by Ang
I am a habitual list-maker. I always have multiple lists going, usually they are the typical ‘things to do’ lists, with a few variations like ‘long-term’ or ‘before xx/xx/xx’, etc. Well, my lists at this point are out of control. I have five currently right now. Three are Paris related, and two are related to the baby shower that Amy and I are throwing for our brother and sister-in-law in March (10 days before we leave – yikes!). The three Paris related lists are: Things to buy, things to do, and things to pack (the very beginning stages which only has one item on it--a small compact umbrella that I can fit in my purse). The ‘Things to Buy’ list includes things such as a backup memory card for my camera. The ‘Things to Do’ list is much, much longer. Right now there are 19 things on it. Some of them are funny. Like ‘Clean everything’. Seriously, that’s what I wrote. This includes the cleaning out of closets, drawers, etc. Another one is ‘Clip cats nails’. A lot of them are actually related to our trip though, such as ‘Copy all travel documents and give to brother-in-law’. This list grows daily.
My whole point in writing this though, is that it just occurred to me TODAY to make a list of things I still need to do as far as our itinerary goes. And I’m afraid that list is long. But hopefully it will help me after I post it here to get the big picture of what I still need to do. (I have become the designated trip info getter/map person/etc.)
As I said before, we have a rough day-by-day itinerary. Here it is:
Wednesday: Travel all day (arrive in Paris Thursday at 9:00 a.m.)
Thursday: Eiffel Tower & Rue Cler (and possibly Les Invalides – Napoleon’s tomb)
Friday: Louvre, Opera House, Montmartre
Saturday: Versailles
Sunday: Meeting & meal w/ Megan’s family, walk along the banks of the Seine
Monday: Amsterdam
Tuesday: D’Orsay, Arc de Triumph, Champs Elysees
Wednesday: Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower again, Boat tour of Seine
Thursday: Nothing yet
Friday: Travel
And here is the list of things I need to do & research:
*Can we buy tickets to the Louvre, D’Orsay & Arc de Triumph online so we don’t have to wait in lines?
*Print off info about Les Invalides in case we decide to go there (our apartment is situated right between that and the Eiffel Tower, so it’s close)
*Figure out which Metro line we need for each destination for the ones that are too far to walk to
*Buy tickets online for our Boat Tour and figure out which Port we need to depart from
*Look into the One-Day Pass for Versailles that grants access to the entire estate and possibly purchase online.
*Figure out which train we need to take to Versailles and what time it leaves and if we should buy our tickets in advance.
*Review the buildings at Versailles (some are only open in the morning, some are only open in the afternoon, etc.) to plan accordingly.
*Watch Marie Antoinette (with Kirsten Dunst) again just for kicks
Versailles has a nice website:
http://www.chateauversailles.fr/en/
*Decide how we’re going to get from the airport to our apartment and vice versa. Discuss with Pascal (our French rental agent guy). Taxi, train, metro, shuttle?
*Make sure we know where Megan’s family lives and how to get to them.
*Research orange cards/photos
*Check on international texting rates (so we can text each other at the Louvre when we’re going to split up and do our own thing)
*Research a bus pass to see if we want to ride bus 69 to experience the crazy traffic.
Amsterdam deserves its own list:
*Decide what we want to do first (the Square, Anne Frank House, Canal Tour)
*Figure out where each of these things are located and the best way to get to them (metro? Walking? Canal bus? Tickets?)
*Buy tickets to the Anne Frank House online
*Figure out which Canal Tour we want to take OR if we should just buy a one day canal bus ticket and hop on and off as we please. Or both. ?
*Figure out how early we need to be at the train station for departure back to Paris
*Print out canal bus maps
*Learn some Dutch phrases
So now I have 7 lists. But I feel organized and now have a clear picture of what I need to do.
J’aime prevoir!
Ang
p.s. – How in the WORLD did people ever plan international vacations without the internet?
My whole point in writing this though, is that it just occurred to me TODAY to make a list of things I still need to do as far as our itinerary goes. And I’m afraid that list is long. But hopefully it will help me after I post it here to get the big picture of what I still need to do. (I have become the designated trip info getter/map person/etc.)
As I said before, we have a rough day-by-day itinerary. Here it is:
Wednesday: Travel all day (arrive in Paris Thursday at 9:00 a.m.)
Thursday: Eiffel Tower & Rue Cler (and possibly Les Invalides – Napoleon’s tomb)
Friday: Louvre, Opera House, Montmartre
Saturday: Versailles
Sunday: Meeting & meal w/ Megan’s family, walk along the banks of the Seine
Monday: Amsterdam
Tuesday: D’Orsay, Arc de Triumph, Champs Elysees
Wednesday: Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower again, Boat tour of Seine
Thursday: Nothing yet
Friday: Travel
And here is the list of things I need to do & research:
*Can we buy tickets to the Louvre, D’Orsay & Arc de Triumph online so we don’t have to wait in lines?
*Print off info about Les Invalides in case we decide to go there (our apartment is situated right between that and the Eiffel Tower, so it’s close)
*Figure out which Metro line we need for each destination for the ones that are too far to walk to
*Buy tickets online for our Boat Tour and figure out which Port we need to depart from
*Look into the One-Day Pass for Versailles that grants access to the entire estate and possibly purchase online.
*Figure out which train we need to take to Versailles and what time it leaves and if we should buy our tickets in advance.
*Review the buildings at Versailles (some are only open in the morning, some are only open in the afternoon, etc.) to plan accordingly.
*Watch Marie Antoinette (with Kirsten Dunst) again just for kicks
Versailles has a nice website:
http://www.chateauversailles.fr/en/
*Decide how we’re going to get from the airport to our apartment and vice versa. Discuss with Pascal (our French rental agent guy). Taxi, train, metro, shuttle?
*Make sure we know where Megan’s family lives and how to get to them.
*Research orange cards/photos
*Check on international texting rates (so we can text each other at the Louvre when we’re going to split up and do our own thing)
*Research a bus pass to see if we want to ride bus 69 to experience the crazy traffic.
Amsterdam deserves its own list:
*Decide what we want to do first (the Square, Anne Frank House, Canal Tour)
*Figure out where each of these things are located and the best way to get to them (metro? Walking? Canal bus? Tickets?)
*Buy tickets to the Anne Frank House online
*Figure out which Canal Tour we want to take OR if we should just buy a one day canal bus ticket and hop on and off as we please. Or both. ?
*Figure out how early we need to be at the train station for departure back to Paris
*Print out canal bus maps
*Learn some Dutch phrases
So now I have 7 lists. But I feel organized and now have a clear picture of what I need to do.
J’aime prevoir!
Ang
p.s. – How in the WORLD did people ever plan international vacations without the internet?
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