wehearttravel

Hello! My husband and I are honeymooning in Paris. We have 5 days/nights before we go to Venice. I have been dreaming of visiting Paris since I was very young and I know I will enjoy EVERYTHING. However, my husband is another story. If he had his way, we'd be on a beach (I don't have a problem with that) or fishing. And we'd avoid the airport and standing on line at all costs.

I won the coin toss.

Have any of you taken a trip with such a man? I would love for my husband to enjoy it as much as I will, but besides the obvious excitement of being in a foreign country and being in one of the most romantic places on earth, what else can I schedule to ensure he has a nice time? So far, I have decided on the following:

1. Booking a cruise on the Seine
2. Trip to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe
3. Cheese, wine and crusty bread anywhere
4. Versaille

Any suggestions/changes? Thank you for your help!

Dukey

Good plan, so far.

If he suggests going fishing on your honeymoon rather than other activities in ANY city you're in big trouble.

christycruz

Dukey, well said!

My husband is an outdoorsy person, and he loves Paris.

What about Napolean's Tomb? Does he like military stuff?

Even people who don't like museums tend to like Rodin's museum. It's small, and partially outside. And very well done.

lmlweb

Give him a guide book on Paris, especially the Eyewitness Paris guide as it's full of photos and a light enough read. Ask him to flip through it, and then ask him what he's be interested in. Let him plan a day in Paris, as well, or even a a morning or afternoon.

Eiffel and Arc du Triomphe would be good, but don't forget Napoleon's Tomb and the war museum or something.

Travelnut

Not that you want to museum yourselves to death on your honeymoon, but he might enjoy the <u>Musee des Arts et Metiers</u> - lots of inventions and technical things on display, also interactive screens to further illustrate the object's purpose or how it was built.
www.arts-et-metiers.net/

For a legitimate collection of erotic art from around the world, you might both enjoy the <u>Musee de l'Erotisme</u> (open late)
www.musee-erotisme.com/

He might like an overview of Paris from a tethered balloon - at Parc Citroen...
http://www.aeroparis.com/
http://events.skyteam.com/sisp/index...event_id=79655

happytotravel

My husband never, never wanted to go to Paris, It was my dream, but now he's hooked. I don't know if it was the food, the wine, the sights, or what. He still fishes, bikes, scuba dives, but now he also reads art books and visits European cities. I would suggest the sights listed above, but have your husband climb to the top of the eiffel tower and notre dame, walk and relax in Luxemburg gardens, do a bike tour, keep it active, then relax with a great meal and glass of wine. One of my husbands least favorite things in Paris is the cruise on the Seine (he finds this totally boring and a waste of money) he would rather walk along the Seine. The museums listed by Travelnut sound great, we may have to try those too. I just have a hunch that your husband will enjoy Paris.

afblakefamdoc

A walk along the Canal St Martin is fun: it shows a less well known side of the city, and in the evening there will likely be a number of fishermen (pleasant older guys, mostly, with long bamboo poles, fishing with bread) who are only too happy to chat about fishing or life, in general. A climb to the top of Notre Dame will give anyone a workout and the view is stupendous!

wehearttravel

This sounds great! Thanks for all the suggestions!

LoveItaly

Well wehearttravel, you did better than I ever did. My darling late husband had absolutely no interest in going to Paris. He always wanted to be in Italy..and consequently that is where we went, for two months each time. But I have never been to Paris or France. So congratulations!!! You are getting your husband to Paris, I am impressed, lol. And do have a wonderful time.

sherm99

Get Rick STeves guide book. Look at his website WWW.Ricksteves.com. There are so many thing to do and see.

ira

Hi W,

&quot;You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink&quot;.

He either will or won't like Paris.

I'm not sure that a Seine cruise would be of major interest, but I second the suggestion for a walk along the banks, especially at night.

Versailles is best on a Sunday, in season, when the fountains are on.

He might like the Cluny Museum
www.musee-moyenage.fr

You get a nice view of the city from the Sacre Coeur. Take the no. 18 bus (Montmartrobus) from Place Pigalle up and walk through Montmartre back to Pigalle. You can look at the Moulin Rouge.

How are you getting to Venice?

Toupary

He might enjoy Mus&eacute;e de la Chasse et de la Nature (Museum of the Hunt and Nature) on rue des archives. The collections include hunting in art and the art of hunting.

www.chassenature.org

artstuff

For a real &quot;Man's Man&quot; outing, how about the Paris Sewer Tour? Here's a link to the European Sewer Safari - Paris is the first on the list.

http://www.ooze.com/sewer/howto.html

Have fun in Paris. Peace, Robyn &gt;-

Kay2

Paris was very low (if at all) on my husband's list, so I was surprised last year when that was where he chose for us to go. He hates lines, crowds, urban noise and congestion, etc. He always chooses hiking, rafting, flying etc. as his recreation/vacation activities.

He had a great time! I chose a central hotel with air conditioning (heat is another enemy) rather than an older place with more character that we could retreat to anytime the city became too much.

We got up early to avoid the lines and crowds at the museum of the day, spent the afternoon walking, seeing all the outdoor sights, or taking a break back at the hotel. Then back out in the evening again.

I am the planner because I enjoy the research and traveling more than he. He counts on me to know how to get everywhere, what the hours are, how to avoid the crowds, etc. He appreciates my efforts and it keeps us both happy.

We also left the city by train for a daytrip to a chateau. He didnt' care too much for the chateau, but he liked getting out of the city and into the countryside.

I haven't taken on Venice with him yet. It is also at the bottom of the list. I would do the same thing though, stay on the island, then wander around during the morning, retreat to hotel or to other island in the afternoon, then back in Venice in the evening, which I think is the best. I think my husband would like all the boat transportation.

nbujic

My DH, the outdoorsy type, said he wanted to go home the first day in Paris!
Slowly, by doing things outdoors :walking, just looking at buildings, visiting only the gardens at Vers., avoiding line-ups
etc, he wormed up to the city. Since that first time ( for him) we have been back twice and he wants to go again!

good luck to you.

Dave_in_Paris

Fisherman's stores:

Reve de Peche, 141 rue Cardinet, 17th arrondissement

Des Poissons Si Grandes, 45 La Tour Mauberg, 7th arrondissement.

A canal ride, with dancing alongside the river Marne:

http://www.canauxrama.com/produits/e_fiche7.htm

twk

I want to second the suggestion of Les Invalides and the Army Museum. Don't just see Napoleon's tomb, and don't limit the musuem tour to the WWII exhibts. You may not want to go through the entire museum, but any guy ought to be interested in the portion of the musuem dedicated to the Napoleonic wars (note: outside the WWII exhibit, all the signs are in French, and my French is very rusty, but even if you speak no French, it would still be interesting). It was very educational to learn how Charles De Gaulle won the war singlehandedly, but, strangely, I didn't learn anything about Waterloo, even though we visited on the anniversary of the battle.

Most men like architecture and engineering feats. Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, the Eiffel Tower, and Versailles all appeal on that level. If you want to sneak in one art museum, the Orsay is a good one, becuase most guys would probably be at least moderately interested in the art it displays, but seeing how they converted an old railway station into a museum is interesting in and of itself. On the other hand, a place like the Louvre is all about the art, so that might not be as appealing--if you go, don't plan on more than a couple of hours, if that. I can't imagine too many manly men being excited over the modern &quot;art&quot; at the Pompidou. Most men can also appreciate sculpture, due to the sheer physical exertion involved in making art out of marble, etc. The Rodin is close to Les Invalides and probably would be intersting.

With regard to standing in lines, buy the Museum pass, even if it doesn't look like it will save you a lot of money. It will save you standing in line, and it sounds like your husband will appreciate that. It's always good to feel like a VIP and skip the line. In that same regard, may I suggest that when you visit Versailles, you consider taking a carriage ride to tour the gardens, and, if possible, time it so that you do this while the fountains are running. Again, it's another chance to feel like a VIP, and gives you a good comprehensive view of the gardens from a different perspective than you would get on foot, and without that tiring museum-pace stroll that can really start to wear on you.

I'm not sure about the Seine cruise. I spent six days in Paris on my 2004 trip and didn't feel like I missed anything by not taking a river cruise. Unless he tells you otherwise, I can't see where that would be more appealing than seeing Paris at street level.

I think you are defintely on the right track with food. Check out some cheese shops and bakeries. Restaurants can be a little trickier. I'm one of those guys that is not a lover a fancy fare, but, if you can decipher the menu, you won't have trouble finding good food that should appeal to even picky or indifferent eaters.

hdm

Has anyone actually taken the Paris sewer tour? I know it's weird, but SO would probably love it.

Is it interesting? What kinds of things to you see? How long is the tour? And most important, does it really smell down there? Because if it does, I don't care how interesting it is -- ah ain't goin'.

freeman0819

hi wehearttravel-

I don't think you have said what time of the year you are traveling, but hoe about a football (soccer) game? Surely there will be other manly men in attendance!

My man also enjoys wine tastings, walks in Montmartre, very romantic, and great for people watching. A Seine River cruise is a must. Yes, it's a little stale if you've done it 20 times like I have, but I still say it should not be missed.

I would recommend having one day to walk from the Arc de Triomphe down the Champs Elysees, down to the Tuileries gardens to the Louvre. There is a tomb of the unknown soldier memorial at the Arc de Triomphe. For you, down the Champs Elysees there are lots of designer shops, fabulous restaurants where you can sit and people watch for a bit, have a crepe along the way... There are also a few car dealerships where you husband can drool and flex some muscle if need be!

Eiffel Tower- of course, AND the tower flashes at different intervals at night. Does anyone know the exact timings?

Oh- another manly suggestion- the Moulin Rouge- I am not sure if that's your &quot;cup of tea&quot;, but all of my mal friends have anjoyed it!

Travelnut

The Eiffel's strobes come on upon the hour, every hour, after dark for 10 minutes. (I don't know if they go all night but they go til late evening).