Since Bert and I are spending the first four days of our excellent adventure on our own in Paris, I thought it would be a good idea to put together a small vocabulary of french words and phrases that might come in handy while we travel and try to converse. My grade 11 french is more than 29 years behind me now and my vocabulary is limited to counting, colours and greetings. As for Bert, his use of the french language can be summed up with two words; french fries.
My marvelous mom Marjorie and her kind and patient partner Frances have travelled many times to France. These budget-minded, physically-fit explorers have cycled, canoed, hiked and treked accross the country and have been passing along helpful tips on how to get the most from our journey to Paris. Here's what we have learned from them so far:
Public washrooms in Paris come in many shapes and forms and many are not for the faint of heart. They have told us to carry small change (pay-per-use), pack along babywipes, ziplock bags and don't hit the self sanitizing flush in the urban porta-potties until you have one foot out the door otherwise you get a bonus shower you may not have bargained for! Good to know.
Key phrases they use to get through most situations:
- où est la salle de bains * where is the bathroom-Need I say more?
- Pardon Moi, nous sommes perdus * Pardon me, we are lost-They used this one alot, while cycling.
- faites vous avez une pièce plus bon marché * Do you have a cheaper room.-According to my brother Kevin and his wife Deanna who met up with them on one of their European trips, this was a question that probably should never be asked. Some of their accomodation stories still bewilder and amuse us.
Apparently she didn't seem to have any problem communicating in Paris.
Here's what she did. If she had a question, perhaps wanting to know the cost of something or find out which train to take, she would just walk up to a stranger or engage a store owner with a bright smile and a hearty and accented "bonjour, bonjour, bonjour!" then point at Frances and step aside. This action would undoubtedly leave quiet spoken Frances to stumble through a conversation with their new aquaintance in her minimal French.
So, I think I know what's ahead for me,
Bert now has the art of the french language and culture at his fingertips....
"bonjour, bonjour, bonjour!"
