Well the high school french club is going to Paris, Nice, and Monaco, and they will have some free time. Any suggestions on what to take or not take, where to go or not go, and how or why to stay in touch with anxious parents?

Take a 12 euro bus ride from Nice to the perfume factory of the world! I hear it is a great trip and you can find amazingly cheap designer scents.<BR><BR>Monaco is a great place to gawk at expensive cars and ritzy homes .. it's expensive and I hear that depending on the nightclubs you go to you can't get in without being dressed to the T.

Hi wertwert,<BR><BR> I'm intrigued. Do you know why they chose Nice and Monaco? Strikes me as slightly odd for the high school french club.

Thanks ira, <BR><BR>that was my question also.

My high school French club did Nice and Monaco about 8 years ago. Actually, it was set up through Vistas in Education and we did a loop of the western side of France from Paris through Alsace, the French Alps, Nice, Monaco, Aix, etc...back up to Paris. It was very nice and I think the whole point was to expose us to different parts of France. Loved it.

For Nice, there are two marvelous museums (Chagall and Matisse), a great park on top of the bluff which has nice views and paths, and some interesting shops, clubs, etc in the Old Town narrow streets, an outdoor market in that area, also (Cours Saleya).<BR><BR>I don't know Monaco. I did take a bus trip to a perfume &quot;factory&quot; in Grasse and found it only of mild interest -- I wouldn't recommend that at all as a way to spend your time; the main point is to sell you something.

A practical suggestion for keeping in touch with anxious parents back home – France Telecom issues a series of “Telecartes” (telecommunications cards) with embedded microchips which keep track of units used based on the original number of units purchased. These cards can be used for both telephone and internet access. Internet-connected computers are available at most French hotels and hostels and at tourism offices. For members of the group whose parents have email access at home and/or at work, this is perhaps the most convenient way to “check in” periodically, and certainly the cheapest. Of course, the card can also be used to call home, or to connect to the international operator to place a collect call if necessary. They can be bought at many tabacs, bus/train/metro stations, post offices, and other venues.