Last year, how we saved money is we rented a Gite (cottage) for a week in Esvres (very near to Tours), and bought food from the supermarket and did our own cooking. It was just fantastic. We targeted the items that are cheaper in France like Champagne, all sorts of Foie Gras concoctions, Baguette, salad, jambon (ham), fromage (cheese), AOC Beurre (Butter), real cloudy Apple Juice (no Marigold does NOT make real apple juice), and all the local fruits like cherries, plums, apricots ... that's all I can remember. It cost us a fraction of the price compared to if we had the same things in SG.
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- Thread starter rtan
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lovetotravel
New Member
Hi threasher,
I think season of spring brings rain. snow melting and flowers blooming
don't worry, rain will come and go and the weather forecast is not always accurate.
raymond i love millefeuille too. I had it in Paris sitting by the river siene...abit messy though..haha. guess its better to eat with proper plates and fork. another pastry I like is round like a tart with potato and chocolate filling, really delicious...had it in Nice.
Cost only 2euro.
I think season of spring brings rain. snow melting and flowers blooming
don't worry, rain will come and go and the weather forecast is not always accurate.
raymond i love millefeuille too. I had it in Paris sitting by the river siene...abit messy though..haha. guess its better to eat with proper plates and fork. another pastry I like is round like a tart with potato and chocolate filling, really delicious...had it in Nice.
Cost only 2euro.
Hi Peng,
We're always on the hunt in France for the perfect Millefeuille; they are so good. So far we've always been sorely disappointed in Singapore; Baker's Inn's millefeuilles (at Vivocity) are a joke; our simple comment is that "They don't understand what a millefeuille is". It's that bad.
Any ideas for GOOD millefeuilles in Singapore?
Do you remember the name of that thing you had in Nice? Is it a dessert or a snack?
Here is a wonderful food blog that my wife came across:
http://cocotterouge.blogspot.com/search?q=christmas+in+France
Check out especially "Christmas in France" and "Seeing stars, smelling truffles".
We're always on the hunt in France for the perfect Millefeuille; they are so good. So far we've always been sorely disappointed in Singapore; Baker's Inn's millefeuilles (at Vivocity) are a joke; our simple comment is that "They don't understand what a millefeuille is". It's that bad.
Any ideas for GOOD millefeuilles in Singapore?
Do you remember the name of that thing you had in Nice? Is it a dessert or a snack?
Here is a wonderful food blog that my wife came across:
http://cocotterouge.blogspot.com/search?q=christmas+in+France
Check out especially "Christmas in France" and "Seeing stars, smelling truffles".
lovetotravel
New Member
I think more of a desert, not too sure. I can't remember the name cos I walk pass the store and it looks delicious. I bought twice. One is the potato with chocolate and the other is apple filling. when we were buying, there is this gentleman (a customer) trying to explain the different ingredient in the tart. I can tell he had a hard time expressing but so keen to tell us about it...haha.
Oh and I do find the pears in france sweet and juicy. don't think they are well known for pears but all the pears we bought were so soft and sweet. We eat too much potato chips while driving so must eat something cooling
Oh and I do find the pears in france sweet and juicy. don't think they are well known for pears but all the pears we bought were so soft and sweet. We eat too much potato chips while driving so must eat something cooling
lovetotravel
New Member
hey threasher,
did u take pic of that ikan bilis? I am interested to see how it looks like.
did u take pic of that ikan bilis? I am interested to see how it looks like.
Hi guys,
We are not in Tours. I didn't put any update here because I had some problems with the Internet. Anyway, this hotel here, Hotel Terminus, is just next to the train station, and do provide free Internet access. Service is good, but the room toilet could be better.
Yesterday we joined a tour group here for a chateau tour. The price is 45 euros per person, but we still have to pay for entrance to each chateau, but with reduced price. We visited Château de Chenonceau, Château d'Amboise, Château de Chambord, Château de Cheverny and also Château du Clos Lucé (the house where Leonardo de Vinci lived for the last 3 years of his life) yesterday. Today, we joined the half day morning tour and visited Château de Villandry and Château de Langeais.
There were light rain on and off here. But we were very lucky because it rained when we were in the van in between chateaus, and when we reach each chateau, the rain stopped!
I thought the package tours were pretty rush. Each chateau visit is only one hour or one and a half hour only. It's the same kind of rush-here-rush-there feeling when you join a package tour group.
We are not in Tours. I didn't put any update here because I had some problems with the Internet. Anyway, this hotel here, Hotel Terminus, is just next to the train station, and do provide free Internet access. Service is good, but the room toilet could be better.
Yesterday we joined a tour group here for a chateau tour. The price is 45 euros per person, but we still have to pay for entrance to each chateau, but with reduced price. We visited Château de Chenonceau, Château d'Amboise, Château de Chambord, Château de Cheverny and also Château du Clos Lucé (the house where Leonardo de Vinci lived for the last 3 years of his life) yesterday. Today, we joined the half day morning tour and visited Château de Villandry and Château de Langeais.
There were light rain on and off here. But we were very lucky because it rained when we were in the van in between chateaus, and when we reach each chateau, the rain stopped!
I thought the package tours were pretty rush. Each chateau visit is only one hour or one and a half hour only. It's the same kind of rush-here-rush-there feeling when you join a package tour group.
Oops, I meant to say we are in Tours now, and we will travel to Caen tomorrow. I have already bought a Michelin 303 map in Chamonix (one shop there sells a lot of maps). There is nothing much in Tours except that it is a good place as a base. There are many shops and restaurants here. This afternoon till now, we have nothing much to do. Most of the shops are closed because it is Labour Day today.
I think this trip could be too long for us. Now we are feeling a bit sick of the whole thing. I mean, after seeing so many chateaus and buildings, we somehow get numb about it. Next time we will go on shorter trips like 1 week, and no more Europe for us!
I think this trip could be too long for us. Now we are feeling a bit sick of the whole thing. I mean, after seeing so many chateaus and buildings, we somehow get numb about it. Next time we will go on shorter trips like 1 week, and no more Europe for us!
Hi Raymond,
There is a Mac just around the corner here. Actually I find that MacDonald is just a cheap and realiable source of food for us. "Reliable" because whichever country I go, they taste the same. The french fries here is the same as what I get in Singapore and the US. At least I know that I will get what I pay for. This is unlike walking into any other restaurant and not knowing what you will be getting.
By the way, last night my wife and I found a Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese restaurant that has a buffer for 15.90 euros per person. We actually found the food pretty good. In fact, the business is good. You can see many caucasians in there. What I can say is that the food is up to the same standard as what you will get in Singapore. In fact, with that price, it is considered cheap. I think they should put this restaurant in the recommended list of restaurants in a travel guide. They have this thing that is like goreng pisang, except that what is inside is pineapple. And it's really good!
There is a Mac just around the corner here. Actually I find that MacDonald is just a cheap and realiable source of food for us. "Reliable" because whichever country I go, they taste the same. The french fries here is the same as what I get in Singapore and the US. At least I know that I will get what I pay for. This is unlike walking into any other restaurant and not knowing what you will be getting.
By the way, last night my wife and I found a Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese restaurant that has a buffer for 15.90 euros per person. We actually found the food pretty good. In fact, the business is good. You can see many caucasians in there. What I can say is that the food is up to the same standard as what you will get in Singapore. In fact, with that price, it is considered cheap. I think they should put this restaurant in the recommended list of restaurants in a travel guide. They have this thing that is like goreng pisang, except that what is inside is pineapple. And it's really good!
Dear Threasher,
Thanks for the updates.
It's a pity that you and your wife are not able to appreciate French food, wine, cheese, etc.; but to each his own. To us, it is one of the highlights of going to France; that's why we've gone back every year for the last three years. Anyway, there is no right or wrong and each has their own preferences. At the very least you can say that you have tried.
What you are facing is called tourist fatigue, where they bring you to as many places as possible in as little time as possible. That's why we never join any sort of tour packages, be it those sort that depart from Singapore, or local tour packages. We always rent a car and drive around on our own, you can really just take things at your own leisurely pace; hopefully because of that, you will enjoy your Caen segment a lot more.
Wow that *is* a LOT of chateaus; you visited more in 1.5 days than we did in one whole week. How not to get sick of it? It's like taking your one week's medicine in one day, or eating one week's worth of food in one day. Sure to get sick or indigestion.
Furthermore there is no variety at all; in our one week stay at the Loire valley, we also visited street markets, quaint villages, and wine caves. It was very leisurely, we woke up at like 11am every morning, drove down to the local supermarket, loaded up on a few things, made brunch, then headed off. We also saw little pleasures like a mother duck with her entourage of ducklings on the river Indres, whole fields of red ibis flowers (the flower after which the hotel chain is named after), a whole row of lavender flowers growing right outside our cottage with lots of pretty butterflies and bees buzzing around... it is these little pleasures that made the trip unforgettable; not the tonnes of chateaus we saw.
For EUR 15.90 you can get a VERY decent lunch or a reasonably decent dinner with the French local cuisine; but to each his own. We would NEVER eat anything except French or Italian in France, since we can find excellent Chinese/Thai food very cheaply in SG. Eating Macs is an abomination in France; processed trash is always processed trash no matter how well or consistent it is. I agree that eating out in restaurants is a bit of a wildcard, but no pain no gain; though the vast majority of our eating experiences have been well above average.
But it's just us and we have adapted very well to French cuisine; in fact, I actually have a preference for French anytime over Chinese. Haha.
I'm sure you'll enjoy your Caen segment a lot more; try to appreciate the scenery, focus not just on the destination but on the path you take, stop when you see something interesting, buy some fruits or stop by small shops, etc. And don't argue over the navigation.
Try to find time to walk in a park or rent a bicycle to cycle around; i.e. do the things that the locals do; it will greatly enhance your experience.
Thanks for the updates.
It's a pity that you and your wife are not able to appreciate French food, wine, cheese, etc.; but to each his own. To us, it is one of the highlights of going to France; that's why we've gone back every year for the last three years. Anyway, there is no right or wrong and each has their own preferences. At the very least you can say that you have tried.
What you are facing is called tourist fatigue, where they bring you to as many places as possible in as little time as possible. That's why we never join any sort of tour packages, be it those sort that depart from Singapore, or local tour packages. We always rent a car and drive around on our own, you can really just take things at your own leisurely pace; hopefully because of that, you will enjoy your Caen segment a lot more.
Wow that *is* a LOT of chateaus; you visited more in 1.5 days than we did in one whole week. How not to get sick of it? It's like taking your one week's medicine in one day, or eating one week's worth of food in one day. Sure to get sick or indigestion.
Furthermore there is no variety at all; in our one week stay at the Loire valley, we also visited street markets, quaint villages, and wine caves. It was very leisurely, we woke up at like 11am every morning, drove down to the local supermarket, loaded up on a few things, made brunch, then headed off. We also saw little pleasures like a mother duck with her entourage of ducklings on the river Indres, whole fields of red ibis flowers (the flower after which the hotel chain is named after), a whole row of lavender flowers growing right outside our cottage with lots of pretty butterflies and bees buzzing around... it is these little pleasures that made the trip unforgettable; not the tonnes of chateaus we saw.
For EUR 15.90 you can get a VERY decent lunch or a reasonably decent dinner with the French local cuisine; but to each his own. We would NEVER eat anything except French or Italian in France, since we can find excellent Chinese/Thai food very cheaply in SG. Eating Macs is an abomination in France; processed trash is always processed trash no matter how well or consistent it is. I agree that eating out in restaurants is a bit of a wildcard, but no pain no gain; though the vast majority of our eating experiences have been well above average.
But it's just us and we have adapted very well to French cuisine; in fact, I actually have a preference for French anytime over Chinese. Haha.
I'm sure you'll enjoy your Caen segment a lot more; try to appreciate the scenery, focus not just on the destination but on the path you take, stop when you see something interesting, buy some fruits or stop by small shops, etc. And don't argue over the navigation.
Try to find time to walk in a park or rent a bicycle to cycle around; i.e. do the things that the locals do; it will greatly enhance your experience.
Dear Threasher,
The other thing I realised is that at EUR 45 per person to visit the chateaus, it is not cheap at all. Renting your own car and driving around isn't going to be more expensive (EUR 45 * 2 persons = EUR 90 which can easily rent you a car for a day), plus you get the extra flexibility as well. Of course the thing is you have to plan and navigate.
The other thing I realised is that at EUR 45 per person to visit the chateaus, it is not cheap at all. Renting your own car and driving around isn't going to be more expensive (EUR 45 * 2 persons = EUR 90 which can easily rent you a car for a day), plus you get the extra flexibility as well. Of course the thing is you have to plan and navigate.
lovetotravel
New Member
hi threasher,
I do hope u will enjoy your road trip to caen and Paris more. In Paris, besides the usual tourist attraction, you can take a stroll at latin quatier and there is a good walking guide starting from sully station (can't remember now) it covers the old streets of Paris and old houses as well. You can stop by the famous Berthillon (sorry can't remember the spelling) for their delicious ice-cream.
oh and the best place to view eiffel tower is at trocadeo station. Take a walk from trocadeo station and gradually approach the eiffel tower.
When u walk to Notre dame church, there is a road side stall selling crepes...very popular and alot of ppl queuing for it. This seller knows how to say thank you in chinese..Try the mushroom, cheese & ham crepes known as "all complete" There is this small park behind notre dame church where u can sit and have your snack.
Do sit by the cafe and watch the world goes by....
hope it helps make your trip better.
I do hope u will enjoy your road trip to caen and Paris more. In Paris, besides the usual tourist attraction, you can take a stroll at latin quatier and there is a good walking guide starting from sully station (can't remember now) it covers the old streets of Paris and old houses as well. You can stop by the famous Berthillon (sorry can't remember the spelling) for their delicious ice-cream.
oh and the best place to view eiffel tower is at trocadeo station. Take a walk from trocadeo station and gradually approach the eiffel tower.
When u walk to Notre dame church, there is a road side stall selling crepes...very popular and alot of ppl queuing for it. This seller knows how to say thank you in chinese..Try the mushroom, cheese & ham crepes known as "all complete" There is this small park behind notre dame church where u can sit and have your snack.
Do sit by the cafe and watch the world goes by....
hope it helps make your trip better.
Hi Threasher,
Wow... we were just thinking about it... five chateaus in one day, and two in the next morning... if my wife and I had to visit five apartments / condos / houses for house viewing in one day, and two the next morning, we would be exhausted. Don't know about you, maybe you have more stamina than us.
Don't you think it's a little too rushed and cramped? If visiting so many chateaus leaves one jaded, exhausted, and not remembering much about the Chateaus, is it worth it? Are you competing with a friend to see how many checkboxes of chateaus you can tick off on your holiday? If you are, well you have certainly beat us hehe... we didn't visit as many chateaus in a week as you did in 1.5 days.
This is one clear case where I feel that more is less, and less is more.
Perhaps I feel a better option would be to rent a car for two days and visit just a few chateaus at your own leisure. After that, drive down to Caen so you combine both periods of car rental to have a longer period of car rental and thus it is cheaper per day. I could have given you our personal recommendations of chateaus to visit as well as chateaus to avoid.
Wow... we were just thinking about it... five chateaus in one day, and two in the next morning... if my wife and I had to visit five apartments / condos / houses for house viewing in one day, and two the next morning, we would be exhausted. Don't know about you, maybe you have more stamina than us.
Don't you think it's a little too rushed and cramped? If visiting so many chateaus leaves one jaded, exhausted, and not remembering much about the Chateaus, is it worth it? Are you competing with a friend to see how many checkboxes of chateaus you can tick off on your holiday? If you are, well you have certainly beat us hehe... we didn't visit as many chateaus in a week as you did in 1.5 days.
This is one clear case where I feel that more is less, and less is more.
Perhaps I feel a better option would be to rent a car for two days and visit just a few chateaus at your own leisure. After that, drive down to Caen so you combine both periods of car rental to have a longer period of car rental and thus it is cheaper per day. I could have given you our personal recommendations of chateaus to visit as well as chateaus to avoid.
Dear Threasher,
I realised you will be driving slightly over 100km one-way (that's over 200km in a day) when going from Caen to St Malo. Hmm. Be sure that your wife gets enough rest on the night before. I'm not sure how used she is to long-distanced driving, but it's not the same as driving around on a daily basis in Singapore. If she drives up to Malaysia regularly or she has had other experiences driving long distances, she will be ok; if not, then it's good to take precautions and avoid driver fatigue.
I realised you will be driving slightly over 100km one-way (that's over 200km in a day) when going from Caen to St Malo. Hmm. Be sure that your wife gets enough rest on the night before. I'm not sure how used she is to long-distanced driving, but it's not the same as driving around on a daily basis in Singapore. If she drives up to Malaysia regularly or she has had other experiences driving long distances, she will be ok; if not, then it's good to take precautions and avoid driver fatigue.
Hi Raymond,
We arrived in Paris today!
We arrived in Caen last Friday. The hotel that we stayed in was Rex Hotel, just next to the train station, and also along the same shops as Europcar. The owner was very friendly and helpful, but the room was very basic.
I must say that my wife had passed her driving test in France with flying colours!
At first when we got the car, we tried to drive to Bayeux, but we got lost within Caen as we do not have a detailed map of it. Now I know why you printed detailed google map.
Anyway, after asking and just driving around trying our luck, we found the sign Bayeux and just follow the direction. Basically, the Michelin map is very helpful when you want to travel between cities, but it is useless when you reach a city. It's actually quite easy to navigate. We did encounter problems on the roads now and then, but they were quite minor and we were able to get on track pretty fast. A bit of common sense (and sense of direction) helps. My wife has no sense of direction so she depends on me. But her driving skill is good. She was able to drive on the other side naturally, unlike some people who still tends to drive the car over to the left side. Although she has not driven actively for a couple of years, she still does drive when she goes back to Kedah every year. She and her siblings drive long distance over night to Kedah, and they drive like 130-150km/h. So over here, it's quite easy, actually. But she and I did get stressed sometime when we got lost. When we got to a city, it's basically just trying our luck to get out because we didn't have any detailed map.
Over here, the maximum she drove was 130km/h. On Friday, we got to Bayeux for a while, then we headed down to Omaha Beach. On Saturday, we drove to Mont St-Michel, and further on the St Malo. There was no toll booth all the way. On Sunday, we went to Le Harve, then on to Eterat. The cliffs there are just amazing and spectacular! It's a good place to spend a day. It's strange that this place is not part of any package tour we saw in Singapore.
We arrived in Paris today!
We arrived in Caen last Friday. The hotel that we stayed in was Rex Hotel, just next to the train station, and also along the same shops as Europcar. The owner was very friendly and helpful, but the room was very basic.
I must say that my wife had passed her driving test in France with flying colours!
At first when we got the car, we tried to drive to Bayeux, but we got lost within Caen as we do not have a detailed map of it. Now I know why you printed detailed google map.
Over here, the maximum she drove was 130km/h. On Friday, we got to Bayeux for a while, then we headed down to Omaha Beach. On Saturday, we drove to Mont St-Michel, and further on the St Malo. There was no toll booth all the way. On Sunday, we went to Le Harve, then on to Eterat. The cliffs there are just amazing and spectacular! It's a good place to spend a day. It's strange that this place is not part of any package tour we saw in Singapore.
Hi Raymond,
I did thought of renting a car in Tours, but as you know, at that time, it is considered a risk to us because we have no experience with driving a car on the other side of the road in a country that speaks a language that we don't understand.
But now, I know that we can rent a car next time. Actually, to be honest, during the time when we had a car here, I am glad that we did not get into any accident, or the car broke down. Otherwise, I wouldn't really know what to do.
Filling up at a petrol station was quite easy actually. Just look for Diesel, fill up, and pay at the kiosk. On the way to Le Harve, we did encountered toll at the Normandy Bridge. I just told my wife to drive to the booth with a person there. We just paid in cash, which is 4 Euros for our car. We only encountered one toll on the way there because we avoided one of the autoroutes. We were initially on this autoroute, but there was a jam, so I told my wife to change to another route (one with DXXX number). So I guess we avoid some more tolls. On the way back, we encountered 3 tolls, one of which is at the Normandy Bridge. So the cost was 4, 3 and 1 Euros.
I did thought of renting a car in Tours, but as you know, at that time, it is considered a risk to us because we have no experience with driving a car on the other side of the road in a country that speaks a language that we don't understand.
But now, I know that we can rent a car next time. Actually, to be honest, during the time when we had a car here, I am glad that we did not get into any accident, or the car broke down. Otherwise, I wouldn't really know what to do.
Filling up at a petrol station was quite easy actually. Just look for Diesel, fill up, and pay at the kiosk. On the way to Le Harve, we did encountered toll at the Normandy Bridge. I just told my wife to drive to the booth with a person there. We just paid in cash, which is 4 Euros for our car. We only encountered one toll on the way there because we avoided one of the autoroutes. We were initially on this autoroute, but there was a jam, so I told my wife to change to another route (one with DXXX number). So I guess we avoid some more tolls. On the way back, we encountered 3 tolls, one of which is at the Normandy Bridge. So the cost was 4, 3 and 1 Euros.
Hi Raymond,
Some questions:
1. Is it cheaper to buy branded bags (like LV, Gucci, etc) in Paris than in Singapore? If cheaper, is it only in certain shops?
2. I noticed the French people saying "thank you" like "merci vu ku". What is the exact words that they were saying, and what does it mean?
So far, we only use bonjour, bouvoir, and merci here. I tend to still bonjour even when it's night time, as I can't seem to remember that it's night and I need to use the other greeting.
Overall, I find that French people here really friendl and helpful, unlike what we have heard. Today, when we arrived at Paris and looking for hotel, a middle age gentleman, with a smoke in hand, walked right up to us and offered to help us. We show him on the map where we want to go, and he showed us the way.
Oh, by the way, I found that there is free Internet access at this hotel (Hotel de Rouen). It's not from the hotel, but from someone's network. There was no internet access at all in Caen.
Some questions:
1. Is it cheaper to buy branded bags (like LV, Gucci, etc) in Paris than in Singapore? If cheaper, is it only in certain shops?
2. I noticed the French people saying "thank you" like "merci vu ku". What is the exact words that they were saying, and what does it mean?
So far, we only use bonjour, bouvoir, and merci here. I tend to still bonjour even when it's night time, as I can't seem to remember that it's night and I need to use the other greeting.
Overall, I find that French people here really friendl and helpful, unlike what we have heard. Today, when we arrived at Paris and looking for hotel, a middle age gentleman, with a smoke in hand, walked right up to us and offered to help us. We show him on the map where we want to go, and he showed us the way.
Oh, by the way, I found that there is free Internet access at this hotel (Hotel de Rouen). It's not from the hotel, but from someone's network. There was no internet access at all in Caen.
Dear Threasher,
I'm really glad that both of you enjoyed the Caen segment of your trip.
It's very different having your own rental car right? Yes, the cliffs of Etretat are indeed spectacular. Honestly, the tour packages from SG only cover the very major tourist attractions; there are many many more out-of-the-way attractions that are waiting to be discovered in France. That's why we go back to France every year and we always rent a car. If you avoid the tolls as you have done, you may find that overall it may even be cheaper than travelling by trains, plus you get all the flexibility.
If you had gotten into any accident or if the car broke down, you would have to call the number that is given by the rental company. How was the car? Was it up to your expectations? Did you have to wait long to collect the car, or were they on time? Was the car new / old?
Gucci is cheapest in Italy since it is an Italian brand, but nevertheless still relatively cheap in France since you can get the tax refund. For LV, the cheapest place to buy it is anywhere in France; they are all the same price. Since you are already in Paris, you can get it from the LV at Champs Elysees; but honestly to me it is not a pleasant shopping experience as it is always crowded and filled with some (not all of course) very inconsiderate tourists who do stupid things like fill up the customer particulars form in a foreign language (not English and not French), among other inconsiderate actions. Depending on the day and time you go, you might expect a long queue outside the shop. We bought our stuff last year in the LV at Lyon and it was a much much nicer and intimate experience.
But you have no choice now since you are in Paris, and the prices in LV are the cheapest you will find anywhere in the world especially after the tax refund (gotta spend more than 175 Euros or something like that though), so it is definitely worth buying it in Paris. Other French brands will also be cheapest in France.
Bonjour: Good day. Bon soir: Good evening (generally after 6pm). Merci beaucoup: thank you very much: the letter p is silent.
I'm glad you've had good encounters in France and Paris so far; be slightly more wary in Paris because some people might approach you pretending to be helpful but an accomplice may be helping themselves to your belongings while you are distracted. Use some common sense. Now you know why I always print out detailed maps in Google since we don't want to have to resort to asking people on the road, who for the vast majority are friendly and helpful; but just one bad experience with losing your stuff and you will hate France forever, which is something we want to avoid.
Do enjoy Paris and try to do the non-touristy things; try to rent a bicycle and cycle around, and do other local things. Enjoy the City of Lights and be extra careful with your belongings and valuables.
I'm really glad that both of you enjoyed the Caen segment of your trip.
If you had gotten into any accident or if the car broke down, you would have to call the number that is given by the rental company. How was the car? Was it up to your expectations? Did you have to wait long to collect the car, or were they on time? Was the car new / old?
Gucci is cheapest in Italy since it is an Italian brand, but nevertheless still relatively cheap in France since you can get the tax refund. For LV, the cheapest place to buy it is anywhere in France; they are all the same price. Since you are already in Paris, you can get it from the LV at Champs Elysees; but honestly to me it is not a pleasant shopping experience as it is always crowded and filled with some (not all of course) very inconsiderate tourists who do stupid things like fill up the customer particulars form in a foreign language (not English and not French), among other inconsiderate actions. Depending on the day and time you go, you might expect a long queue outside the shop. We bought our stuff last year in the LV at Lyon and it was a much much nicer and intimate experience.
But you have no choice now since you are in Paris, and the prices in LV are the cheapest you will find anywhere in the world especially after the tax refund (gotta spend more than 175 Euros or something like that though), so it is definitely worth buying it in Paris. Other French brands will also be cheapest in France.
Bonjour: Good day. Bon soir: Good evening (generally after 6pm). Merci beaucoup: thank you very much: the letter p is silent.
I'm glad you've had good encounters in France and Paris so far; be slightly more wary in Paris because some people might approach you pretending to be helpful but an accomplice may be helping themselves to your belongings while you are distracted. Use some common sense. Now you know why I always print out detailed maps in Google since we don't want to have to resort to asking people on the road, who for the vast majority are friendly and helpful; but just one bad experience with losing your stuff and you will hate France forever, which is something we want to avoid.
Do enjoy Paris and try to do the non-touristy things; try to rent a bicycle and cycle around, and do other local things. Enjoy the City of Lights and be extra careful with your belongings and valuables.
lovetotravel
New Member
Hi threasher,
if u want to buy LV bag, best go to champs elyees in the morning just when the shop is open. The queue will not be that long and their service will be better. when it is crowded, u have to queue outside the shop which I personally feel its kind of silly.
u can claim tax refund from the airport. When i was in dupliex station, it took us around 1hour to travel to cdg airport by metro. Also if u need to claim tax refund etc, please reach there earlier, the queue is long.
and time flies...u are coming back soon and raymond u will be flying off next
if u want to buy LV bag, best go to champs elyees in the morning just when the shop is open. The queue will not be that long and their service will be better. when it is crowded, u have to queue outside the shop which I personally feel its kind of silly.
u can claim tax refund from the airport. When i was in dupliex station, it took us around 1hour to travel to cdg airport by metro. Also if u need to claim tax refund etc, please reach there earlier, the queue is long.
and time flies...u are coming back soon and raymond u will be flying off next
Dear Threasher,
It took us about 30-45 minutes in the queue for the tax refund at the airport. As Peng says, give about 45 mins - 1 hour to travel to CDG airport by the RER B. Remember that you need to buy a separate ticket to go to the airport on the RER, you cannot use the metro ticket. It will cost about EUR 8+ per person or so.
It is best that you carry your valuable branded bags (and all other valuable stuff) by HAND CARRY; do not check it into your luggage. What has happened is that these people are a syndicate; somehow only the luggage with branded bags inside goes missing, and you can only claim a few hundred bucks from insurance for a bag that cost 1k or more; ouch.
Usually what we do is we bring an extra bag just to put our dirty clothings, and check that in; that creates extra space in our bag pack and we stuff the valuable stuff in our bag pack and carry it with us on to the plane, keeping watch on it.
It took us about 30-45 minutes in the queue for the tax refund at the airport. As Peng says, give about 45 mins - 1 hour to travel to CDG airport by the RER B. Remember that you need to buy a separate ticket to go to the airport on the RER, you cannot use the metro ticket. It will cost about EUR 8+ per person or so.
It is best that you carry your valuable branded bags (and all other valuable stuff) by HAND CARRY; do not check it into your luggage. What has happened is that these people are a syndicate; somehow only the luggage with branded bags inside goes missing, and you can only claim a few hundred bucks from insurance for a bag that cost 1k or more; ouch.
Usually what we do is we bring an extra bag just to put our dirty clothings, and check that in; that creates extra space in our bag pack and we stuff the valuable stuff in our bag pack and carry it with us on to the plane, keeping watch on it.
Hi Raymond,
Paris is just too hot. It is like summer. The earlier part of our trip was cold, due to snow and rain. Now it is so damn hot. It's so hot that walking in the open is really uncomfortable.
We went to Versaille today. I thought we would need a lot of time, but it turns out that we only spent a couple of hours. Walking around the fountains was uncomfortable to me due to the hot sun.
We actually bought the wrong train ticket to Versaille on Tuesday. I asked a stranger in a train station about buying the ticket as the counter there was closed. She told me about the machine, then helped me to buy the tickets. It turned out that she bought me a full-day unlimited ticket for Paris zone 1 and 2. In the end, we just used the tickets on Wednesday to traval around Paris, taking in all the important sights. The price of the tickets for both of us is about 11 Euros. It's not expensive if you take the train a few times a day.
We have talen nights shots of Effel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Moulin Rouge, Musee du Lourve. I'm planning to visit the Louvre tomorrow. We need to check out at 11am, but our flight is at 11.15pm. So the rest of the afternoon will be at the museum.
I must say that this is the worst hotel that I've stayed in. The toilet light was broken for the 1st 2 nights. The boss of the hotel called me and said they will fix it on Wednesday morning, which they did. He gave me a discount of 5 Euros per day for 1st 2 days.
But that's not all. It seems that they have a problem giving us fresh towels. We only have 2 small ones, and they wouldn't give an extra one so that we can put on the toilet floor. When the housekept the room yesterday, I found that the lady just folded up our used towel and hanged up. It's a good thing I found that they are still damp, or I wouldn't know that they didn't change to new ones. They also don't provide us with new soap. I have to ask them for one yesterday, and today they also didn't give new one.
I don't expect a lot for hotel with this rate, but surely this standard is ridiculous.
BTW, I still have 6 tickets left from the carnet of 10 that I bought on Monday. You want to buy from me?
Paris is just too hot. It is like summer. The earlier part of our trip was cold, due to snow and rain. Now it is so damn hot. It's so hot that walking in the open is really uncomfortable.
We went to Versaille today. I thought we would need a lot of time, but it turns out that we only spent a couple of hours. Walking around the fountains was uncomfortable to me due to the hot sun.
We actually bought the wrong train ticket to Versaille on Tuesday. I asked a stranger in a train station about buying the ticket as the counter there was closed. She told me about the machine, then helped me to buy the tickets. It turned out that she bought me a full-day unlimited ticket for Paris zone 1 and 2. In the end, we just used the tickets on Wednesday to traval around Paris, taking in all the important sights. The price of the tickets for both of us is about 11 Euros. It's not expensive if you take the train a few times a day.
We have talen nights shots of Effel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Moulin Rouge, Musee du Lourve. I'm planning to visit the Louvre tomorrow. We need to check out at 11am, but our flight is at 11.15pm. So the rest of the afternoon will be at the museum.
I must say that this is the worst hotel that I've stayed in. The toilet light was broken for the 1st 2 nights. The boss of the hotel called me and said they will fix it on Wednesday morning, which they did. He gave me a discount of 5 Euros per day for 1st 2 days.
But that's not all. It seems that they have a problem giving us fresh towels. We only have 2 small ones, and they wouldn't give an extra one so that we can put on the toilet floor. When the housekept the room yesterday, I found that the lady just folded up our used towel and hanged up. It's a good thing I found that they are still damp, or I wouldn't know that they didn't change to new ones. They also don't provide us with new soap. I have to ask them for one yesterday, and today they also didn't give new one.
I don't expect a lot for hotel with this rate, but surely this standard is ridiculous.
BTW, I still have 6 tickets left from the carnet of 10 that I bought on Monday. You want to buy from me?
Dear Threasher,
I think you were lucky; Versailles is in Zone 4, so you were lucky that you did not get caught by the conductor or it is a huge fine. She probably did not understand you at all.
It sounds like you did what most Singaporeans do; tick off the checkboxes on the core modules, and that's it. I fear you did not discover the True Paris. You only saw the fake Paris, the touristy Paris, the crowded Paris. Ah well. C'est normal. But it's a pity I think.
If you pay peanuts, you get crap heh... I did warn you about the cheap hotel, so you can't really complain. Haha. Cost is relative. I'm not surprised at all about the bad experience in the hotel; if it sounds too good to be true, there must be a catch. Honestly I don't think you can complain about anything because the price is a steal. Just be thankful that there was a bed and a roof over your head for that sort of price. And even a toilet and a bathroom!!!
If you found that price expensive, you shouldn't even consider London... it makes Paris look dirt cheap.
I might consider buying the tickets off you at SGD 2 per ticket, but as you can imagine I will be busy next week and I cannot afford to run around collecting tickets, so if we can meet at Clementi MRT we can do a deal, else you can just sell them to someone else or keep it for your next trip.
Hope you'll have a safe flight back home.
I think you were lucky; Versailles is in Zone 4, so you were lucky that you did not get caught by the conductor or it is a huge fine. She probably did not understand you at all.
It sounds like you did what most Singaporeans do; tick off the checkboxes on the core modules, and that's it. I fear you did not discover the True Paris. You only saw the fake Paris, the touristy Paris, the crowded Paris. Ah well. C'est normal. But it's a pity I think.
If you pay peanuts, you get crap heh... I did warn you about the cheap hotel, so you can't really complain. Haha. Cost is relative. I'm not surprised at all about the bad experience in the hotel; if it sounds too good to be true, there must be a catch. Honestly I don't think you can complain about anything because the price is a steal. Just be thankful that there was a bed and a roof over your head for that sort of price. And even a toilet and a bathroom!!!
If you found that price expensive, you shouldn't even consider London... it makes Paris look dirt cheap.
I might consider buying the tickets off you at SGD 2 per ticket, but as you can imagine I will be busy next week and I cannot afford to run around collecting tickets, so if we can meet at Clementi MRT we can do a deal, else you can just sell them to someone else or keep it for your next trip.
Hope you'll have a safe flight back home.
Hi Raymond,
Well, finally back in Singapore last evening. I guess one benefit we got from the trip was that we are healthier now. For the past few months, my wife and I kept having flu, and we have plemghs in our throats most of the time. After much exercising by walking everyday in France, and getting doses of vitamin D under the sun, we seem to be cured of the problem.
We also have a good tan, especially my wife, who is usually quite fair. In sunny Singapore, we never got any tan because we were indoors most of the time.
We did go to the touristy part of Paris, but it is understandable if you are there only for a short period. For you, you have been there a few times, so of course you will try to go other parts of Paris. We may try going to other parts of Paris and end up finding that it is nothing much after all. It really depends on who the person recommends, and what your interest is. Sometimes a travel guide will say that this place is good, and give high rating, but when we visit that place, it may not be up to our expectation. A example would be Mont St-Michel and Etretat. My Michelin map gave 3 stars to the former, and 2 stars to the latter. But I would prefer Etretat. But of course, to play safe, and if you can choose only one, then you will just follow the recommendation and go for Mont St-Michel. For us in Paris, it is the same, just follow the recommended places to visit.
If a person comes to Singapore as a tourist, I would also ask him to visit Raffles Place rather than go to Toa Payoh centre. The former is a better place in terms of photo shoots, but Toa Payoh would be the "true" Singapore.
For the train tickets, I am not sure if I would be at Clementi to meet you. I am living in the north-east side, and my work place is quite central. Anyway, it is just 6 tickets. Are you sure that we can use it again, maybe a few years later?
Well, finally back in Singapore last evening. I guess one benefit we got from the trip was that we are healthier now. For the past few months, my wife and I kept having flu, and we have plemghs in our throats most of the time. After much exercising by walking everyday in France, and getting doses of vitamin D under the sun, we seem to be cured of the problem.
We did go to the touristy part of Paris, but it is understandable if you are there only for a short period. For you, you have been there a few times, so of course you will try to go other parts of Paris. We may try going to other parts of Paris and end up finding that it is nothing much after all. It really depends on who the person recommends, and what your interest is. Sometimes a travel guide will say that this place is good, and give high rating, but when we visit that place, it may not be up to our expectation. A example would be Mont St-Michel and Etretat. My Michelin map gave 3 stars to the former, and 2 stars to the latter. But I would prefer Etretat. But of course, to play safe, and if you can choose only one, then you will just follow the recommendation and go for Mont St-Michel. For us in Paris, it is the same, just follow the recommended places to visit.
If a person comes to Singapore as a tourist, I would also ask him to visit Raffles Place rather than go to Toa Payoh centre. The former is a better place in terms of photo shoots, but Toa Payoh would be the "true" Singapore.
For the train tickets, I am not sure if I would be at Clementi to meet you. I am living in the north-east side, and my work place is quite central. Anyway, it is just 6 tickets. Are you sure that we can use it again, maybe a few years later?
Dear Threasher,
I hope both of you will recover from your jetlag quickly; in our experience, when we gain time (travel to France), the jetlag we get is quite minimal; returning to Singapore is a completely different story and we spend about a week staring at the ceiling late at night.
I think you can keep the tickets or sell them to someone else; unfortunately as you know, we don't have time this week to run around as we have enough trip preparations to make. You may not be able to use it a few years later so if you don't plan to return to France quickly, it's better to sell them soon.
I'm glad you've also found the benefits of living in a temperate climate; there are pros and cons to both, but that's the nice thing I liked about Spring; the fresh air, bright sunny days, days that are not too warm yet not too cold, and the nice mild tan. Hope your phlegm does not return.
The same thing happened to me when we went to France last year, my mum said I looked healthier and it's true as part of my travel to work in Grenoble, I would walk 15 minutes one way to the tram station.
Pictures?
Also if you could give some advice to us, and your best and worst experiences in the trip. That would be helpful I think. Thanks.
I hope both of you will recover from your jetlag quickly; in our experience, when we gain time (travel to France), the jetlag we get is quite minimal; returning to Singapore is a completely different story and we spend about a week staring at the ceiling late at night.
I think you can keep the tickets or sell them to someone else; unfortunately as you know, we don't have time this week to run around as we have enough trip preparations to make. You may not be able to use it a few years later so if you don't plan to return to France quickly, it's better to sell them soon.
I'm glad you've also found the benefits of living in a temperate climate; there are pros and cons to both, but that's the nice thing I liked about Spring; the fresh air, bright sunny days, days that are not too warm yet not too cold, and the nice mild tan. Hope your phlegm does not return.
Pictures?
Also if you could give some advice to us, and your best and worst experiences in the trip. That would be helpful I think. Thanks.
I completely agree with you that for a first-timer to any particular place, we would naturally want to do the touristy things. There's nothing wrong with that, and in our first trip to Paris in 2005 for three days, we did mostly touristy things too. But the key is to try to squeeze in at least one or two non-touristy things and leave out one or two touristy things. For example, in our first trip, we did Chateau Versailles (one day), Louvre (half-day), and for the other one day, we covered briefly Montmartre, Tour Eiffel, Champs Elysees and the Arc du Troimphe, and Notre Dame. That's exactly the thing I want to dispel; we should try to come away from the Ten Year Series mentality or the "Recommended things only" mentality; that's not the way to do touring; safe yes, but completely boring!
But we made time for the non-touristy things, and for one evening, we explored the St Michel area for good and cheap food and we were rewarded for the cheapest set dinner we found in France (yes surprise surprise it was in the most expensive city in France!), but for EUR 7.95 it was surprisingly good.
On another afternoon, we strolled around the romantic Jardin du Luxembourg which was very nice; we also had dinner at an off-the-beaten path with the most memorable coffee we've ever had in our life. It's these little things I feel that make the trip enjoyable; not the touristy things, which we should of course see, but not spend 100% of the time doing.
We've since gone back once more to Paris (last year) where the only touristy thing we did was to see the Centre Pompidou; the memorable thing for us was to walk around Marais and Bastille, and the Bastille street market! If you needed advice on non-touristy things to do, we could have given you some. But it's ok, I think you were set on doing only the touristy things and nothing else. Perhaps you could share with us about your memorable experiences in Paris?
This year being our third time in Paris, the only touristy thing we are going to do is to visit the Musee D'Orsay. No Moulin Rouge for us, and nor do we plan to go up the Tour Eiffel.
In fact, we did entertain a Swiss friend who came to Singapore for just one day in February, and the only touristy thing we did was to see the Esplanade and Fullerton hotel, and (gosh!) Merlion park; as well as a short stroll through Chinatown. He found the weather completely unbearable though (as I still do) and we spent the rest of the time in Crystal Jade and Long Beach seafood, eating of course.
Gosh I don't see why I would want to bring any tourist to Toa Payoh (except maybe there's a good food centre I don't know about?); a good less-touristy place I might consider would be Boat Quay / Clarke Quay, Geylang for the food before midnight, Labrador Park, Ghim Moh Food Centre, and Holland Village!
Just my 2 Euro cents worth. Everyone has a different philosophy of touring and there's no right or wrong, just a healthy sharing of viewpoints.
But we made time for the non-touristy things, and for one evening, we explored the St Michel area for good and cheap food and we were rewarded for the cheapest set dinner we found in France (yes surprise surprise it was in the most expensive city in France!), but for EUR 7.95 it was surprisingly good.
On another afternoon, we strolled around the romantic Jardin du Luxembourg which was very nice; we also had dinner at an off-the-beaten path with the most memorable coffee we've ever had in our life. It's these little things I feel that make the trip enjoyable; not the touristy things, which we should of course see, but not spend 100% of the time doing.
We've since gone back once more to Paris (last year) where the only touristy thing we did was to see the Centre Pompidou; the memorable thing for us was to walk around Marais and Bastille, and the Bastille street market! If you needed advice on non-touristy things to do, we could have given you some. But it's ok, I think you were set on doing only the touristy things and nothing else. Perhaps you could share with us about your memorable experiences in Paris?
This year being our third time in Paris, the only touristy thing we are going to do is to visit the Musee D'Orsay. No Moulin Rouge for us, and nor do we plan to go up the Tour Eiffel.
In fact, we did entertain a Swiss friend who came to Singapore for just one day in February, and the only touristy thing we did was to see the Esplanade and Fullerton hotel, and (gosh!) Merlion park; as well as a short stroll through Chinatown. He found the weather completely unbearable though (as I still do) and we spent the rest of the time in Crystal Jade and Long Beach seafood, eating of course.
Just my 2 Euro cents worth. Everyone has a different philosophy of touring and there's no right or wrong, just a healthy sharing of viewpoints.
For example, I expect you have Chateau fatigue and you would not plan to return to the Loire Valley any time soon, if at all. So on hindsight was it the best way to visit the Loire Valley, and *if* you were given a chance to do it again, would you do the same thing? I know you didn't rent a car due to the newness of the places; that's fine; but on hindsight was it necessary to visit seven Chateaus in 1.5 days? Don't need you to post your answer, just something to ponder about.
The problem with doing the recommended things only is we end up having tourist fatigue. It's like people coming to SG and thinking that Singapore is only about the Zoo or Night Safari or Sentosa or Chinatown, etc. Of course there is no way that a tourist in a few days can know about the real Singapore, but at least he can try to experience just a few aspects of the real Singapore, and the only way he can do so is if he steps out of the comfort zone and out of the "recommended" places to visit. Nowadays with so many websites like www.tripadvisor.com and www.virtualtourist.com, there are no shortage of advice on the *real* non-touristy places to visit.
The problem with doing the recommended things only is we end up having tourist fatigue. It's like people coming to SG and thinking that Singapore is only about the Zoo or Night Safari or Sentosa or Chinatown, etc. Of course there is no way that a tourist in a few days can know about the real Singapore, but at least he can try to experience just a few aspects of the real Singapore, and the only way he can do so is if he steps out of the comfort zone and out of the "recommended" places to visit. Nowadays with so many websites like www.tripadvisor.com and www.virtualtourist.com, there are no shortage of advice on the *real* non-touristy places to visit.
Hi Raymond,
Both my wife and me never had any jetlag, either in another country or in Singapore. I guess the trick is that we were both uable to sleep on the plane. When we reach the destination (Singapore or the other country) during the day time, we don't go to sleep immediately, and instead wait until night time to sleep. In this way, by night time, we will be so tired that we will fall asleep immediately. So the adjustment to the other country's time is immediate. I've travelled to the US, and it's the same experience.
Both my wife and me never had any jetlag, either in another country or in Singapore. I guess the trick is that we were both uable to sleep on the plane. When we reach the destination (Singapore or the other country) during the day time, we don't go to sleep immediately, and instead wait until night time to sleep. In this way, by night time, we will be so tired that we will fall asleep immediately. So the adjustment to the other country's time is immediate. I've travelled to the US, and it's the same experience.
Hi Raymond,
If we do go back to Paris, we will of course not visit the same sights again. Maybe see the Eiffel Tower once more, but will definitely not go up. I've been up there a few years back, and it's because of my wife that I went up again.
We did go to Jardin du Luxembourg too. I was so tired with the walking that I took off my shoes and socks and just sit down on the bench (of course making sure that no one can see my legs).
Are you sure that Boat Quay/Clarke Quay is not touristy? I find them very touristy in fact. I once had a dinner there with my wife, and it costed us more than $80, and the fish we had was not nice at all.
I mentioned about Toa Payoh because there is indeed tour groups that bring tourists there to experience heartland Singapore, something that is completely different.
If we do go back to Paris, we will of course not visit the same sights again. Maybe see the Eiffel Tower once more, but will definitely not go up. I've been up there a few years back, and it's because of my wife that I went up again.
We did go to Jardin du Luxembourg too. I was so tired with the walking that I took off my shoes and socks and just sit down on the bench (of course making sure that no one can see my legs).
Are you sure that Boat Quay/Clarke Quay is not touristy? I find them very touristy in fact. I once had a dinner there with my wife, and it costed us more than $80, and the fish we had was not nice at all.
I mentioned about Toa Payoh because there is indeed tour groups that bring tourists there to experience heartland Singapore, something that is completely different.
I would definitely recommend Loire Valley, Mont St-Michel and Etretat to anyone wanting to visit France, but I would ask them to rent a car. If we were to do it over again, I would rent a car at Tours. With a car, you can stay longer at each chateau, and not visit so many. The important ones are Chenonceau and Chambord, and visit the rest if you have more time. You can also stay until night time, as I can see from post cards that the night views of the chateaus are quite nice. With the tour group, each visit to a chateau is so short, and it makes the entrance fee to each chateau seem not so worthwhile.
Dear Threasher,
Wow maybe we will try that to adopt that to avoid jetlag. But it's very hard to stay awake when the body just wants to sleep.
Where did you have dinner in Clarke Quay? There are many bad outlets around. We recently ate at Brasserie Wolf and it actually impressed us; one of the few places where we can find genuine French cuisine at reasonable prices relative to other French restaurants here in SG.
I'd love (and I'm sure many SGBrides lurkers out there too!) to see your photos, when you have time to post them.
Thanks again for the updates and for telling us about all your useful experiences and advice for us.
Wow maybe we will try that to adopt that to avoid jetlag. But it's very hard to stay awake when the body just wants to sleep.
Where did you have dinner in Clarke Quay? There are many bad outlets around. We recently ate at Brasserie Wolf and it actually impressed us; one of the few places where we can find genuine French cuisine at reasonable prices relative to other French restaurants here in SG.
I'd love (and I'm sure many SGBrides lurkers out there too!) to see your photos, when you have time to post them.
Thanks again for the updates and for telling us about all your useful experiences and advice for us.
Hi Raymond,
Actually it's not that we delibrately don't want to sleep on the plane; it's just that we couldn't sleep when we are sitting upright! By the time we reach the destination, it's already daytime, and we are already wide awake. On Saturday night, when we reach home, it's already 8pm (the flight was delayed 1.5 hour), and we spent the rest of the time unpacking and doing the laundry. We finally went to sleep before 12am.
I don't remember which restaurant we had dinner, and I also can't remember if it's Boat Quay or Clarke Quay. I thought both of these places are considered tourists traps, no? It seems that many more foreigners visit them than locals.
We brought a tripod along for our trip, so most of the shots have both of us in them. My wife spent a lot of time taking each shot. Sometimes I get fed up when there are so many people blocking, and she must take again and again. It is funny how the caucasians seem quite amused by the sight of her adjusting the tripod and camera. It is as though they have never seen a tripod before!
I must admit some of the photos look like wedding photos. In one night short at the Arc de Triomph, I lifted up my wife by holding her legs. It's exactly the same as one of our wedding shots.
By the way, if I show my photos, wouldn't everyone know my identity?
Actually it's not that we delibrately don't want to sleep on the plane; it's just that we couldn't sleep when we are sitting upright! By the time we reach the destination, it's already daytime, and we are already wide awake. On Saturday night, when we reach home, it's already 8pm (the flight was delayed 1.5 hour), and we spent the rest of the time unpacking and doing the laundry. We finally went to sleep before 12am.
I don't remember which restaurant we had dinner, and I also can't remember if it's Boat Quay or Clarke Quay. I thought both of these places are considered tourists traps, no? It seems that many more foreigners visit them than locals.
We brought a tripod along for our trip, so most of the shots have both of us in them. My wife spent a lot of time taking each shot. Sometimes I get fed up when there are so many people blocking, and she must take again and again. It is funny how the caucasians seem quite amused by the sight of her adjusting the tripod and camera. It is as though they have never seen a tripod before!
By the way, if I show my photos, wouldn't everyone know my identity?
lovetotravel
New Member
yeah...i would love to see your photos.
u can just pick those without both of u in it or if some really nice ones, just cover up your face. hee hee.
u can just pick those without both of u in it or if some really nice ones, just cover up your face. hee hee.
sylvia_kong
New Member
thk for sharing information
lovetotravel
New Member
Have a good trip and take more pic ok...
Cher all,
Yes Threasher is right, it's good to go without the Internet and minimal handphone access while on holiday... it *is* a holiday after all right?
Sorry Inix, didn't catch you in Paris. Did you go to Roland Garros? Did you have a good time in Paris? What did you do? I just watched Nadal demolish Federer last night. It's nice to see gentlemen at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, Nadal was almost apologizing to Federer for thrashing him!
The weather was quite abysmal that this time of the year; but it did nothing to dampen our moods and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
No we didn't go to Roland Garros, but we had a fantastiQUE time in France. Heh. Will post more once the jetlag wears off and we clear the administrative backlog at home and at work. 800+ new e-mails, gosh. Spent the whole morning just clearing them and deleting the junk and spam.
Have decided to more or less give up trying to get people to go F&E and to take the route less travelled; it's tiring to keep persuading people to go against the trend; anyway it keeps the lesser-known towns and villages (won't say which ones! Haha...) less crowded for my wife and I for future trips. Haha. So keep going for those packaged tours; don't drive in Europe because it is SOOOO dangerous (ignore the fact that we drove for 14 days over 2700+ km without a scratch); and don't take those trains as they are very "expensive" (we paid EUR 25 per person from Nice to Lyon second class, and EUR 24 per person from Lyon to Paris FIRST CLASS). If you do take trains, just stick to the main cities that everyone else does like Rome, Venice, Paris, London, etc. Don't overcrowd the charming and lesser-known towns and villages. And don't ever visit the countryside. The fresh air and lack of crowds and tourists may be too much of a shock to your system. Thank you very much.
(Sarcasm all meant in good humour!)
It's so nice to *not* hear Singlish for three weeks, the bad English drives me nuts. It's just me.
And the locals were for the most part so friendly... it's sad that in France as a foreigner, I get treated better and generally get better service then when in my own country by my fellow countrymen... (BTW I speak very basic French and it helps a lot). I tried a "Hello" and eye contact in Cold Storage yesterday and was completely ignored, when I got it 100% of the time from every supermarket cashier in France; in fact they greet you with Bonjour first. Hrmph. Last I remembered, "Hello" was completely good English, but perhaps it's because etiquette is a French word so it is somewhat lacking here. Welcome home. The GEMS movement is losing its novelty. But that's for another thread.
Sarkozy seems to be doing a good job, at least with regards to petty theft; we felt quite safe even in Paris this time and did not see as many people loitering around doing nothing (or actually eyeing your valuables) as in previous trips. Maybe his policies in the banlieus are really taking root, or the policing is better. That is again meant for another thread. Sorry.
But of course for those who *are* interested in going F&E and/or knowing more about our trip to France (and France only, sorry I do not know as much about the other European countries), I am most willing to provide more information. Eventually (I don't know when!) I will post up pictures.
Merci et a bientot.
Yes Threasher is right, it's good to go without the Internet and minimal handphone access while on holiday... it *is* a holiday after all right?
The weather was quite abysmal that this time of the year; but it did nothing to dampen our moods and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
No we didn't go to Roland Garros, but we had a fantastiQUE time in France. Heh. Will post more once the jetlag wears off and we clear the administrative backlog at home and at work. 800+ new e-mails, gosh. Spent the whole morning just clearing them and deleting the junk and spam.
Have decided to more or less give up trying to get people to go F&E and to take the route less travelled; it's tiring to keep persuading people to go against the trend; anyway it keeps the lesser-known towns and villages (won't say which ones! Haha...) less crowded for my wife and I for future trips. Haha. So keep going for those packaged tours; don't drive in Europe because it is SOOOO dangerous (ignore the fact that we drove for 14 days over 2700+ km without a scratch); and don't take those trains as they are very "expensive" (we paid EUR 25 per person from Nice to Lyon second class, and EUR 24 per person from Lyon to Paris FIRST CLASS). If you do take trains, just stick to the main cities that everyone else does like Rome, Venice, Paris, London, etc. Don't overcrowd the charming and lesser-known towns and villages. And don't ever visit the countryside. The fresh air and lack of crowds and tourists may be too much of a shock to your system. Thank you very much.
It's so nice to *not* hear Singlish for three weeks, the bad English drives me nuts. It's just me.
Sarkozy seems to be doing a good job, at least with regards to petty theft; we felt quite safe even in Paris this time and did not see as many people loitering around doing nothing (or actually eyeing your valuables) as in previous trips. Maybe his policies in the banlieus are really taking root, or the policing is better. That is again meant for another thread. Sorry.
But of course for those who *are* interested in going F&E and/or knowing more about our trip to France (and France only, sorry I do not know as much about the other European countries), I am most willing to provide more information. Eventually (I don't know when!) I will post up pictures.
Merci et a bientot.
Welcome back to reality, Raymond!
>> don't drive in Europe because it is SOOOO dangerous (ignore the fact that we drove for 14 days over 2700+ km without a scratch);
It is probably more dangerous to drive in Singapore!
>> It's so nice to *not* hear Singlish for three weeks, the bad English drives me nuts.
But the French either don't speak English or speak poor English.
>> don't drive in Europe because it is SOOOO dangerous (ignore the fact that we drove for 14 days over 2700+ km without a scratch);
It is probably more dangerous to drive in Singapore!
>> It's so nice to *not* hear Singlish for three weeks, the bad English drives me nuts.
But the French either don't speak English or speak poor English.
Dear Threasher,
More dangerous to drive in SG? Why?
Hehe that's true but their English is almost certainly better than your French. English is not a first language for them, unlike for us.
Not that we want to speak good English to show ourselves "superior" to others who speak Singlish; it's very simple, if you want to do anything, do it well; since English is the first language in Singapore, speak it well and learn it properly.
More dangerous to drive in SG? Why?
Hehe that's true but their English is almost certainly better than your French. English is not a first language for them, unlike for us.
Not that we want to speak good English to show ourselves "superior" to others who speak Singlish; it's very simple, if you want to do anything, do it well; since English is the first language in Singapore, speak it well and learn it properly.
lovetotravel
New Member
Hi Raymond,
Welcome back
Wow 800+ emails....scary!!
Do post your pic when ready.
Welcome back
Wow 800+ emails....scary!!
Do post your pic when ready.