Foreword to 30-Day Paris Trip Diary

All packed and ready to go to Paris.

All packed and ready to go to Paris.

In previous posts, I shared a “To Do” list to plan a trip to Paris, wrote about how to pick a travel wardrobe and travel gear, and how to pack everything so you can find it. So, it’s time to travel to Paris!

I’m all packed and ready to go. (No, this isn’t my luggage. Remember, I’m trying to advocate using anything but black luggage.)

For the next 30 days, I will be publishing my travel diary that I wrote during my recent trip to Paris, along with additions based on my Filofax daily planner entries, receipts (what I kept), bank statements, cell phone records, and my long-term memory, which is significantly better than my short-term. I can remember beating the two fastest guys in the 100-yard dash in fourth grade, but if you ask me what I had for lunch yesterday I’d probably have to think about it. You will notice I make a lot of references to Rick Steves’ Paris 2014 guide book: I used it extensively during my trip. I can’t say enough good things about the travel advice Rick gives.

Sometimes I’ve talked about how much money I’ve spent and how I feel about it. I don’t go through life putting a price tag on everything because you can’t put a price tag on life experiences. I’ve talked about these experiences as information for my readers. (Hopefully, I have a few by now.) Also, some days I have a lot to say, and other days…not so much.

All names have been changed except for hostel management and public figures.

I make several references to the television program Seinfeld, so if an observation doesn’t make sense, it’s probably a reference to that program.

I make a few references to “Fancy Boy Idiots.” This is actually a pseudonym (or nom de guerre) for a U.S. government agency. I’m sure you can figure it out once you think about it.

Salut.

 

Maps of France, Paris, and the Paris Metro

If you’re travelling to Paris, you’ll want to orient yourself. Here, I have provided a map of France, Paris, and the Paris Metro, and a little about them.

France

A map of France.

A map of France.

Metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions; those regions are further subdivided into 96 departments. There are an additional 5 regions (divided into 5 departments) overseas. Paris is in the Ile-de-France region (if France was a person, Ile-de-France would be located at the “heart”). Other points of interest include the area known as the South of France (southern France), Cannes, where the Cannes Film Festival is held each May, and the Pyrenees, the Alps, and the Champs-Elysees in Paris, where the Tour de France passes through and finishes.

A rider on the Les Pyrenees.

A rider on the Les Pyrenees.

 

 

 

 

 

Paris

A map of Paris arrondissements.

A map of Paris arrondissements.

The city of Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements (administrative districts) arranged in a clockwise spiral, often referred to as a snail shell, though it has always reminded me of The Yellow Brick Road in “The Wizard of Oz,” with the Seine River flowing east-west down the center. The spiral begins with #1 arrondissement in the middle of the city on the Right Bank (north bank) of the Seine. Paris arrondissement numbers are also the last two digits of the district’s postal code, so the 18th arrondissement’s postal code (where I stayed recently) is 75018. You will likely see signs with an arrondissement’s number displayed as Roman numerals, so the 18th arrondissement number would be XVIIIe arrondissement. There are so many Metro stations that Parisians often refer to a location referencing the closest Metro stop.

Paris Metro

The Paris Metro.

The Paris Metro.

The Paris Metro opened on July 19, 1900 during the World’s Fair. It has 303 stations, of which 62 have transfers between lines. There are 16 lines, numbered 1 to 14 with 2 lines, 3bis and 7bis, which are so named because they started as branches of lines 3 and 7. They are now separate lines. Lines are identified on maps by number and color, and direction of travel is indicated by its terminus.

You can use cash or a credit/debit card to buy tickets, which can be used for the Metro, and RER rail and buses (within the city). You can buy single tickets for 1.75 Euros, a carnet of 10 tickets for 13.30 Euros, or a Passe Navigo card for a 5 Euro fee (plus the cost of a small photo of yourself), which is a chip-embedded card similar to a SmarTrip card in the States or an Oyster card in London. The Metro tickets never expire, but it’s best to keep used tickets separate from unused, and keep your most-recently used ticket separate from all others: French police often check for gate-jumpers by asking to see your Metro ticket.  I was stopped at least twice, and the first time I panicked because I had all of my used tickets together, including my most recent one. (I don’t mean to give the impression that trashcans aren’t available. I had collected some from a full day’s sightseeing.)

Navigating the Metro is easy; the hardest part can be finding your destination on the Metro map due to the number of lines. If you start by venturing to attractions close to your lodging, you’ll get the hang of it.

Paris Metro signs are among the most elegant in the world.

Paris Metro signs are among the most elegant in the world.

 

Salut.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Descriptions of maps from Wikipedia, CCBY 3.0. Maps of France, Paris and the Paris Metro courtesy of Flickr, CCBY 2.0.