Just returned from 4 days each in London & Paris and had a wonderful time. I used this site for lots of tips and wanted to add some new tips of my own--Coca-Cola Light is definitely not Diet Coke; coffee in London is quite bitter; avoid Heathrow on a Friday (lines, lines, lines); take an alarm clock that you can see at night (neither of our hotels had alarm clocks); I kept a journal and wrote down funny stories and observations; bring clothes for all sorts of weather--we had highs of upper 60's and then upper 40's (brrrr!); we didn't take a cab once and used the subways in each city; even though we tried to "fit in" so not to stick out like tourists, even we could start to tell people from other countries by their appearances and eventually didn't care if we whipped out our map or guidebook on a busy street--no one bothered us; "city" museums (Louvre, Pompidou, etc) are free the 1st Sunday of the month, but don't let the crowds bother you; Fabreeze saved us many times from smoky clothes and coats; the Eurostar train from London-Paris was wonderful; take the time to sit a sidewalk cafe and people watch--although sidewalk cafes can be spendy, it was one of the highlights from our trip. And don't forget to laugh at yourselves and enjoy the moment.

Hi Milhaus,<BR> I like your attitude. <BR><BR> Tell us more about your trip.

you are right coca-light is definitely NOT diet coke!

I had to laugh Milhaus! Great tips. Didn't it feel great to come home and have a Diet Coke and coffee like you're used to?! Great tip about the alarm clocks, I've never seen one in a hotel in Paris or London either. And, here's another tip to add -- for those who use washcloths -- take them. Most hotels in Europe don't have them. (yet when I've asked, they did bring them to the room.) Glad you had a great time. I also like taking notes in a journal from my trips -- it really helps remember all the fun and different details of visiting a city.

you're right. Definitely bring the travel alarm and washclothes are one of those american things (my mother wanted to complain b/c our hotel did not furnish them).

Hi Milhaus,<BR> I like your attitude. <BR><BR> Tell us more about your trip.

tip- washcloths are called flannels in England. If you ask the chambermaid, she might bring you one.

I 2nd the washcloth tip--we actually brought an old one and just tossed it the last day. My husband just reminded me of a good tip--don't forget your manners in London. We'd read about &quot;chilliness&quot; in Paris as the French typically great one another w/&quot;Bonjour&quot;, etc., but my husband got a tongue lashing from an Underground clerk when we walked up and said &quot;two day passes&quot;......the clerk just stared at him, so he repeated his request, thinking the man didn't hear. The man gave him a dirty look and promted him w/a nasty &quot;Please?&quot; until my husband said the word. Although we'd read in guide books that some shops close on Sundays in Paris, we thought surely that's not the case now, but believe it! Almost all the shops were closed on Sunday, as well as many restaurants, in Paris, and in London most of the shops closed by 6 or 7 pm. One thing we had underestimated was our coping skills in Paris. We were fine, but it was disappointing to not be able to read the info cards by items at the Louvre, or know just exactly what it was you were ordering--we had a small dictionary, but it only covered the basics. We loved Paris and loved the sights and enjoyed ourselves, but we admitted we were pretty glad when we got to London where didn't have those problems. Happy travels!

Please note: we do have Diet Coke (low cal) in the UK. Not Coca Cola Light which I think they have in other countries

Milhaus,<BR><BR>You infer that in London you experienced &quot;chilliness&quot; that apparently characterises Paris and mentioned the &quot;tongue lashing&quot; that you received from the underground clerk. Didn't you stop to think that he probably thought you rude and &quot;chilly&quot; by not saying please, which is just normal courteous behaviour. It seems that he was only responding to perceived rudeness on your part, so it seems mean to use him as an example of &quot;chilliness&quot;. You admitted you forgot your manners yet berate him for responding to this by reminding you to be good-mannered and say a simple &quot;please&quot;. Lecture over..

Ahem. Someone's in the mood for lectures on a couple of threads today! <BR><BR>Thanks for the trip report, Milhaus! It sounds like you had a wonderful time. How did you get from Paris to London? Did you take the train? If so, was it fairly simple?<BR><BR>Oh! And tell us more about the food - especially in Paris!

Linds,<BR><BR>I guess you mean me regards the lecturing..sorry. I do seem to be in a rather ratty mood today so apologies to all.

That's ok! I hear ya on having a bad day. Had to unexpectedly come in to work...on Palm Sunday. And I had major road rage trying to navigate through unusually ugly traffic to get from church to my office on time. Ugh.<BR><BR>But the prospect of travelling makes it ALL kinds of better, doesn't it? I love reading these trip reports and planning. The planning is almost (*almost*) as fun as actually getting to go!<BR><BR>Oh, I meant to say earlier - I've never tried Coca-Cola Light, but when I was last in England, they had Pepsi Max. I've never been a huge Pepsi fan, but I liked this stuff. They distributed it in the U.S. as Pepsi One soon thereafter. I'll have to give the Coca-Cola Light a try this summer!

We took the Eurostar train from London Waterloo to Paris Gare du Nord roundtrip as I'd already booked roundtrip airline tickets to/from London. The train experience was great--no problems or long lines going through customs. Our train was a bit behind schedule coming into Paris, but we weren't on a tight schedule, so we were fine. It took us a little time to figure out where to go at the Paris train station on our return trip, but the customer service staff were helpful in guiding us to the correct area. And it's easy to get from the Eurostar trains down to the Metro.<BR><BR>Food.....we were pretty cautious in Paris because we didn't speak much French, so I'm sure we missed out on some great food. We stuck to the cafes and what we'd call delis here that have food already made like sandwiches. The bread was wonderful, as was the cheese, and the wine....we bought several bottles and brought back to our room because it was great and because it was so reasonably priced compared to what we pay in the US. We did go to one restaurant in the Latin Quarter and had great food--La Procope or something like that. It was fun to try new foods. We were somewhat budget minded when we got to London and tended to stick to the pubs and smaller restaurants near our hotel and always had good food, and beer! It was fun to try new beer, too.

Ha, Milhouse - I was once in Paris, getting along great, and then I got in a line at the Metro ticket window and turned into an American (which, of course, I really am). I meant to be practical and make my request briskly, to help move the line along. Oops, I totally forgot the little but important greeting.<BR>The lady at the window didn't move, she looked good and hard at me, and then said very richly &quot;Bonjoouurr...&quot;. I suddenly realized I'd made a gaffe, and I smiled and returned the greeting, asked how she was (&quot;Comment allez vous?&quot and THEN she took my money, passed over the tickets, and said to have a 'good day'...<BR>It's important to start a transaction, no matter how minor, with a greeting first. I took no offense, and it will stick with me from now on (I hope); actually, it's a nice habit to form right here in the States.

Milhaus and Jenson -<BR><BR>Thank you so much for the heads up about the alarm clock and washcloth. I didn't know that. I will be sure to pack them when I leave for London in May.

Can I ask a question to Milhaus etc, and this truly isn't meant to be rude. In England and France etc any question/comment to a stranger is prefaced with a &quot;please&quot; and followed with a &quot;thank you&quot;. Is this just a cultural thing not to say &quot;please&quot; and &quot;thankyou&quot; to keep requests simple and basic. Have these episodes you describe arisen because of a cultural misunderstanding? So if I were in the US and asked for two tickets for the ballet I would just say &quot;two tickets&quot; and not necessarily need the please and thank you and pleasantries? (honestly this is meant to be a serious question based on what I have read (and how I have replied!) in this thread, no offence meant..enquiring mind)<BR>Thank you ;-)<BR>Angela

Bonjour all,<BR><BR>In France, we call washclothes &quot;gants de toilette&quot; (&quot;washing glove&quot. <BR><BR>Angelika, <BR>I can tell you it came as a shock to me, and it is one to all my compatriots, to learn that Americans did NOT start a trasaction with a greeting, a please and a thank you. We are taught from the cradle that it is of the utmost rudeness to address someone without those little courtesies.<BR><BR>One of my favorite quote is:<BR>&quot;Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untravelled, the naive, and the unsophisticated deplore these formalities as &quot;empty&quot;, &quot;meaningless&quot;, or &quot;dishonest&quot;, and scorn to use them. No matter how &quot;pure&quot; their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery which does not work too well at best. (Robert A. Heinlein)&quot;

Angelika,<BR>Obviously common courtesy is getting to be more uncommon, especially in our urban areas! While interpersonal exchanges are more polite, we tend to expect professional interactions to be brisk and to the point. The second or two that would be required to say please and thank you really can't be the reason for it...must be the &quot;chilliness&quot; of OUR culture!<BR>Actually, as a point of rudeness, I think the ticket saleman's response could be interpretted as rather rude! Withholding service until your customer responds to your parenting skills seems a bit touchy! But then again, this is a cultural difference, not an intentional slight!<BR>Expanding your cultural horizens is a real benefit of travel.

To Angelica and Florence,<BR><BR>As an American, I would like to say that I ALWAYS start transactions, whether in the US or elsewhere, with a &quot;Hi&quot;, &quot;Good morning&quot; or whatever. And I say please and thank you appropriately. I fear that a lot don't, but please don't think that all Americans don't have any manners. My parents taught me well.<BR><BR>Also, I am quite well-traveled, and I always learn the appropriate phrases for greeting and please and thank you in the language of the country I am going to. That, followed by &quot;Do you speak English?&quot; in their language, always seems to work for me.<BR><BR>And I can say that I never experienced &quot;chilliness&quot; in England, Paris, or anywhere else - maybe it reflects this little effort on my part. <BR><BR>I believe that if you are polite to others, they will be polite back, and that how people react to you is often a reflection of yourself.