Yes! Spring is here. Can travel be far away? No! I am so happy.
In just two short weeks, Frank and I will be traveling to Paris, France, to spend the month of April. I do believe songs have been written about April in Paris.
Frank and I have done this before. Four years ago we rented an apartment in the 7th Arrondissement, our favorite area of Paris. This year we again are renting an apartment in the 7th, but closer to the Eiffel Tower and the Alexander Bridge ( my favorite bridge), and the apartment right on my favorite shopping street, Rue Cler. If you read about this area, you will realize my favorite type of shopping is food shopping. I can hardly wait to be there.
Although in this picture it appears to be raining along Rue Cler, I shall hope for more sunny skies than rainy ones. But, I know, Paris and rain do go together.
There are so many things that draw me back to places I have visited before. Paris has so many things to offer: museums, of course, but the things I enjoy the most are walks along the boulevards, strolls through the many parks, visiting the boulangerie for baguettes, the pastry shops in the morning for cafe and croissant. I love stopping on the bridges and watching the boat traffic going up and down the Seine.
Something that I have learned along the way about travel, is to do my homework before I go. I do like to have a list of “must-see” items, places or things I would like to see, and another list of “maybe, if we have time” things. Of course, I do try to leave room for changes. Not everything on the list will get done, and I leave myself open to new experiences: food, drink, side trips, new walks. I must always leave time for changes in our plans.
Luxembourg Gardens. The pond, in the background, is where children have sailed their boats for centuries. Now one can rent a boat to sail on the pond, if that is what you would like to do.
Just the other day I took a 3-hour class called “French for Travelers”. Now I realized I would not learn enough French to be fluent. I have been studying the Italian language for seven years, off and on, and am still struggling with that. What I hoped to gain from the class, and I believe I did, was to learn some of the customs, the words that will help me find what I need, and most importantly, the polite words.
I feel very strongly that when I am in another country, I am a guest in that country, although no one invited me: I just took it upon myself to visit. Therefore, the least I can do is learn the necessary polite words or phrases in the language of the country I am visiting. It really is not difficult to learn the six most important phrases: hello, goodbye, please, thank you, excuse me, and I am sorry. I try to learn how a shopkeeper should be addressed and have learned that upon entering a shop in any European country, one addresses the shopkeeper before looking at, or touching the merchandise. Then I would let the shopkeeper help me, if necessary.
At the open markets, when shopping for fresh fruit or vegetables, I know (now) to not touch the merchandise. Doing that will bring the wrath of the person in charge faster than anything! When asked what I need or desire, I simply point to the fruit or vegetable, if I don’t know the name of it. If what the stall keeper shows me is not to my liking, I can politely say No, and the stall sales person will select another one for me.
However, in a supermarket one must put on plastic gloves, choose the fruit or vegetable, place it in a plastic bag. Then I must take this to the scale, weigh it, and a bar-coded label will print out. I slap that label on my plastic sack and away I go to the checkout. Another thing I try to remember, when shopping in the supermarkets, is to bring my own shopping bag. If I fail to do that, and the clerk has to give me a plastic bag to carry my merchandise home, I will be charged for the plastic grocery bags, anywhere from 5 Cents Euro to 50 cents, depending on the store policy. Yes, I have been charged 50 cents one time. And I do have to bag my own groceries.
In restaurants, it is good to remember that I must address the wait person as either Madame or Monsieur (in France), or the equivalent in the language of the country I am visiting. When I am finished with my meal and ready to leave, I must ask for the bill. The theory is that the customers are there to enjoy a meal, drinks, conversation with their dinner companions, and the wait staff will not rush the customers. Tipping is also not mandatory as it is in the United States.
Usually, the bill will say that service is included, especially in France, where tipping is not encouraged.
I want to take time to sit on a bench and just enjoy the view, yes, and perhaps review my map! Traveling can be tiring, so I feel it is very important to “stop and smell the roses” once in awhile. I need to take my time to really enjoy where I am.
I can stop at a cafe for a coffee….feed the ducks at a pond in a park, watch the kids sail their boats on the ponds…
Wherever I am, I embrace the culture. It is different from mine, maybe not better, not worse, but different. I do try to let the local people know that I am really enjoying their homeland and that I am grateful for the opportunity to visit there.
Now here is one of my favorites: embracing the local wine.
Yes, that is me, with a very important piece of culture. This picture was taken in Italy, but I know France has some very good wines, also. So I am ready to do a taste test there.
And I plan to have fun. Frank is just as excited as I am to be taking this romantic trip one more time.
Look for blog postings from Paris. I am excited to be going back.
Au revoir,
Dolly
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