# ED in 30 days, advice for driving to paris ?



## 7502011 (Dec 6, 2010)

thanks Alex !

have to admit, when it comes to good coffee, I'm a milk plus sweet person, not a real coffee drinker , lady at the Dunkin offer me a free bag of Donnut today,even i never buy Donnut, guess I earn my credit in their store because I go for " caramel latte " every day ! yeah , i know , not something to be proud of !

this may sound like a joke, but really, its ok to ask for sugar over there when you order Cappuccino ?


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## 7502011 (Dec 6, 2010)

Hey Andrew 


Yes, I will got to these places, but, Louvre is closed on Tuesday ? this car place sounds interesting, Champ Elysee's is also must be place for me. so , I will also check out the car show room.

Curious , have any one stop your BMW on the Av Champ to take a picture of your car ? with that Arc de Triomphe in the back ground ? too crazy ? 

Thank you !


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## M FUNF (Apr 2, 2008)

7502011 said:


> Hey Andrew
> 
> Yes, I will got to these places, but, Louvre is closed on Tuesday ? this car place sounds interesting, Champ Elysee's is also must be place for me. so , I will also check out the car show room.
> 
> ...


The only "crazy" part is the thought that you want to drive your car into the heart of Paris. For those of us who know and love the City of Lights, the thought of driving a new BMW into the city is insane. The French take particular delight in backing into and denting German cars. If you want your car damaged do not turn it in at the airport as you get to Paris, but drive it into the city and take your chances (not good). :dunno:


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## laser (Aug 2, 2004)

M FUNF said:


> The only "crazy" part is the thought that you want to drive your car into the heart of Paris. For those of us who know and love the City of Lights, the thought of driving a new BMW into the city is insane. The French take particular delight in backing into and denting German cars. If you want your car damaged do not turn it in at the airport as you get to Paris, but drive it into the city and take your chances (not good). :dunno:


Our first trip to Paris we drove into the city from the Lorie Valley on a Friday afternoon, wife driving, me with map in my lap, rush hour, navigated straight to the Arc de Triomphe, about six times around the traffic circle (not exaggerating) trying to figure out how and where to get out, wife liberally giving the one finger salute to the friendly taxi drivers in the rear view mirror!

What a hoot, she loved it ........ I was trying to remember if we checked collision damage insurance on the rent car papers? :dunno:


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## 7502011 (Dec 6, 2010)

Thank you for the waring ! I will go strait to the air port drop off point !


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

7502011 said:


> Thank you for the waring ! I will go strait to the air port drop off point !


It is quite entertaining to sit at a cafe overlooking the Arc de Triomphe and watch the cars crash.

Trip before last, Debbie's taxi crashed within 5 minutes of arrival. Driver got out and started a fight.

If you get a chance, rent 2 Days in Paris.


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## mhg (Oct 13, 2010)

Pick up in January 2011- PLEASE check on your tire situation! 
That may affect all your plans as it did our 2 weeks ago. The start of winter has already been difficult. Earlier this month we flew into Amsterdam for a few days fun, then took a train tio Munich,toured some, then we drove from the pickup @ Welt to the recommended John's Tire Rental on good roads in a *light snow*, roads clear with snow shoveled above the 
curbs. 10 days later we drove from the winter tire rental in Ismaning ( suburb of Munich) to the airport dropoff place. This second drive was quite a harrowing experience! Blowing snow, some ice, big trucks blowing by our new car!- one of the worse experiences in driving. ten degrees colder the day we had to drive to the airport. Will say the In and Out Folks at the airport were very alert and helpful; there is one small sign just before the Kempinsky and the biggest signs are for AUDI return. Easy task of no more than 20 minutes paperwork and you're dragging your bags to the terminal where several LH counters can direct you to the proper flight and print boarding passes etc.cccc
We changed our original plans from dropping off in Amsterdam to backtracking and so returning the car's winter tires in Munich. Had 10 days in Italy where it was considerably warmer than northern Europe.
Paris this time of year is very cold, damp and the days are VERY short. 

Add 25% more time to ViaMichelin or google maps for "real time" wherever you go, and allow you new vistas. I love Bavaria and there are 4 castles including Neuschwanstein worth seeing.
I also like Rothenburg and Lindau and the Rhine castles near St Goar and Bachrach.
GPS system should work fairly well in the hands of a calm navigator used to the system. Lots to see and do anywhere you go, do get a guidebook especially Rick Steves, for wherever you go. I like Paris in the summer when the light is early and lasts until 10.30 pm.

Plus, it's a long ride from Munich to Paris on highways, on any new car we always vary our speeds for breakin and keep an eye on the first 1,000-1,200 miles.

I found French Coffee is good enough even out of "instant machines' for a euro at gas stations. McDonalds in Milan have a coffee bar seperate from the burger/shakes/fries order counter. Terribly crowded but with a great mixture of humanity. 
Lots of good little restaurants.creperies near the Sorbonne on the LeftBank where I prefer to stay. Carry the Rick Steves lists for food as everyplace he's mentioned are very good or better than expected for the price.
Have fun!


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lay8aZlsbB0&NR=1





Still want to park your new BMW and get out to take a photo?

Interesting that the traffic priority seems to be the opposite of UK roundabouts. In the UK, traffic entering the roundabout yields to traffic in the roundabout. In Paris this is reversed. Traffic in the circle waits for traffic entering. If there is any rule at all :dunno:


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## 7502011 (Dec 6, 2010)

sorry for not able to reply to your post right a way ! also, I have not learn how to reply to individual post yet , so i can only do reply from last Message, but, i do want to thank everyone for provide & share these interesting stories from your trip there, they are priceless ! some of them are funny too !

from this youtube video and other members first hand experience on the Paris traffic , its like downtown Iraq we have seen on TV . no way , no way I will put my " dream car " in to this mess, it may take me full 3 days in Paris to get out the circle ! 


thanks for the video. also , good suggestion on the " 2 days in Paris" prefect movie for people like me who has 0 knowledge on the 1st visit to Paris ! watch the trailer and waiting for dvd to coming in the mail.

3 more weeks till my first ED and my first trip to Europe !


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

7502011 said:


> 3 more weeks till my first ED and my first trip to Europe !


It might snow. A few days before you go, you can check the weather forecast here: (in English)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/53?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/40?&search=paris&itemsPerPage=10&region=world


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## 7502011 (Dec 6, 2010)

I'm really been spoiled by you guys ! made so easy for me , thanks again ! I link this in to Google page , so every day I can see the update on the weather over there ! 

how do you handled your cell phone there ? At&t has really expensive international data plan for iphone 4, I see other member buy sim card over there , but can it be use on the lock Iphone 4 (thanks Steve !) plus is a mini sim too ? do their Sim card include data plan ?


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## medolai (Jun 12, 2006)

7502011 said:


> I'm really been spoiled by you guys ! made so easy for me , thanks again ! I link this in to Google page , so every day I can see the update on the weather over there !
> 
> how do you handled your cell phone there ? At&t has really expensive international data plan for iphone 4, I see other member buy sim card over there , but can it be use on the lock Iphone 4 (thanks Steve !) plus is a mini sim too ? do their Sim card include data plan ?


To use european sim card, you will need unlocked GSM phone, and your iphone4 is 'locked' only to use AT&T mini sim. You still could use AT&T iphone but I would suggest you to disable data roaming. Not knowing how to turn off data roaming in October, I paid over 300 dollars in 10 days not using web at all ( this happened with my android T-mobile phone)! On previous trips, I didn't have 'smartphone' and this wasn't a problem. Just have your data roaming on, your phone will automatically try to synch your emails and stuff, later I learned from T-mobile while complaining for the charge. If you insist on using european sim card, you could buy unlocked sim card from ebay.


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## 7502011 (Dec 6, 2010)

sorry to hear that $300 went for nothing ! I just find out , I will save another $150 if I buy the ticket today instead of last week ! well, at least expedia give me $50 coupon for the " loss" .

due to I have 200mb limit data plan here, I keep my data off all the time unless I need, first month, I reach 200mb in only a week !

I still have the 1st gen unlock Iphone that use the regular sim card, maybe i will use that instead ! besides maybe some phone use need, just thought the 3g maybe helpful when it comes to getting map on the phone for direction. so, do they sale l data plan and phone minute in the sim card ? do you need to get different sim card for Munich use and Paris ? thank you !


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## medolai (Jun 12, 2006)

7502011 said:


> sorry to hear that $300 went for nothing ! I just find out , I will save another $150 if I buy the ticket today instead of last week ! well, at least expedia give me $50 coupon for the " loss" .
> 
> due to I have 200 limit data plan here, I keep my data off all the time unless I need, first month, I reach 200mb in only a week !
> 
> I still have the 1st gen unlock Iphone that use the regular sim card, maybe i will use that instead ! besides maybe some phone use need, just thought the 3g maybe helpful when it comes to getting map on the phone from direction. so, do they sale l data plan and phone minute in the sim card ? do you need to get different sim card for Munich use and Paris ? thank you !


I havn't used european sim card myself, but my understaning is you could use a same sim in most of western europe.


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## laser (Aug 2, 2004)

7502011 said:


> I'm really been spoiled by you guys ! made so easy for me , thanks again ! I link this in to Google page , so every day I can see the update on the weather over there !
> 
> how do you handled your cell phone there ? At&t has really expensive international data plan for iphone 4, I see other member buy sim card over there , but can it be use on the lock Iphone 4 (thanks Steve !) plus is a mini sim too ? do their Sim card include data plan ?


I'm going to reveal how really cheap I am ....... turned off my ATT iphone.

Brought my MagicJack and plugged into laptop USB port ..... made all the calls I wanted for FREE ..... usually at the hotel WiFi in the evening ....... admittedly not while driving, but at 140 mph on the Autobahan probably best not to get a call reminding me about the dentist appointment I was missing back home!


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## jimefam (Jul 28, 2010)

I wouldn't get to worried about driving in any major cities in Europe. People on here make it seem as if it's a bunch of lunatics whomget into wrecks everyday. That's absurd! I just did ED in November and used my car throughout the whole trip. I stayed five days in Rome and a week in Paris as well as 2 days in Naples and drove everywhere with no incidents. I dropped off my car in Paris November 22 and it just got on the undine ship yesterday so there is a substantial delay. The car was a great thing to have as I hate public transportation and you'll go broke paying taxis everywhere. Plus to me driving the car is kind of the point of ED. By the way I stayed one block from the Arc in Paris and on the via nazionale in Rome two heavily trafficked areas so it's not like I was hiding from the congestion either just people exaggerating.


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## jimefam (Jul 28, 2010)

Laser what I did was forward my cell phone to my assistant while I was gone, that way you can have the phone on in case you need to make an emergency call and incoming texts are free so she would send me texts messages keeping me abreast of any issues with my business if it would have warranted a call I could do that at $.99 per minute which I did once just to answer an important ? She had it cost me a dollar and the 5.99 for the world traveler program.


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## laser (Aug 2, 2004)

jimefam said:


> I wouldn't get to worried about driving in any major cities in Europe. People on here make it seem as if it's a bunch of lunatics whomget into wrecks everyday. That's absurd! I just did ED in November and used my car throughout the whole trip. I stayed five days in Rome and a week in Paris as well as 2 days in Naples and drove everywhere with no incidents. I dropped off my car in Paris November 22 and it just got on the undine ship yesterday so there is a substantial delay. The car was a great thing to have as I hate public transportation and you'll go broke paying taxis everywhere. Plus to me driving the car is kind of the point of ED. By the way I stayed one block from the Arc in Paris and on the via nazionale in Rome two heavily trafficked areas so it's not like I was hiding from the congestion either just people exaggerating.


Yeah but you may be certifiably crazy given the mods you are planning for your drive shaft!

(respectfully kidding) :thumbup:


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## jimefam (Jul 28, 2010)

That's true! Better lucky than good I guess.


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## 7502011 (Dec 6, 2010)

I really ! really ! want to do this trip by driving my car to Paris, but 6 weeks of delay just to get car on the ship also really ! really worries Me ! was most of delay is because the car waiting for transport back to Port from Paris ?

about the phone , are suggesting to just sign up the international calling plan from US carrier then use it for emergency and all incoming text is free ? did you find the need to use data ? as 1st timer like me, Google search on the cell phone can come handy when I'm looking for something or when I'm lost !

by the way, what about this Google voice app on iphone, have any one use it before ? the rate is much cheaper compare to At&T, just not sure if I will still get charge from international plan of AT&t ?

thank you !


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