Why Paris
 

My husband and I are beach/mountian/country lovers. NOT City lovers. We're going to France to see the coast, staying in Biarritz and Nice and maybe small points in-between.<BR>I've been getting serious grief from just about everyone I talk to about not going to Paris. "You CAN'T go to France without going to Paris" or, "Broaden your horizens. There's more to life than beaches!" (I also plan on seeing some of the wine country, by the way...) Sorry, but we just don't care about seeing Paris! I've seen it in books and TV and it just does not appeal to us. Yes, I would assume it's 'better in real life', but we just don't care to spend time in a city when we can't imagine enjoying it..(we're not museum/monument/landmark people) and it's expense it would add on to our trip. So please help. Convince me why we should 'see' Paris, after everything I've already said...or tell me a clever remark I can tell those people that keep bugging me to go and think I'm crazy not to. Thanks

I'm not real sure why you care what everyone thinks about where you are going. It seems to me that you've pretty much thought about what you like and planned accordingly. Who cares what others think you should be doing instead? This board is an excellent example of plenty of people thinking you should be doing something different.<BR><BR>How about a simple, "it just doesn't appeal to us right now."?

Reading your post made me smile. So I just had to drop you a line. Three years ago my husband and I were about to embark on our first trip to Europe. We decided to go to Spain and France. We stayed north of Barcelona at LLoret de Mar and never made it into Barcelona the five days in the area. We spent most of our time on the beach. Since we flew into and out of Paris on Air France, we immediately started to get grief from our son. "YOU simply cannot go to France without seeing Paris" This is all we heard from him for weeks. WE are not museum people. We are landmark/monument people, though. But we got so tired of hearing it over and over that we did stay two days in Paris. Well, we have been back since and plan to go again. I love the wine country, but in two weeks you cannot spread yourself too thin, Anyway, I don't think Paris is for everyone. And I just don't know what you can say to people who think you are nuts for not visiting. But we never thought we would and we just loved that city.<BR><BR>Stick to your guns. By now you should know your own mind. I always thought we did too. I just did not really expect to like it there. But something just overcame us. Leave a little room for someday. Maybe not this trip, but maybe you can do what we did and stopover for a day or two on you way to some other place. It is the only way you can say to someone" I have been there, done that" would rather rent the video.

Last september we took a drive from Saint Emillion to the beach at Arcachon.<BR>There we found a nice seaside community with mostly europeans, and a nice beach that was practically deserted. Of course, this is north of where you are going to be , but I thought I'd mention it.

Well said, Sherry! Dolphins, you have to realize that European cities like Paris and Rome are nothing at all like New York and Chicago. (We felt that way about Rome before we got there. Changed our minds completely.) But you've got a fabulous trip all laid out, so go for it! Tell the folks giving you grief to plan their own trips and let you plan yours. You'll see Paris another time. It's unlikely to disappear into thin air...

Why should anyone convince you to go anywhere?<BR>If you think you have seen Paris from watching television, then you may really not be ready to go there.Some of us just are not contented with watching the world from our living room...someday maybe you will change.

<BR>Dear traveler,<BR><BR>Dolphins did not say that she has experienced Paris from watching TV, nor that she's content to stay home, but that she has decided she'd rather go somewhere else based on what she's seen about Paris. Have you been everywhere and seen everything? If not, how have you chosen where to go and where not to go? Based on books, TV, people's stories, and other second-hand information, no doubt. There's an infinite amount to see and do out there, and finite time and money with which to do it. If Dolphins chooses the coast of France, where's the problem?

Thank you for the reply abc, but no, I do not base my travels on television.Books yes, but I try not to let television influence me to that degree.I am unaware that I gave an impression of there being a "problem"? DId I not say they might not be ready for Paris yet? She says convince her, why should she be convinced? Let her decide one day on her own..and does this bother Dolphin or you?

If anyone protests with "You CAN'T go to France without going to Paris!", challenge them with "Oh Yeah? Just try and STOP us!" and then laugh your best evil laugh. :~)

I'm with Capo on this. Don't forget to throw your head back while executing that evil laugh...<BR>You go where you want to go - it's your trip!

Years ago I read of a journalist who prided himself on not going to the ordinary places. He loved and was known for traveling to the exotic, dangerous, rough. Then, he wrote, on the way back from Moscow, he had a one day layover in Paris. He arrived late at night and awoke the next morning and set out to look for coffee. As he walked around the corner from his hotel, he suddenly found himself standing at a wide busy boulevard with traffic flying past. He stopped to look right and noticed the trees lining the boulevard, looked left and saw the Arc de Triomphe. He said he was overwhelmed at the sight and, in spite of himself, thought, "Oh my God, I'm in Paris!" Paris has that effect on people.

I also think you should just not care and go where you want, it's your time and vacation. People do this to me all the time, it's kind of irritating -- I have a little 4 day getaway planned to Mexico on the beach and some know-it-all gives me grief about how I ought to go to Mexico City to see some museums, etc. This person in question, I might add, has not been out of the US in 20 years (and could). I travel a lot and have different moods and goals for each trip, and I also have a demanding job with certain vacation constraints and busy seasons -- I cannot just go to Mexico for two weeks in Nov, that wasn't what I needed or wanted at that point.<BR> Anyway, who cares, there are cities I have no interest in seeing, either, but I'm not going to say them as they are popular with some others. How about just saying: "Oh, Paris is SO over, darling, didn't you know that? Nobody who's anybody is vacationing there this year."

Dolphin,<BR><BR>I absolutely LOVE Paris and am probably one of the biggest proponents for going to Paris on this board.<BR><BR>HOWEVER, I can't believe someone would actually try to dictate to you your preferences. It is, after all, your trip and your money that you are spending.<BR><BR>I am a city person. That's just me. Some people are beach/mountain/country persons. That's just them. Vive la difference!!<BR><BR>And have a fabulous trip!!!! ~MaryC : )

Take an afternoon stroll up the Champs-Elysees, view the Eiffel Tower at night from Trocadero, and walk through the Luxembourg Gardens and explore the Latin Quarter and then you should have the answer to Why Paris??

Singer/songwriter Jonathan Richman loves Paris. He sings about it in "Give Paris One More Chance" ("The home of Piaf and Aznavour / Must have done something right, and will do something more") and, on the back of his greatest hits CD, he's shown standing next to a sign at the Place Maurice Chevalier.<BR><BR>But, for you Dolphins, he also has a song called "The Beach" with these lyrics...<BR><BR>"Well the beach be one of the best things we got / 'Cause it's not what you have on but what you not." :~)

Ooops! That should be...<BR><BR>"'Cause it's not what you have on but what you have not."

Dolphins:<BR>Pierre said it best! You have only to experience the magic that is Paris to know the answer. If you plan on returning sometime soon to France, then perhaps passing on Paris this time would be okay. However, if not then I not miss the opportunity to see the most beautiful city in the world!

I think that all of the ype about Paris in the movies etc is why a lot of people go. It does have a lot of great museums, but certainly not one of the prettier cities in Europe.<BR>

Almost 30 years ago I dragged my husband to Europe, kicking and screaming (or at least reluctant). It took one day in Paris and he said, "If I had been here when I was 20, I would never have left." You don't have to go to museums--just walking around is a feast for the eyes. And we are not city folk.<BR><BR>That said, I agree with the others--travel for yourself. Heaven knows, I've put up with grief for years about always going to France instead of X or Y or Z here in the US.

We are just prepping for our fourth trip to Europe. I never really had any ambition to spend much time in France, never mind Paris. Then we got there. We spent 4 days just wandering about. At the end of one day I ended up with muscle cramps so bad, from walking around. We couldnt judge time, it passed so quickly. We started for Italy and stopped as for as Monaco. I figured if I wanted to spend time on a beach I could do it for a lot less money at home, with much smaller crowds. We are going over in June, and though we have already been, we plan on going to Paris for at least a few days. <BR><BR>I could not believe how much I enjoyed being in a city. The Champs Elysee at night was indescribable. <BR><BR>I do not know why we enjoyed Paris so much, I just know we did.<BR><BR>R

"Paris is over-rated". Those were my words before I left for Paris (why'd I go? Free ticket courtesy of hubby's job).<BR><BR>"I'M IN FREAKIN' PARIS!!!! OH MY GOD!!! THERE'S THE EIFFEL TOWER!! THERE'S NOTRE DAME!!!" Those were my words when I stepped out of the RER station near the hotel. <BR><BR>Paris is not just the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower -- it's the gardens, the walking, the people, the architecture, etc. <BR><BR>My mom and my best friend BOTH didn't care about visiting France. When I moved there, they did visit me (my mother whining about why she was doing this, she never wanted to come to France, she hates to fly, blah, blah, blah). Both said that they were glad they went -- and that they would have never gone to Paris (or France itself) if I hadn't been there. My mom was miserable in Paris (it was cold, rainy and windy, there was a train strike -- all that could go wrong did...) but now says she really liked it (she HATES NYC) and really enjoys looking through her pictures from the trip.<BR><BR>If it's not too much of a financial hardship, visit Paris. Even for a day (albeit a LONG day) from Nice. It may not be your "thing", but at least you will be able to make up your mind with all the facts. And Paris has what you would be interested in -- there is a winery at Montemartre, the gardens at Tulleries, the gardens at the Rodin Museum (yes, I know, you're not a museum person) are beautiful too, there are plenty of places to picnic near the Eiffel Tower, etc. You don't have to be caught up in the whirlwind of Paris if you don't want to -- there are quiet things to do too.<BR><BR>Hey, you might not like it, so a day would be enough (no hotel charge would help your budget too). <BR><BR>How CAN you go to France and not go to Paris?!? ;)

Holidays are an opportunity for enjoyment, not an obligation. If cities stress you/bore you, don't feel you have to go. In any country, people will tell you that the capital isn't the 'real' X, and this is probably stronger in France than many other places. You don't get anywhere in French politics unless you demonstrate (often and with as much publicity as possible) your rural roots, to the extent of hanging on to the mayoralty of some tiny village while spending most of your time jetting round the world as Secretary of State for this and that. The phrase you need to remember for your bossy friends is 'But how can you experience 'la France profonde' from Paris?' Any French person would applaud you as a true sophisticate for that..<BR><BR>Incidentally, I second the nomination for Arcachon - a peaceful and pleasant inlet from the sea.

Hello all. My internet connection went down yesterday right after I posted the question, so I've not been able to post back until now.<BR>I feel SO much better about my trip now! Loved Grasshoppers simple<BR>"it just doesn't appeal to us right now" and Diane's response of "you plan your trip and I'll plan mine" and Capo's "Just try to stop us" with an evil laugh while saying it...Christina's "Paris is SO over, darling..." completely cracked me up. So thanks for the support! I know I will enjoy my coastal trip, and if we had more time and money we would try to take a couple days there as many of you have convinced me that there are things about Paris that I would enjoy!<BR>Alas, I'll probably 'get my feet wet' on this trip to France and save Paris for another time. Oh, and I have more fun research to do so I can see what and where Arcachon is all about too!<BR>Thanks again!

Why debate about Paris, Dolphins? And why post what is not for you a quandry? You do not like cities. You've opted to keep that opportunity well clear of your life. You've made a choice based on what you know, not what you might discover. Have a good trip.

Dolphins:<BR><BR>As much as I feel that if you went to Paris, you'd fall in love with it, I agree that there are "city" people and "non-city" people when it comes to vacations (and there are those who are switch-hitters!). <BR><BR>My brother-in-law, who is sweet, well-educated, cultivated, etc., has no desire to spend his leisure time in a city. He'd rather read hefty tomes on the beach anywhere, anytime. He will agreeably go to a museum; he will undeniably be longing to be in an easy-chair in a sunny locale somewhere. He enjoyed the cafes in Paris (he's one of the persons who can eat unlimited amounts of pastries without ever gaining a pound), but I'm afraid the rest was totally unappealing.<BR><BR>Enjoy Nice! And by the way, although we're city lovers, we are going to Nice in a month, too. But not for the beaches of the Riviera...you guessed it, for the art museums.<BR><BR>To each his own.

Dear DLt,<BR>The issue was in fact a quandry to me, as I was being given the guilt trip for going to France but not going to Paris. I'm not necessarily 'keeping the opportunity well clear of my life', but may be keeping it 'clear of this trip', and I certainly am looking forward to 'discovering the coast of France'. I guess you're one of those people that think I'm crazy for not wanting to see Paris right now. That's fine too. Think of it this way...there may be two less tourist to get in your way. Thanks.<BR>Amy, <BR>I'm sure I'll be visiting a few museums around Nice myself, and I'm sure I'll enjoy them. I certainly don't plan on spending my entire vacation sitting on a beach...I'd be as big as a house, as I'm also looking forward to all those little quaint cafes!<BR>And I heard the flower markets and street vendors are lovely! Enjoy Nice yourself, I know I will!

Nope, Dolphins, don't think you're crazy at all. Wouldn't suggest that. You don't like cities, you say, so why hit Paris. I'm always sorry to hear blanket statements, but then I make them all the time. Do have a good trip, and maybe Paris will be in your future. Take care.

if you don't want to spend a lot of time in paris, there are definitely pros to the city, even if you aren't city people... go for a day or two before heading south through the wine country. there are great quaint cafes and beautiful parks to just sit and enjoy. despite having 10 million people (including the so-called suburbs), paris does have some nice areas where you can just sit back, relax and enjoy it without the hustle and bustle of city life. there are beautiful parks and a seine cruise would help you see a bunch of things without ever leaving the boat! if you just spend a day there, and gave a chance- then you would probably enjoy it! if not, hey it was only a day- move on to the things you really love and enjoy! (like nice!)<BR><BR>hey ps. cute coastal town in spain- irun, not too far from biarritz- between that and san sebastian! cute little town! quiet and coastal!

why paris? why not?

Because Paris is-"a Moveable Feast".