Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Lessons Learned in France

For those who noticed I was… “out of the net,” be advised that my brother and our wives were in France the past two weeks. What a trip it was! I could write a book about just the ”Lessons Learned.”

I will be talking about these in future blogs for the benefit of everyone in my… “army of readers,” who might consider embarking on a similar adventure.

I’ll try and hit on some of the many things we did right, but it’s an amazing quirk of human nature to take for granted what goes smoothly and remember most… the things that didn’t.

Lessons Learned:

1. Euros: Do not carry Euro notes in denominations greater than fifty. Twenties are the easiest to exchange. Even McDonalds rejected a fifty denomination.

2. Credit Cards: Put everything you can on a credit card. (Hotels, Car Rental, purchases, gasoline, meals and anything else you can get a service to accept.) I was amazed at how many places had machines that took them. There was a longer lapse in the validation window and sometimes it didn't take on the first try... but overall, they worked amazingly well in France and I suspect this holds true for the rest of Europe. Use your Euros as a back-up and have them ready every time you go to buy something. Notify your card company that you will be in Europe. If you have Life-Lock tell them you will be abroad.

3. ATM Machines: If you use a credit card at an ATM machine you are charged a significant interest penalty in Europe. Do not use ATMs to get your Euros. The machine will ask for your PIN. You will be charged a daily interest penalty until the transaction clears. Do all your money changing at your bank in the US. (1 percent service charge although some banks try and charge two) not at the airport or anywhere else… It’s a rip-off. Have your Euros in a secure money carrier on your person. If it is a wallet carry it in your front pocket.

4. Rental Cars: Go over the car carefully and make sure all dings and scratches are noted… Get a GPS and learn how to program it at the airport. If traveling with a significant other designate one the driver and the other the navigator. When pointing the navigator makes sure not to obstruct the side mirror while pointing. The navigator rides, “shotgun” with a map on their lap and confirms out loud what the GPS “Voice” says even though the driver can hear it. Get a book on European road signs and become very familiar with what they are, particularly the one way and do not enter ones. If you can get a car with an automatic transmission do so. I don’t care how cool you think your are on a standard transmission, be advised that a six speed is common place and if your screw up a shift in the lower gears the engine has a habit of stalling. GASOIL means diesel in Europe…. Many cars are diesel. Having a car gives the traveler enormous flexibility, however the driving tempo is much more intense than in the US. There is an adjustment curve. Stay in the right hand lane as much as possible while keeping up with the traffic. The middle lane is considered a fast lane in Europe just like the outside one. Again… keep to the inside on the freeways.

5. Toll Roads: ("Peage") The most traumatic moment of the trip came when I drove into a slot for prepaid cards only. I had to back out with traffic behind me and no visibility out of the rear view mirror at six-oclock in the morning and pitch dark… It was an ugly moment… Here the navigator is vital to make sure you go to a stall that either has a pay attendant or a Euro-Machine. When you get to a Euro-machine it will tell you how much to feed in. On the edge of a Euro bill is a silver strip. Feed the silver strip in first. When the transaction is complete the gate arm will flip up.

6. Paying for Gas: My credit card did not work at the pump. The normal procedure thus was…. Fill the tank with “GasOil” (Know what your car drinks and use the appropriate hose.) Next, drive over to the attendant in the pay booth and hand them your credit card. This always worked, however we always had the euros ready as back-up in case it didn’t.

7. The French use traffic circles to a much greater extent than we do. The GPS will refer to them as Turn-Arounds (TOs). It will tell you which egress to exit on. Often the TOs will have several lanes. This gets “hairy” because the suitcases piled in the back can obstruct vision in a serious way. If this is the case make sure your mirrors are adjusted and learn to rely on them. Practice in the United States before doing it in Europe. Head twisting might work in the US but it will get you in trouble on a turn around with the suitcases in the way. I tried to stay to the outside on a TO, otherwise someone would invariably try to slip in and you risked a collision exiting from the inside lane. Again, use the eyes of the “Shotgun” and learn to work together. Keep the conversation active at driving points that represent a transition from the norm. A mute navigator is worthless and don't assume for a moment that all wisdom resides in the driver's mind. Operating a motor vehicle in France will require your undivided attention at all times and it is no place for fatigue, day dreaming or auto-pilot.

8. When you park in a public parking, the procedure is that you get a ticket when you come through the enter flip arm gate. When you get ready to leave you take the ticket and put it in a pay machine somewhere on the edge of the lot. The pay machine takes your entry ticket, tells you what the parking fee is, you put in the Euros and it gives you a paid ticket... which you use at the flip-up gate to exit the lot.

9. Returning the rental car at the airport. For some reason plugging the airport address into our rental GPS didn't work. Make sure you get this address straight when you pick up the car. Returning the car to the airport at De Gaul with three terminals, early in the morning was stressful without the GPS working. Remember, try and arrange for a car with automatic transmission. If traveling as a foursome you’ll need a van. The GPS is more than a "nice to have" option! It is a necessity and will let you find addresses of Hotels with amazing ease not to mention getting around in the cities.

10. The back streets (Alleys) are extremely narrow. There is a button in the middle of the mirror adjustment controls that turns both the mirrors in fully against the windows on the driver and passenger sides. This is not a "bell and whistle." You will need to use this feature to keep from busting them off while getting around and parking in some places.... this is how narrow things sometimes are. If you have forgotten how to parallel park practice up before you go. One final note. Don’t drive in Paris. Find a place to park the car (somewhere secure) and take the train.