What do you consider to be the best or most interesting tea salon in Paris? I will definitely visit Mariage Freres. But which of the over 300 teas there should I try? Any special tea accouterment I should look for? <BR>And....could anyone give me a phonetic key for pronouncing Mariage Freres?

Hoo boy, that is a loaded question! It all depends what kind of tea taste you like....they have something for everyone, and then some. I like Violette, it's very unusual. But some of my friends kind of freaked out at the taste. Eros is very fruity and is one of their more popular teas. My friend recently bought me Wedding Imperial, which is kind of chocolatey, very nice & unusual. <BR> <BR>At Fauchon, there is also a nice selection of teas--their apple flavored tea is supposed to be one of the most popular. Last time I was there, I bought Orange, Apricot, and Banana flavored teas there. Banana was a little weak, but the other two were very flavorful.

Thanks Melissa. My problem is that I like too many things! Even in teas, and want to experience it all! The chocolatey one sounds great! I've had Rushka and Eros, but want to try something not available in the USA.

Hey Linda. <BR> <BR>I definitely recommend Mariage Freres. I just had their daily special tea and it was wonderful. I have heard that all of their tea is spectacular, so I would just try to stick to the type of tea you normally like. It is a little hard to tell you phonetically how to pronounce the name over the internet. I wish you could just hear me say it. Why don't you just call them when you get to Paris to hear how they say it when they answer the phone? Have fun! <BR>

Mary-ahj frair. Don't pronounce the s at the end of Freres.

Many thanks for the pronunciation help and suggestions! French is such a beautiful language and I hate to bruise it with my tea tinged tongue!

Won't say best because I haven't been to all of them. But certainly the most famous is Angelina on rue de Rivoli across from the Tuileries. Very old - can picture people sitting there a hundred years ago ormore. As for pronunciation, try <BR>mah-ree-ahge frair. <BR>For more go to www.anamericaninparis.com <BR>FMinParis.com

Perhaps Fred should read Fodor's posting guidelines which forbid personal promotions. The last I heard, continually posting your email address to direct traffic to it in the hopes of making money (he asked people to send him $10 for reading his web site) and operating a business (ie, Paris Dreams, Ltd) were considered promotion.