Kathryn

Hi, <BR> <BR>I am planning a trip to Paris with my 14 year old daughter and a friend and her daughter in early November. I would love to hear details of plans from others who are going then, too. (The thread on layering clothing is a helpful one.) <BR> <BR>I have one story to tell about my plans--I called US Airways two weeks ago and made a reservation for the four of us. The next day, I called back and ticketed the reservation with my credit card. I had not yet received the tickets, but hadn't been worried. Then I called the airline last night to change our seats for one leg of the flight, and the clerk had no record of any tickets being issued (panic set in quickly on my end!) <BR> <BR>To make a long story short, this problem did get resolved after about half an hour; we are going to Paris, but the original seats I requested are long gone, and we're sitting way in the back of the plane, three abreast, rather than two and two! My daughter and I are just glad we're on the plane after all that! <BR> <BR>Hope your plans are going more smoothly! <BR> <BR>Kathryn

elaine

Kathryn <BR>don't give up on the seating, keep calling back. Reservations get cancelled, seats open up. Persistence sometimes wins the day. Also, bulkhead seats are not assigned until the day of departure, and done at the gate. If you get to the airport very early, these may be available for you. <BR>Also, if you called back with a credit card to guarantee the tickets, it is clearly their error that the tickets weren't issued and the seats locked in. Perhaps some more protest on your end with a supervisor concerning their error may assist you. <BR>good luck

topper

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Cassie

Hi Kathryn, <BR> <BR>I'm going to be in Paris/and other parts of France for 3 weeks in November. I have been combing through the guidebooks for ideas and places to go. Of course I'll be doing the museums and Versailles, Sacre Coeur, the Eiffel Tower etc. But, I also want to just walk around and absorb the city. I just read about the Paris Walking Tours and plan to take at least one of them to get acclimated. Then a 2-day trip to Bayeux, back to Paris, and finally another 2-day trip to Tours. I'm really looking forward to working on my French. What are you and your daughter most looking forward to?

Karen

Kathryn, <BR>We are also going to Paris in November with another couple and their son. Just arranged all last night with www.go-today.com for air/hotel. We'll see the 'must sees', but also want to take the train to Versailles one day; and another day to Chartles (sp?). Also want to go to the flea markets over the weekend (we're all antique buffs), and romp around some neighborhoods and sip some French wines. It will be a loose schedule, probably with the couples spliting for some of the trip (they are GREAT friends and we want to return home as great friends!). They guys want to see the Armisice Day events on Nov. 11th (parade, etc around the Arc). Hope we ALL have a great trip! <BR> <BR>Karen <BR>

Kathryn

We want to take our daughters to the typical tourist places--Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, and Versailles. We will be in Paris seven days, so I think we will take the one day Parisvision excursion to Bruges, Belgium, to break up the trip. That little excursion will be the one thing that the two adults have never done; everything else will be new for the two girls! <BR> <BR>I made a reservation for lunch at the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower--I'm guessing that will be one of the highlights of the trip for our daughters! We're also having lots of fun reading guide books, combing web sites, and planning the trip! <BR> <BR>Let's all hope we have great weather this November! <BR> <BR>Kathryn

Jeffrey

Hello friends, and congratulations on going to Paris. If you've never been, you could be in for a treat or feel humiliated. Confusing statement? I lived in Paris for 7 months while completing college. What I learned and share with you is this: (and please don't blow this off, it's true and VITALLY IMPORTANT TO ENJOYING YOUR TRIP). <BR>1. The French are probably the one people in the world that do not speak English; DON'T EXPECT IT EXCEPT FROM YOUR HOTEL CLERK!

Sal

Kathryn, I'd be interested in knowing more about your excursion to Bruges. I assume you're doing a high-speed train from Paris to Brussels, then transfer to another train to Bruges? How long is the travel time?

elaine

Kathryn <BR>In reply to Jeffrey's comment his experience has been completely different from mine and from many people I know who travel to Paris. Most Parisians <BR>speak some or much English. Even people who in the US we would think of as perhaps often not having had advanced educational opportunities (people in service positions, cab drivers, etc) frequently understand enough English to answer your request for more towels or to drive you to your destination (which I think puts our own educational system to shame, but that's another topic). Do Parisians prefer to speak French, of course. Do they all refuse to speak English? Not in my experience. If you don't speak any French, learn a few basic phrases (Pleast, thank you, good day, good by), smile and be polite, and when in doubt write down the name of your destination and its street location so you can show it to a cab driver or to <BR>a passer-by to help you get there.

kathryn

Sal: <BR> <BR>We plan on taking the Parisvision one day trip to Bruges. They (Parisvision) told me it is three hours driving time by bus and that there are several places to change money once we get there on Sunday (they have trips Sunday and Wednesday.) It doesn't cost that much more than the train to take this tour which includes a ride on the canals, and you don't have to change trains and figure it all out yourself! I will send a thread on this trip to the top! <BR> <BR>Kathryn

Sal

Thanks, Kathryn!

Erica

My hubby and I are going mid-November. We're flying into Amsterdam for 4 days, taking the train to Brussels for a day trip, then taking the train to Paris for 5 days. Since this is our first time to all 3 cities, we don't really have definite plans. We're gonna do the standard stuff, but leave time for a festival, or special exhibit, etc. Also, even though it may be a bit cool, we're saving time for a couple of walking tours. Would be glad to share our experiences when we return!

msrani

Hi,

My friend and I are going the beginning of November. We're going to Brugge first then Paris for about a week then back to Belgium.

Have fun packing, right now I'm trying to figure out how I can pack smart and so far I'm failing.

Msrani

grandmere

This thread is from 2000; any reason it was revived?

josep55

Hi,

You message kind of caught my eye. I will be in Paris around the 11 thru 19. What stood out was that you're taking your child for the first time! Good for you. A few years ago I took my nephew to France and Italy. He stopped half into devouring a meal and looked at me and exclaimed &quot;Gee! This is sure better than Disneyland!&quot;

There have been some great suggestions posted. I concur on the Muse D'Orsay also the Cluny or Moyen Age. Climb the steps at Notre Dame. If your child is into history of any kind there will be plenty to attend to. You might wnt to get the History Channel DVD on teh French Revolution. You'll have a reference for some of what you see. Lastly, encourage her to try some French. Forget you're American for a while. I never met anyone in Paris that didn't appreciate my at least trying my French. It is a matter of respect but it is also part of the fun of the trip. Your not just in Paris be with Paris.
Bon Chance et Bon Voyage.