I have been to Paris with my GBF and can confirm that BonsoirAnna is right about EVERYTHING

[morningpaper]

The women - gasp - they are all so chic and beautiful.

They just wear gray dresses with tiny belts and high heels and are all thin and smoking. Their hair is ALL PERFECT.

And the MEN!!!!

dearie me

GBF practically had to be physically restrained, particularly after an unexpected burst of rain when suddenly we appeared to be surrounded by a city of Colin Firths just emerging from the lake.

Honestly, Parisiens look like they are about to have sex ANY MINUTE and this talking-in-cafes is just really an interuption in their constant lives which are full of serious shagging.

Occasionally we would see an ugly person but they would be british tourists.

The only consolation was that there wasn't much laughing. British people ARE funny.

So my conclusion is that BonsoirAnna is probably right about everything.

I felt like a Cornish pasty with earrings.

As some time Paris resident would agree re dog muck. also when people know you are generally fine- also find it much more kid friendly than home (and I live in so called family friendly bit of sw London).

That said anna right that women uber glam and look like off duty models- have never even tried to compete even if could be arsed after chasing round after dd. That said I did get very annoyed at being mistaken twice for shop assistant in toy shop on Saturday(it's all very well not to be on same level but to be mistaken for staff that where a uniform that looks like a garden gnome got to even me).

Sadly pagwatch the men aren't like the dieux (and front of calendar this year has an Englishman on it- I thought it best to check it before I gave it to dsd for Xmas . But tell more re hotel - who did you see?

Also the drunkenness is not so much better/worse than here- have witnessed as much teenage party throwinf up and noise round Paris house as at home. Also late night trains not great(although dh complaining about people on train late on Saturday may have been connected to the rugby).

A Parisian SAHM

Well I have just booked my tickets for my petit sejour in July. That gives me a few months to become svelte and chic. I shall report back

I live in one of the bourgeois villes dortoires on the Paris transport system but not in the middle of town. I have the following comments:

• the nice men confine themselves to central Paris, though some of the older Lycee boys are showing signs that they might, one day, have what it takes to get MP going (and possibly me too )
• the women fall into two camps: those that wear grey dresses and thin belts, and those that have crawled in from the country. Think chic urban pencil-thin woman and Italian Mamma. There is no middle ground.
• the life-long smokers look and sound absolutely awful by the time they get to 60. That's if they have a voicebox left: there's one person who works in my town who does not, and hearing him makes me shudder.
• On the other hand, French teenagers smoking look cool, particularly if they are in a big group, on the morning of la rentrée, frenziedly flicking their hair and kissing each others' cheeks.
• I have no idea what they do with the millions of baguettes they buy. People often pick up two or three on the way back from work. They can't be eating them or they'd be fatter. Maybe they are shagging with them?
• I'd be amazed if the topic du jour on the French equivalent of Mumsnet (if it exists) is the je ne sais quoi of the English mother.

rofl @ shagging bagettes

Hmm so we have (1) sense of humour and (2) nice toilets which are on our side...

To be super honest, I think the best looking people I've ever seen is in Amsterdam (and Brussels airport, oddly enough)

I don't get this - I have been
to Paris and not seen all these elegant people. Fat men do frot you on the Metro though. I don't think they are British...

thereistheball- lol at shagging the baguettes

Frot? what is this frotting?

Its done with hand-spun organic llama wool and rosewood needles lynette.

Ere, Bonsoir, if you're around, I want to know what you think about this. Would be interesting to get your perspective.

Another hijack for Bonsoir from me... We are going to Paris over Easter w DD (9 months' old), with another family who also have little ones. I have searched "Paris" on MN but can't find child friendly recommendations. I think I remember you told someone not that long ago good child friendly places?

Jardin du Luxembourg
Jardin du Palais-Royal
Boat ride on Seine

You can eat at Noura on avenue Marceau (Lebanese open all day with high chairs and child-friendly food)

Aha, I just knew you would find this and tell me! Thank you! Any more suggestions? I think you mentioned Marche something or other as a child friendly place to shop?

We are staying in St Germaine if that helps.

Le Bon Marche?

Bonsoir, I'm going to a joint 30th birthday party/housewarming in Paris this weekend. There will be lots of no doubt trendy media types.

What would you wear?

They don't age well, though. Must be the smoking / being rail-thin thing. They seem to look fab up to the age of about 45 yrs and then suddenly morph into those haggard toothpicks in Chanel suits with little dogs under their bony arms

French men - non, no, non. Too small.

Love Paris, though. Love stuffing my big fat English gob with Laduree macaroons!

Yes, Franca, google tells me you are right, that's the one

Bunnymother, if you are staying in St Germain and want views I would give the Eiffel Tower a miss and go up the Tour Monparnasse instead. I reccommend this to all parents of small children - there are rarely queues, you go up in a lift and when you are admiring the vista you don't have to look at the ugliest building in Paris because you are standing on it.

Terrific, thank you LillianGish - sounds like a great idea. And I don't ever go up the Eiffel Tower due to the queues. And the cheesiness of it - both Tom Cruise and Rod Stewart proposed up there. Dear, oh dear.

For a great child friendly restaurant with great view close to where you are staying I would recommend Pizza Milano in Place St Michel. If you go upstairs and get a table by the window you will have fabulous views of Notre Dame and the Seine. Basically it's Pizza Express - so v child friendly and reasonable.

Lillian - you are on a roll, thank you! This is all great, am compiling a v big long list of places to go to. I like a plan, I do.

Is Pizza Milano still there? The one on Grands Boulevards is defunct, I know.

There is a great child-friendly pizza/pasta restaurant called Il Tre at 3 rue des Petits-Carreaux (which is the prolongation of rue Montorgueuil). Also try the Cojean chain of sandwich/salad bars (though the branch in the basement of Le Bon Marché is currently undergoing renovation and is closed).