Is that a dragon in your castle?
 

Or are you just glad to see me?

It's official, CP and I have booked our flight, and half of our hotel accomodations. We're going to Paris!

3 nights the resort, where we've booked a Montana Room at Sequoia Lodge. 4 nights in Paris, where we have yet to book a hotel. We're flying out on October 22, returning October 30, so we'll be there for the spectacular Halloween festivities.

We scored big time on the fligh. Nonstop from LAX to Charles De Gaulle on Air Tahiti Nui for under $600 a ticket. For less than prices on standard carriers for flight with not only stops but plane changes, we're going to be on a premium airline with pleasantly decorated cabins in near brand new planes, nonstop.

We're ridiculously excited. Since our honeyoon 3 years ago, we haven't taken any sort of real vacation. It's bee nothing more than weekends in Vegas, or San Diego. The closest has been a trip to Seattle, but that was with family to see family, hardly a real vacation. So it's about bloody time.

This will also be the first time the two of us have really been completely left to our own devices on a major trip. Our last two internaional trips, Italy and Mexico, were with a tour group and a cruise respectively. There, so much of the logistics is taken care of for you, and there's always someone around who speaks the language. This will be my 4th time to Europe, and every other time I've been with someone who speaks the language. Not that we expect to have any difficulty, especially in Paris where such a large percentage of people do speak English. And it's not like we were handheld through Italy, we spent a large chunk of it away from the tour group on our own. But it will still be a new experience to not have that safety net to fall back on, and not have all of our transportation, lodging, and much of our meals taken care of in advance. Exciting!

I don't know which portion of the trip (DLRP or Paris) I'm more excited about.

I am so jealous! Just last weekend when we were on the patio at the Cheesecake Factory I was trying my best to pretend that Bellevue was Paris, and that we were under a red and white striped awning watching the city go by.

Are you renting a car? Because lane markings are merely a suggestion. At one point our tour bus was passed on the sidewalk. By a jeep.

The metro is very convenient -- unless it's on strike. Seriously, if they're on strike, just stay within walking distance. It's sometimes hard to find metro stops. Unlike London, there didn't seem to be many signs. Maybe this has changed. (It *has* been mumble-mumble years...) But I remember just looking for stairs into the earth.

You *must* eat in a cafe. And visit a patisserie. And get lost in the Louvre (you think it won't happen to you, but it always does!) And eat crepes from a sidewalk vendor. And visit the most beautiful co-ed bathroom I've ever seen (in the Galleries Lafayette.) And walk down the Champs Elysee at night. (Bonus points if you sing the song!)

Oh, and in Paris no one wants to hear Americans try to speak French anyhow. Seriously. Even your cafe waiter speaks English.

Oooh! You're going to have a blast!

Ditto on the Champs at night

Find some good dining tips form your cafe waiter - even if it's showing the suggestions from a tour book, they can quickly tell you what's really worth seeing

The Metro is increadibly convenient - you'll have to get yourself oriented in your first trip or two, but after that, you'll be metroing around Paris like a pro.

Make a long list of possible things to do - weather and mood will change your plans daily. We've been twice and still haven't gotten through our "must do" list.

Sometimes the real joy of being in Paris is finding some park or cafe and just sitting down and taking it in.

Go to Virgin or FNAC on the Champs (I've a list of French music for you to pick up for me)

God! I LOVE this city!

As far as the language goes, most people speak English, but be polite and at least say Bonjour. Smile a lot. Do NOT expect them to speak English - you will just look like an ugly American. But, with some small effort on your part, and a respect for the French, you will have few problems. We never encountered attitude issues......or I just smiled through them.

If it is warm enough, the Gardens are beautiful in Paris. I could've spend days in the gardens alone. I may be too cold for Ice Cream, but have it if you can. The most incredibly interesting and immense flavors I've ever had.

North African cuisine is a good bet in Paris, as is Vietmanese (but, we have loads of that here).

We LIVED by the Lonley Planet Condensed Guide and liked the Virgin Paris guide for cool stuff.

Have a drink or a meal at Man Ray - the bar/restaurant that is owned by Johnny Depp, John Malkovich and others. It is right off the Champs and is tres swank. My VERY hip hairdresser knew about Man Ray. The site I linked to also has other great suggestions.

There is so much to see and do in Paris, but remember to take a bit of time to simply experience the magic of the city. Whether that is done lounging in a cafe, a park, by the Siene, wherever......just make sure you have a moment to experience why Pariasians love this city.

I've still got a good picture in my head of the city and the metro system from my visit 11 years ago, so I don't expect much difficulty finding our way around. We won't be renting a car. 1) Who the hell needs one in a city the size of a postage stamp, 2) I remember being nearly run over as a car turned to park on the sidewalk in front of us. No thanks. It will probably limit us from going beyond zone 5 of the Metro/RER system, but lord knows there's enough to do in those confines for 3 days.

I'm really not worried about the language. Thanks to my Spanish knowledge, I can actually read French suprisingly well, and I have a small library of the usual useful phrases which I will be expanding over the next few months. That was more than enough to get us by in Italy. It's more just excitement at the complete freedom and ability to dictate our entire schedule...as long as we don't get ourselves stuck sleeping in the moonlit shadow of Notre Dame ;)

I've got a mental list already of things I saw last time that I absolutely have to see again (Luxembourg Gardens, Dali Museum come to mind), and things I missed last time that I'd like to get to this time (Pere Lachaise, Muse d'Orsay, Rodin Museum). And I'm going to make a big effort to find interesting things that are off the beaten path. Those hidden treasures that every city has that most guide books either don't have or gloss over. We made that effort in Italy, and it just made the trip so much more special, not just a series of tourist traps.

The catacombs were pretty cool, but entirerly creepy. I loved them. And, they are not a huge tourist trap like the Louvre.

Awesome - how exciting!

I'm considering Air Tahiti Nui for getting to LA in Nov - they have some great deals at the moment, including Anaheim accommodation, airport transfers, etc. I've just never flown with them before. They look good though.

Nor have I, but the reviews I've read are good. For instance...
http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_tahiti_nui.htm

Hey! There are some parts of the Louvre that are REALLY cool. When I was there, they were starting to excavate on the lower levels -- revealing the original fort walls. From the website, it looks like they've opened up a larger area, although it's only available on Mondays. I would really like to see that part again.

Oh! I love the Louvre! It's just that that is one of THE tourist spots in Paris. The catacombs are fascinating, odd, spooky and wonderful.