Southern California - Paris, France...

What great timing!

I booked my hotel room (Paris Marriott Hotel Champs-Elysees (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pardt-paris-marriott-hotel-champs-elysees/)) a few weeks ago and now this bit of news is here to brighten my day...

Lance Returning to Paris (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080909/ap_on_sp_ot/cyc_armstrong_comeback)

HEHEHE!

Anyone feel like staying with me for a few days in the hotel room? All I'd ask is for my food and drink to be covered while you are staying with me... :eek:

Now all I have left to do is purchase my flight and figure out where else in Europe I want to visit before and after staying in Paris...

What great timing!

Now all I have left to do is purchase my flight and figure out where else in Europe I want to visit before and after staying in Paris...

I am sure you've got your Paris itinerary all mapped however I'll give my opinion to stuff to see:

1) Sites - Musee' Orsay & the l'Orangerie, Notre Dame, Sacre Coure (sp), Eiffel Tower (at night),Rue Cler

I was there for about 2 weeks and taking side trips to:

- Caen -> drove from there to the Normandy beaches and the WWI museum (definite must see)
- Versailles -> Place of Versailles -> Not worth for me
- Compiegne -> Finish of stage 3 or 4 of 2007 Tour. It's also the start of Paris - Roubaix -big ass cobbles

You should also sign up for a night time bike ride in Paris - very cool.

As for Italy:

Milan - It's ok, my gf like the quadrilateral (Fashion) -> Colnago's factory is nearby in Cambiago
Tuscany -> Statue of David, cool place
Venice -> several hours is all you need -> Go visit Treviso (45min by train from Venice) where the Pinarello factory is

Sweden:
Stockholm: Pretty girls
Malmo: Probably the BEST indian resturant (I know go figure), also saw the local team hockey team to which I think Peter Forsberg played for before his NHL career (very cool atmosphere)

Denmark:
Copenhagen: Very cool place, gotta go back there again

Germany:
Stuttgart:the local castles, beer, FRESH Pretzels (THE BEST)
Berlin: what else the Wall

England:
London: All the sites are pretty cool, the food though...mmm...BLAND.

I plan on taking my gf back to France (southern section) & Italy (just for the food) again soon.

Have Fun,

Ian in SD

Venice -> several hours is all you need -> Go visit Treviso (45min by train from Venice) where the Pinarello factory is



Have you ever been to Venice? I just got back from 7 days there, and didn't even get close to seeing everything.

If you fly RyanAir, Treviso's the "dirt" airport that you land in.

You're going to Paris on purpose?

You're going to Paris on purpose?

I want to order Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast from someplace special!

Thanks for the recommendations... no itinerary yet... only know that I am GOING!!!

Do you speak the french?

Do you speak the french?

I studied French for 5 years at Skool, you can imagine my disappointment when I first went to Paris to find everyone spoke English, well, the important people one needs to communicate with did anyway...


They have bike stations in Paris http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032301753.html

Have fun Phil!!

get me a souvenir from notre dame.

I didn't care for the people of Paris, the art is some of the best in the world, but not a very friendly place.

When we first got there, the cabbie threw our bags out of his taxi when my wife couldn't properly pronounciate a street.

Hmmm.

<-- Jealous.

I feel compelled to make a comment regarding underpants.

Have you ever been to Venice? I just got back from 7 days there, and didn't even get close to seeing everything.

If you fly RyanAir, Treviso's the "dirt" airport that you land in.

Yes. I was there for two days and just didn't find all the interesting - too much touristy stuff in the main area. Piazza San Marco was pretty good especially the gold encrusted casing or tomb or something like and the side trips to the nearby island was fun but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I preferred roaming around in the smaller towns actually like Verona, Pordenone, Treviso etc. especially on a Friday/Saturday were everyone in town went to the main piazza to 'celebrate' - that was very cool, very festive.

When will you be in Paris? I'm doing the classic cols of the pyrenees bike tour next week. Then I'll be in Paris on the 28th.

When will you be in Paris? I'm doing the classic cols of the pyrenees bike tour next week. Then I'll be in Paris on the 28th.

I will arrive in Paris on July 23rd, 2009 and depart on July 28th, 2009. This ensures that I will be in Paris for the final day of the 2009 Tour de France... Oh, and the hotel is on the Champs Elysees and the riders will be passing by my room about 30 times. :thumb: :D

paris is amazing....all the people i met were amazing, the only prix i met were americans..

Forgot to add Rome as well - definitely a must see. Last thing, while taking a the train from Venice to Treviso we started talking to a some Brits and when they found out we were from California, they raved about food their. Considering Brit food is pretty tasteless I wasn't that surprised, however, when I asked which restaurants, he said.... DENNY'S. Freakin DENNY's! Imagine that.

Ian in SD

I'm going to

Munich
Vienna
Prague

at the end of the month. No cycling though, lots of running (which I'll need to burn off those Oktoberfest calories).

Is it true that people just pee in the streets there? My friend's ex-wife is from Paris. Her brother has serious B.O. Does everyone in the France have that problem?

Is it true that people just pee in the streets there? My friend's ex-wife is from Paris. Her brother has serious B.O. Does everyone in the France have that problem?

Never saw any peeing in the streets... however using the subway in France in the middle of summer can provide one with some interesting aromas.

On a side, when I was in Tokyo, the downtown area had an ashtray holder on each street corner - that's alot of butts!

Ian in SD

Is it true that people just pee in the streets there? My friend's ex-wife is from Paris. Her brother has serious B.O. Does everyone in the France have that problem?

They don't do that anymore. I was in Paris in the 80's, and people let their kids piss in the street - many Europeans were surprised by the angry reactions they got when they tried that in the US.

That stuff doesn't fly anymore over there, though.


Never saw any peeing in the streets... however using the subway in France in the middle of summer can provide one with some interesting aromas.

On a side, when I was in Tokyo, the downtown area had an ashtray holder on each street corner - that's alot of butts!

Ian in SD


You're spot-on about the BO in the subway.

When I was in Tokyo, I don't remember the public ashtrays - supposedly, it's bad manners to smoke in public there. (so I didn't see too many people smoking on the streets, although smoking is very popular there.)

In fact, we were touring the Suntory brewery and some classmates stepped outside for a smoke. Somebody saw them and said "Hey, what are you doing smoking out here? You need to go inside to smoke!"

Never saw any peeing in the streets... however using the subway in France in the middle of summer can provide one with some interesting aromas.
Ian in SD

One of largest train stations in Paris when I was there smelled of human excrement.

One of largest train stations in Paris when I was there smelled of human excrement.

Yeah... probably the Gard du Nord or Gard de l'Est. They too had that... smell. What I also found interesting is that the toilets on the trains are open, in that when you flush your package doesn't go to a holding tank, it goes right down to the tracks. Kinda freak me out the first time I had to go in Italy - just wasn't expecting that. I learned to take a step back before flushing - it's amazing what all the air pressure can do to poo! Makes me stay away from the train tracks here now.

Another good tidbit for your Extort, try to map out all known American resturant's (Starbucks, etc), they usually have more modern bathrooms and usually are free. Believe me, finding a clean bathroom when you really have to go to is not that easy in Paris or Italy for that matter.

Ian in SD

I have a friend that lives in Madrid and another living in Rome that I plan on seeing, but otherwise my ittinerary is open right now. Thanks for all the suggestions, keep them coming!

Another good tidbit for your Extort, try to map out all known American resturant's (Starbucks, etc), they usually have more modern bathrooms and usually are free. Believe me, finding a clean bathroom when you really have to go to is not that easy in Paris or Italy for that matter.

Ian in SD
when i was in ireland i used a burger king bathroom and saw this on the ground:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/2624634881_4fd35ee35b.jpg?v=0

when i was in ireland i used a burger king bathroom and saw this on the ground:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/2624634881_4fd35ee35b.jpg?v=0

Reminds me of a favorite movie - Trainspotting.

I'm going to

Munich
Vienna
Prague

at the end of the month. No cycling though, lots of running (which I'll need to burn off those Oktoberfest calories).

Sounds like a great trip. Have fun and say hello to my family in Prague :D

PS whoever said that there are beautiful girls in Sweden never been to Prague :love: