We had planned on going to Le Mans, visiting the city, race museum, seeing the race in a restaurant/bar, and then taking the TGV back to Paris in the evening. Unfortunately we missed our train back to Paris and spent the night at the race track. It wasn’t the most comfortable night, but I would do it again… with proper planning.

Le Mans is a fairly short trip, around 1 hour via TGV, from Paris. We took a slower train down to Le Mans and decided to jump off and visit Chartres along the way. This was a good idea, as we really didn’t need to arrive too early for the race. You’ll have plenty of time to walk around and see the track during the race time.

The trip is not too expensive, especially if you plan in advance. The train tickets will cost around 70 euros for round trip tickets. The race is around 70 euros. You can pay extra for the museum, food, souvenirs, etc. You’ll also want to purchase a day pass for the tram from Le Mans to the race track, which is around 5 euros.

Things to bring

We didn’t plan on actually attending the race, so we were badly prepared. These are the things that would have made the trip much, much, much better.

• A folding chair! Bring something comfortable and light-weight. The track does not provide seating unless you pay extra for the grand stands. You’ll find yourself standing and sitting on concrete for the majority of the time. I was sore for a week after this event.
• Food and water. The track lets you bring in your own goodies, in fact you’ll be swimming through a sea of empty beer bottles by the end of the race. So plan on packing water bottles and food in your backpack. The track food is actually not too bad or expensive, especially if you are used to the poison darts (hot dogs) at American race tracks.
• Jacket and/or blanket. You’ll want something light weight for extra warmth around 3 a.m. and it doesn’t hurt to make it waterproof as the race is known to attract rain clouds.
• Tent. There are tents everywhere. Bring one if you plan on staying several days. Personally I would recommend staying up all night for the race. It’s actually more interesting at night than during the day. I was pretty bored when the sun came back up after watching the lights at night.

Things you won’t need

• Camera. Le Mans is not a phtogenic event. You won’t get great action photos due to the fences and the distance between the race track and stands. So don’t stress about bringing a camera unless you are serious about it. You’ll need a telephoto.
• Hat. You’ll find affordable souvenir hats everywhere you turn. So plan on spending 10-20 euros on a hat that supports your favorite team. I purchased a vintage style Le Mans hat for about 10 euros that is quite comfortable and well made. The souvenir stands are much more affordable than what you’ll find at American race tracks.
• Beer. Ok, bring some if you like. It seems like everyone that gets on the shuttle sounds like they have a liquor store in their backpacks. So you can probably beg, borrow, and steal some libation from a fellow race fan. Speaking of which, the stands are filled with amazingly friendly and welcoming people.

Where to sit

We met some veteran race fans while waiting for the shuttle. We were told to hang out just past the starting line. This was good advice as the cars have to quickly down shift and enter a tight set of turns. I would also recommend visiting the inside section of the track. Oh I wish we had done that during the night. You can find grass to lie on instead of concrete and actual seats. Heck, I saw a cafe table or two I would have gladly slept on.

Where to eat

Le Mans is not the most exciting city in the world. I was surprised how dead it was in the evening. Take the tram to the Republique stop to find more than two restaurants. You’ll also notice the grocery and convenience stores close early.

There are some small towns that sit near the various race entrances. These look more race-centric and you’ll probably find a more festive environment.

Should you go?

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a great race. If you enjoy auto racing the answer is obvious. It’s a relaxing event with high spirits and festive attitude. The cars are very fast and you’ll only see a few seconds of them at a time. It is hard to tell who is in the lead and the multitude of big screens typically show the pitstops and rarely the race leaders. So you’ll find yourself watching the cars go by and not really worrying about who is winning until the last few hours.

Should non-race fans go? I would say yes if you enjoy festivals. This is more than a race, you’ll also find concerts, festival grounds, and lots of drunk friendly people to party with.

I wouldn’t recommend it for the following people:

• People that hate noise. The Audi‘s were surprisingly quiet but the Corvettes barrel through with a blast.
• People that are fastidious. You’re gonna get dirty sitting on the ground, leaning against the railings, or any number of other situations.
• Environmentalists. I am or have been a member of Greenpeace, WWF, PETA, and other environmental groups, so I can appreciate the concerns over the toxic gasses emitted during these 24 hours. Don’t come to Le Mans if that is going to stop you from enjoying the race.

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Most people, like myself, discover this the hard way when they move and find a bill for the backdated rent increase.

This is actually a pretty reasonable function. It removes the arbitrary rental increases and uses a schedule developed by the French government. My apartment that cost 1,250 euros/month had a rent increase last year of 55 euros/month. I’m not sure how that relates to other cities, but I thought it was reasonable and similar to what you’d pay in California.

Locals and tourists are going to find these very helpful. I just found out that I could take a bus from my apartment to the Eiffel Tower. These maps give you traffic warnings, time estimates, connections, and much more.

It’s only in French, but easy enough to use for non-french speakers. You can also see what the metro stations look like with my interactive metro photograph map.

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1. There are few restrooms, so try to plan in advance, if you know what I mean.
2. Buy a ticket to Versailles in advance. You can easily more than an hour to purchase a ticket.
3. Buy your return RER ticket as soon as you arrive in Versailles. The machines will not be busy. You’ll have to wait in line as all of the other people purchase tickets to go home at the end of the day.
4. Don’t leave early and miss the water fountain display.

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The Europlug is used in Class II applications throughout continental Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland, Slovenia, Poland, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria). It is also used in Middle East, most of Africa, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Bangladesh, Indonesia as well as the former Soviet republics, and many developing nations.

This plug is intended for use with devices that require 2.5 A or less. Because it can be inserted in either direction into the socket, live and neutral are connected at random.
Domestic AC Power Plugs and Outlets

I was really shocked when I arrived at the route a couple hours before the start and saw no signs of an event about to happen. Where were the crowds? Where were the signs, the chairs, the families?

I should have known better. This is Paris, not California. this is a country where protests, rallies, and parades are a common occurrence. They are participatory events. There were thousands of people in the parade, just not watching the parade.

The Pride Parade follows the standard parade/rally format. People show up at a designated area to prepare and coordinate. At the scheduled time, or after the standard delays, people start marching/walking/dancing/participating along the route to the final destination. Upon completion of the parade, there will be more music, dancing, eating, talking, and discussions.

If you’ve become bored of the French Pride Parade, take a trip to California or New York for a new perspective. Likewise, the Paris parade is a great alternative to the standard American exhibition.

You’ll have a lot to learn when you move to France. You’ll need French language lessons, pick up the cultural references, and understand the history of Europe to truly appreciate your experience.

But how do you find the time to do all of this studying? Fortunately, we spend many hours each week riding the metro and your trusty Apple iPod or iPhone makes this job much easier.

Note: you cannot go directly to the podcasts or iTunesU material on the internet. The following links will prompt your computer to open your computer’s iTunes program. This is really annoying, but blame Apple, not me.

Podcasts and iTunesU

Podcasts are audio productions that are published on a regular basis. You can subscribe to them via iTunes and they will automatically appear on your iPod every time you synchronize. They are free and you’ll find a

huge variety of topics to choose from.

Here are some useful podcasts for the new Parisian.

• The French Pod Class – also visit their web site FrenchPodClass.com.
• Learn French by Podcast
• Discovering Paris along its famous monuments
• Advanced French
• French Podcast - Improving your French language skills by listening to conversations

ITunesU – it’s like going to college without the dorm

ITunesU is a collaboration between Apple and the top Universities and educational organizations around the world. They typically record and publish the symposiums and extended study programs, rather than the normal courses. This gives you access to concentrated information by leading lecturers. I have found UC Berkeley and Stanford University presentations to be of the highest quality. Here are some of the iTunesU courses that I have found particularly interesting.

• UC Berkeley History 5 (entire course) – European Civilization from the Renaissance to the Present
• UC Berkeley Global Affairs – Burn Baby Burn, French Style? Roots of the Riots in Urban France
• Stanford University – Ben Franklin and the World of the Enlightenment
• Stanford University – Hanibal
• Open University – Intermediate French

These are just a sampling of the information you can get on iTunes and iTunesU. The content is free and you’ll find your commutes much more productive as you learn history, language, and culture as you travel to work, school, or the museums. Take some time to explore iTunes, there are a lot of hidden gems.

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I’ve gotten pretty good at converting temperatures, money, and lengths in my mind, but squaring those measurements just causes a headache. Luckily, I found this simple web page with an easy to use grid for comparing areas. Metric Conversions has several other useful tools as well. Add this bookmark and you’ll find it much easier determining what you need in an apartment.

Metric Conversion Charts

• Square Meters to Square Feet
• Celsius to Fahrenheit
• Inches to Centimeters
• Kilograms to Pounds

Metro stations are the easiest place to buy tickets; you’ll find automated ticket machines and walk up windows. I would recommend using the walk up windows during busy periods. The automated machines can be a bit confusing and it is aggravating to have a group of people line up as you fumble with your ticket purchase.

You may even be tempted to buy tickets from someone standing next to the machine. Avoid these frauds, they’ll sell you used tickets at a premium.

You can purchase single tickets or a pack of 10 (carnet). A ticket will allow you to transfer between multiple metro trains, However it doesn’t allow unlimited transfers of buses. You’ll save money and time buying tickets 10 at a time. These are good options for those visiting Paris for less than a week.

You can purchase weekly tickets that are valid Monday through Sunday. these are not available to purchase every day. if you buy one on Friday-Sunday, they won’t take effect until the following Monday. These unlimited tickets come in several flavors, Carte Orange and Passe Navigo are the most common. Short term visitors may want to look into the Paris Visite pass, which ends up being cheaper than individual tickets, more expensive than Carte Orange or Navigo, but you pay for just one to 5 days.

Unlimited travel saves money and time

you’ll want to upgrade to a carte orange or navigo pass if you will be staying longer or returning at a later time. Carte orange is an older method for purchasing a ticket that allows you to pay once a week or month. The ticket allows unlimited use of the metros or buses within the designated zones. You will probably want the basic set, zones 1 and 2, this includes the city limits and the suburbs right outside the city.

You will need to provide a passport style image; most major metro stops feature photo booths for this purpose. Just take the photo to a ticket booth and request a carte orange for the desired time period. They will create an identity card and hand you a holder and special ticket. You’ll need to sign your id card and write your id card number on your ticket to make it valid.

To use the metro, pass your carte orange ticket through the collectors as you would a normal ticket. On buses, show the driver your valid ticket and id when you get on.

Carte Orange is being phased out in favor of Navigo.  It may not be available for much longer.

Navigo

Navigo is much more convenient to use. However, you need to mail your passport photo to the RATP and receive your identity card in the mail a few weeks later. It uses RFID technology instead of a ticket for passing through the toll gates and getting on a bus.

You can also register your Navigo pass to work with the Velib rental bikes. There are two types of Navigo passes, depending on whether you live/work in the Paris vicinity or not.

I wont drive a car in Paris… no, no, no

Owning a car in Paris is a liability more than a benefit. Drivers  have to find parking, fuel is expensive, and traffic jams make commuting a slow arduous process. Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris, has made alternate transportation a priority to reduce congestion and the effects of pollution. The tiny smart car and motorcycles are common alternatives for personal transportation.

Life with the Paris metro

The nearest metro station is a reference point for business and personal addresses. You may find yourself looking for a hotel or apartment located near your favorite metro line. The various metro lines criss-cross the city, touching just about every neighborhood within the city limits.

you’ll rarely have to walk more than a quarter mile to reach a station.

The dynamic duo – metro and bus

Paris has a world-class bus system as well as the metro. Your metro ticket is valid for both. Use the metros for faster commuting and the buses for shorter trips, sightseeing, or when you’d rather enjoy the view. Buses are also more popular with the elderly and those who want to avoid the many steps inside metro stations. You can also grab shuttle boats on the Seine during summer.