So, your wife's planning a surprise for a wkend in July

LardLover

And you might have "accidently" noticed an email about "the" trip, that she's planned, is to Paris, as a "surprise" for me (it's our anniversary weekend), for the weekend that just happens to be the finish of the Tour de France :shock:

Now, I don't know for "definite", but what are the chances????


So, who's been to the watch the finish?, where do I need to be? Should I tell her we need to be there earlier than the Friday???


Oh, and I suppose we must see other things as it's "our" weekend. What do we "need" to see (when there's no cycling to watch :roll: ). We've never been to Paris, well, my wife went on a school trip, but that was over 20 years ago!


Of course, she could just be planning to run off with her "fancy-man" :oops:

SpinningJenny

Go up the Eiffel Tower - but use the stairs! It's much more fun!

And also Notre Dame.

And the Louvre.

Or just go to Montmartre, stroll along looking at all the artists and then eat lots of croissants and drink lots of proper French coffee.

Enjoy it!

Rev\'d Gatlin

Before you wake up from your dream have a go at cycling the stepping stones over the Wansbeck.

Get back to reality, you're getting gardening gloves.

Frank the tank

I'd be hoping she was planning to run off with the "fancy man", then make my own arrangements for Paris, That way everybody's happy.

nick hanson

Just got back from a 2 day trip to take the kids into Paris for the afternoon (sat),then see Paris Roubaix last sunday (Absolutely fantastic)
Think about going up the Tower first thing,or late on,
You can soon use up 3 to 4 hours queing, first for tickets then to change lifts
part way up,if going to the top.
A walk by the Seine,Notre Dame,Sacre coure are all must see's,as is the Arc d'triomphe
Notre Dame is next to the Latin Quarter,which isn't QUITE as expensive to eat as some
other places.
If eating out,beware of the drinks prices,as they can cost almost as much as the meal when you get the final bill
Hope your imagination over the trip proves correct

LardLover

Rev\'d Gatlin wrote:

Before you wake up from your dream have a go at cycling the stepping stones over the Wansbeck.

Get back to reality, you're getting gardening gloves.

Hey, I'll have you know I have "thought" about whether you could get across them stepping stones (just rode along the left side of them, through the water, it's shallow enough). And how'd you know I lived in Morpeth?? And anyway, I know you're lying about the gardening gloves, I don't have a garden. One of the reasons of moving to our house, I got sick of the sunday grass cutting/gardening of our old house on a new estate!



Thanks for all the info guys, especially about being early for the Eiffel Tower. Notre dame is a must too!! How the hell do I fit it all in especially with the TDF on Sunday????


Boy am I going to look stupid if "we're" not going eh?

redvee

I last watched on La Rue De Rivoli, by the funfair as the riders came round the corner from the tunnel. Much less crowded than the Champs Elysse(sp).

synchronicity

Have you ever "seen" this website:

http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com

(have fun in Paris, you lucky bastard :P )

LardLover

lol, at least you can't see me doing that tw@tful thing with my fingers

I "promise" to stop using "" 's


:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

synchronicity

I'm suprised you don't "call" yourself "LardLover" (i.e. with the quotation marks).

Sorry, only having a bit of Friday night fun at someone else's expense.
I'll shut up and have me dinner now.

topcattim

nick hanson wrote:

Think about going up the Tower first thing,or late on,
You can soon use up 3 to 4 hours queuing, first for tickets then to change lifts
part way up,if going to the top.

I'd advise going up the Tower late on. Unless you get there really early, you're in for a long queue. We went a couple of years ago, and got in the queue about 10-30ish. Can't remember exactly how long we queued for, but it was indeed about 3 or 4 hours. the annoying thing was not many people seemed to join the end of the queue behind us - essentially it just got shorter. So if we'd started queuing mid to later afternoon, we'd still have got to the top at roughly the same time!

cougie

We saw Armstrongs last finish in Paris - we were just off the Champs and it was heaving - we were at the barriers from about 10ish. Take some of those camping chairs that fold down to nothing - ours were a fiver from the supermarket - at least we could sit and chat on the pavement in comfort. Failing that though - go somewhere less crowded.

PostieJohn

I wouldn't be out done by Wifey, if I were you, you'd never live it down.

You should take her on a glorious 3 week tour of France, prior to her poxy little weekend away. I don't know perhaps it would be fun to start in Monaco.
Then you could safely point out how much more you love .......................... her, than anything else in the whole wide world.

tlw1

Why don't you accidently leave some brochures for a w.end away somewhere, therefore if she is planning a trip for you then she will have to come out and say something to stop a double booking!

Then you can start planning the tour in detail

Recommend going to Pier de chase (SP) its the graveyard with Oscar Wilde & Jim Morrison in.

The biggest point is why were you looking at her email

dg74

Give her your debit card and send her off to the exclusive shops. Tell her to have a good time and that you are feeling unwell. then nip out, buy two nice bottles of champagne and join the throng of cycle fans at the finish of the tour.

Explaining why you're out of the hotel at 3am, drunk and with a couple of french beauties on your arms is another matter.

on a serious note, Paris is amazing (spent 5 days in my second city of Barcelona then 4 days in Paris for my honeymoon). all of the suggestions above are great but taking it all in (in a wonderment kind of way) is impossible. Just enjoy it.

guilliano

Or you could plan a second weekend away as an "I love you this much" treat...... somewhere like Rome maybe? I hear there is a cycle race ending there next month too

LardLover

Woohoo, turns out IT IS PARIS.........FOR THE TDF...............................and we're staying in a hotel (a geet posh one too!!) on the Champs Elysees!!








Now, to all the comments about going away for another weekend, I don't earn anywhere near as much as my wife. My weekend away would consist of a weekend camping in the Lakes.

nick hanson

LardLover wrote:

Woohoo, turns out IT IS PARIS.........FOR THE TDF...............................and we're staying in a hotel (a geet posh one too!!) on the Champs Elysees!!








.

Nice one,congrats!
Start off nice & romantic on the sat,a nice bottle of Champers,cuddled up in bed,the tv happens to be switched into one of the channels showing tdf
Sunday,suggest a romantic walk up the Champs elysee to take in the sites...Result

Rev\'d Gatlin

"And how'd you know I lived in Morpeth??"

Well...........

"I'm new to this road cycling mullarky, having come over into the light from years and years spent mountain biking.

Was wondering if there was anyone in the south east Northumberland area (I'm in Morpeth) that fancied getting together for training rides?"

Kind of gives it away. Kirkhill born and bred myself so the antenna was twitching.

To recap the story so far, your wife earns more than you, you've moved house to get rid of the garden and she's taking you to Paris for the end of the TDF.

My wife earns nowt, I have to pick the dog sh*t up before I get to the scrubland we call a lawn and for my anniversary I got a teapot. Let me know if you fancy a swap..

Stewie Griffin

I pit my shants looking up the middle of the Eiffel Tower from the ground, totally lost my bottle, Im NEVER going up it :oops: Its also surrounded by people who will try to sell you a tacky 2 inch plastic key ring of the Tower.

Never been blown away by a Church as much as when I stood in the below & looked up. Thoroughly recommended.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89glis ... che,_Paris

Omelette in a Baguette for lunch out in the Sun while watching the World go by.

spen666

SpinningJenny wrote:

Go up the Eiffel Tower - but use the stairs! It's much more fun!

....

especially when you cycle up them

CyclingBantam

Paris is amazing. The Pere Lachaise Cemetery as someone else pointed out is really interesting. Also any of The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Latin Quarter, Montmartre, Louvre, Pont Neuf amongst 100's of other places are well worth going.

It really is an amazing place.

I have seen the Tour finish there about 5 times now. Each time I have been on the left hand side of the Champs Elysees (as you look up) as you get to see the riders twice (coming up and down) and it has been great. You do need to get there quite early though (about 10:30) if you want to be at the barriers (much better IMO) so as someone else said, take some camp chairs. Also if you hang about after (it does take them about an hour or so) the riders all come up for a lap of honour which is good. I am considering watching the last stage from somewhere else for a change so will be interested to see others opinions.

You will have fun.

LardLover

Thanks for all the advise dudes

mrushton

Don't forget get to do the boat ride (bateau mouche) on the Seine. Bit cheesy, but a great way to travel. watch the first Bourne film and see the Pont Neuf which iswhere the films climax takes place. Eiffel Tower is excellent as is Notre Dame (I went up one of the towers, saw 'The Bells!! and the gargoyles, no Quasimodo tho'. You could go to Place vendome and the Mrs. can shop at Van Cleef and Arpels or Cartier etc. Some great patissiers and chocolatiers and cheese shops.

Anonymous

I saw Happy Mondays at the Bataclan club in Paris in 1990. Just thought I'd put that in, 8)