FrenchMystiqueTours

Just about every pâtisserie in France will have eclairs as well as loads of other pastries. No need to research that as you'll find these stores everywhere, unless you are a foodie looking for "the best" pâtisserie in whatever city you visit. An eclair will cost anywhere from about 1.50€ to 3€ and in most pastry stores the average range of prices will be from about 1€ to 5€ for the most typical French pastries.

A google search should yield loads of results about getting a pamphlet/book for French menu translation. Patricia Wells is often recommended so check out her website and if you want she has apps for iphones too:

http://www.patriciawells.com/

PalenQ

Pain au chocolates are my favorite patisserie fare:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pain...w=1455&bih=977

SKPKCP11

Thanks PalenQ and FrenchMystiqueTours for your reverts.

This being our first trip to France just need to know if beer is too expensive. I enjoy beer but really do not care for wine. If we do not order wine at local eating places will they look down on us or give us poor service? If we decide to try wine, do we have to ask for a bottle or jar or how does the ordering take place?

Lastly what are the must eats in Lyon but not intestines. We love pork and lamb meat. We love creamy white cheese sauces and brown sauces and also baked dishes? What are the dishes with creamy white sauces, brown sauces and baked dishes called? Also which thick soups which we must try in May 2015. Any seasonal favourites?

Kind regards
SKPKCP11

adrienne

<< If we decide to try wine, do we have to ask for a bottle or jar or how does the ordering take place? >>

It's the same as any place else. You can order a glass of wine or a carafe (pitcher) of house wine or a bottle. You can also order 1/4 or 1/2 carafe. I've only been to one bar/restaurant in my life where drinks were served in jars and that was in the US.

Beer is inexpensive and there are lots of different types.

You're over thinking the food/beverages. I wouldn't worry about it so much. Just walk around and look at the menu offerings. In May, restaurants will be changing over from winter dishes which are hardier to lighter summer fare, depending on the weather.

bilboburgler

Beer is dirt cheep, Draught local/national beers will be called "Pression" and will be far cheaper than branded bottled beer. France also has a few micro-breweries which will be a little more expensive than the Pression and possibly interesting or not depending on how well made they are.

There is no inherent snobishness about drinks in France. Except drinking fizzy kid's drinks by adults such as Coke or Pepsi, which is just beyond the pale. Tap water "robinat" is perfectly acceptable and probably healthier and safer than bottle water, and normally free.

If you want to try wine, it depends, most places offer a "pichet" various sizes of the local cheap stuff which will be fine (normally three colours). If you eat the lunchtime special with locals you will probably find a bottle stuck on your table included in the price. You often can buy just a glass or sometimes multiple glasses so you can order a tasting "flight" as I think New Yorkers call it.

Buying a bottle can be done and unless you know what you want just ask the waiter to chose for you having told him a price and after ordering the meal, waiters often want the drinks order first, but I don't see how a wine waiter can help you until he knows what you are going to eat.

I've never seen sauces based on colour before.

Thick soups (normally a winter dish) are unlikely available in May but you may be lucky.

I'd buy a good guide book say the Rough Guide as they tend to have a menu translator in the back, even so you will either find the waiter has a menu in English (and in tourist areas they often do) or he will do his best to give you an overview if he can translate. If in any doubt down load one of the internet's many translation lists before you go.

May, Aspargus will be in season as will lamb

bilboburgler

"robinet pronounced rob-in-ai"

FrenchMystiqueTours

Beer is more expensive than wine in France since France is not a beer producing country. There is no requirement to order wine with a meal. If you want a beer with your meal that's not a problem and a pint will probably cost anywhere from 5€ to 9€ depending on what type of restaurant and if you are in a city or a small village in the countryside. If you want to order wine and don't want anything fancy you can ask for the house wine which is usually sold in amounts of 25cl, 33cl, 50cl or 75cl. Red wine is called vin rouge and white wine is called vin blanc and rosé is called, well, rosé. So if ordering 50cl of red wine you'd say "un pichet de cinquante centilitres (50cl) de vin rouge".

You can google info about traditional cuisine from Lyon by entering "cuisine Lyonnaise" in your search. Even wikipedia has info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyonnaise_cuisine

Here are just a couple more results in French but you can use google translate:

http://www.bouchons-lyonnais.com/cuisine-lyonnaise.php

http://www.patrimoine-lyon.org/index...omie-lyonnaise

http://www.specialiteslyonnaises.fr/...tte-lyonnaise/

bilboburgler

"France is not a beer producing country" oops

http://kronenbourg1664.com/ is mainly made in Alsace and is just about everywhere in France

FrenchMystiqueTours

Yes, true enough but aside from Alsace (and perhaps a few other limited places I am forgetting) France is not known as a beer destination like Belgium of Germany.

And, being a bartender who serves Kronenbourg and 1664 (I'll be doing that in just a few hours from now) I would hardly rank those beers among the finer beers one could drink. More or less the equivalent of Budweiser.

bilboburgler

"More or less the equivalent of Budweiser", argh surely nothing is as bad as a Bud. I had one once in 1996 it was terrible, I can still taste the rice husks to this day.

You are dead right that Germany and Belgium is the place to be

SKPKCP11

Hi we have planed as under :
Arrive in Geneva and proceed from airport to Chamonix. We will be arriving by noon in Geneva. What is the most cost effective way to travel to Chamonix - train or bus and how do we get tickets. Do we buy them at the airport? Is there a staffed counter? Or do we buy in advance? Would a taxi be too expensive?

Spend 3-4 nights in Chamonix.
Any hotel / B&B recommendations In Chamonix. We prefer to stay in the Center.
Are the cable cars open in May first two weeks? I have written to the conpany mt. Blanc but not got a revert.

We then move by train to Lyon. Do you recommend 3 or 4 nights in Lyon? Any hotel recommendations for Lyon? We prefer to be near some daily farmers market or near a station. Any hotel recommendations?

Then we spend 5 nights in Paris. Any hotel / area recommendations on where to stay. Not the touristic areas where all prices are double.

Please revert.

Thanks for all your help.

Kind regards,
SKCP11

bilboburgler

"We prefer to be near some daily farmers market" I suspect you want to be near some markets (veg, fruit, fish and meat sold by people who grew the stuff) so I suspect the term "farmers market" will just confuse people, or do you want to be where farmers buy milking equipment?

I'd stay in the central arrondissements like 4 5 or 6, staying further out does not really help much, but maybe others will have different views

SKPKCP11

Thanks bilboburger. What I meant was the farmers market where they sell ready to eat meats, fruits and some home made pastries.
You have recommended arrondissements 4, 5 & 6. Is this for Paris or Lyon?

Also please advice options to travel from Geneva to Chamonix.

Thank for your help.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

northie

food Markets in Paris- Marche Bastille- 11e, Marche Mouffetard -5e,Marche Monge -5e are the ones I have been to and enjoy.

northie

I've also stayed in Strasbourg without a car and it was easy to get around. You can a bus trip if you want to go to another area.

bilboburgler

Paris

"What I meant was the farmers market where they sell ready to eat meats, fruits and some home made pastries." yes these are called markets ("marche" accent on the e). farmers market is really an Americanism and the "farmer's" is not required this side of the pond

neckervd

"Also please advice options to travel from Geneva to Chamonix"

Bus timetable
http://www.chamonix.com/pdf/bus-cham...hiver-2014.pdf

Train timetable
http://cdn.ter.sncf.com/medias/PDF/r...cm70-28063.pdf

PalenQ

buses I think go direct but trains more a pain as you have to change trains a few times - one from Chamonix because that is a narrow-gauge train line to the mainline at st-Gervais-les-Bains, which also has trains direct to Paris rather than having to go via Geneva if Paris is your goal.