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Heya,
Ill be traveling overseas soon, is there anything GW related or other, i should look for in france that is hard to get here in the usa?

Just curious?

Not sure about the GW stuff, but watch out for the French people. Always.

Never can be too wary of people who eat snails.

French women

AgeOfEgos wrote:Beware French women

The fortress at Bitche is a very nice study in fortress design. Also the sign saying "Now leaving Bitche" is rather funny.

The rights to producing AT-43.

Vandil wrote:The fortress at Bitche is a very nice study in fortress design. Also the sign saying "Now leaving Bitche" is rather funny.

The only thing about France I know about would be the Bastille...

subbed to see answers of people who have genuinely been there. -takes out pen and paper to take notes-

What part of France are you visiting?

As for hobby stuff, it's pretty much the same as in the States.

Edit: except for the prices, with the state of the USD you're better off buying things back home.

The only town where I have been flipped off by a paraplegic Frenchman!

Platuan4th wrote:The rights to producing AT-43.

*RIMSHOT*



Seriously, though, if you can find a Confrontation Dragon Titan, pick it up. It will probably still be very expensive, though.

Lots of people smoking in restaurants despite smoking in restaurants being banned?

And, if you are in Paris, lots of dogs and "evidence of dogs having been there previously" everywhere.

Having said that, there are a fair few nice castles (that are not made out of plastic and have probably been blown up by the English at least once ) and villages around.

http://www.francethisway.com/regions.php might give you some ideas.

Not to mention some WWI and WWII battlefields, monuments and museums.

I can honestly say the massive graveyards with white crosses vanishing off into the distance are absolutely stunning, beautiful and deeply moving.

It has to be said. France would be great without the French.

Their alien ways are unfathomable to us British.

SilverMK2 wrote:Lots of people smoking in restaurants despite smoking in restaurants being banned?

And, if you are in Paris, lots of dogs and "evidence of dogs having been there previously" everywhere.

Having said that, there are a fair few nice castles (that are not made out of plastic and have probably been blown up by the English at least once ) and villages around.

http://www.francethisway.com/regions.php might give you some ideas.

Not to mention some WWI and WWII battlefields, monuments and museums.

I can honestly say the massive graveyards with white crosses vanishing off into the distance are absolutely stunning, beautiful and deeply moving.

The only part that I felt was worthwhile of my trip to France. I'm a huge history nut, especially the 90's, and this was incredibly interesting and touching.

I find it funny that almost universally, men dislike visits to France, and women love it.

I think it purely has to do with how the French treat each: in the experience of myself and everyone else I know who's been, they're rude to foreign men and overly nice to women(and nicer the larger your breasts and/or lower cut your shirt).

Platuan4th wrote:I find it funny that almost universally, men dislike visits to France, and women love it.

I think it purely has to do with how the French treat each: in the experience of myself and everyone else I know who's been, they're rude to foreign men and overly nice to women(and to that nicer the larger your breasts).

I haven't found that to be true at all. I'm an American (male) living in France and haven't experiences any more rudeness than I did back in the Midwest.

tuebor wrote:I haven't found that to be true at all. I'm an American (male) living in France and haven't experiences any more rudeness than I did back in the Midwest.

Generally the more English you are, the ruder they will be

Though that is not entirely true. Most French people I have ever met in a service capacity have been no ruder than anyone else, and I am most definitely English (unless I am in the middle or far east, when people seem to assume I am German for some reason...).

Ok to be serious for a moment;

When I was there, we managed to walk to all of this in one day and I would suggest them all;

The Louvre
Cleopatra's Needle
Notre Dame (try to go at night)
The Eiffel Tower


There are other sites we visited....but the arc, etc weren't nearly as inspiring as the above. Just be sure to pack tennis shoes, as the streets are not friendly to your feet.

Les Invalides
Le Quai d'Orsay museum
The Champs Elysee
Montmartre
Plus what people said above.
Walking plus Le Metro are the best way to get around.
That's Paris.

The rest of France -- well, it's a big country with a lot of history. No-one has mentioned the Alps yet -- it's still skiing season -- visit the Savoie Region for snowy mountain walking -- you can even jump over quickly to Switzerland and Italy if you like.

The south -- Carcassone and the old Albigensian areas are supposed to be amazing (I haven't had the pleasure yet.)

Britanny is nice.

In general I would say that France has a lot more depth of history, culture and regional variation than the USA. It's a much older country with a long history of engagement with other nations on various levels, so that is only to be expected. All of Europe is going to be like that, really.

The food be adventures try something new.

I had a blast walking around looking for the GW in Paris. It was in a shopping district within walking distance of Notre Dame.

I found that yes, some of the people in Paris were rude, but it was not specifically directed at me. They were equally rude to everyone so it didn't bother me.

When you are there, you MUST eat macarons. These are not the piles of coconut known as macaroons in the US. No, French macarons are light puffs of dough filled with delicious varieties of flavored fillings.

Here is a famous spot for buying: http://www.laduree.fr/

And here is what you are looking for...


Note I've tried to find them in Maryland, DC and Northern VA, and no one has matched the flavor and texture of the ones I got in Paris.... Have fun and take lots of pictures!

Kilkrazy wrote:Britanny is nice.

I like it so much I haven't left it in about six months. In Brittany I'd really suggest Rennes and the Côte Sauvage between Vanens and Carnac. Of course, in general the south and west coasts of Brittany are pretty sweet.

People should remember that Paris is not France in the same way that London is not the UK. There's a whole lot more to the country.

Bretonnians!

The wine! ah my postal carrier was not happy when cases of wine started arriving back in the US.

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2005/may/features/Paris.php
http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/hobbyshopguide/default.asp
lists of model shops i paris that you could accedently plan your day to walk past ?

Ah the land of cheese eating surrender monkeys.

But French dining I heard is very good. Please try out ratatouille and tell me how it is.

Visit Normandy:



And Mont Saint Michel:



The moat comes in with the tide. Very cool.

By the way Paris has a very distinctive smell to it, as do some of the people. Stay clear of the slums as its almost comparable to a third world country. Also if a French waiter acts like he doesnt speak english, and is being a complete jerk, say something out of the way to him and all of a sudden he speaks perfect English. Oh and if you really want to get him going just remind him of World War 2 where the good ole Brits, Ameri's, and Canadians had to come to their rescue...................good times.

Kilkrazy wrote:Les Invalides
Le Quai d'Orsay museum
The Champs Elysee
Montmartre
Plus what people said above.
Walking plus Le Metro are the best way to get around.
That's Paris.

The rest of France -- well, it's a big country with a lot of history. No-one has mentioned the Alps yet -- it's still skiing season -- visit the Savoie Region for snowy mountain walking -- you can even jump over quickly to Switzerland and Italy if you like.

It really is true that France and Paris are two separate countries. Paris is like any other big city, expect to be treated like crap. Because these are people that live in a very expensive city and they're waiters/waitresses/bellhops. They're just like someone in NYC or LA doing the same thing.

Outside of Paris, the French countryside is really great. The border area between France and Germany has a lot of military history (especially if you're a fan of Germany). Up by Switzerland you can visit the alps, and the country up there is simply breathtaking. I will always remember Chamonix Mont Blanc.

If you're old enough (16?), traveling through the wine country is great fun. There's really not a bad place to go. Champaigne, Bordeaux, etc.

Kilkrazy wrote:The south -- Carcassone and the old Albigensian areas are supposed to be amazing (I haven't had the pleasure yet.)

The mountains between France and Spain have some rather fun roads and views. Though expect to almost melt your breaks if you drive through them - some very steep hills and sharp corners