My husband and I visited our daughter (she%26#39;s in college there for 3 months) this past week and had an absolutely wonderful time. I just wanted to thank you folks here at TA for your help. The hotel (Hotel Langlois) and it%26#39;s staff were outstanding (I want to cry that I can no longer soak in a hot tub and hear the Trinite%26#39; bells ringing each morning), the restaurants were superb (shhh! Chez Jean, at 8 rue St. Lazare, in the 9th, was one of the best nouvelle cuisine restaurants on the planet, fairly inexpensive (but dress well), and EVERYONE in this crowded spot we got into by way of a %26#39;if someone cancels only%26#39; list spoke french for the folks who hate tourist places), the tourist spots were fairly empty (cold weather has it%26#39;s benefits!) and the French people- from the priest in the confessional at Sacré Coeur who blessed me to the waiter at Au Petit Riche who laughed, stole the menus and made us order dessert by describing, in French, what we wanted, to the housekeeper at Langlois who hugged me when I looked sad as I left Monday morning- were wonderful. . .
My husband %26amp; I had spent 6 weeks listening to the first 15 Pimsleur french lessons on CD in the car- it was SO worthwhile (standing behind one woman and watching while she spoke English, not understood, louder then louder, was enough to make us estatic we knew a few words to converse, even if we sounded like 2 year olds!) that I recommend it to anyone who has, like us, never taken a french lesson.
The metro was unbelievably easy, quick, and clean, the buses were a great way to see the city, the RER (even those silly machines, when the booth at Invalides was unmanned) was slick and the churches, monuments, palaces, mausoleums, even prisons were breathtaking. So many little memories- standing in a wine shop while the owner, after asking where we were from (Northern CA) rushed to get his one bottle of California wine from the back while I was able to muster the broken french to say, incredulous- %26quot;No, no- I don%26#39;t want a California wine, I want a FRENCH wine!%26quot; while two other customers howled with laughter, the owner at the hotel where we stayed looking so lovely as my husband presented her with a bouquet for all her help as we left, the poor patient frenchman on the phone that I tried to explain that I needed to cancel a dinner reservation to, without knowing the word for %26#39;cancel%26#39;, fumbling (I must have sounded insane!), and then, when he finally understood, thanking me so much for letting him know . . .
I had a blast. Now to get the rest of those CD%26#39;s and listen to the other kazillion lessons, and head back. There are hundreds of pieces of pain au chocolat with my name on them still waiting to be baked in Paris. . .
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What a nice description! We leave on the 13th of March and your summary makes me wish it were tomorrow! Thanks.
I use %26quot;Speak in a Week%26quot; and Rosetta Stone%26#39;s %26quot;Travelers%26#39; French%26quot;. I%26#39;ll have to try %26quot;Pimsleur.%26quot;
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It sounds like you had a great time!
About Pimsleur... the first time I went to Paris, about 5 years ago, I got a set of their French tapes as a refresher to my high school and college French. Aside from the basics (hello, goodbye, please, thank you, Do you speak English?, I don%26#39;t speak French very well) I discovered at the end that I had learned to ask someone back to my place for a drink! I%26#39;m not sure if my husband was amused :)
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Redsavage...%26quot;Chez moi?%26quot; I listened to the same tapes. YOu are right they did focus a lot of time asking if you wanted something to drink at my place/your place, didn%26#39;t they? But, I was greatful for several of the phrases that stuck with me from that tape. (I did not use chez moi!)
Satchel, thanks for your report. YOur suggestion to learn a few words of French is a suggestion that I know would make everyone%26#39;s trip to Paris more pleasant. The French really do appreciate our efforts and they can even be very forgiving that we are American when they realize we appreciate their culture, ha, ha. I have found the French to be very kind and helpful in response to my beginner French, but I would bet that yelling at them in English would probably ice over the conversation rather quickly!
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Sounds like RedSavage needs a new husband.
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What a wonderful report! We leave in mid April and will be in Paris first week of May...I%26#39;m going to start back in on my Pimmsleur tapes today!!
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Waytogogirl - you%26#39;re right, the tapes did have a lot of good, useful stuff on them, but I was cracking up when I realized that I now knew how to ask someone on a date!
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