Italy and will visit similar posts for there.

abbebrel1, thanks for chaletdulac suggestion. We hope to get there.

suz24

Pistachio Day! What a great idea! And i do agree that doing a survey of macarons is a good way to go. Very scientific. Let us know what the results are.

gh21

ttt

luluinlove

I just read through all this in one sitting. No shame. ttt!

ninasdream

ah such nostalgia, this was the trip I planned here, the reason I joined Fodors. Maybe time for a return to Paris. Still mortified I mangled the local market name, should be Rue Mouffetard Market, 5th arrondissement.

ssander

bgr8ful...

Another way to save this thread is:

Copy the URL in the box at the top of your browser.
On you desktop (or anywhere else), right-click and choose New/Shortcut.
Paste the URL in, click "next" and give it a name.
It will then be available to launch anytime.

SS