Visiting Paris?

A lot of our friends are, it seems.

I feel that we know Paris inside and out. We can do almost anything, including dealing with utilities, cable TV, internet, all the hard stuff. We even can deal with workmen and have a secret plumbing source, better than anyone we have in the US.

When it comes to entertainment for visitors, we are out of it, though. With each new visitor, we get a request. It is almost always something I have to research.

The list grows but here are some of the more current requests: flea markets (twice), fashion show, Folies Bergere, The Louvre (we can do this one), Giverny (ditto), Versailles (ditto). Also on the list are discos or clubs. We have no idea about most of this stuff. We don't even stay up late enough to go to a club.

It seems that our simple pleasures don't really cut it with the folks that are in Paris for a couple of days. They want to check things off the list, take pictures to show everyone at home. One of the best photo ops is at the Rodin Museum, a palatable, even pleasant place to go. There, "The Thinker" is surrounded by beautiful rose bushes. It is a great photo. The Eiffel Tower, on the other hand, is too big to get a photo with a recognizable person in the same shot.

But even the Rodin is esoteric for many visitors. Why would anyone spend quality time there vs. seeing the Impressionists at the Musee d'Orsay? With the advent of cameras in cell phones, tourists line up in front of the famous paintings to take a photo of it. Why don't they just buy a book? All the flashes are a bit unnerving.

There are no "deals" in Paris. The Euro is still high and prices are always increasing. I think this might be why people think that a flea market is a good idea. But, there are vide-greniers, brocantes and other street fairs to buy things, but not the kind of deals that tourists think they can get. I advise people to think twice before going to St. Ouen to the flea market. But, maybe they will have better luck that I've had.

I will try to think up a list of the places that I'd like to go if I had just a couple of days in Paris. It would probably include the Musee d'Orsay, and the Rodin. It would also include Le Bon Marche or BHV, just to see a large department store. It would also include the Guimet, my favorite museum, an outdoor farmer's market, many churches (maybe a free concert), and the ever-present Paris river tour on a boat. A picnic is nice at the Luxembourg Gardens or the Champ de Mars, the food can be purchased on rue Cler.

That's my list and I'm sticking to it, although I might add to it.