I will be spending my 50th birthday which is on July 14th/Bastille Day in Paris next year. Any suggestions on how to make this milestone birthday unforgettable? Thanks.

Happy birthday to us! July 14 is also my birthday. I'm a retired French teacher and I used to tease my kids telling them that the French were always so nice to me on my birthday giving me a parade, fireworks, etc. I remember spending my 40th in Martinique; that was great! To answer your question, if just being in Paris for your birthday isn't enough for you, how about splurging (or, better yet, having someone else splurge on you!) for a dinner at La Tour d'Argent, Jules Verne(on the Eiffel Tower) or one of the other really great restaurants in Paris.

Charlie Girl, <BR>You are, indeed, one LUCKY girl, as you undoubtedly know! <BR> <BR>Seriously, book reservations NOW! Also, if you do want to do some fine dining, as Betty suggests (and as is absolutely warranted by your birthday)check NOW to make certain a nice restaurant (like those mentioned by Betty) will be open. (Right now Jules Verne is booking dinner reservations that begin after 2002 starts!) Some places will definitely be closed. If push comes to shove, some nice, albeit pricey restaurants are located within some of the ritzy hotels, like the Crillon, or George V. <BR> <BR>I don't think the French will allow you to forget your birthday, just due to all the commotion, parades, etc., you will either see or participate in! There will be a parade down the Champs Elysee & probably many fireworks at night. <BR> <BR>Weather permitting, enjoy the parks as much as possible. <BR>Best Wishes for a Great Trip & Birthday, <BR>BC

I would (maybe I shall, once *that* day comes and it will), splurge at "Le Grand Vefour", at Palais Royal (Rue du Beaujolais 17, Paris 1st arr.) <BR> <BR>If it should closed or fully booked, the Crillon would be my second choice.

1) go watch the parade. the Mirages do a fly-by; if you can figure out the angle, get someone to take a picture of you as the jets go overhead; beats a picture of you in a stupid paper hat by a long shot. <BR>2) there's usually some sort of hoohah going on at the Champs de Mars in the evening; you might need tickets, so watch http://www.pariscope.fr/ for info <BR>3) fireworks get shot over the Seine between the Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower. The areas around there are usually really packed, but the bridges are not too bad (especially if you get there early) and you get a great view of the pyrotechnics, the lighted bateaux mouches, and the twinkling lights along the rives. <BR>4) no matter what, just be thrilled to be in Paris for the half century mark; and rather than an expensive dinner (although I wouldn't sneeze at it if someone else were paying), I'd think about purchasing something I always wanted - Chanel bag? Ruby ring? Patek watch? Handmade lingerie?

Since dor turns 35 this Sept 9 while we are in Paris I had been thinking a fancy dinner. But Elvira, that hand made lingerie caught my attention.

.. well, for all these lingerie freaks: <BR>Here is a very good address: <BR> <BR>Sabbia Rosa, 73, Rue des Saints-Pères, 6th arr., métro: Saint-Sulpice. <BR> <BR>It's not handmade but... <BR>Take hubby (with wallet) with you <BR>and after that, I nice glass of champagne and then off for a nice dinner! How does that sound?

stand under the Eiffel towerand have your pictur taken as you sip a glass of champangne

Charlie: <BR> <BR>Outside Bordeaux (bear with me) there is a spa called Les Sources de Caudalie that specializes in vinothérapie - warm honey and Merlot rubs, grape peel baths, cabernet hot tubs....you get the idea. Fairly recently, the same outfit has opened a "branch" at the Hotel Meurice in Paris. Now, if I really wanted to treat myself to something special - and a 50th birthday is pretty special - I think I'd do something like that (as well as a special meal, of course).

Thanks for the great suggestions.

What is Bastille Day?

Anon, <BR>Bastille Day is the French Independence Day. (It is the French equivalent of the American 4th of July.) <BR>BC

Thanks for filling me in.