Archive for December, 2009
Parisians As They Are
People always have stereotypes about other nations. There are certain stereotypes as well as prejudices about the French especially about the most refined and even spoilt French the Parisians. Lets have a closer look at the capital citizens and try to understand their character and their way of life.
In fact the opinion about the spoilt Parisians appeared due to the fact that they are good judges of life: they like good things enjoy meeting with friends and colleagues in cafes love to go to nice restaurants regularly visit cinemas and keep up with the latest theatre opening nights. And of course they cant imagine their life without good shopping.
Some people say the French are reserved and even haughty. But the appearances are deceitful. In fact the Parisians are nice and friendly. Just smile to them and say bonjour youll see how amiable they can be. The French are real patriots they deeply respect their language culture and traditions. So if you will put in some French words while talking to the natives youll meet with real cordiality. Dont be embarrassed because of your accent they will find it sweet and charming.
The French greet each other with four kisses on the cheek. It is a sign of friendship. But it is possible only among close friends. If you dont want to look excessively familiar just shake hands when greeting or thanking somebody e.g. a shopkeeper if he or she was particularly considerate.
Another peculiarity of the French is complete disregard to traffic rules. Pedestrians should be very careful when crossing the street: its necessary to watch out for cars motorbikes scooters and even rollerbladers as the average Parisian tend not to take road safety seriously. Look both ways before crossing the road and make sure you respect unlike some drivers the zebra crossings and traffic lights. Be careful if you drive too. The French often cross the road at last second so dont go too fast.
The French cant be called workaholics spare time is very important for them. Many shops are closed at Sunday. The majority of them are open from 9am to 7pm Monday to Saturday. Some smaller shops may close over lunchtime between midday and 2pm or all day on Monday. Sundays and public holidays are the usual closing days although there are some exceptions… During the week the department stores all have one latenight opening day known as a nocturne until 9pm. Supermarkets are open at different times depending on the neighbourhood every day except Sunday until 8 9 or 10pm.
The French are considered to be great gourmets. Well thats not just a stereotype. The very expression haute cuisine comes from France. The greatest choice is that of cheeses and wines. The French say theres 365 kinds of cheese in the country just like the days in the year. In fact theres much more. Interesting to note that an average Frenchman eats about 30 kg of cheese per year. The French adore cheese. Theres even a monument to the cheese inventor.
The other thing is that the people are very trendy. They always keep up with the latest fashion and perfume tendencies. Parisians are by right considered to be trendsetters.
Dont hesitate to come to the country and get acquainted with the French!
About the writer: Paris”>http://www.parishotelsdiscount.com/”>Paris hotels
Paris For The Fittest
The tourist visiting Paris can be a rookie or traveled veteran he/she should not be weighed down with mindbending dates and boring stories. Instead great direction all the educational info heaps of unique and fascinating stories the opportunity to meet other travelers fantastic photo ops a comfortable bike and superb personal service from a guide should be the focus on. Basically tourist loves Paris and has a great time doing it touring the city.
Bike Tour is the perfect tour for both those new to the city and Parisian veterans. For the beginners this tour will offer one a fantastic orientation and give one an occasion to see almost all of the sites one has read about. For the veterans it will give an opportunity to learn new facts and stories about Paris that one has never heard. And biking is the best way to see the City of Light’.
It only seems appropriate that a group of cycling fanatics who are in Paris should see all of Paris’ sights from where else but a bicycle. It’s life imitating sport at its best. Fat Tire Bike Tours will show you Paris as one has never seen it before. The guides have been showing the world Paris for years and while the tours are informative and thorough they’re also entertaining fun.
So hop on a bike and cruise past the Eiffel Tower Napoleon’s tomb the Louvre Museum the Arc de Triomphe the Rodin Museum and many more of the city’s sights. A bicycle is a wonderful way to see France whether it’s the neighborhoods of Paris or the French countryside. The Tour de France’s host nation there is a reason cycling is so popular here with the country’s mix of mountains seaside and lush wine country.
Visit Paris in a unique and remarkable way away from traffic and stress. The 5000 streets of the city will open themselves for any tourist. Quiet places floral sites artist’s workshops and beautiful monuments all will be discover in an unexpected and amazing Paris but also in a very safe way.
Take a long ride through the ancient districts and narrow streets of the Marais. Move on to the Halles and the Palais Royal heading for the Louvre and the river ending with the Islands and a glance at NotreDame.
Parisians have access to 314 kilometers of bicycle paths inside Paris and 23 km in the Boulogne and Vincennes woods. At the same time temporary operations to stop traffic on some streets are continued. These streets are reserved on Sundays and public holidays for pedestrians cyclists and rollerblades.
Some might think Paris may be too confused to pedal through but actually it’s as safe as walking with the added bonus of being quicker as well.
Basically the whole city is only a few kilometers across in size so if a person hops on a bike he/she can get to most destinations in half an hour or less with a good choice to choose from.
Cycling routes crisscross through main streets as well as quiet hidden avenues so an outlet is available for whatever excursion one might have in mind for the day. If this is the first visit to Paris biking might be worth checking out as it offers a glimpse of the hidden as well as historic side of the city.
About the writer: Anil Gupta recommends that you visit http://www.bookings.fr/city/fr/paris.html?aid=305255 for more information on Paris hotels.
Off The Beaten Track – Cooked Spiders And Kratie
During an early morning stroll past the Old Market area of Siem Reap I met a young woman setting up her stall for the days trading.
She told me that she was a student from the Mekong River town of Kratie who worked three days a week in Siem Reap and went home to school in Kratie for the remainder of the week. After being conjured to be her first customer of the day she proceeded to tell me about her town and what it had to offer. It must have been a convincing story because one week later I was boarding a river boat in Phnom Penh to travel up the Mekong River to Kratie.
The slow boat started the journey up the turbid coloured Mekong River as it is during the rainy season. About 10 kilometres up the river the boat cruised past the long island of Koh Pach and observed communities and also a large temple. In the dry season the island is popular weekend retreat with Phnom Penh residents as it has a large sandy beach area for them to enjoy.
The boat stopped at the town of Kampong Cham where some of the local villagers disembarked. The opportunity was taken by the rest of the travellers to head into the local market where we were introduced to a local delicacy. Vendors were quickly on hand to offer their trays of cooked spiders. A local traveller said that the cooked spiders were the areas candy treat and after sampling a selection I would have to agree with him.
The inland areas around Kampong Cham are the only sites in Cambodia where it is possible to catch the black ground spiders. One noticeable feature about this river side town is the strong French influence in the architecture of the building and homes. The whole area is maintained in a good condition without the areas of decay seen in the other towns.
Once back on board and underway the boat passed under the only bridge on the Mekong River in Cambodia. The appearance of this man made structure seemed in complete contrast to the nature of the river. This two laned bridge links Phnom Penh with the remote eastern provinces of Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri. After a relaxing trip following the winding course of the river the boat berthed at its pier in Kratie and the passengers went their separate ways Kratie is a small town dominated by its market place with some guesthouses around it. The rivers front housed a number of small beer stalls all of which offered a great selection of local dishes.
While Kratie gives the appearance of a town you pass through on the way to somewhere else the towns treasure is its portrayal of Cambodian everyday life off the beaten tourist track. Its relative isolation and relaxed pace of life allows the tourist to talk with the locals and in a small way integrate into the local lifestyle albeit for a brief period.
About the writer: Mike Ibbertson is a traveller through South East Asia and through his website http://www.thecambodianadventure.com you can catch up on his adventure through Cambodia