I just registered with a non-profit organization called Paris Greeters.
What they do is provide free walking tours (they are free, but they are happy to accept donations) by a native Parisian. You won't be going to the big sights on this tour. The whole idea is to give you a back-door tour of Paris by walking through "undiscovered" neighborhoods and getting a taste of the real Paris.
The guide is a volunteer who wants to show off their city. Their website says that "at the end of the walk, we really want you to have the feeling that you have not only discovered the city but also had an insight into what we call the 'Parisian way of life.'" Here's the link to their website.
There are a couple of catches. There's no guarantee this is going to happen at all until they confirm with me that someone will be available to give the tour. Also, I can't guarantee a date at this point--I gave them a couple of choices. Finally there are a maximum of six people allowed on the tour, so our entire group can't go.
I'm going, and I'm sure my dear spouse will want to go too. That leaves four slots. Who's in? To be fair, the first four to bounce back by leaving a comment to this post "win" the slots. If everyone wants to do this, let me know and we'll get someone else to register, but we'll have to do it right away since they want three weeks lead time.
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13 comments:
Steve and I are in!
That didn't take long. Groovy. Two slots left.
Count Kathy and me in
Beau
And that's our six.
I'll let you guys know if and when this is happening.
Hank
Rest of us are on our own that day...Who's up for a lost walking tour??????
Now, now Colleen. First of all, the walking tour will only be a couple of hours, if it even happens at all.
Secondly, you'll be in FREAKING PARIS and the world will be your oyster. I'll bet you can find something to do with some of the others or on your own.
And finally, it's a good thing for our group not to travel as a pack the entire time and to break up into smaller entities--especially in Paris. Once we're on the boat, we will be traveling, sightseeing and eating as a gaggle most of the time, so Paris is the place to really strike out on your own from time to time.
There is so much to see and do in Paris, that I promise you can have a wonderful adventure in a smaller group or even on your own.
Here's my experience with traveling solo vs. traveling in a pack: When you travel as a herd, you'll have a lot of fun with each other.
But when you strike out on your own, even for just a few hours, that's when the magic happens. People are hesitant to interact with 11 strangers in a group, but are more comfortable approaching someone on their own.
Trust me, the French are going to love you and will eat you up like a bon bon. But you're going to have to leave the safety of the herd for them to feel comfortable approaching you and for that to happen.
My dream for this trip was for everyone to have their own unique travel experience and not have my vision for the trip enforced on them. I just wanted to set the stage for a fabulous adventure and allow y'all to let it unfold your way.
If we all do exactly the same stuff and see exactly the same things and make exactly the same memories, then our dinner conversation will lag a bit.
Who doesn't want to tell the story about the time that Mike got placed in "central lockup" in Paris over a huge misunderstanding when he went out on his own to buy a pain au chocolate?
And I can't wait to tell the story about when my friend Colleen met Rene, the dashing French Count and true love of her life. She was sitting at a sidewalk table at a little cafe where she had stopped for a coffee and a smoke after visiting the Musee Rodin. The Count invited the intriguing woman from Nouvelle Orleans to join him at his table after hearing her fumbling with her order. We didn't see her for the rest of the trip, and we all had to fly back to Paris the next year for the wedding.
Hey, it could happen--but it won't happen if you're on that walking tour with a bunch of the rest of us.
Hey Colleen,
Can Katie be your flower girl? She has never been one, and this would probably be her last chance!
Dear sweet Hank, I believe that I misled you with my post! What I meant was that you will have a guided tour that afternoon, while I will have an UNGUIDED romp through the streets of Paris!!! And I just may get lost......in a fabulous city full of interesting folks!! I have been reading guide books and studying my maps, so think I have a pretty good handle on the place, and as you know, I'm not afraid to strike out on my own!!! I agree, the herd may be too much for some activities.......
Jen,
Katie is welcome to be the flower girl..........but tell her not to get her hopes up!!!
I am in for a guided or unguided romp through the streets of Paris!!! Jen, Colleen and I can scout out the location for the wedding.
I'd like to scope out the site for the wedding reception!!
Oui! Moi aussi. Allons directement à la partie.
La fete est ici!!
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