France

[lyore]

Yep folks, it's official. I'm going to France. And also to the UK, and possibly to Italy, depending on what we decide to do. At the moment looks like being 20 days in France, primarily based in Paris and Northern France (cause Paris is where the free accommodation is *waves to kasneeze) and then 10 days in England/UK. Only 5 weeks to get everything organised...

This is my first proper overseas trip (NZ does not count), and it's far and away the longest holiday I've ever been on. Which means that I'm very excited, but only slightly less nervous. I'm hoping to get the dates finalised and tickets booked this week.

On that note, anyone out there got any tips/warnings/dos and don'ts/things to do and see? So far, the collective wisdom of my RL friends has informed me that:
a. Europe is full of pickpockets so talented that they steal the clothes off your back and you never even notice,
b. Europe is a very good place to go to pick up guys from Australia (with bonus points if they actually come from your home town), and
c. Starting a conversation on a plane with 'Hi Jack' is a Very Bad Idea.

In other matters, I've got the latest episode of Supernatural but in an unnatural bout of good-sisterlyness, have decided to wait for bob_ette to arrive tomorrow before watching it. This has nothing to do with the fact I have SG-1 and Dr Who to watch tonight. I heard there has been some... interesting fan reactions to this one, so I'm especially curious about it.

Comments

[threnody.livejournal.com]

France is awesome. I loved it there. We stayed in the north east(ish), a town called Nogent-Le-Rotrou in Eure-et-Loire, on the border of Normandy iirc. The countryside is beautiful around there, and we loved LeMans. I would have loved to spend more time in Paris, but we only got one day there. The upper class got two, boo. I always wanted to go see the catacombs- instead I got to see Whistler's Mother and every postcard stand and bridge from Musee d'Orsay to Notre Dame. :D (And lots of other things- Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe, some 14th century chapel whose name I can't recall that had the bible in stained glass all over- it's amazing what you can pack into a day.)

If you're going to be based in that area anyhow, I suggest Rouen. I really loved it there. The cathedral is amazing, and you can go see where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake! (We were morbid teenagers, okay?)

Giverny is also nice, though in five weeks I'm not sure if it's open or if it would be nice to look at if it was (we went in mid-April).

Mont St. Michel is a trek from Paris, and we never went (schedule was too tight), but I heard it's really awesome.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Thanks, this info is great! Rouen, huh? Stake-burning is good. Well, not really, but you know what I mean. And Giverny. Mont St. Michel *Adds names to list*
And I'm definitely planning on seeing the catacombs!

Just out of curiousity, when did you go to France? And were you driving or taking public transport? I ask because we aren't planning on renting a car in France, and while I've seen the public relations procures about the train system, I was wondering how effective it is once you move away from Paris.

[threnody.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I won't be very helpful that way- I went in 1997, with my high school. There were forty of us and we hired one of those giant tour buses to cart us around.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Wow, you went to France for school? That's one of the disadvantages of growing up (and living) in Australia - no overseas school trips for us.