When my daughter and I decided on Paris for this trip, I immediately.....went to the library! I think I've read just about every travel book on Paris/France---Frommer's, Michelin, Fodors, Lonely Planet, etc. The one I found to have the most "practical" info. were books by Rick Steves. His travel shows have appeared on PBS stations for quite some time. What I liked is that he has a website that provides updates to his travel books as obviously by the time the guidebook appears in print, many changes can happen in a city or country. Rick provides easy to read info. on the country and throws in some humor so you don't feel like you're reading an encyclopedia. If traveling to any European country, I recommend Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door---a wealth of info. in this book. My travel agent(thanks Linda!) gave me Rick Steves French phrases book and I love it. I took high school French and the phrases in this book have phonetic pronunciations which are spot on! Again, Rick throws in some humorous expressions, too.
Two phrases I hope I won't need to use are:Rien avec des yeuxTranslation:Nothing with eyeballs
Et si je lave la vessaille?Translation: What if I wash the dishes?
OK--now for the walking shoes. Not wanting to stand out as being too touristy, I began looking for a good pair of walking shoes. After trying so many different brands, I settled on Easy Spirit Traveltime walkers---probably the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. I put them on in the store and wore them for about 20 minutes and they're great! I also purchased some Rockport washable shoes that are very good as well but will look better with jeans. I'm sure the mini-backpack and camera will shout "tourist" as we're walking around though-lol.
Now to copy all important documents and pack........
