Pardonnez-moi, Paris

Climb the Eiffel Tower by stairs, and stop by Le Suffren for fresh crepes before or after 

Play in Disneyland Paris 

Visit a pharmacie for beauty needs

Eat in a French restaurant

Walk down Avenue Montaigne to see the shops of the top fashion houses - some have reception desks and porters! 

Wander Le Marais thoroughly 

Visit an art gallery - the Musée d'Art Moderne has a no-nonsense layout and plenty of interesting and varied works 

Visit the Louvre square and pyramids 

Look for food around Rue Saint-Germain, and admire the Seine 

Eat falafel at L'As du Fallafel in Le Marais 

French people are polite and nice! I heard “excusez-moi Monsieur/Madame” many times! 

The view from the Eiffel Tower IS worth the walk (not the price of the lift though) 

Sundays ARE dead, even around the Eiffel Tower, all except in Le Marais as far as I saw - it’s safer to assume that all restaurants are closed on Sundays. Pharmacie des Archives and Le Suffren is open on Sunday. 

The metro is pleasant and easy to use - buy a carnet of 10 tickets 

One needs to do some searching before eating out to guarantee a good meal 

The Japanese quarter is small but the food is truly authentic

Aki Boulanger is a bit overrated, most of the pastries taste like bread

Everything isn’t that expensive…food is slightly cheaper than Ireland and a lot cheaper than Scandinavia

Paris is not wheelchair-friendly…metro = stairs everywhere, few elevators 

There aren’t many panhandlers

The buskers on the train aren’t that annoying or demanding

Honestly, my overall review of Paris can be summarised in one line: no culture shock. It’s remarkably similar to Dublin except with many beautiful large buildings, cheaper food and (French) beauty brands, and of course the obvious attractions. Great place to visit for someone who doesn’t want somewhere too unfamiliar. It’s not as beautiful as certain other cities, but it’s easy to navigate. 

I’d like to visit:

Canal St. Martin

Inside The Louvre 

Notre Dame

Two French restaurants recommended to me by my French ami: Aux Artistes, and Memere Paulette 

Colette

Shakespeare & Co.

Conversational

Pardon = sorry/excuse me Je suis desolé = I’m sorry L’addition, s’il vous plaît = the bill, please Je voudrais… = I would like… Ça va = how are you Ça va bien = I’m well Et toi? = and you? Bonjour = hello Bon soir = good evening (after 4 or so) Au revoir = goodbye Merci = thank you Oui = yes Non = no x personnes = x number of people (to be seated) Combien = how much Comment = what Pourquoi = why

Vocabulary